Kitchen staples
Sep. 5th, 2021 10:53![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
superborbOriginally written for a friend about to embark on setting up her kitchen for the first time, this is a list of "consumable pantry" type items (i.e. stuff that lasts ages) grouped by how often I use things and how important I think each item is. This list is obviously heavily biased towards the stuff I cook: primarily Zhejiang Chinese, easy Western dishes, and forays into other cuisines for particular flavors that appeal to my tastes.
Mostly posting for posterity, but I WOULD be interested if people disagreed on priorities or had things I don't use! In other words, I am always interested in going way too in depth on the topics I'm interested in.
Group 1: first trip staples
Salt
Neutral oil: any vegetable or canola type oil is fine
Medium grain white rice: I like Kokuho and Sekka brands, but haven't tried others extensively. For one person, probably get the 15 lb instead of 40 lb, unless the discount is really good or you think you'll eat rice every day. White rice doesn't expire quickly, which is why it's so widespread, but you still want to use it up in a year or so for best taste.
Sugars: white, brown, rock. I prefer brown rock sugar over white.
Soy sauce: I keep MANY soy sauces in stock, but first trip staple would be the Wan Ja Shan regular soy sauce. Low sodium is fine.
Sesame oil: I do buy the cheapest one, but flavor wise you can really tell a difference. I bought a little container that I refill out of one of the big jugs.
Group 2: staples I keep backups of, broken into categories and then very roughly in order of personal importance / use
Flavoring agents:
Soy sauce: my other Chinese soy sauce staple, Kimlam brand light and dark soy sauce. Light is for salt, dark is for color (required for braised dishes). Some brands are Bad, tread carefully.
Fish sauce: Three Crabs brand
Zhenjiang / Chinkiang vinegar
Shaoxing cooking wine: get the huadiao kind, the cheapest one is notably not as good. That's what grandma said to do and she was right! The fanciest kind is better, but it doesn't fit in my cabinets and doesn't get /that/ much better.
Rice vinegar, preferably Wan Jan Shan.
Oyster sauce
Get a spice grinder and then buy whole spices. They last way longer. Then stock: black peppercorns, sichuan peppercorns, white pepper, cumin, coriander, bay leaf, chilis (I keep a variety, but would definitely get Korean red peppers and then supplement with others as needed. Fresher are better, so go somewhere with high turnover for them.), star anise, fennel seed, green cardamom, black cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, allspice, nutmeg
Other spices that I either buy preground or grind myself: white pepper, popcorn seasoning (fennel seed, sichuan peppercorn, MSG, salt), turmeric, cinnamon, oregano
MSG: a little bit really pumps up flavor.
Dried shiitake mushrooms: this can get really expensive and it does get better with price, unfortunately.
Tomato paste: freeze the rest of the can in an ice cube tray.
Lemon juice: I use lemon juice a lot for acidity, and it's way more convenient. Sorry to the purists who insist on fresh squeezed lemons, but that's a lot of effort...
Thai curry paste: these come in little cans or bigger bags. Oddly, the cost is roughly the same and the paste is mad annoying to squeeze out of the bag. However, the bag is easier to store if you want to use smaller quantities. I keep the red and green varieties on hand always, and a selection of the other kinds for fun.
Doubanjiang, chili bean sauce
Apple cider vinegar
Baking/candy:
Baking soda
Baking powder
Yeast: preferably instant. Check expiration dates if turnover is not high.
Cocoa powder: dutch process is richer and therefore preferable.
Grains/beans/nuts/starches/dried:
Sesame seeds, both black and white: great garnish and also can be used for candy, fillings etc. I recommend buying untoasted and toasting yourself.
Asian wheat noodles: quick 5 min meal with some soy sauce and sesame oil on top
Nuts: I usually have peanuts, walnuts, or cashews, but nice to keep on hand for snacks and cooking.
All purpose flour: TBH, I'm not sure I can taste the brand differences in regular flour, because even bread flavor is way more technique dependent and mine is not consistent enough yet.
Rice flour
Sticky rice flour
Popcorn: easy snack that lasts ages and is pretty healthy
Cornstarch: for many starch-y purposes, cornstarch suffices, and it is the go-to for thickening stir fries.
