What do you consider to be essential pantry staples? In what amounts? Why?
Mine currently:
beans, lentils, cooking oil, salt, paprika, dry savory spice, a bunch of stock cubes i regret getting.
I am looking to broaden my pantry horizons and optimize.
What does your pantry contain, and in approximately what amounts per person?
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Alphaville
- Posts: 3611
- Joined: Thu Oct 03, 2019 10:50 am
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Re: What does your pantry contain, and in approximately what amounts per person?
my staples are carbs, fats, proteins and micronutrients (it’s a way of looking at things)
for 2 people of different sizes, the aggregate comes out thus:
3500kcal per day
20pg protein per day
multiple numbers for the micronutrients
my long term essential storage carb is white rice because it lasts forever
my long term essential storage fat is refined coconut oil because it has a neutral favor and i’ve never seen it go rancid (it’s also great for baking)
my long term essential storage protein is whey powder because it’s complete and compact and has a long shelf life in sealed containers
i also keep around a multivitamin with the medicines, plus much fish oil.
i also keep around large quantities of salt.
this would keep me alive in a shipwreck
there’s a second order from that, which has a shorter life and includes beans and lentils, oats, wheat flour, different oils, canned goods (tomato, tuna, spam, etc). many spices for sweet and savory, etc. i really enjoy cooking and eating.
as for “looking to broaden pantry horizons and optimize” are you looking for vegetarian/vegan, omnivore, one-pot meals, something else?
speaking of eating, it’s lunch time here so i must cut this post short but hopefully i can make a contribution as i understand more?
for 2 people of different sizes, the aggregate comes out thus:
3500kcal per day
20pg protein per day
multiple numbers for the micronutrients
my long term essential storage carb is white rice because it lasts forever
my long term essential storage fat is refined coconut oil because it has a neutral favor and i’ve never seen it go rancid (it’s also great for baking)
my long term essential storage protein is whey powder because it’s complete and compact and has a long shelf life in sealed containers
i also keep around a multivitamin with the medicines, plus much fish oil.
i also keep around large quantities of salt.
this would keep me alive in a shipwreck
there’s a second order from that, which has a shorter life and includes beans and lentils, oats, wheat flour, different oils, canned goods (tomato, tuna, spam, etc). many spices for sweet and savory, etc. i really enjoy cooking and eating.
as for “looking to broaden pantry horizons and optimize” are you looking for vegetarian/vegan, omnivore, one-pot meals, something else?
speaking of eating, it’s lunch time here so i must cut this post short but hopefully i can make a contribution as i understand more?
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Alphaville
- Posts: 3611
- Joined: Thu Oct 03, 2019 10:50 am
- Location: Quarantined
Re: What does your pantry contain, and in approximately what amounts per person?
back from lunch i just realized that i need a long-term essential calcium staple for survival 
see, we have 5 biologically evolved appetites:
see: https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg ... ur-health/
or: https://www.netdoctor.co.uk/healthy-eat ... appetites/
see, we have 5 biologically evolved appetites:
see: https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg ... ur-health/
or: https://www.netdoctor.co.uk/healthy-eat ... appetites/
Re: What does your pantry contain, and in approximately what amounts per person?
@Alphaville, presumably your multivitamins have calcium. I boil/bake/grind eggshells into powder that I add ~10g to my weekly bread loaves. As I recall, I estimated 9 dozen eggs/year = ~500mg elemental calcium/day, after weighing a bunch of carton's worth for the brand I buy.
I keep hard grains, lentils, beans, seeds (flax, sesame, mustard), oil (olive, coconut), salt, blackstrap molasses, sugar all well stocked. Many other spices, I try to buy unground whenever possible. I have at least 4-12 months of the above at this moment. I have a few cans kicking around, mostly as my out of power emergency food, although I'd prioritize eating what I could out of the fridge first.
