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c-is-for-circinate · 5 years

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C’s infinitely modifiable recipe for vaguely niceish dinner-including-vegetables 20 minutes after walking in the front door

Like many of us, my executive function is dead by the end of the day, especially if I’m tired, especially if I’m hungry, and figuring out How To Food when I need it most is hard as fuck, especially if my kitchen’s kind of messy and I stall out on needing supplies or space.

Also like many of us, I have a really hard time figuring out How To Vegetable, because I’m very afraid of buying fresh things that might go bad before I have the spoons to use them. And IDK about you, but I get really tired of eating the same thing all the time, so the only way to actually make myself get excited about cooking and eating is to have the option for variety.

Luckily for me, I’ve nailed ‘many, many pasta dishes I would not be ashamed to serve my mother’ down to a familiar, easy formula that I can follow with whatever I have on hand in the freezer and cabinets. Even better, knowing this formula helps me go grocery shopping, because I can buy specific canned, frozen, jarred, and refrigerate-able things knowing several different ways I can use them.

Maybe it will help you too! Maybe not! But it has made my life SO MUCH BETTER, so, as a gift from me to you, A Recipe (of sorts).

To start: Drop your shit by the door. Get out one frying pan, one pasta pot, and a wooden spoon or plastic spatula or whatever you have to cook with. It does not matter that the counter is a mess; all you need are two clear stove burners. There are almost no prep steps to fuck with your executive function and block you from starting this process as soon as you get home.

Step 1: Veggies Get some olive oil heating up in your pan on medium/low. While it’s warming up, go to your freezer and grab any frozen veggie you own: broccoli, peas, sliced bell peppers, zucchini, spinach, mixed medley, whatever. When the oil’s hot enough that a couple of drops of water sprinkled into it sizzle a bit but don’t spit, pour the veggies straight into the pan. (About 1/4 to 1/2 of a bag is usually plenty for me to make dinner + tomorrow’s lunch). If the oil is Way Too Hot, turn the burner down, wait briefly, and toss the veggies in anyway. They’re frozen, they’ll survive.

Step 2: Carbs If you’re doing regular pasta (or those great frozen raviolis they sell at the grocery store, for extra flavor/protein), stick a pot of heavily salted water on the hottest burner cranked up to high, slap a lid on it, and wait for it to boil. If you’re doing couscous or some other fun grain that cooks in 10 minutes or less, get that going however you usually make it. If you’ve got a bunch of leftover rice in the fridge from the other day’s takeout, wait until the veggies are mostly thawed and then toss it right into the frying pan. Break it up with the wooden spoon and add a little extra oil to make sure none of it’s too dry. (Sadly, this recipe is not scaled for potatoes.)

(Optional: Seasoning #1 If you happen to have minced garlic in your fridge, throw that shit in the frying pan when the veggies are mostly thawed. If all you’ve got is dried, that’s cool, wait for later. Make sure you add the liquid soon after, b/c garlic burns fast. This is also a good time to add ginger, if you have it on hand and the ingredients you’re planning to use work with it.)

Step 3: Liquid Grab a can of [black beans/tomatoes/coconut milk/crushed pineapple/literally whatever, use the condensed soup if you want, this recipe is ANYTHING GOES] from the cabinet, drain about half the liquid out of the can and throw the rest straight into the pan. OR snag a jar of [pre-made pesto/harissa/salsa/whatevs] from the fridge, and spoon in a big glop. (Use judgment here. Save half a can of things like coconut milk instead of draining it down the sink. If it all looks super dry you can add some a splash of broth, or juice, or milk, or wine, or whatever, but you shouldn’t need much--you’ll have pasta water for that in a minute, and your frozen veg probably produced a ton of liquid to begin with.)

Step 4: Cooking Get that pasta in the water as soon as it’s boiling. If you’re doing grains, check on them and do whatever you’re supposed to do to make the grains cook right. Turn up the heat on the stuff in the pan so it bubbles a little around the edges. The wetter all the stuff in your pan is, the hotter you want the burner. You’ve got a fair bit of leeway here; so long as you’ve still got liquid in there, and you vaguely keep an eye to make sure it doesn’t burn, this can keep going without damaging anything until your carbs are done. (Sugary liquids like orange juice or the syrup from canned fruit are more likely to burn, so keep a closer eye on those and cook them a little cooler.) This is a good point to wash out a bowl to eat out of if you don’t have a clean one. Shove just enough dirty dishes aside to make sure you’ve got enough space in the sink to drain the pasta.

(Optional: Meat/meat substitute We’re cooking fast tonight, so we’re going for precooked meat options. I’ve used canned tuna, frozen Ikea meatballs, leftover grocery store rotisserie chicken, frozen shrimp, fancypants gourmet chicken sausages (which freeze very well), jarred pulled pork I made in my crock pot three weekends earlier... Like everything else in this recipe, you can go as low-budget or as pretentiously gourmet as you like. Microwave frozen things on 50% for a minute or two in the bowl you’re planning to eat your dinner in, then throw them right into the frying pan.)

