Northern Kitchen: Basic Ingredients
If you are living in a remote community and your grocery shopping routine includes a six hour drive or an over night trip, here is a list of handy ingredients to stock your cupboards.
This list is by no means comprehensive, but if you are anything like me - big on taste and short on cooking talent - having some of these items will help you get through the long winter months.
FROZEN:
- berries of all sorts - even though these are expensive, you save money by having less wastage
- pre-cooked shrimp and scallops
- peas and corn - the big bags
- prepackaged food - bacon wrapped scallops, lasagna and spring rolls have been life savers when invited out to a party
- frozen spinach and pie tarts
DAIRY:
- cheese in big blocks can be cut down and frozen into smaller packages - just make sure to date the packages - while the cheese can get crumbly, it can be used in soups, grilled cheese sandwiches, on salads and in casseroles very easily
- powdered milk - use this for your coffee, tea and cooking to reduce your costs if your family is big on milk
- canned/condensed milk
- powdered whipping cream
You can also stretch your fresh milk by adding a portion of powdered milk liquids.
PASTA/BREADS:
- rice noodles, angel hair, linguine, couscous are nice changes to regular spaghetti, macaroni and lasagna
- sturdier crackers that you can melt cheese on or use for dipping
CANNED GOODS:
- pumpkin, pineapple, peaches, pears, unsweetened apple sauces
- chickpea, various soups (cream of mushroom, tomato)
- clams, instant coffee (i.e., for icing on a cake)
- pizza sauces (little cans) and chili
- black sliced olives, artichoke hearts, various salad dressings
- refried beans, tuna and salmon
COOKING SUPPLIES:
Stock your cupboard with the usual cooking supplies, and then some such as:
- walnuts, pine nuts, almonds, soy nuts, sesame seeds
- olive oil, vegetable oil, white vinegar, red wine vinegar
- cheap margarine for cooking (can be frozen - buy the packages with the individually wrapped portions)
- corn syrup, black molasses
DRIED GOODS:
- raisins, cranberries, apricots, apples
- coconut, icing sugar, lentils,bread crumbs
- instant jellos and puddings, instant cookie, muffin and cake mixes (that don’t need eggs)
- shake and bake mixes
CONDIMENTS:
- soya sauce (big bottle), oyster sauce, black bean sauce
- hot sauce (if you’re that kind of eater), ginger, capers
- pre-mixed spices for chip dip
- lemon juice from concentrate (a big jar, not a piddly little plastic shaped lemon…)
SPICES:
- onion powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, garlic powder, all spice
- prepared seasons such as seasoning salt, mixes for fish and meat
MISCELLANEOUS:
- disposable roasting pans, cooking sheets and other like containers that could get “lost” if you are attending a community event and contributing a dish
