Chefs Tom Douglas and Thierry Rautureau bring you the latest on Seattle's dining scene
 Seattle Kitchen


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Spicy sauces like Sriracha are a great addition to your pantry to make ordinary dishes extraordinary (Huyfong.com image)

Take your pantry from ordinary to extraordinary

BY Josh Kerns  on February 1, 2013 @ 1:44 pm (Updated: 3:25 pm - 2/1/13 )

Chef Tom Douglas is a bit embarrassed to admit he was surfing around the Food Network's web site recently ("don't ask me why" he says) when he stumbled upon an article about the must-have items every cook should keep in their pantry. Suffice it so say he was unimpressed.

"When I was looking at their list it struck me that it wasn't a very interesting list. Dijon mustard, ketchup, barbeque sauce, canned tomatoes, reduced sodium broths. Fine, but just boring."

But on this week's edition of Seattle Kitchen, Tom says it doesn't take much to easily "take the blah out of blase."

For example, he suggests keeping some bacon fat in a little pot in the fridge. It stores well, and can be added to a number of dishes.

He's also a big fan of fish sauce. Just take two tablespoons of sugar, put it on high heat and caramelize it until it's golden brown, then add a little fish sauce to taste and some ginger or ginger paste.

"Boom, you have a delicious Vietnamese style marinade that can take a chicken thigh right out of blase into the atmosphere," he says.

Speaking of ginger paste, Tom says you can get a number of high quality ingredients in tubes these days, including Chinese mustard, anchovy, lemongrass and kefir lime leaf. "It's all pureed so it just makes it very easy to put into a marinade and keep around without going bad."

Another favorite of the Seattle Kitchen crew is spices. Tom, Thierry and Katie O are all big fans of sauces like Sriracha, the spicy red chili sauce commonly found in Thai and Vietnamese restaurants. They also enjoy Sambal, a raw chili paste pureed along with vinegar and salt. Both can make a boring old dish peppy and brighter.

Thierry recommends keeping some nice finishing oils around the kitchen like sesame seed or walnut oil as well to add a unique twist to salads and a number of other dishes. But they come with a caveat.

"I keep it in the fridge because it goes bad so fast. That stuff, if you keep it on the counter, within a week your stuff is going bad."

Tom and Thierry also suggest different types of flour to shake up your baking and frying. Rice flour is one of Tom's favorites, which he says is really good for frying, making for a great, crispy edge and a lighter flavor. And both enjoy replacing white flours with buckwheat in things like pancakes and crepes.

"To me it's like going and having Pho. It has that healthy feeling about it. I don't know if it is," Tom laughs.

But the bottom line is by stocking your shelves with just a few more things, you can turn your kitchen from ordinary to extraordinary.

Josh Kerns, MyNorthwest.com Reporter
Josh Kerns is co-host of KIRO Radio's Seattle Sounds (Saturday nights 7-8) and a digital content producer for MyNorthwest.com.
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Comments (10)


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  • PNWflowergirl wrote...
    :)
    February 2, 2013 10:24 am
    Being a professional chef, a well-stocked pantry is essential, even for the basic home cook! Im going to go look in my pantry, jot down my essentials, and get back to you!
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Saltchucker wrote...
    Liquid smoke.
    February 2, 2013 10:30 am
    I agree with the bacon grease! Rub your baked potatoes down with bacon grease instead of wrapping them and foil...mmmmmm, the skin is the best part of the tater after all. For lots of marindes and gravies, must have liquid smoke in the cupboard!! At least three kinds of curry powder and hoisin sauce. Add extra garlic and some hoisin sauce to any off the shelf BBQ sauce. Zingy chinese style BBQ chicken wings...mmmmmm!
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • PNWflowergirl wrote...
    Saltchucker
    February 2, 2013 10:42 am
    Liquid smoke is AWESOME! Curry and Hoisin is essential as well!
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • PNWflowergirl wrote...
    Dry Goods
    February 2, 2013 10:37 am
    All-purpose flour Whole wheat flour Whole wheat pastry flour Cake flour Cornmeal Granulated sugar Confectioners' sugar Brown sugar Baking soda Baking powder Yeast Cornstarch Unsweetened cocoa Unsweetened chocolate Semi or bittersweet chocolate Biscuit mix Instant coffee or espresso Quick tapioca Oatmeal Cereal Crackers Dried breadcrumbs Pasta, white and/or whole grain, such as: Penne or ziti Spaghetti Fettuccine Linguine Ditalini Lasagna Orzo Elbows Egg noodles Long grain rice Brown rice Wild rice Arborio rice Barley Couscous Quinoa Wheat berries Kidney beans White beans Black beans Lentils Chick peas Split peas Dried corn
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • PNWflowergirl wrote...
    Canned and Bottled Foods
    February 2, 2013 10:38 am
    Whole tomatoes Tomato paste Tomato sauce Crushed tomatoes Chicken broth Beef broth Vegetable broth Condensed cream of mushroom soup Canned fruits Pie fillings Worcestershire sauce Soy sauce Hoisin sauce Sesame oil Barbecue Sauce Salsa Taco sauce Dijon mustard Canned Tuna Canned Salmon Anchovies Anchovy paste Green beans Asparagus Creamed corn Whole kernel corn Chickpeas Kidney beans Black beans White or pink beans Evaporated milk Sweetened condensed milk Peanut butter Jams or jellies Canned chiles Assorted pickles Olives Capers Chopped pimentos Light or dark corn syrup Pure maple syrup Honey Pure vanilla Almond flavoring Hot sauce
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • PNWflowergirl wrote...
    Vinegar / Oil
    February 2, 2013 10:39 am
    Olive oil Extra-Virgin olive oil Canola oil Peanut oil Olive oil spray Cooking oil spray Red wine vinegar Balsamic vinegar White wine vinegar White distilled vinegar Apple cider vinegar
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • PNWflowergirl wrote...
    Dried Herbs
    February 2, 2013 10:39 am
    Parsley Oregano Basil Rosemary Thyme Rubbed sage Marjoram Cilantro Bay leaves Chives Savory Tarragon Dill weed Dill seed Onion powder Chopped onions Garlic powder Minced garlic
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • PNWflowergirl wrote...
    Spices
    February 2, 2013 10:39 am
    Black peppercorns Coarse salt Table salt Cinnamon sticks Ground cinnamon Ground nutmeg Whole nutmeg Ground cloves Whole cloves Ground turmeric Ground allspice Ground mace Pickling spice Mustard seeds Ground mustard Cayenne pepper Celery seed Caraway seeds Fennel seeds Ground ginger Ground cumin Ground chile peppers Red chile flakes Ground sweet paprika
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • sghouse wrote...
    Nothing to do today huh?
    February 2, 2013 1:30 pm
    Better go do that inventory again, I think you may have missed something.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • PNWflowergirl wrote...
    sghouse
    February 3, 2013 11:01 am
    Being a chef is my passion, sorry if I offended anybody by my posts. Have a blessed day!
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }