Okay, now that we’ve covered the basic Budget Gourmet rules to live by let’s talk about what foods you should have in your pantry to make these budget meals happen. Here is a list of your most basic pantry items that will take you a lot farther than you think - canned goods are a budget gourmet’s best friend, trust me on this.

Beans - (Kidney, Black, Garbanzo, and Cannellini) most supermarkets constantly run specials on canned goods usually with a price point of under a buck a can.

Dry Beans & Grains – Pinto Beans, Great Northern Beans, Lentils (Red, French Green), Brown, and White Rice, Barley and Quinoa.  If you have a place that sells rice and other grains in bulk do some price comparisons and check it out. 

Baking Supplies - Flour (unbleached all-purpose), cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda, cornstarch, sugar (granulated & powdered), and honey.

Canned Tomatoes – Diced, whole plum, tomato sauce, and paste.

Pasta – This is something I also stock up on when it’s on sale, Angel Hair, Linguini, and Penne, ziti, macaroni, whole wheat and regular varieties. 

Spices – Start with the basics and add on from there, naturally Salt & Pepper, Garlic Powder, Cinnamon, Chile Powder, Cumin, Curry, Italian Seasoning (usually a dried combo of oregano, basil, thyme), and a seasoning blend like Adobo or Lawry’s seasoned salt.  My spice cabinet has built up over time simply by trying new recipes such as allspice for pumpkin pie and cardamom for pear chutney.

Sauces - Soy Sauce, Worcestershire.

Oils and Vinegars – Canola and Olive oil are key, but Balsamic and Red wine Vinegar are good to have too.  Later on you might want to add peanut oil, grapeseed oil, and white wine or champagne vinegar. 

Frozen Foods – Okay technically not something you will keep in your pantry, but you guys get it.  Frozen mixed vegetables (great for homemade vegetable soup).  Sugar Snap peas, snow peas, Edamame, Spinach, sweet peas, lima beans, brussel sprouts, artichoke hearts, Blueberries, and sliced peaches.  Obviously when these things are in season buy fresh, but when it’s the dead of winter and you have a craving for a Blueberry Sour Cream coffee cake, you have to improvise. 

These above items are just the basics, but by combining this handful of items with whatever seasonal ingredients you have access to you can make some pretty fabulous meals.  Over time add in some extras like olives, salt-cured capers, anchovies, good tuna in olive oil, rice wine vinegar, and roasted red peppers.

Now you know the rules and your pantry is stocked, or soon will be, but do you have the right equipment?  Here are the basic cookware items that I can not be without:

Knives – Chefs, paring, and serrated

Skillets – 8” omelet, 10” or 12” frying pan, 12” cast iron pan

Pots - 8 quart stockpot, 2 quart and 4 quart saucepans, and Dutch Oven

Oh and there is one more rule to live by that I completely spaced on and this may be the most important rule of them all. 

Rule # 8 - Grow your own!

I don’t care if it's only one lone basil plant on your kitchen windowsill, the money you will save and the sense of pride you will experience from growing your own is beyond compare.  And you don’t need a huge back yard to grow your own.  I keep my herbs in window boxes and I’ve grown tomatoes in galvanized metal tubs.  Start off small and add from there, this year tomatoes, next year tomatoes and peppers, etc. The best thing about growing your own stuff is how you can reap the benefits during the colder months when most fresh produce is unavailable, such as with Canned Tomatoes, dry herbs, pickled cucumbers, and frozen blueberries.

Next time we’ll dive into the details of weekly menu planning and I’ll share with you how to take a few of our favorite magazine recipes and redo them the Budget Gourmet way.

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