Discovering Pantry Staples

Almost everything in my life is done in a minimal way. That includes my pantry. This is also easy because I live alone. I imagine that if I had kids I’d have had to consider keeping a stocked pantry long before COVID showed up. But since it’s just me, until now I’ve kept very few items on hand. Before now, I’d go to Whole Foods about three times a week and pick up what I needed for a few days. Now, I’m going back to my restaurant days and keeping a certain ‘par’ of a few items at all times.

I saw an article on Ruth Reichl’s (who I’m absolutely obsessed with) and it made me think about what’s on my list.. Here’s what I’ve found it necessary to keep on hand:

1. Coconut milk

2. Coconut aminos (Like soy sauce but without the soy)

3. Scotch bonnet sauce (It can be hard to find the fresh peppers, so the sauce works well when cooking Jamaican food.)

4. Stock (I normally make my own stock as I’m cooking, but as I’m exploring, a lot of recipes call for it so I’ve found it good to keep on hand)

5. Tomato sauce and paste

6. Beans (Canned and dry (normally black beans, kidney beans and pinto beans)

7. Brown Jasmine Rice

8. Old Fashioned Oats (this was the one thing I already always kept handy)

9. Dates

10. Tea