I keep hard grains, lentils, beans, seeds (flax, sesame, mustard), oil (olive, coconut), salt, blackstrap molasses, sugar all well stocked. Many other spices, I try to buy unground whenever possible. I have at least 4-12 months of the above at this moment. I have a few cans kicking around, mostly as my out of power emergency food, although I'd prioritize eating what I could out of the fridge first.
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Alphaville
- Posts: 3611
- Joined: Thu Oct 03, 2019 10:50 am
- Location: Quarantined
Re: What does your pantry contain, and in approximately what amounts per person?
eggshells! i used to grind those up for my old cat, but it never occurred to me to mix with bread for human use. smart! thank you.
on regular days i get my calcium from greens (spinach & broccoli my faves), dairy, nuts & seeds (sesame, almonds, flax), sardines & salmon, etc... but other than the canned fish, none of those keep for very long term storage (eg nuts go rancid). but eggshells!
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@ertyu
nuts & seeds i keep around: chia (fat, fiber, small protein), pumpkin seed (protein, magnesium), almond (protein, fat, fiber, calcium), sesame (calcium, zinc, fat, protein, flavor, tahini base), peanuts (protein, fat, cocktail hour, with chocolate or in pad thai), flax (good fats, fiber), pecans (delicious good fats, great dessert base), walnuts when available (fats, calcium, etc), shredded coconut (fat, fiber, granola mixer).
i don’t meant to reduce/platonize them, all of those have more nutrients than those listed, and more unknown values, that’s just a nutritional heuristic & rough culinary guide for me.
the only one i sorta hate is flax but i eat it because “it’s good for you” as either flax egg for baking or mixed (ground) in granola, etc., but to me “it tastes like homework”
. sesame also operates as a kind of spice/flavoring if toasted so i separate spice jar from the bulk bags.
Re: What does your pantry contain, and in approximately what amounts per person?
this is a bit off-topic but are ground eggshells bioavailable?? How would one go about finding this out?
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Alphaville
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- Joined: Thu Oct 03, 2019 10:50 am
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Re: What does your pantry contain, and in approximately what amounts per person?
@ertyu
eggshells are calcium carbonate. under stomach hcl you’d get carbonic acid and calcium chloride and water, and calcium chloride highly soluble in water would ionize? i’d assume everything ionized in the bolus... the intestine does its thing (and carbonic acid in h2o goes up as a co2 belch)
(for the cat i’d grind it with a coffee/spice grinder to a dust, which maximizes reactive surface.)
anyway calcium carbonate is a common supplement, though calcium citrate i think i remember is preferred (and pricier).
i take vitamin d daily as i’m not in the sun much. i thought i’d mention, since it works with calcium to fix it on bones. this is not my emergency vitamin, this is a daily dose thing. and does it help with winter depression? perhaps...
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@slsdly: i checked, and my vitamin pill is just vitamins. i had assumed so already because calcium tabs are huge.
eggshells are calcium carbonate. under stomach hcl you’d get carbonic acid and calcium chloride and water, and calcium chloride highly soluble in water would ionize? i’d assume everything ionized in the bolus... the intestine does its thing (and carbonic acid in h2o goes up as a co2 belch)
(for the cat i’d grind it with a coffee/spice grinder to a dust, which maximizes reactive surface.)
anyway calcium carbonate is a common supplement, though calcium citrate i think i remember is preferred (and pricier).
i take vitamin d daily as i’m not in the sun much. i thought i’d mention, since it works with calcium to fix it on bones. this is not my emergency vitamin, this is a daily dose thing. and does it help with winter depression? perhaps...
—
@slsdly: i checked, and my vitamin pill is just vitamins. i had assumed so already because calcium tabs are huge.
Re: What does your pantry contain, and in approximately what amounts per person?
@Alphaville, good point on the tab size, they are pretty big. I have some in a bottle from before I ground up a large supply of eggshells.
