Tips on the well-stocked pantry

Here are some of my thoughts on pantry (and refrigerator) items

By:Faith Bahadurian
   I used to think it was fun to poke around (with permission) in my girlfriends’ cosmetics collections to see what beauty products they liked to use. Now I’d rather poke around in someone’s pantry.
   During a visit to Greystone, the Napa Valley outpost of the Culinary Institute of America, I nearly fell into their vast kitchen, craning my neck (and my camera) around a roped-off corner to get a better look at their well-stocked pantry shelves. We had a lot of the same stuff — but where they had multiples of items, I had far more variety.
   Some people survive on little more than soy sauce, ketchup and mustard, but I am the Condiment Queen, never able to resist an interesting-looking sauce, spice, oil or vinegar.
   During my last move, a Chinese friend remarked that I had far more Chinese ingredients than she did, and my colleague Pat Tanner brought a tape recorder when I cleaned out my refrigerator, so she could quiz me about the contents, possibly for broadcast on her Saturday morning radio show. Thankfully, that segment never aired.
   Here are some of my thoughts on pantry (and refrigerator) items.
   What are your favorite cuisines? Love Italian?
   Keep on hand at least two olive oils: one for "every day" cooking, which does not need to be extra-virgin, and one really good-quality extra-virgin for drizzling on salads or "finishing" dishes. Herbs are important in Italian (and French) cooking, so keep dried oregano and basil on hand, in case you don’t have fresh. (The same goes for whatever herbs and spices you use regularly. I keep herbes de Provence, tarragon, etc., on hand, too.)
   Buy decent-quality balsamic vinegar in addition to the usual red wine vinegar. For the latter, I seek out something more interesting, like Zinfandel vinegar, but I don’t turn up my nose at the supermarket brand either. I also have sherry vinegar on hand, as it is mellow in salad dressing, and not as sweet as balsamic. Be sure to keep a hunk of genuine Parmigiano Reggiano in the refrigerator, too.
   Stock good-quality dried pasta (like Cecco) in a variety of shapes, as different shapes suit different types of sauces. Dried porcini and/or wild mushrooms, along with risotto rice (arborio or carnaroli) are always handy, along with good-quality chicken broth for when you can’t make your own.
   Pat and I agree that canned beans (she favors garbanzo and kidney) and bottled roasted red peppers and marinated artichoke hearts are also good Italian pantry staples. I like canned plum tomatoes (they don’t have to be San Marzano) and Pomi tomatoes in the aseptic paper boxes. I also stock Italian-style tuna in olive oil, anchovies and capers.
   With what I’ve listed so far, you could easily put a few dinners together.
   For Asian food, I use low-salt soy sauce for cooking and Ponzu citrus-flavored soy sauce for finishing certain dishes. (It’s great on salmon.) Mirin, sweet rice wine for cooking, is handy, and good-quality rice wine vinegar is a must, while hoisin sauce adds heft and chili paste adds zip to sauces.
   I also stock a variety of noodles, and Thai fish sauce, sweet rice, sweet chili sauce, canned red and green curry, and coconut milk. I also use some prepared sauces and marinades, such as teriyaki (I like Soy Vay or World Harbors), and those from The Ginger People. If you like Indian food, take note that there are good prepared cooking sauces available now, jarred and fresh, in the specialty markets.
   For Mexican cooking (a personal favorite), I stock canned pinto and black beans and refried beans (the natural food stores carry interesting kinds of refried beans), along with canned chilies and green chili sauce when I can find it. I buy pure New Mexico chili powder, and use it to make my own enchilada sauce.
   Try some Muir Glen canned fire-roasted tomatoes for great ranchero sauce or winter salsa, and note that pre-shredded cheese keeps well in the freezer. I am also a big fan of Frontera sauces and salsas, for their authentic flavors. (For a good barbecue sauce, I like Stubb’s Spicy (it’s not so sweet).
   I don’t do a lot of baking, but always have good-quality chocolate (bittersweet and unsweetened), vanilla paste (it has the little seeds in it), and pure extracts of almond and orange. Besides the basic sugar options, you might try some of the less refined sugars, such as demerara, for crunchy toppings and fuller flavor. India Tree Dark Muscovado sugar is delicious on hot oatmeal. And for that oatmeal, I buy steel-cut oats for their high fiber (and flavor).
   Other baking staples for me are cake flour, cornmeal, currants, golden raisins (I don’t like dark) and nuts.
   I have really grown to dislike the harsh chemical taste of plain salt, although I suppose it’s fine for baking (and removing red wine stains). Kosher salt is an excellent alternative and still inexpensive. My absolute favorite at the table is flaky Maldon salt, for its bright fresh flavor and crunchiness.
   Other items I keep on hand include lower salt canned soup (chicken noodle in case of a cold), and boxed Parmalat milk. But my pantry must-have that most surprises my friends is Wondra in the blue canister. This finely granulated flour is the perfect last-minute thickener for sauces or gravy, and an excellent coating for sauteed or deep-fried seafood. Thank you, Betty Crocker!