What to Stock in Your Pantry for Winter

Winter can drag us down in so many ways. From the endless cold and snow to that cooped-up feeling of boredom. That's why January is the perfect time to check out your pantry for some great winter eating ideas. Here are 12 pantry staples that can see you through the longest of winters:

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Canned Plum Tomatoes

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Canned plum yomatoes can provide that flavor departure for many dishes. Use them as an ingredient to make sauce, stews and soups and to stir into casseroles. Photo from Flickr: arvindgrover

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Canned plum yomatoes can provide that flavor departure for many dishes. Use them as an ingredient to make sauce, stews and soups and to stir into casseroles.

Photo from Flickr: arvindgrover

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Comments

[skippyB]

12:27 PM on 01/13/2011

I came home from my last trip to Italy with dried porcini and these beautiful little anchovies and dried capers. Can't imagine being without them.

[mlaiuppa]

03:01 AM on 01/12/2011

Whirl oats in a blender to make flour, then use it with regular flour for chocolate chip cookies. Wonderful but best eaten fresh.

[coastalcarla]

03:09 AM on 01/12/2011

My grandmother taught me to do that. We split the flour 50/50 with ground oats. It makes the cookies more substantial.

[naschkatze]

05:34 PM on 01/12/2011

Good tip to cut down on processed flour.

[sfdiesel]

08:14 PM on 01/11/2011

One should try to find tomato products that are not conserved in cans, because the acidity of the tomatoes causes bisphenol-A to leach from the can lining. Bisphenol-A is a hormone disrupter that can mimic estrogen in the body; supplemental estrogen has been shown to increase breast cancers in women and is contraindicated for men for obvious reasons.

Tomatoes are best when used fresh or from jars or Tetra-Paks.

[alteredstory]

12:49 AM on 01/12/2011

Or get raw tomatoes in the summer and can them yourself in glass.

[mlaiuppa]

03:03 AM on 01/12/2011

That's the best.

You can make your own sauce and paste too.

[Tamira Beth Stephens]

05:00 PM on 01/11/2011

Yomatoes?

[seehowtheyrun]

04:58 PM on 01/11/2011

I have all of them on hand year round, except I can't eat gluten so it's brown rice instead of Faro, and brown rice pasts instead of whole wheat.

[Chauncey Love]

02:46 PM on 01/11/2011

A solid list even if I wouldn't personally stock some of the items.

One should stock most of these all year round, though.

[Kellybelle22]

01:45 PM on 01/11/2011

I agree about how wonderful tubed tomato paste is. It used to be such a waste to open a tiny can of tomato paste when I only needed a tablespoonful or so. The Amore brand also makes sun-dired tomato paste, pesto paste, and anchovy paste, all of which I keep on hand for flavoring. A dab of anchovy paste adds a wonderful salty, savory flavor to soups and salad dressings without being fishy. I'm so glad someone invented these products.

[giverny98]

10:01 PM on 01/11/2011

Thanks for the tip on the anchovy paste .... I hate to waste them by opening a whole can when I only need a few.

[Kellybelle22]

10:13 PM on 01/11/2011

Happy to be of assistance. It's good stuff, and I discovered while making Thai coconut soup the other day that I could use a dab of anchovy paste in place of bottled fish sauce, which I was missing. Where I live in Texas, they only sell the anchovy, pesto and sun-dried tomato pastes at our gourmet store, not the regular supermarket.

[NoSillyName]

06:41 PM on 01/12/2011

Don't waste it, freeze it.

[Duckyduck]

01:59 AM on 01/12/2011

I never thought of that. I'm going to try it too.

[zippitydoo]

12:15 PM on 01/11/2011

I like the tubes of tomato paste. I used to waste so much with those little cans.

[mary896]

11:59 AM on 01/11/2011

Add: dried fruits, wine (for cooking and drinking!), garlic, a fresh lemon or two (brightens almost any dish), whole wheat couscous (make it in five minutes and top with anything!), local honey, bread in the freezer (always have a loaf when you need a quick meal!), sweet potatoes (throw em in the microwave or toss with seasoning and make fries!) and fresh ground peanut butter..

