To cook quick fix meals, it is essential to have a well-stocked pantry, fridge and freezer. Whether you are pulling together a quick dinner, trying to find something for the lunchboxes or simply wanting a sweet treat, having the basics on hand will mean a nourishing and delicious morsel cooked from scratch is never far away. It may take a little investment at the beginning, but the long-term benefits more than make up for it as you will be saving time and money, buying quality ingredients in bulk, and whipping up meals in a flash without even leaving the house.
To get you started, here’s a list of my essentials …
PANTRY
I keep my pantry items in BPA-free plastic containers with airtight lids, each with a clearly visible label on the front. It’s important that the containers are transparent so you can quickly gauge which items are running low. I love the idea of glass jars, but I find these can get quite heavy when full, making it difficult to carry several ingredients at once!
Oils / Vinegars / Sauces
Fruits / Vegetables
Sweeteners
Nuts / Seeds
Grains
Beans / Legumes
Other
FRIDGE
My fridge is organised into sections: dairy, deli, meat, condiments, leftovers, fruit and vegetables. This means that when I’m looking to see what ingredients I have at the ready to whip up a quick meal I know exactly which sections to go to and the order in which to investigate (leftovers first of course!). Organising the fridge in this way also means there is less chance of food being overlooked, and therefore less chance of spoilage. I also always try to have fresh baby spinach on hand, stored in special containers designed for that purpose. I can use it as the base for a salad, wilt it with eggs for breakfast, stir it through risottos, soups, stews and pastas, and finally, if there is any left over looking a little limp, I throw it straight into a green smoothie!
FREEZER
I keep my frozen items in labelled ziplock bags, which I continually use for the same item to avoid wastage. The exception here is liquid stocks which I do keep in plastic containers. When freezing items such as bananas, mango and bread, make sure you freeze them in the same form you wish to use them frozen – for example, I peel and halve bananas, and make sure all bread is sliced. This is important as frozen food becomes very hard and solid, making it both difficult and dangerous to chop. Chuck steak is my generic pick for slow cooking, but I’ll often also have other secondary cuts in the freezer that I’ve bought in bulk direct from a local farmer.
Plus any leftovers that would otherwise spoil: milk, almond milk and macadamia milk frozen in ice-cube trays, cream, grated cheese, chillies, kaffir lime leaves, turmeric, galangal, both raw and cooked meats, steamed broccoli, roasted vegetables, watermelon, pineapple, cooked rice, uncooked pastry, egg whites, egg yolks, stewed fruit, curries, sauces, soups, stews, pesto …