@ertyu, there are a couple of papers floating around. I believe I read this one at the time:
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/a ... 5-main.pdf
I buy these fancy, pastured, organic eggs, and they cost too much for me to not eat the shells. I obviously get some calcium from my diet in general, but since I stopped drinking milk, I felt I was probably not getting enough for optimal health. Turning something I was tossing into a nutritional supplement was very satisfying. I actually eat all of what I was conditioned to see as garbage before (eggshells, apple cores sans seeds, banana peels, orange peels, etc). If it is edible, I eat it.
@ertyu, there are a couple of papers floating around. I believe I read this one at the time:
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/a ... 5-main.pdf
I buy these fancy, pastured, organic eggs, and they cost too much for me to not eat the shells
. I obviously get some calcium from my diet in general, but since I stopped drinking milk, I felt I was probably not getting enough for optimal health. Turning something I was tossing into a nutritional supplement was very satisfying. I actually eat all of what I was conditioned to see as garbage before (eggshells, apple cores sans seeds, banana peels, orange peels, etc). If it is edible, I eat it.-
Alphaville
- Posts: 3611
- Joined: Thu Oct 03, 2019 10:50 am
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Re: What does your pantry contain, and in approximately what amounts per person?
@slsdly
hahahaaaa! i hear you there. i also buy the good stuff, and zero waste is a valuable thing.
i zest citrus (have a tool now), but don’t eat the pith. and how do you eat banana peels?
ps- i always check the hollow space in the apple core around the seeds for mold—a big no-no in my book
hahahaaaa! i hear you there. i also buy the good stuff, and zero waste is a valuable thing.
i zest citrus (have a tool now), but don’t eat the pith. and how do you eat banana peels?
ps- i always check the hollow space in the apple core around the seeds for mold—a big no-no in my book
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Alphaville
- Posts: 3611
- Joined: Thu Oct 03, 2019 10:50 am
- Location: Quarantined
Re: What does your pantry contain, and in approximately what amounts per person?
more pantry stuff ideas, flours i keep:
all purpose flour (white, unbleached, general use, can be modded)
bread flour (white, higher protein, stronger gluten holds co2 bubbles)
cake flour (white, lower protein than allxpurpose, bleached with nasty chemicals, but makes good crumbly cakes)
dark whole wheat (strong flavor for rustic breads maybe also chapatis)
white whole wheat (whole grain, but milder flavor, for when you don’t want so much branny taste)
dark rye flour (gotta love those rye breads)
semolina flour (for pasta. also makes porridges. highest protein wheat flour but doesn’t form gluten?)
corn starch aka “corn flour” (add to all-purpose for a softer flour, like for biscuits etc, also a thickener of its own eg for porridges, soups, etc)
cornmeal/grits/polenta (sort of similar, but different corn types, many uses). i prefer quick polenta type so i don’t have to watch a dangerous corn volcano for 40 minutes. a nice variation from wheat monotony but lower protein.
currently i’m out of masa harina (masa is nixtamalized corn, ground to a fine powder). would normally keep around to make legit tacos. also makes a nice atole. also good for the gluten free crowd (i’m not).
also i’m stuck with a bag of “vital gluten” i bought during pandemic outset as backup protein (e,g, seitan). added to all purpose flour... it makes bread flour. also added to whole wheat breads for better structure. i’m experimenting with it and might continue to keep around.
i think that’s all in the flour department
ps i’m toying with the idea of buying only all purpose flour for white flour, and strengthen with “vital” gluten (why “vital”? marketese?) or soften with cornstarch, or leave alone as required. but will need more experiments for reliable results.
all purpose flour (white, unbleached, general use, can be modded)
bread flour (white, higher protein, stronger gluten holds co2 bubbles)
cake flour (white, lower protein than allxpurpose, bleached with nasty chemicals, but makes good crumbly cakes)
dark whole wheat (strong flavor for rustic breads maybe also chapatis)
white whole wheat (whole grain, but milder flavor, for when you don’t want so much branny taste)
dark rye flour (gotta love those rye breads)
semolina flour (for pasta. also makes porridges. highest protein wheat flour but doesn’t form gluten?)
