Pantry essentials

Janvier

I'm a vegetarian and I pretty much rely on some processed item of food every meal (eg vegetarian sausage, jars of sauce) and I would like to start making more meals from scratch. The problem is that so many recipes have so many varied ingredients that it would cost a fortune to replace them!

So do you have any suggestions as to what ingredients I could buy that could be used interchangeably on recipes, or could be used on their own?

At the moment I have some ingredients to make a lentil curry from scratch because that's the only meal I know how to do

At the moment I have in stock:

Cheese
Eggs
Milk
Pasta
White & brown rice
Red lentils
Olive oil
Salt & black pepper in grinders
Garlic cloves
Ground cumin and turmeric
Chilli powder
Curry powder
Curry paste (currently in the fridge - how long does this last for?)
Passata


Thanks for any suggestions

DigForVictory

Have you the time/energy/space to make & store your own tomato sauce? (Now not the best time of year, but when the tomato glut comes round, talk about making hay while the sun shines!)

I'd also research more pulses - those & rice add up to protein!

With due care, have a look at the prepper/ survivalist/ Mormon storecupboard sites - you don't have to believe to benefit from the recipies & advice!

Do you have a dehydrator? The simple models are about £30 & make it much easier to keep seasonal veg handy without needing a freezer as much throughout the year. (If you can find & afford one with a temperature control, better still, but small steps!)

Lizling

Here's a list of what I keep in my cupboards that you haven't already listed. Maybe you'll find a few ideas in there.

Tinned tomatoes
Tinned chickpeas
Tinned kidney beans
Dried beans and lentils (butterbeans, yellow split peas, green lentils, more chickpeas, plus the red lentils)
Flour
Sugar
Dried mixed fruit
Baking powder
Yeast
Nuts
Dried herbs (always got oregano, basil and thyme)
Lots of spices (ground coriander would be a good addition to the ones you've got)
Onions
Potatoes
Noodles
Soy sauce
Bottle of lemon juice
Vinegar
Vegetable stock

Then in the freezer I'll always have:
Frozen spinach
Peas
Green beans
Pastry
Ginger (I end up wasting the fresh stuff or not having any around when I need it so now I buy it frozen in sticks)
Frozen berries
Generally some tofu
Leftover bread

And in the fridge:
Butter
Yoghurt
Fresh veg


Along with what you've already listed, that seems to cover the ingredients for most vegetarian recipes. I occasionally need the odd extra ingredient but I accumulate them gradually. There's no need to buy everything at once - just buy what you need for a couple of dishes and next time you need some flour of whatever, you'll probably have half a bag already in the cupboard.

[Deleted User]

Agree with the above advice, stock up over time. You don't need to rush out and buy every ingredient for every dish on day one. Maybe try adding a new recipe (and associated stock cupboard ingredients) every week, and make the transition from more pre-prepared food to cook from scratch food over time.

I usually stock up on tinned beans, chick peas, lentils etc when they are on offer in the supermarket (e.g. 3 for 2 etc).

And when I buy things like dried beans and pulses, rice and pasta, I buy the bigger bags (usually, but not always much cheaper in the long run). If you have an Asian supermarket nearby you can get really good value on certain items.

Things like dried herbs and spices last ages too.

As for fresh fruit and veg, I usually get Aldi's weekly deal on 6 veg that's on offer. This changes every week anyway so not eating the same things every week.

Also when you cook, make more than one portion and freeze the rest in individual portions so you're saving time when you're busy.

D9

fishfins

Risotto rice! It's filling, easy to cook and you can make different flavoured risottos. It's one of my favourite stock items.

Also cous cous. It's really cheap and it's so easy to char grill some chopped courgette and red pepper with a bit of paprika and black pepper, make your cous cous with a vegetable stock cube and mix them together.

Janvier

Thanks for your posts. I have written down all your suggestions

Armchair23

Things that give the bland and basic some flavour

Soy sauce
Peanut Butter
Coconut milk powder or block (so you don't have to open a whole tin if you only want a little)
Tahini
Chilli sauce
Smoked paprika
Onions & Garlic (always)
Mushroom ketchup
Ginger (in the freezer)
Rice wine (if I can afford it)
Chilli bean paste
I have an indecent amount of herbs and spices it's cheaper than collecting shoes !

I always have in the cupboard

Chick peas
Red kidney beans
Puy lentils
Red lentils
Basmati Rice
Risotto Rice
Pasta
Tinned Toms

I usually have various nuts and seeds as well, they do a lot to cheer up something that's gone a bit bland and stodgy.

I buy quite a bit at markets and stalls and then get home not quite sure what to do with my 'bargains' that's when I hit the http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/ site where you can search by ingredients.

I like ethnic foods but if you're trying to recreate a traditional British diet but meat free that might be a lot harder.

Let us know what lovely new meals you come up with !