First, let's talk about how you're going to organize your pantry staples.- The most frequently used items, the basics, should be at eye level.
- Nearby should be the items that work with the basics to make fabulous dishes.
- Organize items according to function; for example, store baking products all together with some sweet spices, and keep the savory spices and herbs with similar marinades and sauces.
- Specialty items that add that special touch can be grouped together, or place them with items you use them with.
- Pantry items such as garlic and onions, which have a much shorter shelf life, should also be together.
- High shelves and out-of-the-way nooks can contain those items you don't use often. To see everything at a glance, you can use risers on pantry shelves, or stack cans of the same items on top of each other so you don't have to move cans to see what's underneath.
Now here are the steps to a neat pantry:
1. Clear everything out of the pantry. We're going to organize your pantry in a way that works for cooking.
2. Now look for the basics: the canned broth, tomatoes, beans, dried pasta and rice that you make for dinner. Put them at eye level, and stack them so that you can see everything at a glance.
3. On a nearby shelf, place items you use to cook those basics: extra-virgin olive oil and canola oil are a couple that I use all the time. Keep a variety of vinegars (balsamic, rice and red-wine are some of my favorites), soy sauce and flavor ingredients like mustards, ketchup, sauces and mayonnaise. I also keep a little four-pack of wine in my pantry; it adds better flavor to foods than cooking wines, which can be bitter.
4. Keep kosher salt, pepper and savory spices together. Dried herbs loose their potency after about six months on the shelf. To test them, open the jar and sniff: if you can't smell them, you won't be able to taste them. To get the most taste out your dried herbs, crush them in your hand before adding them to a dish.
5. My favorite section is filled with items that inspire me and add zing to recipes. Some of my favorites are nuts (they're great toasted and tossed on salads or ground into coatings for poultry or fish); pesto (can be used to top pasta or to dress up a traditional sauce); cans of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce (inexpensive, and they add a fabulous heat to any dish).
With the pantry organized, let's make dinner with items in there.
Pantry Tortellini With Roasted Red Pepper Sauce
1 Tbs. red-wine or balsamic vinegar
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1/4 tsp. freshly ground pepper
1 14.5-oz. can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 7-oz. jar roasted red reppers, undrained
1/8 tsp. crushed red-pepper flakes
1 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
2 tsp. dried sweet basil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 box tortellini pasta
1. Pour vinegar into blender and add salt, pepper, tomatoes, red bell peppers and red pepper flakes. Process until smooth.
2. Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in saucepan, add the garlic and basil and heat for only 30 seconds to release flavor; do not brown. Add the red pepper sauce and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 15-30 minutes, covered.
3. Cook tortellini according to package directions. Drain and toss with roasted red pepper sauce. Garnish with grated Parmesan cheese and chopped fresh basil, if desired.
To create a well-organized pantry in your house, remember these DIY Basics:
- Organize your pantry according to function.
- Return everything to its proper place when finished with it.
- Keep a shopping list in the pantry so you can just add to it as you use up an item.
- Don't forget those special items that make cooking fun.
Web Extra: Margie's Stock-the-Pantry List
Basics: broths; stocks; condensed soups; canned tomatoes (whole, diced, crushed, sauce, paste, varieties with hot chilies, Italian herbs); canned beans (cannelloni, black beans, pinto, red, chickpeas); dried beans; pasta (flat for smooth sauces: spaghetti, fettuccine; hollow for chunky sauces: penne, rigatoni, fusilli, shells; tiny pasta for soups and stews: ditali, farfelline; no-cook lasagna noodles); rice (long-grain white converted rice; specialty rice like jasmine, risotto, wild rice, favorite rice mixes, couscous); tuna, canned crab, tiny shrimp.
Items to cook basics: oil (extra-virgin olive oil, canola, vegetable, peanut); specialty oils (wok oil, flavored oils, chile oil, toasted sesame oil); vinegars (balsamic, sherry, rice, white wine, red wine, little bottles of white and red wine, dry sherry); soy sauces; vinaigrettes; dressings: mayonnaise, ketchup, variety of mustards (Dijon, grainy, prepared).
Sweet ingredients: canned fruits (mandarin oranges, pineapple, applesauce); dried fruits (cranberries, raisins, dates); pie fillings, Jell-O; pudding mixes; marshmallows; preserves; jams; peanut butter; honey; syrups (maple, chocolate, caramel); graham crackers; crackers; breadcrumbs; juices (white and red cranberry, apple, mango, tomato).
Perishable staples (in a cool, dry, dark corner): onion; shallots; potatoes; garlic; ginger.
Convenience items: tortillas; Boboli; pita bread; bread.
Baking ingredients: flours; sugar, brown sugar, confectioner's sugar; baking soda, baking powder; cornstarch; cocoa, chocolate; oatmeal; vanilla; table salt; sweet spices.
Savory spices: kosher salt; pepper; dried herbs (basil, thyme, rosemary, sage, oregano, bay leaves); dried chiles; seeds (sesame, caraway, fennel); ground and whole spices (cumin, allspice, chile powder, coriander, curry, red-pepper flakes).
Zing items: nuts (pine nuts, pistachios, almonds, pecans, walnuts, hazelnuts, macadamias); olives (green, black); salsa; pesto; chipotle peppers in adobo sauce; roasted red peppers; sun-dried tomatoes; dried mushrooms; anchovies or anchovy paste; artichoke hearts; water chestnuts; capers; canned green chiles; hot chiles; Asian flair items (hoisin sauce, wasabi powder, fish sauce, oyster sauce, garlic chile sauce, coconut milk, dry sherry).
Miscellaneous items: aluminum foil; parchment paper; waxed paper; plastic wrap; resealable plastic bags.