corn starch aka “corn flour” (add to all-purpose for a softer flour, like for biscuits etc, also a thickener of its own eg for porridges, soups, etc)
cornmeal/grits/polenta (sort of similar, but different corn types, many uses). i prefer quick polenta type so i don’t have to watch a dangerous corn volcano for 40 minutes. a nice variation from wheat monotony but lower protein.
currently i’m out of masa harina (masa is nixtamalized corn, ground to a fine powder). would normally keep around to make legit tacos. also makes a nice atole. also good for the gluten free crowd (i’m not).
also i’m stuck with a bag of “vital gluten” i bought during pandemic outset as backup protein (e,g, seitan). added to all purpose flour... it makes bread flour. also added to whole wheat breads for better structure. i’m experimenting with it and might continue to keep around.
i think that’s all in the flour department
ps i’m toying with the idea of buying only all purpose flour for white flour, and strengthen with “vital” gluten (why “vital”? marketese?) or soften with cornstarch, or leave alone as required. but will need more experiments for reliable results.
Re: What does your pantry contain, and in approximately what amounts per person?
Orange pith has a neutral taste, I don't mind it at all. I need to zest the orange first, as it is too much. The zest I add to herbal tea, muffins, etc. As for banana peels:
https://thestingyvegan.com/banana-peel- ... -sandwich/
I don't bother with the specialty flours, bread, cake, etc. I generally stick to hard grains (hard wheat, spelt, kamut) and mill them as needed. Whole wheat doesn't rise as much as all purpose, and spelt/kamut rise even less. I don't mind smaller, denser loaves though. Less things to optimize for, and worry about spoilage.
https://thestingyvegan.com/banana-peel- ... -sandwich/
I don't bother with the specialty flours, bread, cake, etc. I generally stick to hard grains (hard wheat, spelt, kamut) and mill them as needed. Whole wheat doesn't rise as much as all purpose, and spelt/kamut rise even less. I don't mind smaller, denser loaves though. Less things to optimize for, and worry about spoilage.
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Alphaville
- Posts: 3611
- Joined: Thu Oct 03, 2019 10:50 am
- Location: Quarantined
Re: What does your pantry contain, and in approximately what amounts per person?
@sldsly
ah, i don’t do the whole grains to mill yet. maybe some day, once i settle into grains as a permanent thing.
i like the many flours for now because i like playing with my food hahaha. i mean i love a good artisan loaf with gobs of butter, or dipped in olive oil ( with sea salt and red pepper flakes), or a great pastry with a cup of tea, etc. it’s a hobby thing, in lieu of restaurants.
hence for spoilage worries resilience emergencies shf etc i just keep rice.
but i’m still interested in whole+heritage grains though. eventually i might get there. where do you buy yours? co-op? i used to buy hulled barley at my food co-op, but currently not keeping.
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@ertyu
forgot to mention an “almost” flour i use a lot, which is rolled oats. sometimes i grind it with a small mill into oat flour to make scottish shortbreads. other times i mix uncooked with sour whey or yogurt (they are precooked hence digestible). but most of the time i use it to make granola with the nuts and seeds listed above—in winter, we eat it almost daily. then my wife wants to make oatmeal cookies one of these days, which i fully support.
ah, i don’t do the whole grains to mill yet. maybe some day, once i settle into grains as a permanent thing.
i like the many flours for now because i like playing with my food hahaha. i mean i love a good artisan loaf with gobs of butter, or dipped in olive oil ( with sea salt and red pepper flakes), or a great pastry with a cup of tea, etc. it’s a hobby thing, in lieu of restaurants.
hence for spoilage worries resilience emergencies shf etc i just keep rice.
but i’m still interested in whole+heritage grains though. eventually i might get there. where do you buy yours? co-op? i used to buy hulled barley at my food co-op, but currently not keeping.
