With at least 2 feet of snow forcing me in lock down, it suddenly occurred to me:
One day I am going to have to cook.
Coming from an Indonesian background, our meals are simple. Lunch and dinner consists of rice, steamed vegetables, and meat. For breakfast, we eat toast. And for the past couple decades, no one in our household has complained. But what if I don't marry an Indonesian? Forget
that, do I want so [cook] simply for the rest of my life?
Envisioning future dinner parties, I panicked and bought myself a cookbook. Flipping through recipe after recipe, I quickly realized why I never
made anything from a cookbook.
Yum! Quiche.
Wait, I only have two eggs.
What about pesto?
No basil leaves.
Fried chicken?
No flour.
Chocolate chip cookies?
No milk. Our almond milk won't work.
Alfredo! This looks like an awesome recipe.
No butter.
I just don't have these things laying around.
What are the pantry staples I need to embark on my life on the stove? Are there any unique staples you have from your culture (for example, we always have rice flour, egg roll shells, and "kecap manis.")
Recommend
Comments (9)
That pantry looks unrealistically neat.
flour (I prefer whole wheat but better for all-purpose or pastry flour if you want it for desserts), olive or canola oil, balsamic vinegar, red wine vinegar, regular vinegar, honey, olives, agave nectar, brown sugar, baking soda, baking powder, whole wheat pastas (just have a variety around), brown rice, uncooked beans (i.e. not in a can where they are loaded with sodium.... I like to have around: black beans, pinto beans, kidney beans, lentils, and chickpeas), dried fruit (particularly raisins are good for cooking with), soy sauce, hot sauce of choice, tahini (sesame pasta, if you want to make middle eastern dishes as I do), nuts! (goo/healthy for snacking, cooking, or baking: walnuts--high in Omega-3--almonds--good for memory--pine nuts--pesto--pecans--good for baking and cooking--etc.).
My best advice though is stick to more wholesome food... if you won't use fresh veggie quick enough, go for them frozen rather than in a can (in a can they're more soggy and way more unhealthy), and some staples of fresh food: onions, garlic, bell peppers, avocados, and fruits of your choice (i like clementines and bananas, often frozen berries for smoothies or desserts)
oh, and peanut butter is a MUST but I put it on everything :)
I totally understand what you mean! In our house you can't find a trace of ingredients commonly used in a lot of western dishes... basil, thyme, oregano, rosemary and the like are completely foreign to me, because they aren't used in many Chinese dishes.
I'm no cook but things that seem to come up on the food network ALL the time are flour, granulated sugar, eggs, butter, milk, corn starch, extra-virgin olive oil, and salt/pepper...
Onions (shallots are similar-ish), green onions (scallions), and garlic will be used a ton :)
Vanilla extract, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking powder, and baking soda for deserts... Tomatoes, carrots, celery, cucumbers, bell peppers... the list goes on and on!
Yeah I would just get what you need as you go just pick up something at the grocery store that interests you. Maybe make a goal of trying something new once a week. Rice is essential in my families household haha.
I always keep rice, beans, lentils, pasta, flour, baking powder, and baking soda in my pantry. I also try to keep some tomato sauce, canned fruit (mandarin oranges and/or pineapple) and a few vegetables (baby corn, bamboo shoots), fresh fruits and veggies are better, but it's nice to have some canned for snow storms when you can't get out to the store or it's the day before shopping and there's nothing in the fridge. You can also get some season packets like chili seasoning and some canned beans, worse comes to worse you can make chili in 10 minuets. If I have extra money I'll buy those sealed cartons of soy/rice/or almond milk that will last in the cupboard for several months as long as you don't open them. You can make a lot of stuff with flour, salt, and soy milk.
It takes a while to get what you need but if you start accumulating just what you need for a few recipes you think you'll like... you can do a lot with the basics, especially if you use what people have listed here. Also, most of the time it's ok to make a recipe if you're just missing a few spices. I'm usually missing a couple of ingredients but you can substitute other things you like or leave it out altogether.
Also, you don't need milk for chocolate chip cookies, just butter and eggs.
العاب تلبيس
العاب طبخ
العاب
العاب باربي
العاب ماريو
العاب اكشن
لعبة ترافيان
ترافيان
download msn messenger
العاب سيارات
هيفاء وهبي
Yourself
a cartoon
العاب اطفال
العاب مغامرات
لعبة البلياردو