Foodie's Guide to a Plentiful Pantry - 02-25-2005

(as published on www.outinamerica.com)

The Foodie's Guide to a Plentiful Pantry
Rodney Smiley
February 25, 2005

As we all know, the key to successful entertaining is preparedness. You set a date for your party, plan the guest list and menu, do the shopping, and with a little work, voila! You've thrown a great party or dinner to add to your growing resume as a culinary queen.

But what happens when you don’t have time to plan, when guests arrive unannounced or unexpected? Do you order out? Do you leave your guests and rush out to the nearest market?

Or do you calmly open your pantry and, unlike Old Mother Hubbard with her hungry dog, whip up a great, quick selection of nibbles for your guests?

With a well-stocked, versatile pantry, you can do just that … and more. The pantry need not be a room or a closet; some of us just don’t have the kitchen space for it. It can be a cabinet or even a stainless steel restaurant shelving unit against an unused wall. As long as you have enough storage for what to put in your pantry, any space will do.

Below is a list of items that any ready-to-entertain pantry might contain. Add or subtract from this list to suit your own tastes and flavors, but use it to serve as a great starting point.

With a well-stocked pantry, some staple items from your refrigerator and a little quick thinking, you’ll never be at a loss for something to serve your guests – and you might just find that poor dog of yours a bone!

The Liquids

Almond Extract – for adding a little extra flavor to desserts, pie crusts, vegetables, and other dishes
Applesauce – for snacking, cooking, baking, and an easy dessert
Balsamic Vinegar – for flavoring dishes and making salad dressings
Barbecue Sauce – for cooking and flavoring
Canned Cream Soup – for a quick lunch, or to add to side dishes, soups, casseroles, and other dishes
Fruit Juice – for poaching poultry and fish, roasting meats, baking, cooking, and making beverages
Honey – for seasoning, cooking, or eating on biscuits or cereal
Hot Sauce – for adding a touch of spice to dishes
Ketchup
Liquid Smoke – for adding a barbecue flavor to sauces, cheese, appetizers, poultry, fish, and meats
Mayonnaise – for salads, sandwiches, salad dressings, and many other dishes
Olive Oil – for cooking, greasing pans, or making salad dressings
Orange Extract – for flavoring sauces, marinades, and desserts
Prepared Mustard – for sandwiches, mayonnaise-based salads, salad dressings, and marinades Real Maple Syrup – for cooking, flavoring, pancakes, waffles, and French toast
Red Wine – for cooking and seasoning (and drinking!)
Soy Sauce – for flavoring and quick stir frying
Tomato Paste – for making pasta sauces, stews, soups, and casseroles
Vanilla – for flavoring many dishes, especially desserts; only use the real flavoring or vanilla beans
Vegetable Oil
White Wine Vinegar – for salads, flavoring, and cleaning coffee pots
White wine – for cooking (and also drinking!)
Worcestershire Sauce – for seasoning and adding color

The Dried Goods and Fruits

Apples
Baking Soda – for baking and cleaning
Baking Powder
Bouillon (Beef, Chicken, and Vegetable) – for soups, seasoning, casseroles, and marinades
Bread (good, bakery bread) – for quick toasts and bruscetta
Brown Rice (it is healthier than white)
Brown Sugar
Cake Mix – for a quick and easy dessert
Canned Frosting
Cayenne Pepper or Crushed Red Pepper – for a little heat
Cocoa Powder – for baking and making hot cocoa
Cold Cereal – for baking, topping casseroles, snacking, and breakfast
Cookies – for snacking or quick desserts
Cooking Sprays
Cornstarch – for thickening sauces, stews, and gravies
Crackers – for snacking, appetizers, and topping casseroles
Cream of Tartar – for whipping egg whites
Dried Beans – for savory soups, stews, and side dishes
Dried Bread Crumbs – for breading food and topping casseroles
Dried Fruit – for desserts, sauces, roasting meat and poultry, and snacking
Dry Mustard – for seasoning and color
Gelatin, Flavored and Unflavored
Ginger – fresh for mincing or grating and adding to dishes for a spark
Graham Cracker Pie Crusts – for quick pies
Jams or Jellies – for making sandwiches, desserts, or sauces
Lemons – for squeezing fresh juice or using for zest in cooking
Nuts – a selection of your favorite nuts for breads, muffins, desserts, casseroles, and side dishes Oatmeal – for baking, cooking, and as a breakfast cereal
Onions
Oranges – for snacking, desserts, flavoring, and juice
Pasta – for eating plain, with butter, or a sauce; also great for using in soups, stews, casseroles, or as a side dish
Peanut Butter
Peppercorns – for including whole in soups, stocks, marinades, and roasts and for grinding for cooking and table use
Powdered Sugar – for making frosting, cooking, baking, and decorating
Potatoes, RussetPotatoes, Small Red
Pudding Mixes – for quick and easy desserts, pies, and puddings
Semi-Sweet Chocolate – for desserts and snacking
Solid Shortening - for baking and greasing pans
Sugar
Tenderizer – for tenderizing meats
Tuna Fish
Unbleached White Flour – for cooking, baking, thickening
Unsweetened Chocolate – for baking and cooking
Yeast – for baking