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@ertyu
forgot to mention an “almost” flour i use a lot, which is rolled oats. sometimes i grind it with a small mill into oat flour to make scottish shortbreads. other times i mix uncooked with sour whey or yogurt (they are precooked hence digestible). but most of the time i use it to make granola with the nuts and seeds listed above—in winter, we eat it almost daily. then my wife wants to make oatmeal cookies one of these days, which i fully support.
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Alphaville
- Posts: 3611
- Joined: Thu Oct 03, 2019 10:50 am
- Location: Quarantined
Re: What does your pantry contain, and in approximately what amounts per person?
pulses i keep around [i’m editing as i recall things, a bit like a wiki]
-black beans. my favorite! dark with anthocyanins and delicious and smooth. my perfect bean.
-pinto beans. local to my region, firmer than black beans, great for refried.
-garbanzos. the other white bread! i love them with tuna and tomato in the summer, with a collagen-rich pig stew in winter. also, plain, seasoned with olive oil, red pepper flakes, and sea salt. and of course in hummus. garbanzo flour i buy sometimes for farinata. the garbanzo is a great trombonist! lolololol
-sometimes i also buy small red beans for new orleans style red beans and rice (nicer and tastier than regular red kidney beans).
- 2 kinds of italian bean: borlotti and cannellini, which i currently don’t have in supply because they cost 4x, so i buy only for specialty dishes like pasta e fagioli (southern/northern versions).
-once in a blue moon i buy white beans (eg. “great northern”) which are utterly bland, for the purpose of making some nacho dip i stole from a restaurant
-walmart sometimes sells peruvian canary beans which are yellow and smell/taste yummy
-lima beans: ripe and dry they make a nice smooth mash or a cold salad, green they cook sort of like edamame
-black eyed pea- not really a pea? sorta sweet and carbier.
-if you let me know which sort of bean is available in your parts (because not all beans are created equal), i could suggest possible uses depending on their qualities
-split peas. green or yellow (yellow have a milder taste), delicious with onion and butter. here in the usa it’s usually “ham” but butter is better. they make a beautiful mash, like potato.
-french lentils aka lentilles du puy. the tastiest! even if pricey, a low-cost food. i scored a good price by purchasing them wholesale direct from distributor.
-red lentils. great for indian recipes, soups, etc, and cook on the stovetop in just 12 minutes. no soaking required!
-yellow lentils. this is a new one for me, imported from india, purportedly the lowest glycemic index of all pulses, i have them in storage and have not yet opened.
-mung beans. these come from china or india (moong dal?), and i’m currently out, but they make an “interesting” breakfast dish if you season right. like red lentils, also quick-cooking, and also very low glycemic (till you add rice, and blam, gi goes up) these are the stuff used to grow chinese “bean sprouts” which are glorious sautéed, so you have options.
if i had to choose one pulse and one pulse only it would be the black bean because i love the taste and texture and they can be eaten alone (unlike a bland white bean that’s more like a complement to something else). yes there are other beans perhaps more nutritious or whatever but ah! the pleasure of eating is its own kind of sustenance. a close second would be french lentils. for a third... i could probably live on garbanzos and anchovies indefinitely.
-black beans. my favorite! dark with anthocyanins and delicious and smooth. my perfect bean.
-pinto beans. local to my region, firmer than black beans, great for refried.
-garbanzos. the other white bread!
i love them with tuna and tomato in the summer, with a collagen-rich pig stew in winter. also, plain, seasoned with olive oil, red pepper flakes, and sea salt. and of course in hummus. garbanzo flour i buy sometimes for farinata. the garbanzo is a great trombonist! lolololol-sometimes i also buy small red beans for new orleans style red beans and rice (nicer and tastier than regular red kidney beans).
- 2 kinds of italian bean: borlotti and cannellini, which i currently don’t have in supply because they cost 4x, so i buy only for specialty dishes like pasta e fagioli (southern/northern versions).
