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ysabetwordsmith) wrote in books2024-05-13 11:41 pm
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Review: The Complete Modern Pantry
The Complete Modern Pantry: 350+ Ways to Cook Well with What's on Hand
Paperback – November 15, 2022
by America's Test Kitchen
We finished reading this cookbook today. It's an excellent reference book. While it includes suggestions for some fresh ingredients, it's pretty close to being a "bunker cookbook" as many recipes rely wholly on nonperishable or minimally perishable ingredients. The front matter includes a brief Welcome to America's Test Kitchen and an extensive Getting Started that breaks down into Bulks & Bases; Long-Storage Vegetables and Aromatics; Frozen, Cured & Tinned Proteins; Crispy, Crunchy, & Chewy Toppings; Savory Umami Condiments, Seasonings, & Sprinkles; Spicy, Hot, & Smoky Elements; Acidic & Pickled Foods; Creamy & Rich Toppings; Sweet & Sweet-Tart Flavorings; Cooking Liquids & Fats & Baking Items; and Bonus: Something Fresh. There's also No One-Hit Wonders Here, Wake Up Flavor, Kitchen Substitutions, Storage Smarts, Pantry Produce, Building Your Freezer Pantry, Get Scrappy: Items Not to Throw Away, and Liquid Flavor. That's basically a 33-page mini-textbook on how to stock your pantry so you can whip up something at need. Because things like dry beans and pickled vegetables tend to be cheap, this book is ideal for stretching a budget.
The recipe chapters are Anytime Snacks, Soups Stews & Chilis, Pasta & Noodles, Grains & Beans, Vegetables, Pantry Proteins, Breads & Baked Goods, Desserts, and DIY Pantry Staples. The end matter includes Nutritional Information for Our Recipes, Conversions & Equivalents, and Index. The Index lists recipes by title and individual ingredients, but annoyingly the recipe titles are often broken to the most important ingredient, so for instance "Cornbread, Broccoli Cheese" instead of "Broccoli Cheese Cornbread." You have to guess what the "important" ingredient is.
We marked a fair number of recipes. There were a lot more perfectly good recipes that were for things we already have a recipe that we like. Many pages give a basic recipe followed by several variations. Among the recipes we marked were Empty-Your-Pantry Vegetable Soup (I love versatile recipes), Pantry Pesto, Grain Bowls, Black Beans and Rice, Black Bean Burgers, Vindaloo-Style Sweet Potatoes (nowhere near as hot as real vindaloo but you could fix that with a handful of hot peppers), Empty-Your-Breadbox Skillet Strata (basically a savory bread pudding), Sun-Dried Tomato Garlic and Za'atar Biscuits (for high-burn metabolisms), Quick Cheese Bread with Bacon Onion and Guyere, Peanut Butter Chocolate Quesadillas, Tahini-Banana Snack Cake (consider this as a base for dessert hummus), and the Spice Blends pages. As you can see, the recipes and ingredients draw from cultures around the world, especially the spice blends.
This book covers the nonperishable half of "basic cooking" topics. If you want to cover the fresh half, simply pair it with any garden, plant-forward, farmer's market, or other seasonal eating cookbook. Together those should include most of what you need to cook a healthy and varied diet, without getting ridiculously expensive or complicated.
This is a fantastic cookbook for a bunch of different contexts, including but not limited to:
* You are just learning how to cook and want basic recipes plus a few interesting extras.
* You want to learn abut the roles that different ingredients play in recipes.
* You aren't really sure what to stock in your pantry and need clear, tasty guidance.
* Your offspring is moving into their own home and will be stocking it to cook in.
* A wedding gift for newlyweds; pair with pantry gear like a potato bin or hanging baskets.
* You need to restock a whole kitchen, pantry, and/or cookbooks, such as after a move.
* You want to save money by using frugal ingredients like dry beans.
* Your schedule is so erratic that fresh ingredients are largely unfeasible.
