Dry Storage

For general use:

 

 Flour: all purpose

 

 Salt – table salt is useful for baking as its fine crystals dissolve easily. Kosher salt and sea salt are larger grained and have a cleaner and brighter flavor than table salt. They are good as the final flourish of salt on a finished dish.

 

 Sugar: white granulated

 

 Black peppercorns – I really don’t have a use for pre-ground pepper because freshly ground peppercorns are so much better.

 

 Bouillon cubes: beef, chicken and vegetable – these come in the traditional cube form. There is also a product called Better Than Bouillon which is a concentrated paste in a jar that lets you use as much or as little as you need. It comes in a wide variety of flavors and options and has less sodium than cubes and no MSG. It should be refrigerated once it is opened.

 

 Boxed milk – if you can’t start your day without coffee or tea and you must have milk in it, I strongly recommended keeping this on hand for emergencies.

 

 Dried fruit: raisins, apricots, dried cranberries – whatever you like to snack on.

 

 Nuts – your favorite kinds, of course.

 

 Canola oil

 

 Olive oil – you can easily be swamped by researching olive oil. You may want to consider my solution: I purchase a moderately priced Extra-Virgin Olive Oil that comes in a three liter container. I use it for cooking as well as making dressings. I keep a small bottle of premium EVOO to use for dipping or to anoint a special dish.

 

 Vinegars

 

▪ White vinegar – this is the basic household product you can use for cooking and cleaning.

▪ Apple cider vinegar – this is good in cole slaw dressings.

 

▪ Select from the varieties below to use in vinaigrette and to flavor foods. Vinegars keep almost forever, so you can acquire them slowly and they will be good investments.

 

▪ Red wine vinegar – has an assertive flavor, is good for robust dressings.

▪ White wine vinegar – is more delicate than red, good for all-purpose dressings.

▪ Sherry vinegar – has a more complex flavor than the other wine vinegars, and is good for special occasion salads.

▪ Balsamic vinegar – traditional balsamic vinegar’s complex, syrupy sweetness comes from decades of aging, and its price reflects that. A commercial grade of balsamic vinegar is more readily available and a few drops enhance sauces, dressings, fruits, vegetables, pasta.

▪ Rice vinegar – a staple in Asian cuisine, has a distinctive flavor. For salad dressings, use with a very mild oil.

 

 Wine for cooking – bottles labeled "cooking wine" that you find on grocery store shelves are a poor quality, and you really shouldn't want to cook with a wine you wouldn't consider drinking. Purchase a bottle of wine intended for drinking, and even if it is a budget brand you will have a better product and better results with your cooking.

 

 Pasta – stock up on a variety of shapes. Pasta keeps well for a long time.

 

 Pasta Sauce – even if you are a diehard home-made pasta sauce type, it’s a good idea to keep a jar of ready-made sauce on hand for emergencies.

 

 Rice

 

▪ Long grain white rice – this basic, all-purpose rice grain cooks up dry and fluffy.

▪ Brown rice – the same grain as white, but whereas white rice has had its nutrient and fiber-rich coating removed, brown rice retains it, giving the rice a nutty, grainy flavor.

 

▪ Other favorite types of rice include:

 

▪ Arborio – a short grain rice that cooks up with a creamy texture, used to make Italian risotto.

▪ Basmati – an aromatic, long grain rice used in Indian cooking available both white and brown.

▪ Jasmine – a delicately fragrant long grain rice used in Thai cooking.

 

 Coffee

 

 Tea

 

 Maple syrup – the real thing is a splurge, and I think it’s worth it. Pancake syrup doesn’t come close.

 

 Bread crumbs - unflavored ones are the most versatile, and if you can find panko, which are Japanese style bread crumbs, they have a wonderful texture.

 

 Crackers

 

 Dry cereal

 

 Oatmeal – for breakfast, and to make oatmeal cookies.

 

 Garlic – if you use garlic regularly you’ll probably want to keep fresh heads of garlic on hand. If you use it only occasionally, you can buy minced garlic in a jar that keeps well in the refrigerator. It has additives but it isn’t a terrible substitute for fresh garlic. Avoid dried garlic, garlic powder and garlic salt.

 

 Onions: yellow, red, sweet – try different kinds.

 

 Potatoes: Idaho or russet for baking, roasting and mashing; Yukon Gold are very creamy when mashed; red potatoes for salads

 

For baking:

 

 Baking cocoa

 Baking powder

 Baking soda

 Brown sugar

 Cake flour

 Chocolate chips

 Confectioners’ sugar

 Vanilla extract

 Whole wheat flour

 

Canned goods:

 

 Beans: chick peas, cannellini, small red beans – you can opt for dried beans which don’t have the sodium added like the canned ones, but they do take more preparation time.

 

 Soups: canned soups or dried soup mixes – these are a great convenience but will never be as good as the soups you’ll make.

 

 Tomatoes – canned tomatoes, whole and chopped

 

 Tomato sauce

 

 Tuna fish