-once in a blue moon i buy white beans (eg. “great northern”) which are utterly bland, for the purpose of making some nacho dip i stole from a restaurant
-walmart sometimes sells peruvian canary beans which are yellow and smell/taste yummy
-lima beans: ripe and dry they make a nice smooth mash or a cold salad, green they cook sort of like edamame
-black eyed pea- not really a pea? sorta sweet and carbier.
-if you let me know which sort of bean is available in your parts (because not all beans are created equal), i could suggest possible uses depending on their qualities
-split peas. green or yellow (yellow have a milder taste), delicious with onion and butter. here in the usa it’s usually “ham” but butter is better. they make a beautiful mash, like potato.
-french lentils aka lentilles du puy. the tastiest! even if pricey, a low-cost food. i scored a good price by purchasing them wholesale direct from distributor.
-red lentils. great for indian recipes, soups, etc, and cook on the stovetop in just 12 minutes. no soaking required!
-yellow lentils. this is a new one for me, imported from india, purportedly the lowest glycemic index of all pulses, i have them in storage and have not yet opened.
-mung beans. these come from china or india (moong dal?), and i’m currently out, but they make an “interesting” breakfast dish if you season right. like red lentils, also quick-cooking, and also very low glycemic (till you add rice, and blam, gi goes up) these are the stuff used to grow chinese “bean sprouts” which are glorious sautéed, so you have options.
if i had to choose one pulse and one pulse only it would be the black bean because i love the taste and texture and they can be eaten alone (unlike a bland white bean that’s more like a complement to something else). yes there are other beans perhaps more nutritious or whatever but ah! the pleasure of eating is its own kind of sustenance. a close second would be french lentils. for a third... i could probably live on garbanzos and anchovies indefinitely.
Re: What does your pantry contain, and in approximately what amounts per person?
Really not much as shopping groceries is a 5 minute walk for me so I only have open packages of durable foods at home. Mostly lentils, flour, rice, sugar, tons of oats and stuff like that. As my DW is not vegan we also have some eggs lying around. That's it I guess.
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Alphaville
- Posts: 3611
- Joined: Thu Oct 03, 2019 10:50 am
- Location: Quarantined
Re: What does your pantry contain, and in approximately what amounts per person?
not pantry proper, but i keep 3 frozen essentials year round:
berries (blue/mixed)
spinach
broccoli
why those 3? nutrient density, taste, usability and price. you can always fall back on them and they’re all excellent, plus the frozen versions are a lot cheaper than fresh, given that spoilage is reduced; and likely more nutritious as they’re harvested at their peak rather than timed for the market.
then i buy other produce seasonally. e.g. right now a lot of pears and apples and mandarins are on sale at my supermarket so that’s what we’re buying.
berries (blue/mixed)
spinach
broccoli
why those 3? nutrient density, taste, usability and price. you can always fall back on them and they’re all excellent, plus the frozen versions are a lot cheaper than fresh, given that spoilage is reduced; and likely more nutritious as they’re harvested at their peak rather than timed for the market.
then i buy other produce seasonally. e.g. right now a lot of pears and apples and mandarins are on sale at my supermarket so that’s what we’re buying.
Re: What does your pantry contain, and in approximately what amounts per person?
If/when I am stocking a kitchen from scratch, the first 12 things I might buy other than fresh perishables would be olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt, black pepper, brown sugar, cayenne, frozen green peas, oats, rice, dry biscuit mix, nutmeg, soy sauce.