Dried beans, sweet: red adzuki beans, green mung beans, yellow mung beans, navy (white) beans. I usually have all of these on hand, but really only two of them are needed for making a variety of sweet dessert soups / bean pastes.
Dried beans, savory: I usually have black beans, pinto beans, and chickpeas on hand. Useful for chilis, soups, hummus, etc. The exact beans to keep are not very important to me. (Except chickpeas, gotta have those.)
Lentils: I like red lentils for curries, but stock green ones too.
Pasta, Italian: I keep penne or rotini and a spaghetti type around.
Cornmeal: beyond the obvious uses, I actually tend to thicken (Western style) soups and sauces with cornmeal. I think it makes a less gooey/starchy result than using well, starch.
Oatmeal: do NOT get the one minute kind, the texture is terrible. I treat oatmeal as a congee substitute and eat it savory.
Grits
Soy beans: for soymilk, though it's a lot easier with a soymilk machine, so I wouldn't consider this a staple unless you have one of those.
TVP: nice for bulking up chilis and such. Weirdly hard to find in stores, so the internet might be the way to go.
Kelp
Nut butter: some kind of nut butter is useful to have for a quick sauce, filling, etc.
Grape nuts: bf inexplicably will only have cereal for breakfast.
Preserved:
Canned whole tomatoes, canned tomato sauce: useful for chili, vegetable soups, making tomato sauces, etc. Emergency egg-and-tomato with canned tomatoes is acceptable.
Canned coconut milk: great for adding richness to any soup.
Rao's pasta sauce: expensive, but by far the best tasting store bought pasta sauce. I keep a couple jars on hand always for really lazy dinners when I don't have time to make even pasta sauce.
Zacai, picked mustard stems: little packets are less than a dollar.
Ziwu / furu, fermented bean curd: IDK what brand is best yet, but be careful not to get a flavored one if you don't intend to.
Canned tuna, mayo, saltines: combined with celery for another lazy meal of tuna salad on crackers.
Condensed and evaporated milks: lots of baked goods call for these.
Refrigerator/freezer:
Eggs
Garlic: I get the prepeeled kind, which IMO is the best balance of flavor to effort. If the box starts to get sad, I chuck it in the freezer.
Onions: Get whatever looks best, I usually keep in the refrigerator in the summer, but that depends on kitchen temp.
Butter: both salted and unsalted, though honestly only unsalted is REALLY needed. Freezes well.
Frozen vegetables: lazy dinners added to pasta
Frozen dumplings: get the kind that's one color writing on a white background, with a clear bag.
Frozen fruit: smoothies, popsicles, etc.
Frozen paratha
Carrots and celery: last a long time in the fridge
Dried tiny shrimp: inexplicably hard to find sometimes, but a nice addition to savory soups.
Seaweed paper: keep in freezer for best storage.
Group 3: other long-lasting items I usually have on hand
Flavoring agents:
Gochujang: I usually get the smaller container because it dries out quickly
Miso paste: same as previous
Gochugaru: the fine one is finer than I can get with my spice grinder, so it's useful
Anchovies: keep in freezer for best storage.
Chili oil: make your own or buy laoganma brand.
Soy sauce: non-Chinese varieties. I keep Japanese soy sauce, tamari, and Korean soup soy sauce around.
Douchi
Ketchup, mustard, ranch
Wild mushrooom olive oil and a fruity balsamic vinegar
Baking/candy:
Vanilla
Corn syrup: useful for candy making.
Honey
Gelatin, agar: fast desserts.
Maltose: useful for Chinese sweets, as it's less sweet than honey. Can usually substitute honey.
Grains/beans/nuts/starches/dried:
Dried black wood ear mushroom: blanch this for a nice addition to salads
Goji berries, red dates: added nutrition basically
Sticky rice
Basmati rice
Jiuqu, distiller's yeast: for making jiuniang that is far better than grocery store quality.
Potato starch: best for crisp results in deep fat frying
Mung bean starch: for liangfen, a quick summer dish.
Tapioca starch: make boba, and also certain dishes like chunjuan, spring roll prefer the tapoica starch texture. Usually replaceable with cornstarch in dishes though.
