Secrets of a Restaurant Chef – A Perfect Pantry
Last week I shared the importance of having good quality knives. Today we talk pantry. A well-stocked pantry is essential. I can pull off a healthy home cooked meal out of my pantry in usually less than 20
Minutes and you can too. It all comes down to some staple items. Here are some basics I always have on hand:
- Good quality extra virgin olive oil (the better the oil, the better the flavor)
- Rice (I have many types: Arborio for risotto, brown, basmati, Chinese black rice and more)
- Lentils
- Variety of grains (barley, farro, freekah and more)
- Coconut milk (adds creaminess, flavor and is pareve),
- Canned wild salmon
- Wild smoked salmon (I always have some in the freezer)
- Spices
- Tomato paste
- Canned whole plum tomatoes (the good tomatoes are kept whole, the lesser quality tomatoes are chopped, I never buy canned chopped tomatoes)
- Dijon mustard
- Whole Wheat pasta
- Kalamata olives
- Capers
- Canned Beans
If you have picky eaters at home or are trying to put together multiple meals at once -- like getting Thursday dinner on the table, prepping for Shabbat meals and trying to figure out school lunches all at the same time -- a well-stocked pantry will allow you to play short-order cook without the stress.