* You like long-storage food and actually want to use it.
* You love flexible recipes and base + variations.
Highly recommended.
Paperback – November 15, 2022
by America's Test Kitchen
We finished reading this cookbook today. It's an excellent reference book. While it includes suggestions for some fresh ingredients, it's pretty close to being a "bunker cookbook" as many recipes rely wholly on nonperishable or minimally perishable ingredients. The front matter includes a brief Welcome to America's Test Kitchen and an extensive Getting Started that breaks down into Bulks & Bases; Long-Storage Vegetables and Aromatics; Frozen, Cured & Tinned Proteins; Crispy, Crunchy, & Chewy Toppings; Savory Umami Condiments, Seasonings, & Sprinkles; Spicy, Hot, & Smoky Elements; Acidic & Pickled Foods; Creamy & Rich Toppings; Sweet & Sweet-Tart Flavorings; Cooking Liquids & Fats & Baking Items; and Bonus: Something Fresh. There's also No One-Hit Wonders Here, Wake Up Flavor, Kitchen Substitutions, Storage Smarts, Pantry Produce, Building Your Freezer Pantry, Get Scrappy: Items Not to Throw Away, and Liquid Flavor. That's basically a 33-page mini-textbook on how to stock your pantry so you can whip up something at need. Because things like dry beans and pickled vegetables tend to be cheap, this book is ideal for stretching a budget.
The recipe chapters are Anytime Snacks, Soups Stews & Chilis, Pasta & Noodles, Grains & Beans, Vegetables, Pantry Proteins, Breads & Baked Goods, Desserts, and DIY Pantry Staples. The end matter includes Nutritional Information for Our Recipes, Conversions & Equivalents, and Index. The Index lists recipes by title and individual ingredients, but annoyingly the recipe titles are often broken to the most important ingredient, so for instance "Cornbread, Broccoli Cheese" instead of "Broccoli Cheese Cornbread." You have to guess what the "important" ingredient is.
We marked a fair number of recipes. There were a lot more perfectly good recipes that were for things we already have a recipe that we like. Many pages give a basic recipe followed by several variations. Among the recipes we marked were Empty-Your-Pantry Vegetable Soup (I love versatile recipes), Pantry Pesto, Grain Bowls, Black Beans and Rice, Black Bean Burgers, Vindaloo-Style Sweet Potatoes (nowhere near as hot as real vindaloo but you could fix that with a handful of hot peppers), Empty-Your-Breadbox Skillet Strata (basically a savory bread pudding), Sun-Dried Tomato Garlic and Za'atar Biscuits (for high-burn metabolisms), Quick Cheese Bread with Bacon Onion and Guyere, Peanut Butter Chocolate Quesadillas, Tahini-Banana Snack Cake (consider this as a base for dessert hummus), and the Spice Blends pages. As you can see, the recipes and ingredients draw from cultures around the world, especially the spice blends.
This book covers the nonperishable half of "basic cooking" topics. If you want to cover the fresh half, simply pair it with any garden, plant-forward, farmer's market, or other seasonal eating cookbook. Together those should include most of what you need to cook a healthy and varied diet, without getting ridiculously expensive or complicated.
This is a fantastic cookbook for a bunch of different contexts, including but not limited to:
* You are just learning how to cook and want basic recipes plus a few interesting extras.
* You want to learn abut the roles that different ingredients play in recipes.
* You aren't really sure what to stock in your pantry and need clear, tasty guidance.
* Your offspring is moving into their own home and will be stocking it to cook in.
* A wedding gift for newlyweds; pair with pantry gear like a potato bin or hanging baskets.
* You need to restock a whole kitchen, pantry, and/or cookbooks, such as after a move.
* You want to save money by using frugal ingredients like dry beans.
* Your schedule is so erratic that fresh ingredients are largely unfeasible.
* You like long-storage food and actually want to use it.
* You love flexible recipes and base + variations.
Highly recommended.