Pantry 101

My bum knee is preventing me from doing any actual work. Tragically, even sitting is painful.

I've been doing menial chores that don't require a lot of walking or knee bending. This week, I concentrated on my pantry. When Greg and I lived together in SE Texas he built me cabinets, floor to ceiling since I was lacking a pantry.

I put a lot of pride in my pantry. Now that I live out in the middle of nowhere it's more important than ever not to run out of things because I sure as heck don't want to drive 20 miles for a cup of flour.

For some reason I am surrounded by people who know how to cook well. Many of my friends are true-life gourmands. My dad, who learned to cook at 5-star restaurants never prepared anything less than epicurean perfection if he chose to cook for the family. My mom usually cooked, but when dad cooked, it was like eating at a royal table.

Sadly, those cooking genes skipped me completely. I call my brand of feeding people, guerrilla cooking. It's simple, it's filling and you never leave my table hungry. But I think you'll find that there isn't a lot of difference between my pantry and one my father would have stocked.

A good pantry has the basics: flour, sugar, salt, and oil. But a true pantry caters to the diet of whoever lives in that house.

Below is my arsenal. Even a small kitchen can afford one cabinet toward all these items.

Flour: all purpose, Bisquick
Sugar: granulated, powdered and brown
Salt: table and coarse sea salt
Oil: olive, canola, and occasionally peanut oil if we decide to fry a turkey

Baking supplies: shortening, baking powder, baking soda, yeast, powdered milk and sweetened condensed milk.

Jellies: apricot, blackberry. Good as fillings for baked goods, including cakes

Honey

Spices/Herbs: I go all out here. I experiment a lot with spices so my spice rack is usually bigger than most. Must haves are: garlic, rosemary, peppercorns, thyme, cumin, and dill. Next year I hope to start an herb garden so I can have many of these items fresh.

Condiments: I never let my pantry run out of condiments. Mustard, yellow and dark, light mayonnaise, and horseradish sauce.

Vinegars: This is another area I stock a lot. Plain white vinegar comes in gallon containers, but I also keep red wine, balsamic, and rice vinegars.

Soy sauce. Worcestershire sauce used to be my stock sauce, but soy replaced it years ago.

Pasta: spaghetti and lasagna noodles are stock items. Occasionally I will buy manicotti.

Rice: I love rice. Basmati, long grain, or Jasmine.

Beans: We aren't big bean eaters, but I will stock canned beans for Mexican dishes and chili.

Tuna, salmon, sardines, canned chicken (and spam--only because Greg likes it).

Tomatoes: Canned tomatoes are my base for a lot of my dishes. I buy them whole and crushed. Rotel is another staple in the tomato clan.

Vegetables: Corn, sauerkraut, okra, spinach, squash and potatoes are canned items I store in case I can't get them fresh.

Entertainment supplies: This is my secret stash. Hopefully, I always know when guests are coming so I can prepare, but in case of drop-ins, I always stock these things for impromptu party appetizers.

• olives
• pickles
• nuts
• crackers
• cheese and assorted premade dips
• cookies

Alcohol. A few of my friends don't drink, but they are outnumbered by friends that do. We always try to keep a bar of the usual suspects, rum, vodka, whiskey, tequila and a couple of wines.

For those who don't drink, there is also an endless supply of soft drinks, tea and lemonade.

That's my basic list. Anyone else keep a pantry? What kind of supplies do you like to stock? I'm always on the lookout for items that are quick to prepare for unexpected guests. Any suggestions?

Do tell.