Nancypalooza
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Total Posts:
3762
- Joined: 6/17/2004
- Location: Columbia, SC
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NYTs: Mark Bittman's recommendations on your pantry
Thu, 01/8/09 3:44 PM
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And some of the advice is very good, and money-saving too: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/07/dining/07mini.html
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Bruce Bilmes and Susan Boyle
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Re:NYTs: Mark Bittman's recommendations on your pantry
Thu, 01/8/09 4:33 PM
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This is a good subject, and he offers sound advice. As for the specifics, we never use packaged bread crumbs or croutons. We don't use bouillon cubes or powder either, but we go through chicken stock faster than we can make it so we need to keep an aseptic package around. We keep a can of Pam around but rarely use it. Never use bottled salad dressing or marinades. Never use bottled lemon juice - it tastes awful. Always keep fresh lemons around.
Always toss year-old spices, but keep some whole spices up to two years. Agree that dried parsley is worthless but totally disagree about dried basil - I think good dried basil is great in pasta sauce. I'd rather use fresh but I find hydroponic basil to be lacking something.
Canned beans we always keep around. They're pretty close to dried in quality and way easier. But we also keep a few dried beans for when we have the time. Imitation vanilla - never, but Cooks Magazine seems to say it works just as well. Vanilla beans, sometimes, but extract most of the time.
Never use pre-grated cheese, always have a chunk of Reggiano around, and go through it very quickly. Canned peas are a joke, frozen are usually better than fresh unless you get them from a farm or garden.
Canned tomato paste works fine - just freeze the leftovers. The tube is expensive and even if you throw out the can leftovers it's still cheaper. I always make my own pie crust because I enjoy it and it tastes better. Never use flavored vinegars or crappy balsamic. We keep good wine vinegars around - usually white, red, and sherry, and a decent balsamic, which I don't really like much.
Never use Minute Rice. Real rice is too easy and tastes better. We always have a jug of real maple around. No comparison to pancake syrup.
Bacon - always around. Fish sauce - always around. Canned coconut milk - only when I need it. Miso paste - rarely. Capers - always. Olives - always. Anchovies - we try but we like the good ones so much they don't stay around long. Nuts and pignoli are always in the freezer. Usually some dried fruit around but rarely dried mushrooms. Frozen shrimp are fine but we don't keep 'em around. Winter squash and sweet potatoes - only when we need 'em.
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