Ah the pantry! Probably the most stocked thing in my house. I have my spice cabinet (which is probably my favorite), I have a small pantry in my kitchen where most of the granola bars, cereals, snacks and daily things I use are and then a pretty large closet downstairs filled to the brim with cans of plum tomatoes, beans, pastas, grains, condiments, crackers...you name it! I like being able to make dinner on a whim with whatever I might have, and having all these basics, if you will, allows me to build meals in no time.
Pantry cooking has become quite popular these days. "Instacarting"and stocking up on everything we may need for the coming weeks to make sure our family is well taken care of and fed, like constantly! The eating cycle never seems to end. As we are feeling our way through this strange and surreal time, we all find ourselves in the kitchen constantly. Cooking, feeding, cleaning up AND repeat.... You know your families tastes, likes and dislikes. Are you a Asian flavor lover, or maybe Mediterranean flavors are your favorite.
There are certain flavor profiles for each kind of cuisine. Mediterranean, Italian, Asian, Latin...these are all popular flavor profiles we love to eat in this house. I find that having their specific basic spices and ingredients on hand make cooking so much easier and fun.
I thought I would just compile a quick list of the "basics" for each type of cooking. It's almost like a little cuisine cheat sheet for your pantry. As long as you have the vast majority of these spices, herbs and ingredients you can quickly pull together so many quick and delicious meals!. Check out these "cheat sheets" below and when you are stuffing your virtual or real shopping cart the next time make sure to throw these key ingredients in there!
Mangia!