Step 5: Season (for real this time) Taste the stuff in your frying pan and decide what it needs. You can throw in dried spices or fresh or dried herbs, or splash in soy sauce or vinegar or sriracha, or anything else you use to season food. Season heavily, because your carbs are going to stretch all the flavors out, except for salt--you can add that once everything’s in the same pan.

Step 6: Combine When your starch is mostly-almost-done, drain most but not all of the liquid, and dump the pasta or quinoa or rice or whatever-you’ve-got right into the skillet. (Leaving in a little bit of pasta liquid will help thicken everything and stick it together.) Mix it all up with your trusty wooden spoon or plastic spatula or whatever you’re using and let it all hang out for a minute while you get your bowl. Here’s where you taste and add more salt if it really needs.

(Optional: Cheese If it’s been that kind of day and the stuff in your pan + the contents of your fridge offer up a tasty combination, turn the heat off and just dump a shitton of shredded cheese right into the pan. Mix everything fast so it all melts together from the heat of the pasta and it all gets melty and a little stringy and delicious.)

And that’s it! One Frozen Veggie + One Carby Base + One Wet Canned/Jarred Thing + a few minutes of cooking + some spices + optional meats and/or cheeses = dinner, fifteen to twenty minutes after walking in the front door, plus probably lunch for tomorrow along with it.

This is also very often my base recipe even when I’m working with fresh veggies or raw meat. Chopping fresh veggies adds an extra 5-10 minutes at the front end, depending on how many different kinds of vegetables I’m using. (Make sure any raw veggies go into the pan before any frozens, because they’ll take longer to cook.) If I’m working with raw meat or fish, or I’ve marinated tofu and I want it to get brown and tasty, I’ll generally season my protein and sautee it in the pan before I do anything else, then set it to the side in the bowl I plan to eat dinner in and cook everything else just the same as normal.

Obviously this takes a little bit of flavor-matching when it gets to the seasoning stage, but the whole ‘match a frozen thing to a canned/wet thing’ part is surprisingly forgiving, particularly if you stick to individual veggies instead of trying to play with one of those mixed vegetable medleys.

I generally season a few different ways based on my ‘wet’ ingredient:

Canned tomatoes --> tons of garlic, any vaguely Italian herbs like basil/oregano/fennel, mozzarella or Parmesan cheese

Black or red beans --> lots of chili powder, some garlic, sometimes other spices with a bite like paprika or ginger to round out the flavor for fun, usually cheddar or “southwestern cheese blend”

Canned fruit, orange juice or canned baby corn --> heavy ginger, some garlic, soy sauce, sometimes Chinese Five Spice if I have it around, no cheese

Coconut milk --> just ginger and garlic, OR something vaguely garam masala-like (cinnamon, cumin, cardamom, coriander, cloves, chili, plus also non-c spices like nutmeg and whatever else seems like it might be an okay idea), no cheese

Just broth --> any of the above, OR mustard and paprika, usually with cheddar (particularly if I can add frozen or fresh diced apples to a frozen veg like broccoli)

Pesto, harissa, salsa, and other jarred ingredients usually have tons of seasoning in them already, so I season lightly to enhance whatever they’ve already got going on

(Worth noting that I grew up on Italian cooking, so I think garlic belongs in everything and I’m very much not an expert on many flavor profiles--these are things that taste good to me, and a place that might work for you to start from if you don’t have a lot of ideas what you might like.)

Good luck! Happy cooking!

#food #recipes #I have no idea if this formula will be helpful to ANYBODY ANYWHERE #but it's helped me figure out how to eat vegetables and also meals that aren't completely out of a boxx #less sodium than kraft mac and cheese at least #so what the hell #maybe somebody else's life will be made slightly easier #by a general outline that can be adapted with lots of variations #and doesn't require an oven

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asfeedin · 4 years

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how i stock the smitten kitchen – smitten kitchen

It’s true: I’ve dragged my feet over writing a guide to what I keep in my “pantry” (I don’t have a pantry) and fridge for 14 years now. I have my reasons, primarily that I’m not sure I know what your kitchen needs. I mean, shouldn’t you stock the stuff you need for what you’ll want to cook and not some arbitrary list from a lady who loves Triscuits? Maybe you don’t love Triscuits! (Sorry you’re so wrong.) The idea of buying a kitchen full of someone else’s groceries is very much against the way I think anyone should shop. I know your kitchen will grow organically, and accurately reflect what you need if you buy things for what you want to cook as you want to cook them. Second, due to the nature of my work here I have an absolutely unusual amount of stuff in my kitchen cabinets and fridge. It’s totally justified for me, while making little sense for others. On the flip side, I live in NYC and have grocery stores and Greenmarkets quite close, but also as a small kitchen with very few cabinets, meaning that not only can I not stock very much at a time, I don’t need to — I can always dash out for vinegar or dried pasta. This is not the way most people shop.

So why now? Shopping and stocking up has taken on a whole new meaning during the pandemic, for us too. I can’t safely go to the store as often as I used to and there isn’t as much on the shelves when I do. I have to be strategic; I need a system. And of course I’ve amassed a lot of opinions on groceries after 14 years of a cooking career. Thus, please, think of this less as The Last Pantry Shopping Guide You’ll Ever Need, but a tour of the things I keep around more often than not — and would make a point to restock when I’m out of them (vs. say, the 00 flour I’ve bought for a few recipes over the years but don’t consistently keep around). Perhaps you’ll find something useful in planning your own next grocery order or pantry meal; I hope you do.

Things I Keep In The Pantry

Dried

Flours: All-purpose and whole-wheat flour get me through 99% of my baking. I never buy cake flour, preferring to make my own. I also keep whole-wheat flour around; it goes rancid (it will smell musty) much faster than white flour; if you only use it sporadically, keep it in the freezer. I rarely buy bread flour unless I’m on a bread-making kick, but if you make enough pizza or other breads, it can be worth it. If you like to make pasta, you should buy fine semolina. For specific cooking projects, I sometimes keep rye flour, barley flour, spelt, oat, almond meal, and/or gluten-free flour blends around, but I don’t consider them staples that must be replenished as soon as they’re depleted. // New York Deli Rye Bread, Whole Wheat Apple Muffins

Pasta and noodles: I keep a mix of pasta shapes around, some long, some short plus some tiny ones, like orzo, ditalini, and fregola/large couscous. When I find it, Setaro is one of my favorite brands of dried pasta. I like to stock dried rice noodles and ramen-style noodles, too. // Quick, Essential Stovetop Mac-and-Cheese, Crispy Tofu Pad Thai

Rice and grains: My personal favorites are a really long-grain white and a short-grain brown rice; it’s a bit random. I also keep a short-grain white rice like arborio or carnaroli for risotto and rice pudding, plus small couscous and farro (or barley, wheatbeeries, or freekeh). I tend to only buy quinoa, millet, or buckwheat when working on specific recipes that use them. Worth knowing: Cooked grains freeze fantastically for future dishes. // One-Pan Farro with Tomatoes, Crispy Rice and Egg Bowl with Ginger-Scallion Vinaigrette, Arborio Rice Pudding

Dried beans, lentils, and split peas: I like to keep dried black, small red, and chickpeas around but would caution you not to buy much more than you think you’ll use, as they will ultimately get stale and there’s no crime in being a canned bean person. A few random favorites of mine: dried chana dal (also sold as split chickpeas or bengal grams) makes for the smoothest hummus, no peeling required. Lentils de puy are dark green and don’t fall apart in soups and salads. Yellow split peas make a fantastic everyday dal, and black lentils make a stunning special one. // Ethereally Smooth Hummus, A Really Great Pot of Chickpeas, Burrata with Lentils and Basil Vinaigrette, Everyday Yellow Dal, Punjabi-Style Black Lentils

Sugar: Granulated sugar, raw or turbinado sugar, light brown, dark brown, and powdered sugar are always around in my pantry but I, of course, bake quite a bit. I mean, I also have pearl sugar, but I’m still on the bag I bought we-will-not-talk-about-it years ago. Brown sugars should be keep as airtight as possible. Nothing here goes bad. // Unfussy Sugar Cookies

More dry goods: Rolled oats and Irish oats, panko-style breadcrumbs, cornstarch and tapioca starch/flour (which is my favorite pie thickener these days), dried unsweetened coconut, cornmeal, nuts (we like whole and sliced almonds, peanuts, and I like walnuts; keep nuts in the freezer for longer storage as they will get rancid at room temperature) a mix of dried fruit, and always, non-negotiably, ground espresso for our Moka pot. (Lavazza Crema e Gusto is our current favorite). // Thick, Chewy Oatmeal Raisin Cookies, Chicken Milanese, Even More Perfect Apple Pie, Green Beans with Almond Pesto, Stovetop Americanos

Spices: I have a rack off the side of my kitchen with my spices. Listen, I can tell you to buy Aleppo flakes, allspice, anise, bay leaves, cayenne, and celery seed — and that’s just the first row — but it will make a lot more sense for you to buy spices as you long for them in your food. I firmly disagree with anyone who tells you spices that are 6 months or a year old have to go — trust your nose and your food. When it doesn’t smell like much anymore or you’re not finding flavor in the dishes that contain it, it’s time for a refresh.

Canned

Beans: Black beans, kidney beans, small red beans, cannellini beans, small white beans, and chickpeas are my standards but you probably know that I really love beans. I often buy a canned black bean soup, pouring off some of the extra liquid at the top instead of mixing it in, for shortcut saucy black beans. For everyday beans, I mostly buy Goya. For special cooking, or simpler bean dishes that really glow up with better ingredients, I use Rancho Gordo. // Crisp Black Bean Tacos, Red Kidney Bean Curry, Cannellini Aglio e Olio, Crisped Chickpeas with Herbs and Garlic Yogurt

Tomatoes: 28-ounce cans (one whole and one crushed) prove the most versatile to me, as well as tomato paste (although I also like to keep a tube in the fridge for when I need less than a can). Should you only have tomato paste cans, you can freeze the extra paste in tablespoon-sized dollops for future recipes and be glad you did. // Quick Pasta and Chickpeas, Tomato Sauce with Onion and Butter

Coconut milk: I always regret it when I don’t have a can. In my unscientific studies, I’ve found Trader Joe’s coconut milk to be the richest/creamiest. // Braised Ginger Meatballs in Coconut Broth

Liquid

Vinegars: Vinegar keeps for eons and we love acidic stuff, so I keep many around, including plain white vinegar, white wine vinegar, red wine vinegar, apple cider vinegar, sherry vinegar, rice vinegar, and black vinegar. Do you need all of these? Of course not. But I don’t think I could pick two desert island favorites. // Use in: Easiest Fridge Dill Pickles, Pickled Vegetable Sandwich Slaw, Giardinera, and Pickled Cabbage Salad.

