Pantry Cooking, For Now and For Always
I’m writing this blog post at an unusual and scary time, to say the least. The world is in the midst of a global pandemic and many of us are staying at home in order to keep people healthy and safe. This means not doing a lot of grocery shopping, and so my friends have asked me to write up some thoughts on pantry cooking. What this means to me is cooking with what you have in storage - the dried, canned, boxed and bagged items in your cupboards and the preserved food in your freezer - and maybe supplementing with more limited fresh items than you’re used to having on hand. I’ve got some tips for stocking up, storing, making your food last longer, and a few recipe ideas.
The thing is though - while we’re in a particularly unprecedented time right now, this kind of cooking is good for life at all times. This post is actually a quick & condensed version of what I’m writing up for my food waste book, which is decidedly not just meant for a national emergency. Right now you may be low on fresh food because you’re avoiding the supermarket, but in regular life maybe you just didn’t make it to the grocery store. Right now it makes sense to stretch your food and use up every last bit since you’re on quarantine, but in regular life you might just want to save food and save money. Right now you might be wondering how to use dried beans since you’re practicing social distancing, but in regular life you should just eat beans because they’re delicious and shouldn’t be abandoned in your pantry for years anyway. And this is coming from someone who literally just made pork & beans from beans that are conservatively…18 months old**? I’m taking this opportunity to actually eat the things in my pantry. And in case you’re wondering, it was excellent. (**ok probably more. Let’s just move on).
So whether you’re reading this because your local market has been panic-cleared of all eggs and bread, or whether you’re reading this years later just for helpful pantry tips (and thinking ‘I’m glad that COVID-19 pandemic wasn’t as bad as it could have been because we all did our part and stayed home”), I hope you’ll find these tips valuable for using your food in smart and resourceful ways.
Stocking Your Pantry
Here’s what I make sure to always have in my cupboards, in no particular order:
Salt and pepper - I buy Diamond Crystal brand kosher salt by the huge box so I never ever ever run out and have a large jar of peppercorns for grinding fresh.
Stock in a box, or an alternative like bouillon cubes, bouillon in a jar, or homemade stock in frozen cubes (in which case I sincerely applaud your organization). I personally like having a jar of Better Than Bouillon in the fridge after throwing out too many boxes of half-used chicken stock.
Canned/tinned/preserved fish - anchovies, sardines, tuna, salmon and more. Easy protein, tons of flavor, lasts for what seems like forever. Pop it on a sandwich or a salad, scatter some on top of pasta, eat it straight out of the tin, no judgment here.
Crunch - this is a very diverse category for me, whether it’s for snacking straight or adding texture and dimension to salads or soups or stews or pasta. Think tortilla chips, nuts of all kinds, good breadcrumbs (homemade are the best for maximum crunch), fried shallots (make your own or buy a ginormous plastic jar at the Asian supermarket), potato chips, Ritz crackers, etc.
Dried pasta or noodles - I like to have some long spaghetti/fettucine types for eating straight, some short rotini/farfalle types for baked pastas, and an assortment of Asian noodles like ramen and soba for soups, noodle salads, etc.
Beans and lentils - I have a mix of dried heirloom beans for bean-centered dishes as well as an assortment of boxed or canned chickpeas or beans for quick-and-easy meals (top a salad, roast for snacking, puree for hummus, etc.)
Vinegar! Always have acid on hand for adding brightness and dimension to your meals. If you can’t have fresh lemons, you’ll be okay! I like to have neutral-ish vinegars like rice vinegar and white wine vinegar for pickling and cooking, apple cider vinegar for dressings, Shao xing (Chinese black) vinegar for Chinese food, and white vinegar for household cleaning projects.
Oil! Essential, always. I always stock a neutral oil like canola or grapeseed for cooking, and a decent olive oil for cooking and dressing. If I’m feeling flush, I’ll buy a fancy olive oil that gets drizzled on special things.
Umami boosters - key for adding delicious flavor! Soy sauce, fish sauce, Marmite if you’re married to a Brit and stand firmly in the Love It as opposed to the Hate it camp.
Coconut milk/curry paste/curry powder/your favorite spices My go-to mix + match combo for pantry cooking for making stew, curry, veggie soup, noodle soup, lentils, you name it. Saute some aromatics like onion and garlic, add a bit of Thai curry paste or your spices of choice, pour in some coconut milk and stock and then add just about anything savory you have in your kitchen. Further instructions here.
Rice and grains - I always have white rice and brown rice, plus a random selection of whole grains. Long-lasting, good for you, super flexible, super delicious, all of the above. Make rice porridge, fried rice, grain bowls, salads, risotto-ish dishes, etc etc.
Canned tomatoes (or boxed to avoid the BPA, if you can find them)- Make tomato sauce for pizza or pasta, but also just pour them into a soup or a stew to add bulk and flavor, or make a Shakshuka-style baked eggs.
