Last night I was sitting around with some friends, having just finished a terrific dinner, when we stumbled upon the subject of our quirky pantry staples. Those things that you always have to have on hand that are a little out of the ordinary, in case you have a particular craving that must be sated. My friend Fran and her husband always have soba noodles in their cupboards. My parents always have honey toasted wheat germ in the fridge. I don't feel comfortable without a bottle of fish sauce, a vast backup supply of pepper corns and at least three different kinds of mustard.
What are those things that you need to have in your kitchen in order to feel comfortable and well-stocked?
9-10-2007 @9:56PM Camille Bauman said... Must have Kitchen Bouquet for my gravies! Canned, diced tomatos, condensed sweetened milk, Ortega taco seasoning, sea salt and balsamic vinegar.
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9-10-2007 @10:07PM MJ said... Fresh garlic,fresh black pepper, grey seasalt, olive oil, tuna fish in oil, canned tomatoes crushed and petite diced. Red potatoes. rosemary, toamto paste, pasta, onions, butter ,sugar, tea and coffee.
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9-11-2007 @12:00AM Eric said... Must. Have. Butter. (and heavy cream)
Weird how the picked beets thing is so common. They're my favorite packaged vegetable, bar none. I always pick up a can when I go shopping, and I never get into a situation of having more than four cans on hand.
Alexia frozen garlic bread. *surprisingly* good, a nice elegant size.
Frozen brown rice.
But when it comes to quirky, I absolutely *MUST* have Aji-No-Moto MSG.
*hangs head in shame*
It's just *SOOOOO* good.
E
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9-11-2007 @9:43AM Dan Tannenbaum said... I always have to have garlic. Chopped, fresh, crushed, and any other way I can find it. I also have to have the three basic spices for any Italian meal: Oregano, Thyme and Basil. As to quirky, I also keep lots of lentil and big jar of Saffron.
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9-11-2007 @1:32AM Noah Oliphant said... Wickles. Unbelievable pickles. You should google them.
http://www.reciperate.com
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9-11-2007 @2:59AM k said... I have an advanced case of condimentia, so I have virtually every interesting bottled condiment I come across (chutneys, marinades, sauces, demi-glace, etc).
I'm never without various kinds of mustards (sweet and hot, chinese, horseradish, stone ground, dijon, yellow, what's your pleasure), butter, assorted cheeses and cans of white albacore tuna.
For the past year, I've been on a spike kick. Having read the cookbook from the now-deceased chef who ran China Moon Restaurant in San Francisco, I really admired her staunce resolve that I *had* to make my own schezwan pepper salt before I attempted a single recipe in her book, so I ordered the whole schezwan peppercorns (which are not really pepper, but that's a story for an other time), got the kosher salt she recommended, and toasted and made my own pepper-salt blend in a bullet blender.
She was right. I use Schezwan Pepper Salt on everything from my turkey sandwiches to fresh sliced tomatoes. It is simply the most piquant blend I've ever tasted, and I use it for salt, pepper, and in anything I would have formerly used Lawry's seasoned salt (and I admit it I used that fairly often).
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9-11-2007 @4:26AM Angela said... Spam, and I'm not ashamed to admit it!
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9-11-2007 @4:43AM Bunny said... We ALWAYS have in the pantry or fridge: dried mushrooms, Kalamata olives, tins of beans, vegetarian bouillion cubes, rice, pasta, eggs, tins of evaporated milk, dried milk powder, dried fruits, nuts, tins of smoked fish, tins of anchovies, soy sauce, several types of vinegars, several types of cheeses, honey, an orchard and vegetable/herb garden of ready-to-pick goodies
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9-11-2007 @6:43AM Gregory Morris said... Annato seeds, or at least some pre-made achiote powder/paste. You can mix the pre-made paste with orange juice, and then put it on anything that used to walk, fly or swim and it will make it better.
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9-11-2007 @7:00AM melissa said... damn, I came in here to say Nutritional Yeast but I've been soundly beaten several times over.
Anyway, I love that stuff and I'm not even vegan. Eggs just don't taste right without it, and I prefer it to parmigiana on pasta. Everyone always asks what 's with the "fish food" in the jar, though...
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9-11-2007 @8:06AM hannah said... matzo meal and balsamic vinegar. not together of course, but i always have to be able to make matzo ball soup and a salad.
and i agree with #18 about the lotus root. its amazing fried, but no one in my area sells it in any way shape or form.
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9-11-2007 @8:08AM jb said... I have to have Desert Island Spice's "Survival Spice" on hand ................it works on everything
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9-11-2007 @9:32AM Adriane said... Peanut butter for sure. An onion, garlic, olive oil, kosher salt...herbs of course. All pretty standard.
Can someone tell me what nutritional yeast is/what it tastes like??
K- Comdimentia!! Oh, I'm so glad you also use this term. I, too, am afflicted!
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9-11-2007 @9:34AM Susan said... Dried peas, dried lima beans, dried pink beans, dried black beans, bay leaves, whole allspice, rosemary. Homemade chicken stock in the freezer.
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9-11-2007 @10:20AM jsmylie said... Avacados, cilantro, onions, and tomatoes--and some chips, of course. If we don't have the ability to spontaneously make some guacamole I go into a cold sweat.
Bananas. This one is frustrating, since I never manage to eat a whole bunch before they get overripe, but ever since I was a kid there's always been a full bunch of bananas in a bowl on the counter, and it'll stay that way til I'm in my grave.
Refried beans, because it's one of those things you always forget to buy at the store and it's CRUCIAL in my mind for good fajitas.
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9-11-2007 @10:44AM Camilletwhite said... I'm a sucker for grains and always keep many different types in the pantry. Quinoa, millet, farro, forbidden rice, japonica negra, basmati rice, jasmine rice, barley, arborio, and polenta are all snuggled together right just waiting for some chicken stock and some simmering!
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9-11-2007 @11:11AM Gobo said... Lowry's Seasoned Salt.
Old Bay.
Powdered chipotle pepper (instant spicy smokiness, it's wonderful).
My stash of odd hot sauces.
Kosher salt in an Alton Brown flip-top thingie.
Mirin.
Fish sauce!
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9-11-2007 @11:38AM Julie said... SURVIVAL SPICE! It's saved many meals at my house.
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9-11-2007 @8:03PM Sharon said... A little embarrassing, but... Betty Crocker Hash Browns. And Swanson's Chicken a la King, to be eaten on toasted white bread. Childhood things, I guess.
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9-11-2007 @2:13PM eva said... Is that the new, outdoorsy member of the Spice Girls, Julie? :P
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