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Review and Giveaway: The Homemade Pantry
With so much interest being focused on homemade food, it seems only natural that curiosity will eventually lead outgoing folks beyond the normal canning and cooking and start looking at ways of making their own versions of those grocery store items we always seem to have around.
In The Homemade Pantry, author Alana Chernila brings us into her admittedly “unexpected” kitchen to share her takes on popular pantry staples. After offering some tool recommendations (air popper, blender, dehydrator, food processor, stand mixer) Chernila tackles the subject of whether or not making all these items at home is actually financially feasible, a subject that often arises when comparing homemade to store bought foods. Her take on it not only concerns cost, but taste, time and thrill as well. She cleverly leaves the decision to the reader since quantifying whether something is “worth it” has more to do with personal taste than the number on your grocery receipt.
Then we move on to a section on making good use of your freezer. Why make enough lasagna for one meal when you can easily make two and store on in the freezer for a later date, saving you time down the road? Vegetables and snacks can also be frozen to extend their shelf life, helping you save that massive amount of green beans you bought on sale a little bit longer.
Once the basics have been covered, we head to the various grocery store aisles on a quest for healthier alternatives to the often preservative laden treats and staples we purchase on a regular basis. A lot of these things would seem like no-brainers to those of us who spend a lot of time in the kitchen: Soups, salad dressing, spice mixes. While others, like the homemade toaster pastries (recipe below), potato chip or fig bar recipes give more experienced cooks something to appreciate as well.
The recipes are easy to follow and well written, and cover a plethora of food types including, soups, cereals, snacks, baking needs, condiments and more. If you've ever thought about making your own ketchup and mustard, you can find out how here. While I never would have taken the time to make my own hot sauce, the recipe offered here makes a nice alternative to the stuff you get in bottles. It also allows you spice it to the perfect amount of hotness for your personal taste.
The chapter on dairy will also be illuminating for a lot of people. Some cheeses, such as cream cheese, mozarella and ricotta may not seem like easy home projects, but with the help of a yoghurt maker, they are somewhat of a breeze. Surprisingly, most of the time involved in cheese making is waiting for the curds to form. Little gems of information like this is where The Homemade Pantry really shines.
In addition to those, you’ll also find ways to make your own granola and instant oatmeal, and even frozen treats like chicken nuggets, fish sticks and ice cream. There are chapters devoted to canning (jams, sauerkraut, pickles, tomatoes) and baking (bread, tortillas, crackers) as well.
Overall, this is a solid book, though perhaps not ideal for someone short on time. To keep up with a lot of these things regularly would require a herculean strength and a lot of time and money. However, many of the recipes are fairly quick to throw together. I’m a big advocate of making your own condiments, especially ketchup and mustard as they are easy to make quickly and last for a while. After reading the hot sauce recipe, another fairly fast prep, I’ll definitely be adding it to my list of make-at-home staples.
If you are an experienced home cook or big proponent of homemade foods, The Homemade Pantry will probably not reveal any great epiphanies. However, it would make a great gift for those friends you’re trying to bring over to your way of “natural” food thinking or just a good reference book for your own shelf. It is also highly recommended for anyone preparing to dive head first into taking control over the foods they eat in a proactive way.
Want a copy? I have one copy of The Homemade Pantry to give away. In the comments on this post, tell us what product you currently buy in the store that you would like to learn how to make yourself. (Pro tip: For greatest ease of leaving comments, be a logged in member of the site by clicking "Join/Log In" in the upper right so you don't have to wrestle with the CAPTCHA code.)
And here's a way to get more chances to win: Click here to tweet about this post, or pin this post on Pinterest (make sure the above image gets pinned so we can find it). All comments, tweets and pins must be logged by midnight PDT, Monday, August 13 to qualify for entry.
Wow, you guys! We had 87 comments, 32 pins and 22 tweets. I had no idea so many of you wanted to make crackers, ketchup and mustard, not to mention toaster pastries. (Good thing we've got a recipe for you, below.) Congratulations to Darlene Meek-Ames, whose pin was the winner.
Recipe: Toaster Pastries
Summary: Reprinted with permission from "The Homemade Pantry" by Alana Chernila
Ingredients
- One recipe Basic Pie Crust (recipe follows)
- Flour for the counter
- 1 large egg, beaten with
- 1 tablespoon of water
- 6 tablespoons filling of choice (below)
- Optional: powdered sugar, Best Frosting
Instructions
- Prepare the pie crust in two discs according to the recipe and refrigerate for at least 2 hours but up to 2 days.
- Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Roll the first disc of pie pastry on a lightly floured surface into a 9-x12-inch rectangle, cutting with the sharp knife any errant edges.
- Cut the rectangle into six smaller rectangles. Gently separate the rectangles from the counter and lay them on the prepared baking sheet with at least 2 inches between them.
- With a pastry brush, paint each rectangle with the beaten egg. You will have some egg mixture left—set it aside.
- Scoop 1 tablespoon of filling onto each rectangle in a thin line down the center. Roll out the second disc of pie pastry, repeating the steps to create six rectangles.
- Lay the new batch of rectangles over the rectangles with filling and seal by pressing a fork around the perimeter of each rectangle. Using the pastry brush, paint the tops of each pastry with egg wash and poke several times with the fork.
- Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until golden. Cool on a wire rack for at least 20 minutes before dusting with powdered sugar or spreading with frosting.