Olive oils: I like to keep a “good” olive oil around (something delicate for finishing a dish or salad dressing) and an everyday one around (for roasting, sautéing, frying, and baking). Repeat after me: There is no reason to fry an egg at high heat in your best olive oil. California Olive Ranch makes a great everyday olive oil; 3-liter cans, decanted as needed, brings the price down. If not, the bottles are generous. // Crisp Rosemary Flatbreads and Chocolate Olive Oil Cake.

Other oils: Toasted sesame, safflower/sunflower (my go-to vegetable oil for high-heat cooking and roasting, and cakes that need a neutral oil), coconut oil, and I don’t deep-fry often, but peanut oil is my favorite for when I do. Toasted sesame oil has the shortest shelf life; keep yours in the fridge if you use it infrequently. Do you love the taste of butter but dislike that it burns easily at high temperatures? I am the last person on earth to discover ghee — which is like clarified butter but tastes a bit toastier, due to the way it is made — I’ve been making up for lost time. Known better for its application to Indian cuisine, I also love it for frying eggs (even The Crispy Egg) and rather luxuriously roasting potatoes. It keeps a very long time at room temperature // Black Pepper Tofu and Eggplant, Double Chocolate Layer Cake, Easiest French Fries, Ginger Fried Rice

Liquid sweeteners: I keep molasses, honey, and golden syrup (which I prefer to corn syrup for flavor) around, mostly for baking. (I keep maple syrup in the fridge.) // Flapjacks, Majestic and Moist Honey Cake, Pecan Pie, and Nutmeg Maple Cream Pie

Vanilla extract and vanilla bean paste: I make my own vanilla extract. I recently picked up vanilla bean paste for a wedding cake project; I don’t use it as a replacement for vanilla extract (to me, they have different flavors) but in recipes where I’d otherwise add all or part of a vanilla bean. Heilala vanilla bean paste is highly concentrated and wonderful. // Make Your Own Vanilla Extract, New Classic Wedding Cake + How To

Etceteras

Everything else: Nutella; Triscuits; Ryvita or Wasa crisps; cheddar bunnies or rockets, sadly not homemade; at times, granola, chocolate, and cocoa for baking. I actually keep a box of baking chocolate in a cooler part of our apartment because our kitchen runs warm and I don’t want to melt and bloom it. My favorite baking chocolate is Guittard, but it’s not widely-enough available near me that I buy it exclusively. The pound-plus bars from Trader Joe’s are excellent for bittersweet baking. My favorite cocoa powder (Valrhona) is one of the most expensive and I can only encourage you not to try it because I’ve found it impossible to use others since. Should you buy it, I highly encourage you to buy a 3kg package (in 3 1-kg bags) to bring the price down and split it with friends who like to bake.

Things I Keep In The Fridge

Butter: Like olive oil, I keep two levels of butter around, one that is more everyday and unsalted for baking, usually a store brand or whatever was on sale, and a fancier or European-style (higher butterfat) salted around for toast and other finishes, where the flavor difference is more apparent. Butter absolutely goes rancid — and unsalted butter turns faster than salted butter (salt is a preservative) — so if you’re not going to use it within 3 to 4 weeks, I’d definitely keep it in the freezer.

Dairy: Milk, cream, half-and-half, sour cream, yogurt, buttermilk. Yes, we keep an unusual amount of dairy around. I don’t believe in buttermilk expiration dates. There, I said it. // Buttermilk Roast Chicken, Dreamy Cream Scones

Dijon and spicy mustards: I’m not going to tell you how many types of mustard we have in the fridge because you’ll unfollow me forever. But if I had to only choose one, it would be a smooth Dijon — this is a great everyday Dijon mustard. This is a delightfully crunchy whole-grain Dijon, and this our current favorite spicy mustard, // Mustard-Roasted Potatoes, Dijon and Cognac Beef Stew

Bouillon: I am a great fan of Better than Bouillon concentrates, which have much better flavor than most boxed stocks, keep for ages, and are wonderfully space-efficient. I actually keep one of each (beef, chicken, vegetable, mushroom, turkey) but if you were just choosing one, don’t sleep on that No-Chicken Base one because it has a cozy soup flavor but is also vegetarian. The turkey is great when you need extra stock for Thanksgiving cooking.

