Tips From Chefs on Cooking From Your Home Pantry
By Carolyn Phoo Ngon
With World Health Organization urging people to stay home as much as possible in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, many people are looking for productive and comforting ways to pass the time indoors. Cooking and baking as two of the most tried-and-true activities for not only keeping busy, but also learning valuable life skills.
That’s why Yoma Land has rounded up some useful tips for acing the so-called pantry recipe and enjoying yourself while at it. Here are 5 tips from Chef Pati Jinich the experts for cooking from the pantry while you’re stuck at home.
Play around with staple ingredients
Jinich advises playing around with different preparations of these staples in order to find several that you enjoy.
“With staple ingredients like black beans or pinto beans or chickpeas, this is a great opportunity to cook them in their most basic form and use that as a way to repurpose them,” she says. “Like one day you eat them cooked, the next day you puree a little bit for soup, the next day you make a warm salad, etc."
Make big batches of basics
If you’re feeling overwhelmed by any number of things right now, Jinich recommend that you cut down the amount of time you’re spending in the kitchen each day by preparing large quantities of basics that you can then use to quickly whip up some favorite dishes.
“If you make a big batch, it can be the base for many things,” Jinich explains.
This will not only cut down on prep time, but will likely also leave you with ample leftovers for more stay-at-home day meals. Beans, rice and lentils are all good big batch foods that can be transformed into a variety of dishes.
Incorporate fresh veggies whenever possible
It can be tempting to gorge on junk food when you’re sitting at home with not much else to do for long periods of time. But filling up on healthier foods at meal times can help you resist the urge to snack. Embracing the spirit of farm-to-table, our Pun Hlaing management team and staff are truly passionate about ensuring that high quality and fresh local ingredients are used to provide the residents and guests with delicious meals. Our home grown veggies and spices from organic vegetable garden available at our restaurants and country store.
Try out recipes you normally don’t have time for
While practicing social distancing, it’s likely that you’ll have some more free time on your hands than you normally do. So why not use it as an opportunity to try your hand at a few recipes that you wouldn’t normally be able to.
“Tackle those projects that you’ve been afraid to try because you haven’t had the time, like baking or making bread,” Jinich says. To make puff pastry at home because that’s something that people usually buy frozen at the store, but you can make it at home, freeze it and make tons of things with it.
Get the kids involved
If you have kids who are home from school right now, teaching them some cooking and baking basics can help give them a greater appreciation of the culinary arts. And on a more practical level, it can also make them less picky eaters.
“The more you have your kids involved in the cooking process, the more likely they’re going to be to try new foods,” she explains. In the midst of a time when you may not always have your kids’ favorite foods on hand, this could go a long way.
About Carolyn Phoo Ngon
Carolyn is the Marketing at Yoma Land. A young and aspiring marketer, Carolyn shares her passion for food in this blog.