Dry milk: good for adding a dairy flavor to baked goods (often an ingredient in the Hong Kong style fusion desserts) and also as milk substitute.
Rice vermicelli: fast way to bulk up a savory filling
Korean sweet potato starch noodles
Bread flour: better for bread as the gluten content is higher.
Confectioners sugar: quick icings often call for this.
Nutritional yeast: nice cheesy flavor, kind of expensive.
Other grains: quinoa, wild rice, millet, barley, etc for fun
Korean pancake mix: mostly a convenience thing, but I cut it with regular flour and make a nice Chinese style thin crepe like pancake with this.
Pork song: sometimes congee just feels incomplete without this
Preserved:
Preserved bamboo shoot, pickled long bean, danmuji, etc: nice to have a few of these pickled type things that last for a long time.
Salted duck egg
Pidan, thousand year egg
Sardines
Refrigerator/freezer:
Ginger: does not do so well frozen, so I perpetually am out.
Lard: a much more neutral in flavor fat than butter. If you go fancy and render it yourself, it's SUPER fragrant and lasts ages in the freezer, but that's effort. The grocery store kind is basically tasteless.
Puff tofu: little sponges of flavor for soups.
Fage 5% fat yogurt: basically, I don't want to stock both yogurt and sour cream, and this is a very thick yogurt that fills 80% of the uses of either.
Potatoes, daikon: personally not as versatile for me, but lasts ages so good to have on hand.
Chinese sausage
Parm: lasts ages, good for flavor. Don't get unless you have a grater, the pre-grated stuff is bland.
Cheddar, blocks and shredded: freezes well, but as I learned the hard way, once it defrosts it'll go bad way more quickly!
Napa cabbage: cabbages last ages in the fridge.
Five spice tofu: inexplicably hard to find the good brand of locally, so I stock up and freeze it when I find it.
Silken tofu: lasts ages, good cold in summer or in soup in winter! Probably also consider soft/firm tofus, but I don't usually stock it unless I have a use in mind.
Baiye tofu (Water lilies food inc brand calls this Special tofu): freezes well
Mostly posting for posterity, but I WOULD be interested if people disagreed on priorities or had things I don't use! In other words, I am always interested in going way too in depth on the topics I'm interested in.
Group 1: first trip staples
Salt
Neutral oil: any vegetable or canola type oil is fine
Medium grain white rice: I like Kokuho and Sekka brands, but haven't tried others extensively. For one person, probably get the 15 lb instead of 40 lb, unless the discount is really good or you think you'll eat rice every day. White rice doesn't expire quickly, which is why it's so widespread, but you still want to use it up in a year or so for best taste.
Sugars: white, brown, rock. I prefer brown rock sugar over white.
Soy sauce: I keep MANY soy sauces in stock, but first trip staple would be the Wan Ja Shan regular soy sauce. Low sodium is fine.
Sesame oil: I do buy the cheapest one, but flavor wise you can really tell a difference. I bought a little container that I refill out of one of the big jugs.
Group 2: staples I keep backups of, broken into categories and then very roughly in order of personal importance / use
Flavoring agents:
Soy sauce: my other Chinese soy sauce staple, Kimlam brand light and dark soy sauce. Light is for salt, dark is for color (required for braised dishes). Some brands are Bad, tread carefully.
Fish sauce: Three Crabs brand
Zhenjiang / Chinkiang vinegar
Shaoxing cooking wine: get the huadiao kind, the cheapest one is notably not as good. That's what grandma said to do and she was right! The fanciest kind is better, but it doesn't fit in my cabinets and doesn't get /that/ much better.
Rice vinegar, preferably Wan Jan Shan.
Oyster sauce
Get a spice grinder and then buy whole spices. They last way longer. Then stock: black peppercorns, sichuan peppercorns, white pepper, cumin, coriander, bay leaf, chilis (I keep a variety, but would definitely get Korean red peppers and then supplement with others as needed. Fresher are better, so go somewhere with high turnover for them.), star anise, fennel seed, green cardamom, black cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, allspice, nutmeg
Other spices that I either buy preground or grind myself: white pepper, popcorn seasoning (fennel seed, sichuan peppercorn, MSG, salt), turmeric, cinnamon, oregano
MSG: a little bit really pumps up flavor.