Cheese: We also love cheese and keep sharp white cheddar, aged parmesan and pecorino, halloumi, cotija, cream cheese, and sometimes feta around. Halloumi and cotija keep a very long time. Always save your parmesan rinds for flavoring soups. Nobody asked, but this is my favorite grocery store cheddar and my favorite feta is Bulgarian. // Parmesan Broth with Kale and White Beans, Foolproof Cacio e Pepe

Eggs: Most baking recipes call for large eggs. // 44 Egg-Centric Recipes

Yeast: I keep both active dry and instant yeast around, but I mostly use the latter these days and so can you. (Here’s an excellent primer on why.) Instant yeast keeps longer than active dry, but both keep longer in the fridge, and longest in the freezer. SAF Instant yeast is considered one of the best // No-Knead Bread

Miso: This also keeps for ages in the fridge and adds an unmistakable boost to food. // Miso Sweet Potato and Broccoli Bowl, Avocado Salad with Carrot-Ginger Dressing

Jams: Our go-tos are raspberry and apricot, but we also have fig, cherry, and more. We use a lot of jam because my kids (cough “kids”) like peanut butter and jelly a whole lot, and because I think a freshly baked biscuit with salted butter and apricot jam is a very fine thing. // Austrian Raspberry Shortbread, Easy Jam Tart, My Favorite Buttermilk Biscuits

Nut and seed butters: Peanut butter, tahini, almond, or sunflower seed butter. Sunflower seed is my favorite nut-free peanut butter swap. // Salted Peanut Butter Cookies

Extras that make us happy: Fish sauce (Megachef and Red Boat are my go-tos), mayo, preserved lemon paste, (a great alternative to chopping all or part of a preserved lemon for recipes), a favorite harissa (or a homemade one), capers, olives, I get these anchovies when I can, salami, chile-garlic sauce, this hot fudge sauce, maple syrup, and we always have this chili crisp.

Things I Keep In The Freezer

Bread: We don’t go through bread fast enough to keep it at room temperature, but the freezer keeps it perfectly.

Fruit: Mango, berries, strawberries, sometimes old bananas, and other fruits we might use to make smoothies. Frozen fresh pineapple and/or watermelon chunks make for some fine cocktails. // Frozen Watermelon Mojitos, Piña Colada

Vegetables: I like to keep edamame, peas, corn, and artichoke hearts around.

Pasta and dumplings: Potstickers, wontons, pelmeni and vareniki (we have a ton of these right now because my MIL got us Russian groceries last weekend), and tortellini are very helpful to keep around for kids lunches and easy dinners. // Spring Vegetable Potstickers, Chicken Wonton Soup, Potato Vareniki

Burritos, Tarts, and Casserole-ish things: I don’t plan well enough ahead to do this often, but when I do, I’m thrilled to have burritos, galettes or quiches, an extra lasagna, ziti, or pizza beans in the freezer for future meals. // Breakfast Burritos, Perfect Vegetable Lasagna, My Old-School Ziti, Pizza Beans

Meat: Bacon, sometimes pancetta, sausage, and recently I’ve been buying some vacuum-sealed steaks and pork chops, although I’ve yet to get in the habit of remembering that they’re there and need to be defrosted at least half day before we want them. // Bacon Corn Hash, Steak Sandwiches

Stock: I love to make extra chicken stock and freeze it in quart bags. I don’t think every soup needs homemade stock, but for simpler ones, the extra depth of real bone broth makes a difference. If I don’t have time to make stock, I keep a “stock bag” in the freezer with the backs, wings, and/or other unused parts of chicken plus any onions, carrots, or celery that I don’t think I’ll get to. // Perfect, Uncluttered Chicken Stock

Ice cream and sorbet: I’m married to someone who (understandably) requires a bowl of Haagen Dazs chocolate each evening, so that’s a given, but I also should confess that I splurged on a no-bowl-to-chill ice cream maker last summer and it’s definitely led to an ongoing supply of homemade delights like lemon sorbet, passionfruit sorbet, and real mint ice cream; I get 95% of my ice cream recipes from David Lebovitz’s Perfect Scoop.

Produce

Fruit: Lemons and limes keep and are two of my favorite ingredients; don’t underestimate the importance of acidity in making simple ingredients taste magical. Until better local fruit is available, we look out for decent apples, oranges, mango (our family favorite), cantaloupe, and pineapple to keep around, as they have a longer shelf life than raspberries (which we also buy, but eat quickly or regret not doing so). // Whole Lemon Tart, Even More Perfect Apple Pie

Fridge vegetables: Carrots, celery, cabbage (green, red, and savoy), cauliflower, broccoli, leeks, scallions, and greens (curly kale, broccoli rabe, spinach) are my go-tos. If you’re buying greens to cook, try to wilt them down when you get home from the store, as they’ll keep better in softened bundles (and can be frozen) than they will in boxes and bags, and take up less space too. I find that leafy herbs like mint, cilantro, and parsley keep 1 to 2 weeks longer if I first wrap them in a barely damp paper towel and put them in a zip-lock bag. // Roasted Cabbage with Walnuts and Parmesan, Carrot Salad with Tahini and Crisped Chickpeas, Broccoli Slaw

Room temperature vegetables: Shallots, onion (red, yellow, white), garlic, ginger, potatoes, and winter squash keep and keep // Caramelized Shallots, Slow-Roasted Sweet Potatoes, 44-Clove Garlic Soup

Notes

I lean brand-ambivalent. Sure, I like Goya beans and Better than Boullon but I try not to get too stuck on a brand of flour (I use King Arthur or Gold Medal but also Heckshers sometimes) because I think it does SK readers a disservice if my recipes work best with xyz brand that maybe isn’t easy to get. Before you buy any fancy brand of olive oil, why not taste the reasonably priced ones and see if you like it? Are you sure you can’t make great cookies with 365 brand butter? (Spoiler: You can.) Where I’ve linked to product here, however, I really just buy that one specific brand so it’s worth noting.