[SouthernYankeeBelle]

10:50 AM on 01/11/2011

I wish we could find the tomatoes in a tube in the south. When I lived in europe I was able to buy it even in Germany. What I like about it is you use as much as you want and save the rest.

[Exene]

02:21 PM on 01/11/2011

Is there a Whole Foods near you? They have the tomato paste in a tube at Whole Foods.

[SpikeC]

04:15 PM on 01/11/2011

The internet is your friend! Pretty much any ingredient can be mail ordered to your house with a few mouse clicks.

[NoSillyName]

06:43 PM on 01/12/2011

Online or at many stores.... Safeway, World Market.

[Contact1972]

02:32 PM on 01/11/2011

Yup, was going to suggest Whole Foods. I know they have it

[kevinbr38]

10:39 AM on 01/11/2011

I already have all of those things in my pantry, ( except for the sardines, which I don't care for). These are not winter staples, but year-round staples. The only thing I would want to add is to use the winter to do slow cooking. Nothing takes the chill off like entering the house to the smell of a good braise or stew bubbling away in the oven. Yum.

[elcerritan]

02:14 PM on 01/11/2011

Mmmmm.

[giverny98]

10:03 PM on 01/11/2011

You cannot beat a dutch oven full of goodness!

[sabelmouse]

10:32 AM on 01/11/2011

so farro is simply whole wheat?

[SpikeC]

04:17 PM on 01/11/2011

Not exactly. Look it up in wikipedia, to start.

[seehowtheyrun]

04:56 PM on 01/11/2011

It's more closely related to barley.

[thesidetrek]

10:24 AM on 01/11/2011

Agree with many. Also, anchovy and garlic paste, couscous, root vegetables, chicken and/or vegetable broths. RecipeDetours

[naschkatze]

01:13 PM on 01/11/2011

Couscous definitely belongs in there. Bulgar too.

[Contact1972]

02:35 PM on 01/11/2011

I love couscous but have been eating a lot more quinoa lately. Yes on everything else...specially the anchovy paste.

[MiHi]

10:14 AM on 01/11/2011

LOL! Tomato paste in a toothpaste tube.

Bet it costs at least four times as much as a standard 4.5 oz. can of the stuff too. Why? Because! It's in a TOOOOOOOOOOB!

[elcerritan]

02:21 PM on 01/11/2011

If you aren't going to use an entire can, the stuff in a tube is very practical. A 4.5 oz can is over a quarter of a pound, after all, and you may not be making something that requires that much. If you open a can and don't use the whole thing, which you won't if you're just adding a couple of tablespoons to a sauce or a soup, it's hard to keep what's left from oxydizing before you use it, unless you freeze it. Just covering the can with plastic wrap or aluminum foil won't do it. So the tube isn't silly at all. I suspect you haven't done a lot of cooking if you think it is.

[Rambling Ruminations]

05:54 PM on 01/11/2011

Very well stated. Any body who has had any experience using tomato paste in cans will know how difficult it is to preserve the leftovers.

[rostov007]

06:38 PM on 01/11/2011

Uhm, he never said it was silly. He just stated that its probably more expensive, albeit in a silly way.

[NoSillyName]

06:46 PM on 01/12/2011

It has an extremely rich taste. Much better than canned tomato paste.

Hot Pepper Paste is also delicious.

[FragBunnie]

09:49 AM on 01/11/2011

... this must be the italian version... No dried mushrooms for soups? No pickled herring?

[sabelmouse]

10:33 AM on 01/11/2011

3 tomato products. to be fair i 've got them all.

[plazma]

01:48 PM on 01/11/2011

Pickled Herring? I dont know too many people that would eat that.. including myself.
Thats like saying Gefilte Fish.. I think thats like Haggish for Jewish people.. its pretty much eaten on a dare.

[FragBunnie]

09:27 AM on 01/12/2011

Don't knock it 'til you've tried it. Pickled herring's delicious.

Haggis for Jews?... don't make no sense.