Pandemic pantry staples, plus tips and recipes to help you through the coronavirus crisis

Attribution: Jen Hayden

Mar 16, 2020 1:06pm PDT by Jen Hayden, Daily Kos Staff

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As the U.S. and the world at-large begin weeks or even months of self-distancing during the coronavirus pandemic, it’s important to stock up on kitchen essentials and have a plan. The stores shelves might be empty now, but they will be restocked soon and when they do, it is important to think ahead and create a menu plan for you and others in the house. It won’t be so easy to make that roast if you forgot to pull it out of the freezer. Our staff has been internally sharing recipes and tips and we wanted to pass those along to you, as well as solicit ideas from this community. So check out what we are doing and then please do share your own ideas, tips recipes, or questions in the comments below.

PANTRY STAPLES

There are few things more valuable in a pantry than broth: chicken, beef, vegetable. These are the basis for an endless number of recipes, especially soup.

Oils and vinegars: olive oil, neutral cooking oil (like peanut, canola, etc.) and both red and white-wine vinegars

Condiments and sauces: Soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, salsa, ketchup, mustard, hot sauce and whatever you like to use in recipes or as a topping.

Canned goods and jars: Diced tomatoes, tomato paste, tomato sauce, beans (refried, pinto, black beans, northern white beans). It’s always good to have jars of pasta sauce and salsa on hand.

Pasta, rice and beans. Get a variety of all three so you can mix it up.

Baking goods: flour, salt, sugar, rolled oats, brown sugar, yeast, cornstarch, baking powder. For the more adventurous bakers or those thinking of trying some home baking, this is your time. Jump below for a super easy bread recipe to get you started. Cookie recipes are welcome!

Fruit and veggies: grab garlic, bags of onions (red and white/yellow) and potatoes and store them in a dark, cool place. We don’t have a pantry in our home, so I’ve opted to store these items in a linen closet for now. Root vegetables like sweet potatoes, beets and parsnip store well in cool, dark places too. Make do with what you have! I personally favor Yukon gold potatoes to pair with roasts or roasted chicken. Always keep the onions, carrots and celery on hand. Together they are known as mirepoix and these three items aren’t just the basis for most of my favorite dishes, I believe they might just be the meaning of life itself. Soups, sauces, braises, they all start with mirepoix or its New Orleans cousin, the holy trinity: onion, celery and green peppers. When the French came to New Orleans, they were unable to grow carrots in the Louisiana soil, so green peppers replaced the carrots and became the basis for many cajun and creole dishes. Veggies like broccoli, cauliflower, peas, and green beans are always great to have on hand, as are frozen vegetables.

Dairy: Cheese, eggs, sour cream, and Greek yogurt.

Meat: Stock up that freezer. If you have things in there taking up space for too long, pull them out and start using them now to make room. If you get a large pack of ground beef, break it up into 1 pound sections for easier thawing and usage. Same with packs of chicken. Premade bags of frozen meatballs are also an excellent option right now.

Spices and herbs: keep the basics on hand at all times. Ground cumin, paprika, garlic powder, salt, pepper, thyme, Italian seasoning, ground ginger, and chili powder are my go-tos.

Snacks: Healthy options like nuts and dried fruit, but I cannot emphasize this enough, we need those comfort Oreos too. Those Trader Joe’s peanut butter filled pretzels and whatever else helps us through.

KITCHEN TIPS Pickled red onions

Keep a list of perishable items in the refrigerator and note the expiration date on the list. Instead of standing there with the fridge door open, you can see the list and know you have lettuce that needs to be used or ground beef that could be cooked and turned into a plethora of dishes.

Thinly slice up a red onion and add a few tablespoons of red wine vinegar. Stored in an airtight jar, these pickled red onions will stay good in the fridge for 2 weeks and are the easiest and best way to punch up a salad, sandwich or tacos.

Start an herb garden with the basics: thyme, rosemary, chives, cilantro, parsley.

Freeze fresh herbs so you have them on hand anytime. Here’s a how-to from Better Homes & Gardens. If you have lemons or limes you are worried about perishing, squeeze the juice into an ice tray and make lemon and lime cubes. You can pull them out of the freezer as needed for recipes and drinks.

Freeze chopped onions for easy use later.

Store ripened avocados in the refrigerator. You’d be surprised how well they stay fresh in the fridge! (This is not recommended for unripened avocados.)

Have a couple of easy to throw in the oven items like frozen pizza on hand. Bread also stores really well in the freezer, especially thick-sliced bread, which you can pull out as needed, one slice at a time.

If you are going to roast a chicken, roast two at the same time. Use one for a family dinner and the other for recipes like chicken enchilada casserole, chicken noodle soup, chicken salad sandwiches, and much throughout the week.

Give yourself a break and help out local restaurants with delivery and curbside pick-up orders.

RECIPES

One of the easiest recipes I’ve started using is this simple crusty bread recipe from The New York Times Cooking. The photo to the right was the first attempt at making the recipe and it turned out great! Four ingredients: flour, yeast, salt, and water. I didn’t have the pizza peel or pizza stone the recipe called for, so I followed the advice of a reviewer and just turned it out on a baking sheet greased with olive oil and put a casserole dish on the bottom rack of the oven with 2-3 cups of water. The result was perfect! If you can’t make it all the way through the loaf before it starts turning stale, turn the rest into croutons or breadcrumbs for future recipes. It’s the recipe that keeps on giving! Our own Neeta Lind has been swearing by this Shockingly Easy No-Knead Focaccia Recipe and Rachel Sildebrand has fired up her sourdough starter.

Homemade flour tortillas rule! Seriously, they do require a little bit of muscle to roll out the dough, but they are otherwise easy and inexpensive to make at home.

Lasagna, lasagna, lasagna. Always a hit and can feed a family for days. I’ve long used this fan favorite recipe from allrecipes.com that has nearly 18,000 five star reviews. It’s good, y’all. I double up on the sauce because I like it saucy and can freeze the leftover sauce, if there is any.

When it comes to comfort foods, look no further than Ina Garten's perfect roasted chicken. I’ve tried others, but none have ever topped this super simple roasted chicken recipe. Toss in some potatoes in the roasting if you want to make it even heartier. When we had a house full of kids on the go, I would often fit two chickens in a large roasting pan on Sundays: one for Sunday dinner and one to be used in recipes throughout the week, especially chicken enchilada casserole, soups and chicken salad sandwiches (use the previously mentioned pickled onions too).

For the sweet tooth, our crew is recommending these cookie recipes: peanut butter sandwich cookies, brown butter snickerdoodle cookies, and good ol’ fashioned chocolate chip cookies.

So, that’s how we are stocking and cooking in our kitchens. I have roasted chicken on deck tonight and as soon as I finish typing, I’m going to the freezer to pull out the next. Food is love, so practice some self-love in the coming weeks and keep yourself and your family going as we isolate from one other.Jump in the comments to tell us what we’ve missed and what’s on your menu in the coming days and weeks. Bon appétit!

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