Most dry goods that you hope to keep for a longer period of time or don’t go through quickly benefit from being stored in the freezer, from yeast to whole wheat flour to nuts and seeds and coffee. Everything I just listed here doesn’t need to be defrosted either; you can use them very cold as you would at room temperature.

I keep all dried goods — everything — in jars. I honestly think there are people who don’t keep things in airtight containers and there are people who have had… crawly things. I had them one time four kitchens ago and I will not let that happen again. When everything is self-contained, even if you bring home something compromised, it would keep to itself. I have jars from all over (Weck, Le Parfait, Bormioli Rocco) but when I need more, usually buy 6- or 12-packs of Ball Wide-Mouth Jars in 16-ounce and 24-ounce because (praise hands) they stack! I have various sizes of these small clamp-top jars for easy access to salts, baking powder, and baking soda I buy in larger quantities. I keep my flours and sugar in Borgonovo 145-ounce jars I can never find anymore but I’m working on a new solution — for you and me.

As always on Smitten Kitchen, nothing here is sponsored. I do all my own shopping and most of the schlepping.

Feeding others

Finally, it’s always a little incongruous to write about shopping and cooking in a casual way (“Ugh, my quinoa went rancid again!” — me, too often, not proud of this) at a time when so many people are don’t have enough to eat. If you’re looking for a place or places to help, I can tell you what I do: I have automatic monthly donations (my favorite no-planning-required way to support what I feel strongly about) set up for No Kid Hungry (which focuses on ending child hunger) and Feeding America (a nationwide network of more than 200 food banks).

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recesspizza40-blog · 5 years

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These Are the Foods You Should Always Keep in Your Pantry

Composite image; original image via Getty Images, illustrations by Lia Kantrowitz.

Welcome to the VICE Guide to Life, our imperfect advice on becoming an adult.

Living on your own for the first time—not in a dorm context where you presumably have a dining hall nearby, but rather in your very first and likely very terrible apartment—comes with a lot of adjustments. Things like hand soap and toilet paper? Those things didn’t just magically appear in the bathroom when the bottle or roll was empty. Someone had to be monitoring the quantity of said products in stock and remembering to buy more. Huh. Weird. Sounds fake, right?

Now you have even more to worry about than just your bathroom medicine cabinet going bare. You’ve got a whole fridge and pantry to keep stocked because transitioning to adulthood usually means you’ve gotta start cooking for yourself more often than ever before. Being aware of how much salt, or butter, or hot sauce, or whatever else you can’t live without in the kitchen is your responsibility now. Mom’s not keeping the household grocery list anymore, kiddo. But that’s cool too! Because you are your own person, and you can decide what constitutes a kitchen staple in your house.

Building a pantry can feel daunting when you first move into a new place and are staring at bare cupboards and empty shelves, and filling them up with boxes of microwave popcorn and Fruit Loops is very tempting. (Don’t do that.) It doesn’t have to be such a monumental task, though. Have some fun with it! There are a few things we think you should keep in mind, and a few must-haves you shouldn’t forget about, when you’re stocking a pantry for the very first time.

1. Rice

One of the most versatile and inexpensive dry goods you can choose to stock up on, and something you will always be grateful for having on hand and in abundance. It may be a pain in the butt to have to haul home a 10-pound bag of white rice from the grocery store, but it’s worth it for all of those last-minute, can’t-think-of-anything-else-to-make situations you’re about to find yourself in. Store it in a big airtight container, because as much as you may think it's fine to roll the top down on the bag and secure it with a piece of tape, you will eventually find yourself with a rice explosion on the kitchen floor, and you will question your life choices.

2. Other Grains—Quinoa, Barley, etc.

Once you’ve gotten the hang of making your own rice from scratch, other grains won’t be far behind. Buy these in smaller quantities, since they’re more expensive and you’ll probably use them less frequently. Unless you’re a quinoa fanatic, in which case—buy in bulk from Costco, because it can get pricey. If you’re storing these in separate containers, like mason jars or quart containers, keep the plastic bag they came in folded up inside on top so that you can reference the manufacturer’s cooking instructions later.

3. Kosher Salt + Whole Black Peppercorns

Kosher salt is a supremely inexpensive item to buy in almost-bulk, like the two-pound boxes that are usually on the bottom shelf in the grocery store. Keep a little pinch bowl of it near your stove or on your countertop where you do your cooking prep and refill from the big box as needed. Invest in even the crappiest pepper mill and get a small container of whole peppercorns—just a few ounces will do!—and you’ll never go back to the pre-ground stuff.

