Top 10 Pantry Essentials Part II

An episode of the A Savory Moment by Life At The Table podcast, hosted by Chef Sandra Lewis, Life At The Table, titled "Top 10 Pantry Essentials Part II" was published on October 31, 2019 and runs 2 minutes.

October 31, 2019 ·2m · A Savory Moment by Life At The Table

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Episode Description

Pantry Staples for Easy Healthy Cooking

Let’s be real. If you don’t have the basics on hand, you’re not cooking.

You’re driving through, taking out, or ordering from home on an app. Those options are not your best move when your health begins with what’s on your plate.

A well-stocked pantry isn’t about being fancy, it’s about being ready: Ready to pull a meal together without overthinking it and ready to fill your home with irresistible aromas that say something good is happening in this home. Because your health doesn’t begin with a diet, it begins with putting real, nourishing food on your plate.

Cooking has to stay top of mind. Not just when you’re hungry, but before you even get there. If you’re pantry isn’t stocked, you’re scrambling. And when it’s stocked, you don’t need a recipe. You need confidence and a handful of skills to get started. That’s exactly what I teach in my digital book, No Recipe. No Problem. Master 5 Essential Skills for Fearless Cooking at Home. Because when you have skill, a well-stocked pantry spurs endless possibilities to answer the most important question of every day, “What’s for dinner?”.

The ingredients below round out my Top 10 Pantry Essentials. We’re counting down with the final five, David Letterman style.

#5 Dried pasta and noodles

Who doesn’t love a good plate of pasta? It’s cheap and quick to prepare. You can simmer a spaghetti sauce in under an hour, make a cream sauce in 15 minutes, or simply toss your pasta with some basil pesto. If you’re gluten-free keep rice noodles or soba noodles on hand.

#4 Canned tomatoes, tomato sauce, and tomato paste

Having canned tomatoes on hand is a must. Use them for a super simple spaghetti sauce, pizza sauce, or as a base for a casserole.

#3 Vinegar

Keep a variety of vinegars on hand for a super quick salad dressing. With a drizzle of olive oil, followed by a splash of vinegar your salads will come alive. And add a splash of vinegar to almost any dish to make it pop. Vinegars you should always have on hand: red wine, balsamic, white wine, apple cider, and white.

#2 Oil

Always keep olive oil and avocado oil in the pantry. Buy cold-pressed, extra-virgin olive oil and organic avocado oil. Olive oil provides the delicate taste you need for salad dressings. Avocado oil has a higher smoke point and is the perfect oil of choice when for a high-heat kitchen maneuver like pan-searing. If you fry frequently, peanut oil is your better choice.

Smoke Points

Extra Virgin Olive Oil – 325˚F – 375˚F
Refined Avocado Oil – 520˚F
Peanut Oil – 450˚F

#1 Kosher salt

We hear a lot about salt and its overuse in our diet. But here’s the truth. You NEED salt to live. And your tastebuds need your food to be properly seasoned. The only way you’re going to overdo salt in your diet is if you eat a lot of convenient and pre-prepared foods. Learn to properly season your food. Kosher salt is the choice of professional cooks and should be your choice as well.

Find items 6-10 of Top 10 Pantry Essentials here.

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