Dried shiitake mushrooms: this can get really expensive and it does get better with price, unfortunately.
Tomato paste: freeze the rest of the can in an ice cube tray.
Lemon juice: I use lemon juice a lot for acidity, and it's way more convenient. Sorry to the purists who insist on fresh squeezed lemons, but that's a lot of effort...
Thai curry paste: these come in little cans or bigger bags. Oddly, the cost is roughly the same and the paste is mad annoying to squeeze out of the bag. However, the bag is easier to store if you want to use smaller quantities. I keep the red and green varieties on hand always, and a selection of the other kinds for fun.
Doubanjiang, chili bean sauce
Apple cider vinegar
Baking/candy:
Baking soda
Baking powder
Yeast: preferably instant. Check expiration dates if turnover is not high.
Cocoa powder: dutch process is richer and therefore preferable.
Grains/beans/nuts/starches/dried:
Sesame seeds, both black and white: great garnish and also can be used for candy, fillings etc. I recommend buying untoasted and toasting yourself.
Asian wheat noodles: quick 5 min meal with some soy sauce and sesame oil on top
Nuts: I usually have peanuts, walnuts, or cashews, but nice to keep on hand for snacks and cooking.
All purpose flour: TBH, I'm not sure I can taste the brand differences in regular flour, because even bread flavor is way more technique dependent and mine is not consistent enough yet.
Rice flour
Sticky rice flour
Popcorn: easy snack that lasts ages and is pretty healthy
Cornstarch: for many starch-y purposes, cornstarch suffices, and it is the go-to for thickening stir fries.
Dried beans, sweet: red adzuki beans, green mung beans, yellow mung beans, navy (white) beans. I usually have all of these on hand, but really only two of them are needed for making a variety of sweet dessert soups / bean pastes.
Dried beans, savory: I usually have black beans, pinto beans, and chickpeas on hand. Useful for chilis, soups, hummus, etc. The exact beans to keep are not very important to me. (Except chickpeas, gotta have those.)
Lentils: I like red lentils for curries, but stock green ones too.
Pasta, Italian: I keep penne or rotini and a spaghetti type around.
Cornmeal: beyond the obvious uses, I actually tend to thicken (Western style) soups and sauces with cornmeal. I think it makes a less gooey/starchy result than using well, starch.
Oatmeal: do NOT get the one minute kind, the texture is terrible. I treat oatmeal as a congee substitute and eat it savory.
Grits
Soy beans: for soymilk, though it's a lot easier with a soymilk machine, so I wouldn't consider this a staple unless you have one of those.
TVP: nice for bulking up chilis and such. Weirdly hard to find in stores, so the internet might be the way to go.
Kelp
Nut butter: some kind of nut butter is useful to have for a quick sauce, filling, etc.
Grape nuts: bf inexplicably will only have cereal for breakfast.
Preserved:
Canned whole tomatoes, canned tomato sauce: useful for chili, vegetable soups, making tomato sauces, etc. Emergency egg-and-tomato with canned tomatoes is acceptable.
Canned coconut milk: great for adding richness to any soup.
Rao's pasta sauce: expensive, but by far the best tasting store bought pasta sauce. I keep a couple jars on hand always for really lazy dinners when I don't have time to make even pasta sauce.
Zacai, picked mustard stems: little packets are less than a dollar.
Ziwu / furu, fermented bean curd: IDK what brand is best yet, but be careful not to get a flavored one if you don't intend to.
Canned tuna, mayo, saltines: combined with celery for another lazy meal of tuna salad on crackers.
Condensed and evaporated milks: lots of baked goods call for these.
Refrigerator/freezer:
Eggs
Garlic: I get the prepeeled kind, which IMO is the best balance of flavor to effort. If the box starts to get sad, I chuck it in the freezer.
Onions: Get whatever looks best, I usually keep in the refrigerator in the summer, but that depends on kitchen temp.
Butter: both salted and unsalted, though honestly only unsalted is REALLY needed. Freezes well.