4. Extra Virgin Olive Oil

You can find a passably decent olive oil in your regular grocery store, or you could spring for the fancy stuff from a specialty grocer, up to you. For your everyday cooking, though, you want an olive oil that’s kind of neutral in flavor and, frankly, not super pricey. Buy it in the size that makes the most sense for you. Are you cooking almost every day, sometimes more than once a day? Go for the big, several-liter tin that’s usually on the bottom shelf in the grocery store, and fill up a smaller squeeze bottle of it to use on the day-to-day. Probably cooking only two or three times a week? Go for a smaller bottle and restock regularly. Nothing is worse than getting surprised by old, rancid olive oil that’s been hanging around too long. And don’t store it on the counter near your stove! It gets too hot there. Keep it in a cooler, darker cabinet when you’re not using it.

5. Vinegars—Red and White Wine, Balsamic, Apple Cider

You’ll come to find that a splash of acid is exactly what a lot of recipes need to really round out the flavors and make the whole thing sing. Unless you’re regularly making your own salad dressings or pickling things at home, a small to medium sized bottle will suffice for a few months.

6. Veggie Stock

It’s really easy to make veggie (or chicken, or fish) stock on your own from scraps, if you’re feeling industrious. But there’s no shame in buying the boxed stuff from the store, either. Keep one or two of the quart-size terra packs for making rice or quinoa with a little extra flavor, and then freeze any unused liquid in Tupperware. If you find you usually can’t get through a whole quart-sized box at once, buy the eight-ounce cans, instead.

7. Beans (Canned and Dry)

Dry beans—of whatever variety you’re likely to actually make—are one of the cheapest ways to make sure that you always have something to make for dinner in a pinch, or during a week when you’ve overspent on Seamless. Don’t let dry beans hang around for too long, though, because super old beans will either take forever to cook, or just never cook all the way through. They’ll be toothsome, and not in a good way, no matter how long you boil them. Canned beans are a little more expensive, but they’re a lifesaver more often than not and cut down on your cooking time even further.

8. Canned Fish—Tuna, Anchovies, Sardines

Keeping a few cans of tuna hanging around is ideal for being able to throw together a tuna salad sandwich, or tossing some in your salad or grain bowl, when other proteins are too expensive or, frankly, are just going to take too long to cook. Anchovies are a sneaky, inexpensive way to infuse a variety of dishes, from salads to sauces, with a punch of umami—or just pop ‘em on a cracker as a snack. (Get the re-sealable jars you can keep in the fridge if you don’t think you’ll use a whole tin at once.) Sardines function the same. Throw ‘em on some toast with pickled onions for a simple sandwich, or into a salad for a quick work lunch.

9. Briny Things—Capers, Olives, Pickles

Kosher dill pickle spears are, on their own, excellent snacks. Other briny, savory things—like capers and olives and cornichons—can be bought in small quantities in re-sealable jars you can keep in the fridge for any number of applications—in salads, sauces to put on your protein of choice, or throwing on a cheese plate if you’re having friends over for an appetizer that doesn’t need a whole lot of thought.

10. Hot Sauce

Whatever your hot sauce/chili paste of choice is—Tabasco? Sriracha? Tapatío? Gochujang?—always make sure you stay stocked up. Sure, every hot sauce has its own flavor and use and they’re certainly not interchangeable by any means, but this is your pantry. If you know you’re never going to touch a bottle of Frank’s Red Hot, but you quite literally keep a bottle of Cholula in your bag, make sure you never run out.

11. Spices

Do not go out and buy a full spice rack set with dozens of little vials of spices you will never use, pleasedearsweetbabyJesusdon’tdoit. Start with a few staples—cinnamon, cumin, red pepper flakes, bay leaves, and a reliable blend of some kind (chili powder, curry powder, za'atar) make up a solid, versatile lineup. Throw them out after a year if you haven’t finished them. (And if you find you’re throwing out a lot of unused something-or-other, buy a smaller jar of it next time. Dry spices have much more flavor if they aren’t old as sin.)

12. Canned Tomatoes

At any time of year, it is wise to have a can of tomatoes on hand. With an onion, some garlic, and a little butter, you can turn a 28-ounce can of whole peeled tomatoes into a passable pasta sauce in less than a half hour. If you feel like it, having a can of pureed tomato on your shelf can come in handy, too, but most other varieties of canned tomatoes you’ll see in the grocery store are really just there for convenience. You can always chop or dice a can of whole peeled tomatoes yourself and save a few pennies.

13. Pasta + Noodles

Having a few boxes of basic dried pasta—egg noodles, rice noodles, wheat pasta, whatever—hanging around means the foundation for any number of meals is always waiting for you.

14. Baking Essentials—Flour, Sugar, Baking Powder, Baking Soda, Vegetable Oil

Even if you don’t plan on doing a whole lot of from-scratch baking, a well-stocked pantry ought to have at least a small amount of all-purpose flour, white granulated sugar, baking powder and baking soda. Brown sugar ends up in a lot of savory dishes, too, like barbecue sauces, and you can find them in one-pound boxes. (That baking soda will come in handy for any number of other DIY kitchen cleaning solutions, too, so spring for the bigger box.) Vegetable oil is handy, too, and can be used for more than just making brownies, like shallow-frying chicken on the stove.

