As you already know, I love
food and I love
planning our
dinners. I find that a well stocked pantry is essential for easy dinner planning and preparation. Here are my pantry essentials:
Breakfast stuff: Nespresso coffee, müsli/granola (I often mix
4 korn and
Crüsli Solfrokost - making my own granola is on my to do-list - do you have a good recipe to share?), mixed nuts and seeds (walnuts, hazelnuts, almonds, sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds), rolled oats, ground flax seeds, maple syrup, acacia honey, regular honey (in a different cupboard) and strawberry jam (in the fridge)
(Mostly) baking stuff: powdered sugar, fine grained sugar, regular sugar, brown sugar, cocoa powder, dark chocolate (which need to be restocked frequently...), vanilla sugar, baking powder, baking soda (natron), pine nuts, walnuts, unsalted cashew nuts, sliced almonds, roasted and salted pumpkin seeds
I'm actually not a big tea drinker, but I still have a selection stocked - in case my guests want tea. I do however love mint tea and chamomile tea. Instant soups for a quick and warm lunch, coffee for drip and press, chocolate - who doesn't keep a little chocolate somewhere in their kitchen?!
More breakfast and snack stuff: bread, a few types of crisp bread, a few types of crackers for cheese.
(Mostly) dinner stuff: pasta (lasagna plates, spaghetti and fusilli/penne), rice (jasmine, brown and wild rice, risotto), egg noodles, tortillas,
flatbrød (flatbread), bread crumbs, corn starch, flour (hvetemel), whole wheat flour, wheat bran (hvetekli), dry yeast
A selection of stock cubes and fond cups. I plan on buying all the different kinds available in our local grocery store, taste and find my favorite. Do you have a favorite (that is available in Norway)?
Olive oil, soyabean oil, balsamic vinegar, fresh ground black pepper, fresh ground sea salt, Maldon salt
White wine vinegar, red wine vinegar, apple cider vinegar, sherry vinegar, tabasco sauce, Worcestershire sauce, truffle oil
Canned tomatos, tomato paste
Good quality canned tuna
Dried spices: regular salt, ground black pepper, oregano, chili flakes, ground cumin, nutmeg, cayenne, cinnamon, cardamom, herb salt, bay leaves, chili explosion from Santa Maria, fish and seafood from Santa Maria,
Piffi or
similar all-round spice mixes. Fresh herbs (not always in my pantry though, but we use it often, so I try to keep fresh pots of these): rosemary, thyme, parsley, coriander
Cannellini beans, chickpeas, red lentils, popcorn, quiona, couscous
We keep small red chilis in the freezer.
Freezer: ice cubes, berries and bananas (that have turned brown) for smoothies, green peas, dinner leftovers
Different kinds of mustard, ketchup, sweet chili sauce, soya sauce, rowan berry jam. Onion, garlic, lemon. Eggs. Butter. Milk, fruit yoghurt and plain yoghurt. Cheese, most often
Norvegia or Jarlsberg and parmesan. Often, not always: cream, sour cream and creme fraiche.
Red and white wine, bubbly - we are always ready for impromptu celebrations!
There is often a open bottle of wine on our kitchen counter. As well as that white jug that I keep with water; I prefer room temperature water, not ice cold.
I loved reading Stephanie's "The quick cook pantry" in
3191 Quarterly no. 12. She writes: "A thoughtfully stocked kitchen, paired with a weekly trip to the market for in-season fruit and vegetables as well as meat and fresh dairy can feed you well, and likely save you time (and certainly money) in the long run." I so agree with her! I will share my thoughts on grocery shopping and dinner planning in a different post, hopefully soon.
I would love to hear about your pantry essentials! Anything you always keep in stock that is not on my list?
