We are all cooking at home more than ever during this madness that is the Corona pandemic. Why not take this opportunity to pep up your pantry with a few new gourmet staples? And yes, I am sorry to say a bit on the trendy side. As a dedicated subscriber to Bon Appétit, I have become disappointed in their content lately. Don’t get me wrong, I am happy for Brad and Claire and their newfound fame with the millennial set on YouTube. Because of this, the editors have been systematically dumbing down their print content. This is not what loyal subscribers want. I know Adam Rapoport may never read this, but if he does, I hope he’d hear that readers like me who have subscribed for over a decade want better quality recipes and intelligent content in the hard copy of the magazine. Ok, rant over. Now here a few pantry upgrades that I suggest our readers might want to add to their own cupboards to look like they are foodies in the know and improve their kitchen game when they finally get around to inviting people back into their homes.
Flaked Sea Salt Maldon sea salt, a flakey crumbly salt, truly is a game-changer. Brush your baked potato with olive oil and then crumble this unique condiment over the top for a crispy skin that prompts you to eat every morsel. It’s great on top of meats and anything that you want to add and create a crisp, salty finish to.
Flaked Paprika Flakes Pons, one of the more popular brands of paprika flakes, selects the best pimientos to produce their sweet and hot smoked paprika. Oakwood adds heat and smoke to dehydrate and provides the smoked flavor to the peppers. The peppers are crushed into small flakes, ideal as finishing seasoning on pizza, pasta, or use for roasting chicken and baking vegetables.
Furikake What is furikake? It’s a Japanese seasoning that refers to a range of dried seasoning made for sprinkling over rice and sushi rolls. There are a wide variety of flavors of this Unami - vibrant seasonings based on what taste you are going for in your cooking. Generally, there is a dried seaweed component to any furikake blend you choose. But they can include anything from dried omelet pieces, sesame seeds, bonito fish flakes and matcha green tea on occasion.
Roasted Chestnut Spread Our Nonna was the only person I’d ever known to actually roast chestnuts. Nut and seed butter have gained in popularity. The roasted chestnut spread is another to add to your next grocery list. This might not be on your local grocer’s shelves just yet, but Amazon has a few different brands that you can order with contactless delivery. (A term I am getting sick of hearing , by the way). Swirl the stuff into your oatmeal, mix it with goat cheese for a sweet spread or incorporate it into pan drippings of a roast to create a unique gravy. Now go eat something.