15. Zip-top Bags, Plastic Wrap, Tin Foil, Parchment Paper

Not food items, technically, no. But necessary for a well-stocked pantry for someone who wants to be able to make just about any recipe with as few trips to the grocery store as possible. (When you’re on step seven out of 10 in a recipe and suddenly realize your roll of tin foil is empty, you’ll kick your own ass.) There are more sustainably-minded versions of these products, too—like reusable nylon storage bags and silicone baking mats—if you don’t like the single-use lifestyle.

Source: https://munchies.vice.com/en_us/article/kz5q4v/how-to-stock-a-pantry-vgtl

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stronghawkfitness · 6 years

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Meal Prep Simplified

Are you someone who thinks meal prep is a huge pain in the you know what, but you know the only way you are going to be successful with nutrition is by doing it? If so, you and 90% of the population feel the same way.

Prepping food doesn't have to be complicated and just because it's not complicated, doesn't mean it's boring and bland.

I have said this before and I will bring it up again: My first degree is in Culinary Arts. It was a hard field to be in and it was not for me. However, I walked away with some killer cooking skills that really help me keep things simple and tasty.

Here are some tips for easy meal prep:

1. Keep it simple. Whole foods are really easy to cook with. I'm talking things like brown rice, beans, avocados, chicken, lean beef, lean pork, sweet potatoes, fish, corn, lettuce, kale, spinach, etc. Things that you can truly grab and cook with the easiest method possible. You can batch whole foods pretty easily and you are more likely to eat something fresh than already cooked and over processed. I'm not saying all of these things need to be "fresh;" hell, I'm a big supporter of frozen vegetables and canned products like beans and artichokes, as long as they are organic or you wash, wash, wash them to no end. 80/20 here guys and gals. We can't be perfect. It's called balance.

2. Pick your cooking method wisely. Broil, grill, steam, slow cook, pressure cooker. Remember #1? How you cook your food is just as important in the "keep it simple" realm. All of the above methods provide you quick options to make large batches of food at one time, while saving the nutrients they (the food) provide. I have nothing against roasting/baking, but the fact is whatever you are roasting can take hours and depending on your oven temperature, can over or under cook and then you are stuck waiting on your food. Plus you can't walk away from it too easily. When you broil, grill, or steam, we are talking a max of 30 minutes depending on what you're cooking and a slow cooker or pressure cooker (like an instant pot) you can set and walk away from.

3. Don't be afraid of spice. Let's talk about staples for the spice cabinet. These are my favorites to have on hand: Garlic powder, onion powder, sea salt, black pepper, red pepper flakes, cilantro, garam masala, curry powder, tumeric, creole seasoning, paprika. Friends, you cannot go wrong with spices! Experiment! Smell them first and imagine what you will be putting them on. Garlic and onion can go on anything! Use liberally. Salt and pepper add a little something to steamed kale (and basically everything) and if you like different flavors, adding curry or garam masala and tumeric to ground meats is amazing. It makes their flavors pop.

Ok so now here's the fun part. The following are a few ideas for lunch/dinner meal preps:

Grilled chicken with grilled shrimp and steamed kale.

Salad loaded with sprouts, beans, corn, cheese (like feta or goat cheese), peppers and onions. Add your choice of lean meat or other protein. **Side note: I avoid using cucumbers and tomatoes when meal prepping salads. Why? Because they are liquidy and go bad fast, so your salads will go with it. Another tip: Take a wet paper towel, squeeze it out, and lay it on top of your salad in its container. This will keep the ingredients from going soggy and your salad will last longer.

Ground lean meat with avocado and lime juice on lettuce leaves. Add a side of rice, quinoa, or roasted veggies like zucchini, peppers, and tomatoes.

Spaghetti squash with tomato sauce and meatballs made with lean ground meat.

Chicken marinated in lemon juice, olive oil, garlic cloves, and onion, grilled, and served with rice and a yogurt dill sauce (you can buy it at the store!).

Grilled kabobs with anything you want on them like lean meat or firm tofu, chunks of onion, peppers, tomatoes, potatoes, etc.

Pasta salad. Period. Hear me out: Take a 100% whole wheat pasta OR quinoa pasta and cook it up. Then add grilled chicken or beans if you aren't interested in meat. Add carrots, olives, hard cheese like cheddar, turkey pepperoni if you want a little kick, peppers, uncooked zucchini, and artichokes. Then, add olive oil and red wine vinegar (or balsamic or apple cider), garlic, onion, salt, and pepper! Boom.

Remember, meal prep doesn't have to suck. It can be fun, simple, and tasty! Don't be afraid. Have fun with it. Make it a family event. The fact is, if you cook at home and eat things that you made, your ability to direct your nutrition the way you want it to go only gets better!

#mealprep #foodprep #lunches #dinner #healthyeating #cleaneating #mealideas #fitspiration #healthandwellness #simple #fitness

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