Basic Ingredients For Your Kitchen Pantry

New Zealand Basic Ingredients For Your Kitchen Pantry

Finding you don't know what to make of your kitchen pantry? At the end of a long day, come home to a fully stocked, ready-to-go pantry, with all the basic food ingredients for easy meal preparation.

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Cooking at home seems to be a luxury, rather than a habit, for many New Zealand families these days. Long hours at work, two-income households and increasingly busy lives mean we're often tired at the end of the day and unable to face the kitchen! But what if meal preparation didn't have to be stressful? Keeping your kitchen pantry stocked with basic ingredients will let you dash off a quick dinner - just for you, for two or for your whole family.

Fresh is best for fruits and vegetables
Fresh produce should be just that - fresh - so it pays to buy your fruits and vegetables weekly, rather than stocking up. For the freshest of the fresh, buy produce at a Saturday or Sunday morning market, where you'll find local growers supplying fruits and vegetables. Buying foods that are locally grown means you'll follow the seasons when it comes to produce (saving you money and lessening your ‘carbon footprint' when it comes to how far your food has travelled to get to your plate). You may even be able to shop for organic produce at a local market.

In the pantry...
Pantry essentials can be stocked up well in advance. To ensure you don't run low on these food basics, keep them on your grocery shopping list and buy in bulk when you spy a special at your local supermarket. Follow our handy grocery list for pantry essentials:

Tinned tomatoes
These little red delights can form the basis of a simple, quick meal. Buy diced or whole tomatoes and add your own spices (say, fresh or dried oregano and basil for an Italian themed meal) or buy the tasty flavoured varieties - Moroccan, Italian and chilli varieties are all readily available. Add courgette, sweet corn, green beans and chickpeas for a quick veggie mix, and serve on brown rice, cous cous or pasta.

Tinned / dried beans
Beans in a can are a saviour for vegetarians and non-vegetarians alike, providing a quick protein fix and the basis of an easy meal. Choose from tins of chickpeas, cannellini beans, kidney beans, butter beans or four bean mixes. Canned beans are convenient and affordable, but they're usually tinned in brine, so give them a good rinse to lower your sodium intake. Dried beans are another option; they're cheaper than the tinned variety, but you'll have to think ahead and soak them overnight, so it's good to have some tins on-hand for a quick meal save.

Tinned / frozen corn
Frozen sweet corn is ideal for a quick add to a stirfry or a fast meal in the form of corn on toast (top two slices of toasted wholegrain bread with corn, freshly ground black pepper, salt, grated edam cheese and chopped fresh parsley or herbs). Creamed corn is also a short-cut to a quick meal - simply add a small amount of flour, one egg, cheese, spring onion, and salt and pepper to create corn fritter perfection (serve with a green salad and baby potatoes).

Dried pasta
Thank goodness everyone seems to be over that awful Atkins Diet carbohydrate ban, so we can once again enjoy a decent bowl of pasta. Dried pasta is available in many varieties -wheat, wholemeal, spinach or egg - and numerous shapes too: penne, bows, fettucine or good old spaghetti to name just a few. Taking only nine minutes to cook to al dente, pasta makes a fast meal choice. Add stir fry vegetables - onion, garlic, broccoli, green beans and carrots - to your cooked pasta, and add toppings such as chopped fresh basil, sundried tomatoes, hardboiled eggs and roasted almonds. Always have jars of pasta sauce on-hand too: mixed with pasta and vegetables this makes a meal in twenty minutes.

Rice
Keeping your cupboard stocked with rice is also good for basic carbohydrate content in your meals. Brown rice is best, as it's high in fibre and releases energy slowly as your body breaks it down (white rice is just brown with the fibre removed). Try other varieties too: basmati and jasmine rice are also high in fibre and excellent for Thai or Indian inspired meals.

Crackers
Always have a selection of wholegrain crackers and rice wafers in your pantry for a ‘bits and pieces' meal when friends drop by or you want  a relaxed evening meal after work on a Friday. Having a stocked-up pantry will let you lay out a spread of crackers, dips, cheeses, fruit, mixed nuts and, of course, a bottle of wine!

Nuts and seeds
A good source of protein, essential fats, vitamins and minerals, nuts and seeds are also a healthy, high energy food option. Have a few jars of nuts and seeds in your pantry to add to fruit or muesli at breakfast, to snack on with dried fruit, or to roast in olive oil and add to your stir fry or rice risotto. Choose from almonds, cashews, peanuts, Brazil nuts, walnuts, linseeds, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds or sesame seeds. These are vital for any vegetarian grocery list!

Herbs and spices
Too many people are scared to add spices and herbs to their homemade meals, but don't be afraid; just stick to basic groupings to ensure you achieve good taste combinations. Have a range of spices in your kitchen (they last for around one year), but make sure your spice rack is in a cool place, out of direct sunlight and away from any sources of moisture (dishwasher, oven or sink). To inject some flavour into your cooking, heat two tablespoons of olive oil and add a teaspoon (or half for chilli) of spices, along with chopped onion, garlic, and salt and pepper. Try these standard combinations for international zest:

                Italian: oregano, marjoram, rosemary, basil, sage
                Mexican: chilli, cumin, cilantro
                Indian: cumin, turmeric, coriander, mustard seed, garam masala
                Cajun: basil, oregano, paprika, cayenne, thyme
                Thai: lemon grass, mint, basil, ginger

Sauces and oils
Have your favourite sauces on hand for times when you need to add some flavour - fast! Keep your pantry stocked with olive oil for stir fry meals, soy sauce, chilli or sweet chilli sauce, and balsamic vinegar for salad dressings.

Baking goods
Keep your pantry stocked with basic baking ingredients too. You may not be an Alison Holst in the kitchen, but these ingredients can be used in basic meals too: flour, baking powder, baking soda and powdered milk (for when the liquid variety runs out).

With these basic ingredients in your pantry and on your grocery store list, cooking will be a breeze...

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Family images from Flickr: Our Pantry, Kids Classroom and Hands.