Lots of onion and garlic (and other alliums of your choice like scallions or shallots) because they’re the foundation for so much pantry cooking. They’ll last for months when stored properly.
Nut butters and tahini - Straight up on sandwiches, pureed into dips, mixed with soy sauce and vinegar to make noodle and salad dressings, for baking projects, etc. Peanut noodles with frozen edamame and shrimp is a killer pantry meal.
Root vegetables - They can last for weeks or months when stored correctly and are super hearty for bulking up meals. Search around this site for ideas!
Flour, sugar, yeast, chocolate chips, baking powder, etc. - Because sometimes you need to stress bake or entertain a 5-year-old or treat yourself to something special when you can’t leave the house.
Beer and Wine - FOR OBVIOUS REASONS, but also because wine is great to add depth to stews and braises and because I am newly obsessed with this no-knead beer dough for pizza and bread.
Here’s what I always have in the freezer:
Puff pastry or pie crust - For quick sweet or savory tarts , pot pies, baking projects, etc.
Frozen fruits and vegetables - In my house it’s kid favorites like mangos and strawberries, plus broccoli and edamame. Freeze your bananas (peeled and sliced or broken into chunks) once brown and you’ll always be ready to make banana bread or banana pancakes or banana ice cream and more.
Quick-cooking proteins - Sure, it’s helpful to have ground meat and chicken drumsticks in the freezer, but then you have to plan ahead to defrost them or use the microwave since they take a while to get to cooking temp. I love having sustainably-sourced shrimp and fish because if you take them out when you start cooking, they can be ready by the time you have everything else prepped.
Butter and milk - So you never ever run out! I just started freezing milk this year so I could buy organic 3-packs from Costco and it’s been a game-changer.
Bread - When I buy sliced bread, I usually stick half of it in the freezer right away so it doesn’t go bad. Toast straight from frozen and it’s good to go. I also buy extra good bread when I go to the bakery. Whenever it starts to go a bit stale, I slice it up and stash it in the freezer for future croutons, bread crumbs, sweet bread pudding or savory bread pudding.
A bag of veggie scraps (and sometimes meat bones or rotisserie chicken carcasses) for future stock - This isn’t something to purchase, but a great trick to never spending on money on stock is to make your own from free scraps. More info here.
Freeze your cheese! - Shredded cheese freezes really well and defrosts quickly.
Some long-lasting or very versatile fridge items:
Hard cheese - Hard cheeses like Parmesan can last for months in the fridge. Soft cheese is more in the many days/several weeks range depending on the variety, but that’s still a decent amount of time.
Citrus - If I buy a big bag of lemons, I’ll typically keep a few out and then store the rest in the fridge where they can stay good for a few months. I’ll also cut and freeze them once they’ve been around for ages.
Eggs - I’ve literally never had an egg go bad on me my entire life. You’ve generally got at least a month after purchase to cook them, so don’t fret.
Mayonnaise - I know some people aren’t fans of mayo, but I love having it around for dressings, dips, sandwiches, etc. It’s so easy to dress up by stirring in some chili sauce or sriracha or soy sauce or pesto. Also, if you ever run out of eggs in the middle of baking - try mayo! I know it sounds insane, but it’s mostly oil and eggs (plus the tiniest amount of vinegar and salt, usually) and those things are perfect for baking. Seriously. Anyway, it’ll last for months for a few months in the fridge, as I found out when I overambitiously bought a gallon-size jar at Costco. It’s finally gone and I miss it.
Other condiments and flavor boosters like maple syrup, ketchup, mustard and pickles - I substitute maple syrup for sugar in tons of recipes, add ketchup to curry, use mustard for dressings, and stick pickles on everything.
A few last general thoughts on pantry cooking or low-waste cooking in general:
Self-quarantine time is a great opportunity to try using the bits of vegetables you usually throw out. Make two meals instead of one from beets with greens. Feed more people by including your peeled broccoli stalks in your dish. Roast your potato peels with parmesan cheese for an awesome crispy snack. It’s fun to figure out ways to use things up, plus it keeps you home during this complicated time.
Consider adding some other No-Waste Strategies to your routine. You’ve got more time on your hands now, right?
This may be a good opportunity to reconsider your relationship with expiration dates. Are you always throwing things out that seem fine but have yesterday’s date stamped on them? Read more about the confusing nature of best-by and sell-by dates here. Instead of getting rid of perfectly good food, save yourself a trip to the store.
Got something around you want to use up? Click around our site.
We want to be around to help, so DM us on Instagram @foodwastefeast if you have questions about any of this or if you want to talk through a recipe. Send me a photo of your pantry and I’ll suggest some things to make!
We look forward to keeping in touch…good luck cooking out there!
