Utilizing Your Pantry: Are You Sure You Know What's In There?

I love to poke around in peoples' pantries, I'm not a busybody, I just love pantries. They are the very storehouses of our foodstuffs, after all. And, along with the refrigerator, one of the two most important things in your kitchen. All the appliances and cookware in the world will not get you anywhere unless there are foods to be cooked. Pantries are full of fun, exotic and sometimes weird culinary morsels. A place where chocolate chips and pickled beets co-exist with almond paste and a few packages of Kool-Aid. Where home made preserves sit side by side with commercially canned vegetables, and the skies are not cloudy all day. That last part is especially true since most pantries are located indoors.

If you are like me and virtually everybody that I know, your pantry contains an eclectic mix of frequently used favorites, refugees from gift baskets and boxes and more than a few genuine relics. What I'd like you to do is try to look at the ingredients in your pantry with a new perspective, to re-invigorate your culinary creativity with the treasures at your disposal.

First thing to do is take every thing out and put it where you can see your whole inventory. I know this can sound like a daunting task but it is really worth it. Now that we have everything out of the cabinets and cupboards, give them a good wiping down and re-papering if necessary. Hey, you've already got them cleaned out, a little multi-tasking won't kill you. So, now you are surrounded by a mini-mart full of goods, it's time to do a bit of sorting. You'll want two separate areas and one garbage bag.

Take a look at each and every item in your inventory and put it in one of three places. If it's something that you like and know you will use, keep it. If it's something you like but don't know how to use, keep it. If it's something that is mysterious but it intrigues you, keep it. Everything that you want to eat or cook, regardless of whether you have a specific use for it or not, keep it. The second area is where you will put items to be donated to friends or charity. These are foods you absolutely don't like or want to cook with. If you have food allergies, donate that can of almonds your oafish co-worker gave you last Christmas. Every food has its' fan club and your castoffs might go to a much more loving home.

As for that garbage bag, there is an old refrain in the restaurant industry: when in doubt, throw it out. Any cans that are dented or bulging get tossed, any home canned items must have good, solid seals and no discoloring of the contents at all. Check expiration dates are chuck items past their time, as well as any thing that little voice inside you insists is not good. It is better to be safe than sorry and sued. Also, be sure to let your nose guide you, off-smells translate to off-flavors.

Alright, now you have a freshly cleaned and re-ordered pantry. Aren't you proud of yourself? That was a lot of work and I'm very proud of you. So let's turn our prideful eyes towards some of those interesting things you found during your pantry adventure. Also, I'm going to suggest some new ways to use familiar ingredients.

• Jams & Jellies - From the two pound jar of grape jelly that Mom bought you at Costco to those cute little jars you bought on vacation, these are much more useful than toast and sandwiches. Try using them in savory applications like apricot or currant jam in a rolled pork tenderloin or orange marmalade spread over grilled chicken. A cracker spread with softened cream cheese and a dollop of jam is a great appetizer. Add some to a tomato sauce for sweetness and depth of flavor. Thin them with water to glaze a ham. If you insist on making a PB&J, class it up a bit, like say a grilled peanut butter on sourdough with blackberry jam, that'll wow the fifth-graders.
• Margarita Mix and/or Sweet & Sour - Your bar is part of you pantry too so make sure to utilize it. These two are very common in households and can be used to cook with. They both make a zesty marinade for poultry, add some garlic, sage and fresh lemon juice for a well rounded flavor. I also like to make granita from these, simply pour 2 cups into a shallow glass baking dish and put it in the freezer for 30 minutes. Use a fork to break up the semi-frozen liquid by moving it up and down and back and forth. Put it back in the freezer and repeat breaking it up for about 2 hours until you have a slushy, but frozen, palate refresher.
• Rice and Noodle Mixes - I'm talking about commercially prepared things from rice pilaf to Mac 'n Cheese. You are not contractually bound to make them as the package directs, feel free to cannibalize them for parts. The grains and pastas can be used in your regular recipes and the seasoning packets might be good for making a dip or a marinade.
• Soup and Sauce Mixes and Bases - I love French onion soup mix although I've never actually made French onion soup out of one. Find a brand you like to give a velvety beef depth to stew, chili, meatloaf and bbq beef. I hear it makes a good dip too. I use commercially prepared soup and sauce mixes in many ways, for instance chicken soup base to punch up my macaroni and cheese or to cook potatoes that are bound for the masher. Is your sauce not setting up the way you'd hoped? Use a bit of sauce mix (with a complementary flavor and color) to bring it together quickly.
• Hot Cocoa Mix - I have been drinking my coffee mixed with instant hot cocoa for as long as I have been drinking coffee, it's my favorite way to start my day. It's a low-rent mocha, to be sure, but you might like it. It's also a good desperation ice cream sauce, just sprinkle it dry onto vanilla ice cream and let the sauce make itself. For a great summertime treat, place 1/2 cup instant hot cocoa mix, 4 ounces milk and several ice cubes into a blender and blend until smooth and frothy. Pour into a glass, garnish with whipped cream and a straw and serve. I find that cocoa with mini marshmallows tastes the best but either way is good.

So here are few new ways to look at old ingredients. As always, I encourage you to be both adventurous and creative. Don't get down on yourself when your recipe doesn't come out the way you wanted. The most important things that I have learned about cooking have been the direct result of my most dismal failures. Great things come to those who experiment. However, if you do have something in your pantry that you just can't figure out what to do with, drop me a line for some inspiration. Go forth and cook.