We're feeling listy today. As a supporting document to this week's Kitchn Cure assignment I just posted a huge list of suggested items for stocking your pantry, geared toward savory cooking.
For the sweet side of cooking, there is another list. It's harder to push you to make desserts without recipes, since, in the case of baking, you can't really off-road it. So this list applies to making desserts both with, and without recipes.
Here is a list of pantry staples that having on hand at all times will make it easier to make dessert. If you haven't made many desserts, you should start out by studying some cookbooks. Desserts, especially baking, are harder to make using some inspiration and instinct alone. Take it with a grain of salt (or sugar), and leave suggestions for pantry basics I've left out that you feel are essential for the way you like to make dessert.
- Sugar. Obviously.
- Brown Sugar. Granulated sugar + molasses = brown sugar. It has a softer texture than granulated sugar. Light and dark brown sugar differ only in their percentage of molasses. When in doubt, use the lighter variety.
- Confectioners' Sugar. aka Powdered Sugar, is finely ground granulated sugar with a touch of cornstarch, which prevents it from clumping. It's used to make icings and is nice to dust atop an otherwise plain looking dessert.
- Honey. A nice alternative to sugar that lends an earthier flavor, especially nice with oats and nuts.
- Unbleached All-Purpose Flour. Pretty much any baking starts here. If you plan on making anything with yeast, you will want to try some bread flour as well.
- Pure Vanilla Extract. The imitation stuff is a different beast. Keep a bottle of pure vanilla extract on hand for cakes and cooking, and to enhance icings, ice cream, just about anything sweet.
- Cinnamon. Aside from where it's called for in recipes, cinnamon is great for sprinkling on about-to-be baked fruits like apples and pears.
- Nutmeg. Better to grind it fresh yourself. Your whole kitchen will smell great and the taste is superior.
- Baking Powder and Baking Soda. For baking, these are essential. See Pantry Basics: What's the Difference Between Baking Soda and Baking Powder for details.
- Fine Granulated Salt. The kind you can pour. Skip the iodine if you can.
- Cocoa Powder. Unsweetened chocolate - cocoa butter = cocoa powder. Dutch-processed cocoa is richer and darker than unsweetened cocoa and are not necessarily interchangeable.
- Chocolate. These days there are dozens of varieties of chocolate available. Semisweet and bittersweet are the two varieties most often called for. There is a vast difference in flavor between lower-end and higher end chocolate. If you can afford it, try easy-to-find brands like Scharffen Berger, Callebaut, and Valrhona.
- Nuts. Walnuts are the most commonly called for nut in desserts, but peanuts, hazelnuts, almonds, macadamia nuts and cashews also have their day in the sun. If you're going to keep one on-hand, it's walnuts.
- Oats. With a sack of rolled oats at your disposal, you can make oatmeal cookies and struesel toppings for fruit crumbles. You can't go wrong with either of those desserts.
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And dried fruit of your choice (also works on the savory side).
Regarding the fine granulated (aka table) salt, why do you recommend avoiding the iodine? I was under the impression that salt was iodinized for a (good?) reason.
Iodine is added because a lack of it in one's diet causes goiter, I think. I also think most Americans get plenty without help, but I could be wrong. Chefs say to avoid it because it adds a slight metallic taste (supposedly. I've never noticed).
You can use kosher or other large grained salt in baking, but TASTE your recipe or you'll regret it. I find I need to about triple the volume of salt if I use my kosher salt in a recipe that calls for table salt.
I would add molassas to that list. It's good for cookies and such but it can also be mixed with white sugar to make a substitution for brown sugar if you are out.
About the brown sugar -- there are different kinds (I have found even more in this part of the world); but I have completely switched over to muscovado sugar - I have both light and dark on hand. Other brown sugar just tastes... sweet, but with no flavour.
I also keep very fine berry sugar on hand (especially good for things such as meringues), and cake flour is a must too. And I have more than 1 variety of cinnamon...
Thanks for posting the answer about iodine, Tiamat -- I just switched over to sea salt and was wondering if I need iodine supplements.
My SO is diabetic, so I use the Splenda brown sugar blend. Wonderful.
Try making your own vanilla sugar. Get a vanilla bean, split it down the middle and stick it standing up in a jar of sugar. Wait a few weeks and use it in coffee or in baking. It's really nice.
I just recently began culinary school and my chef said that you should never buy salt with iodine in it because you can taste it in the food. He also said that very mature pallets will be able to taste it through your meal.
I'm a culinary school grad and the iodine issue was never mentioned. I'm very sensitive to the metallic taste of too much baking powder in a baked good, but I've never detected the presence of iodine. Besides, I only use table salt in baking - I use kosher or sea for all my cooking.
The problem with iodized salt is that it can form iodocresol when baking, especially with lemon flavoring, giving the end product a nauseating medicinal aspect. It tends to have a very low odor threshold to which only some people are very sensitive...i guess similar to some people thinking cilantro tastes like soap.
I just commented about iodine in another post - it is a very important part of your diet to avoid goiter. In most places you'll get enough from your food without worrying about getting it from salt, but not everywhere (here in New Zealand, for example). As long as you're aware of any soil deficiencies where you are (or, more importantly, where your food comes from), you can make an informed choice re: iodised salt.