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Farm Kitchen:  "Must Haves" in the Kitchen  |
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Paula J.
True Blue Farmgirl
68 Posts
Paula
OK
USA
68 Posts |
 Posted - Jun 20 2004 : 07:17:31 AM
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This continues a post I just wrote in the Cookbook area on having trouble finding some things since we've moved out and are more removed from bigger and "fancier" stores, etc. It made me think: what are the absolute must haves in my kitchen? What are the items I always make sure I have on hand? It isn't something I've ever really considered, as I could always run up the street to the store. Now, I really need to think about it.
What do you keep on hand for drop-in guests, last minute meals, or "just because"?
pj
Paula J.
Collinsville, OK
dragonflybodywork@earthlink.net |
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cecelia
True Blue Farmgirl
497 Posts
cecelia
new york
USA
497 Posts |
Posted - Jun 20 2004 : 10:58:50 AM
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Paula,
I guess I'm lucky because I live very near to large groceries, and a variety of them. I'm used to keeping stock of my kitchen and cellar pantry because of the winters here, also we bought a small freezer about 2 years ago, and that helps, only if you remember what you have in it (I recommend an upright freezer if you have a small family because it's too easy to lose things in a chest freezer). I try to keep a running list (i.e. on paper) of what I need, and what I buy. That way, I know before I go to the store, what to stock up on - esp.
things I don't use every day, such as spices, etc. I don't really have drop-in guests, but I do try to keep things like cookies, etc. in the freezer for them. For last minute meals or storm times (stores close if the power is off, they can't use the registers), I keep dry beans, canned/dry soup, rice, broths, anything you can make soup from, esp. for winter. For summer it's a little easier. I must say I guess I plan ahead and don't really worry about last minute meals, I did that for awhile and found it's much easier to plan menus a week ahead, making for few shopping trips, and not buying something that's buried in the pantry.
Hope this helps somewhat, but I've found that planning ahead is the best recourse.
Cecelia
ce's farm |
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HiDez Gal
True Blue Farmgirl
122 Posts
Roberta
Joshua Tree,
CA
USA
122 Posts |
Posted - Jun 20 2004 : 12:22:56 PM
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Before we moved here we lived in a little town 60 miles one way from any real shopping. There was a tiny store but the selection and quality was dismal. I got in the habit of planning menus for about 3 - 4 weeks in advance.
I learned to stock up on the things that stored well, to bake bread, and when possible grow some of the things we would like to have fresh. We have always had a freezer and dried foods also can come in handy, although things that need to be rehydrated take a small amount of planning. I nearly always have some broths, a can or two of milk plus usually powdered milk (sweet and butter milk). I usually have canned tomatoes and beans even though we don't use lots of canned foods. I dehydrate tomatoes and then make a powder in the blender to use for things like Spanish Rice or even enchillada sauce rather than tomato sauce. I keep lots of different grains and flours in the freezer, particularly in summer when bugs are a problem and the possibility of the heat causing them to become rancid.
A lot of it depends on what your family likes to eat and the way you like to cook. We use lots of spices and herbs, i dry as many of the herbs as i can, there are also some i freeze. I also dry lots of onions, sliced and chopped and even freeze some on cooky sheets before putting them in freezer bags that way i can just take what i want when i am ready to use them. I keep a pretty well stocked pantry i guess.
I have a 5 x 7card file box with dividers that are listed as chicken, beef, fish, vegetable, etc. the cards have various menus and are filed according to the main dish. There is also a brief shopping list on the card so i can quickly note any ingredients i might not have on hand. Once a month i sit down early on a Sunday morning and run through the file box and pull the cards i want to use for the next few weeks - i also use my calendar to note any days when we might be going out for dinner, having guests, etc. to use that in my planning. I might put a slip of paper in the cards for that week so i will remember that i don't have to cook that day, etc. I clip a weeks worth of cards together with a paper clip and keep them in a drawer in my kitchen - the cards that i will use for that week are generally clipped on the refrigerator door. After i have used a card i place it on the bottom of the group and the next day's menu is on the top.
When i want to try a new recipe i make a slip of paper for it , noting any ingredients i may need to add to my shopping list and if it works out and it is something that we like then i will make a card for it. If we don't like the recipe i toss the slip of paper. Sounds like a lot of work but actually it isn't once i had the cards made out ( which can be done over a long period of time). I've been using this system for years and it has saved me a lot of fretting over what to fix for dinner. If for some reason you aren't in the mood for something then it is easy to just switch a card or two around. When i started doing this i was working a high pressure job, often with 10 hour days and a hour drive to town for provisions. What it meant for me then was that my life was much less stressed because it was easy for me to glance at the card pinned to the refrigerator door to see if i needed to take something out of the freezer before leaving for work and i didn't have to think about or dread thinking about what to fix for dinner. Also since my husband usually was home from work before me he could start on the dinner prep if i was running late.
Now i do it because i am in the habit but also because i still have a pretty busy life and it is about a 20 minute drive to town from home so i don't want to run back and forth for forgotten items. Probably another big reason is i can't stand the stress and confusion that being disorganized creates for me. I have lots of friends that aren't fussed about such things at all - well, except they are often saying that they can't think what to fix for dinner <g>.
If, as you stated in your previous post, i have a problem finding something like a special type or cut of meat - when i do locate it i buy extra. When i get home i seal the extra in a food saver bag and pop it in the freezer. For last minute or emergency i may have a frozen pizza or homemade "TV Dinners" using extras i made from a previous dinner. Oh, and now that i know about it, and have it on hand, some of the MJF foods.
From my favorite coffee cup:
"A gal's gotta do what a gal's gotta do." Minnie Cody, 1901 |
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CabinCreek-Kentucky
True Blue Farmgirl
8529 Posts
Frannie
Green County
Kentucky
USA
8529 Posts |
Posted - Nov 25 2005 : 08:58:43 AM
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| i think most of my 'must haves' are kitchen 'ware' rather than foods. my cast iron pans are among my favorites! frannie |
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Annab
True Blue Farmgirl
2900 Posts
Anna
Seagrove
NC
USA
2900 Posts |
Posted - Nov 25 2005 : 11:40:15 AM
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My must haves would have to be knives.
Some regular Wal-Mart types are ok, but after I started collecting and using Wustof...there's nothing like a RAZOR sharp knife. Since they are expensive, I ask for them for things like birthdays or Christmases. My favorite is probably the tomato knife. We plant and eat our weight two times over each summer. That's a lot of slicing and a lot of 'mater samiches ! |
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Farm Kitchen: "Must Haves" in the Kitchen |
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"Must Haves" in the Kitchen
