Every kitchen pantry is stocked full of items that do not go bad that we buy for those rare occasions when we need them in a recipe. For most people, the cupboards full of canned goods, non-perishable items and other food stuffs, and those food stuffs are mostly unused. Don't let your pantry go to waste. Pantry staples are tasty and cheap and don't deserve to stand idle in culinary purgatory. Pantry staples can have some unique cooking applications. Follow these tips to learn how to add interesting touches to your meals with everyday pantry staples.
Peanut Butter: In almost every pantry is a half-eaten jar of peanut butter. This cupboard staple is creamy and delicious, but most people only use peanut butter for sandwiches and dessert. The rich creaminess of peanut butter is also great in savory applications. Try using peanut butter to your next stir fry to give it a Thai-inspired flavor. Use peanut butter to make a peanut sauce that tastes great with pasta and vegetables.
Soy Sauce: Almost every East Asian dish calls for soy sauce. Soy sauce adds a slight nutty, salty taste to any dish, but most people only use soy sauce when cooking an Asian-style recipe. Soy sauce is a versatile ingredient that can work well in many recipes. Experiment with soy sauce and use it instead of salt in your favorite recipes to add some depth to the recipe. In particular, soy sauce tastes fantastic in barbecue sauces.
Almonds: Like with most nuts, many people only buy almonds to snack on or for the occasional dessert. Almonds can be ground up into a fine powder to create almond flour, a delicious, protein-rich and gluten-free alternative to wheat flour. You can also blend almonds with water to create almond milk, a creamy and delicious beverage that is a great alternative to milk.
Bisquick: Originally intended for biscuits, Bisquick is used by many as the base to make pancakes at home. Bisquick has a wide variety of uses outside of just pancakes. Use Bisquick as part of the dry base ingredients for a wide variety of desserts, from cakes and pies to muffins and tarts. It also works great in casseroles.
Cashews: Similar to almonds, cashews have a wide array of culinary uses, but most only use them in the occasional dessert. Besides being a tasty out-of-hand snack, cashews add a rich crunchiness to vegetable dishes like a stir fry, a pasta dish or even a casserole. Additionally, you can blend cashews in a food processor to make cashew butter, a tasty spread similar to peanut butter.
Cocoa Powder: This rich chocolate powder only gets used in most kitchens to add a bit of flavor to the occasional dessert. Do not let the powerful chocolate flavor cocoa powder provides to go to waste. Use cocoa powder as part of a homemade hot chocolate mix. It also works particularly well in spicy applications, lending a bittersweet note to spicy recipes. Use cocoa powder to make an authentic mole sauce. Add cocoa powder to your favorite chili recipe.
Peanut Butter: In almost every pantry is a half-eaten jar of peanut butter. This cupboard staple is creamy and delicious, but most people only use peanut butter for sandwiches and dessert. The rich creaminess of peanut butter is also great in savory applications. Try using peanut butter to your next stir fry to give it a Thai-inspired flavor. Use peanut butter to make a peanut sauce that tastes great with pasta and vegetables.
Soy Sauce: Almost every East Asian dish calls for soy sauce. Soy sauce adds a slight nutty, salty taste to any dish, but most people only use soy sauce when cooking an Asian-style recipe. Soy sauce is a versatile ingredient that can work well in many recipes. Experiment with soy sauce and use it instead of salt in your favorite recipes to add some depth to the recipe. In particular, soy sauce tastes fantastic in barbecue sauces.
Almonds: Like with most nuts, many people only buy almonds to snack on or for the occasional dessert. Almonds can be ground up into a fine powder to create almond flour, a delicious, protein-rich and gluten-free alternative to wheat flour. You can also blend almonds with water to create almond milk, a creamy and delicious beverage that is a great alternative to milk.
Bisquick: Originally intended for biscuits, Bisquick is used by many as the base to make pancakes at home. Bisquick has a wide variety of uses outside of just pancakes. Use Bisquick as part of the dry base ingredients for a wide variety of desserts, from cakes and pies to muffins and tarts. It also works great in casseroles.
Cashews: Similar to almonds, cashews have a wide array of culinary uses, but most only use them in the occasional dessert. Besides being a tasty out-of-hand snack, cashews add a rich crunchiness to vegetable dishes like a stir fry, a pasta dish or even a casserole. Additionally, you can blend cashews in a food processor to make cashew butter, a tasty spread similar to peanut butter.
Cocoa Powder: This rich chocolate powder only gets used in most kitchens to add a bit of flavor to the occasional dessert. Do not let the powerful chocolate flavor cocoa powder provides to go to waste. Use cocoa powder as part of a homemade hot chocolate mix. It also works particularly well in spicy applications, lending a bittersweet note to spicy recipes. Use cocoa powder to make an authentic mole sauce. Add cocoa powder to your favorite chili recipe.
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