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Alphaville
- Posts: 3611
- Joined: Thu Oct 03, 2019 10:50 am
- Location: Quarantined
Re: What does your pantry contain, and in approximately what amounts per person?
just did a quick survey of herbs & spices
herb(ish) box:
dry basil
thyme
oregano
bay leaves
fennel seed
turmeric
cumin
sweet paprika (giant)
smoked paprika (small)
dehydrated onions (giant)
garlic powder
celery salt
crushed red pepper
cayenne
chimayo red chile powder
black peppercorns
need/want: fresh rosemary, sage, cilantro, parsley, tarragon, thyme (nonpantries); saffron, green peppercorns
hot sauces:
crystal (best louisiana style hot sauce)
cholula (better than ketchup)
need/want: sriracha, tabasco chipotle (so good)
umami box:
soy sauce (giant)
fish sauce
worcestershire sauce
tin of anchovies
nutritional yeast
dried kombu
dried hijiki
need/want: shrimp powder, bonito flakes, a good tamari, porcini mushrooms, mushroom powder
“sweet” spice box:
molina mexican vanilla (synthetic but good)
ceylon cinnamon (powder and stick)
whole cloves
whole nutmeg
ginger powder*
anise seed
star anise
allspice
lemon zest
need/want: orange flower water, rose water
*i should set some ginger aside for the “herbish” box
vinegars:
red
distilled
apple
balsamic
need/want: sherry, rice
in the fridge:
“better than bouillon” beef & chicken jars
stoneground mustard
toasted sesame oil
chunk of real parmesan
small bits of good cheeses that can be summoned as “seasoning”
frozen stocks from previous old bones & leftovers
need/want: pecorino romano
herb(ish) box:
dry basil
thyme
oregano
bay leaves
fennel seed
turmeric
cumin
sweet paprika (giant)
smoked paprika (small)
dehydrated onions (giant)
garlic powder
celery salt
crushed red pepper
cayenne
chimayo red chile powder
black peppercorns
need/want: fresh rosemary, sage, cilantro, parsley, tarragon, thyme (nonpantries); saffron, green peppercorns
hot sauces:
crystal (best louisiana style hot sauce)
cholula (better than ketchup)
need/want: sriracha, tabasco chipotle (so good)
umami box:
soy sauce (giant)
fish sauce
worcestershire sauce
tin of anchovies
nutritional yeast
dried kombu
dried hijiki
need/want: shrimp powder, bonito flakes, a good tamari, porcini mushrooms, mushroom powder
“sweet” spice box:
molina mexican vanilla (synthetic but good)
ceylon cinnamon (powder and stick)
whole cloves
whole nutmeg
ginger powder*
anise seed
star anise
allspice
lemon zest
need/want: orange flower water, rose water
*i should set some ginger aside for the “herbish” box
vinegars:
red
distilled
apple
balsamic
need/want: sherry, rice
in the fridge:
“better than bouillon” beef & chicken jars
stoneground mustard
toasted sesame oil
chunk of real parmesan
small bits of good cheeses that can be summoned as “seasoning”
frozen stocks from previous old bones & leftovers
need/want: pecorino romano
Re: What does your pantry contain, and in approximately what amounts per person?
There are other possible combinations, but if I was just, for instance, camped out in a cottage with kitchenette for a couple weeks, I could feed myself a quite reasonably varied diet using just some portion of those staples and $20 of fresh perishables in season or on sale. I would need approximately 42 lbs of food for the two weeks, so approximately 22 lbs of staples at less than $1/lb Wet weight prepared average and 20 lbs of fresh perishables at somewhat more than $1/lb= $3/day = $42 for two week period.
Example of first $10 might be eggs, greens, onions, canned peaches or bruised fruit, small portion chicken and carrots. I could make chicken soup, chicken a la pea on biscuits, Green omelette, Veggies Spicy stir fry, Peach cobbler, nutmeg cookies, Sweet sour stir fry, etc.
Next week I might buy pasta, cheese, some form of tomatoes, canned black beans, corn, peppers.
Example of first $10 might be eggs, greens, onions, canned peaches or bruised fruit, small portion chicken and carrots. I could make chicken soup, chicken a la pea on biscuits, Green omelette, Veggies Spicy stir fry, Peach cobbler, nutmeg cookies, Sweet sour stir fry, etc.
Next week I might buy pasta, cheese, some form of tomatoes, canned black beans, corn, peppers.