Frozen vegetables: lazy dinners added to pasta
Frozen dumplings: get the kind that's one color writing on a white background, with a clear bag.
Frozen fruit: smoothies, popsicles, etc.
Frozen paratha
Carrots and celery: last a long time in the fridge
Dried tiny shrimp: inexplicably hard to find sometimes, but a nice addition to savory soups.
Seaweed paper: keep in freezer for best storage.
Group 3: other long-lasting items I usually have on hand
Flavoring agents:
Gochujang: I usually get the smaller container because it dries out quickly
Miso paste: same as previous
Gochugaru: the fine one is finer than I can get with my spice grinder, so it's useful
Anchovies: keep in freezer for best storage.
Chili oil: make your own or buy laoganma brand.
Soy sauce: non-Chinese varieties. I keep Japanese soy sauce, tamari, and Korean soup soy sauce around.
Douchi
Ketchup, mustard, ranch
Wild mushrooom olive oil and a fruity balsamic vinegar
Baking/candy:
Vanilla
Corn syrup: useful for candy making.
Honey
Gelatin, agar: fast desserts.
Maltose: useful for Chinese sweets, as it's less sweet than honey. Can usually substitute honey.
Grains/beans/nuts/starches/dried:
Dried black wood ear mushroom: blanch this for a nice addition to salads
Goji berries, red dates: added nutrition basically
Sticky rice
Basmati rice
Jiuqu, distiller's yeast: for making jiuniang that is far better than grocery store quality.
Potato starch: best for crisp results in deep fat frying
Mung bean starch: for liangfen, a quick summer dish.
Tapioca starch: make boba, and also certain dishes like chunjuan, spring roll prefer the tapoica starch texture. Usually replaceable with cornstarch in dishes though.
Dry milk: good for adding a dairy flavor to baked goods (often an ingredient in the Hong Kong style fusion desserts) and also as milk substitute.
Rice vermicelli: fast way to bulk up a savory filling
Korean sweet potato starch noodles
Bread flour: better for bread as the gluten content is higher.
Confectioners sugar: quick icings often call for this.
Nutritional yeast: nice cheesy flavor, kind of expensive.
Other grains: quinoa, wild rice, millet, barley, etc for fun
Korean pancake mix: mostly a convenience thing, but I cut it with regular flour and make a nice Chinese style thin crepe like pancake with this.
Pork song: sometimes congee just feels incomplete without this
Preserved:
Preserved bamboo shoot, pickled long bean, danmuji, etc: nice to have a few of these pickled type things that last for a long time.
Salted duck egg
Pidan, thousand year egg
Sardines
Refrigerator/freezer:
Ginger: does not do so well frozen, so I perpetually am out.
Lard: a much more neutral in flavor fat than butter. If you go fancy and render it yourself, it's SUPER fragrant and lasts ages in the freezer, but that's effort. The grocery store kind is basically tasteless.
Puff tofu: little sponges of flavor for soups.
Fage 5% fat yogurt: basically, I don't want to stock both yogurt and sour cream, and this is a very thick yogurt that fills 80% of the uses of either.
Potatoes, daikon: personally not as versatile for me, but lasts ages so good to have on hand.
Chinese sausage
Parm: lasts ages, good for flavor. Don't get unless you have a grater, the pre-grated stuff is bland.
Cheddar, blocks and shredded: freezes well, but as I learned the hard way, once it defrosts it'll go bad way more quickly!
Napa cabbage: cabbages last ages in the fridge.
Five spice tofu: inexplicably hard to find the good brand of locally, so I stock up and freeze it when I find it.
Silken tofu: lasts ages, good cold in summer or in soup in winter! Probably also consider soft/firm tofus, but I don't usually stock it unless I have a use in mind.
Baiye tofu (Water lilies food inc brand calls this Special tofu): freezes well
no subject
Date: 2021-09-06 19:01 (UTC)See, I feel like freezer space is a more precious resource, but that may be because of the events of the last year or so that necessitated fewer grocery runs.
I will definitely try the trout and herring if I see it!! Sounds like a nice easy snack.
no subject
Date: 2021-09-09 00:59 (UTC)no subject
Date: 2021-09-09 01:51 (UTC)