Variations
sweet fillings:
• jam: the classic [Ed., I'm guessing you have some on hand.]
• nutella: if you happen to have a jar around [Ed., or make some]
• cinnamon and sugar: mix 2 tablespoons cinnamon with 5 tablespoons sugar
savory fillings:
• pesto and ricotta: a toaster pastry worthy of a cocktail party
• tomato sauce and cheese: make your own pizza pockets
• potato: combine leftover mashed potatoes with sautéed onions, sprinkle the top of the pastry with sesame seeds
Number of servings (yield): 6
Recipe: Basic Pie Crust
Summary: Reprinted with permission from "The Homemade Pantry" by Alana Chernila
Ingredients
- 1 cup (2 sticks) cold, unsalted butter, plus additional for greasing the dish
- 2¼ cups (12.5 ounces) all-purpose flour, plus additional to flour the counter and the dish
- 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
- ½ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Cut the butter into 1/2-inch squares and combine with the flour in a stand mixer bowl. Using your hands, toss the mixture to coat the butter in the flour. Put the bowl in the freezer. In a measuring cup, combine 1⁄3 cup water, the vinegar, and salt. Stir until the salt dissolves and put the measuring cup in the freezer. Freeze both mixtures for 10 minutes.
- Take the mixing bowl out of the freezer and blend the mixture on low speed with the paddle attachment until it starts to become the texture of crumbly meal. Take the measuring cup out of the freezer and, with the mixer still running on low speed, slowly pour the wet mix into the bowl. The dough will be crumbly at first, then after 10 or 20 seconds, it will come together in a ball. Stop the mixer.
- Turn the dough out onto the counter and press it together into a large disc. Cut the dough in two equal parts, wrap each piece in waxed paper, and press each into a disc. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour, up to 3 days.
- Grease a 9-inch pie dish with butter and give it a light dusting of flour. Take the dough out of the refrigerator 15 minutes before you are ready to roll it out. Unwrap the dough and place one of the discs on a lightly floured counter. Starting from the center, use your rolling pin to shape the dough into a circle about 12 to 14 inches in diameter and ¼ inch thick.
- Fold the crust in half, then fold that semicircle in half again so that you have a quarter of a circle. Line up the corner of the quarter with the center of your pie dish and unfold the quarter into a semicircle, then into the full circle.
- Fill the crust with your pie filling. Repeat the rolling process with the second disc of dough, and either lay it on top of the filling, or cut in strips to form a lattice. Use your fingers to crimp the edge of the dough along the circumference of the pie dish.
Quick notes
Makes two 9" pie crusts
Number of servings (yield): 2
One from many things I would like to learn...
Would love to learn the ins and outs of making anything in bulk because the life of a teacher is a busy one!
No-flour sprouted grain
No-flour sprouted grain bread. So delicious, so healthy, so... mysterious?
Contest
Corn chips, AKA Fritos
Protein bars and a great
Protein bars and a great pizza sauce for canning!
A good chicken nugget recipe
A good chicken nugget recipe would be great. And a little hot sauce too. Yes, that would be a good start!
I would love to make spice
I would love to make spice mixes and tortillas!
Kid's Snacks!
I'd love to be able to make more kid friendly snack items, things that are good for hiking or car rides.
Cheezits!
Cheezits!
Gimme somma that beer!
I would love to make beer and wine in my house. Whiskey too, if I get wild.
Raw Milk Cultured Butter
I'd love a copy of this book, but I'm not sure what product I would have to make at home, since I already have transitioned so much to homemade. If pressed, I'd love to find a raw milk source and start doing butter!
Id like to know how to make
Id like to know how to make the packaged mixes,, one of the last staples to master in my kitchen :)
Breakfast Bars!
I would love to be able to make healthier breakfast/granola bars for grab'n'go mornings!
fruit leather
I would love to learn to make fruit leather, fancy vinegars & bbq sauce (among others). The toaster pastries look like a must try! I have the make-it-if-you-can bug!
I want to know how to make my
I want to know how to make my own chocolate peanut butter cups and mayonnaise! Unrelated, but I imagine both are undeniably better homemade!!
Cheese!
I've made ricotta a few times but I'd like to step it up to mozzarella.
Mustard
I've made my own ketchup and mustard probably isn't that much harder, but I haven't done it yet.
Ditto on making crackers
I've tried and I just can't make them taste as good as the ones I reluctantly buy.
what to make
Poptarts, ketchup and cheese!
pinned to pinterest
http://pinterest.com/pin/91268329919385727/
I currently buy pizza sauce and would like a good recipe to can myself - one with plenty of oregano! :) I like the idea of a savory poptart, I wonder if these could be made with some chopped up hardboiled egg as well for a more 'complete breakfast' :)
I need to own this
I need to own this cookbook!!!! Looks amazing!
Teaching students to cook
I'm a middle school teacher and the loss of home economics in our schools is shameful. I try to make up for this by giving occasional lessons in class. I would love to teach the students how easy it can be to make healthy snacks. I think they would really enjoy homemade cheese and crackers.
Cheese and crackers,plus EVERYTHING ELSE :)
yuuuuuuuuuum! cheese and crackers! i've done cream cheese, and would love to make mozarella. ooo, and ketchup! it's my 3 year olds favorite condiment and i am frightened to look at the label of the store bought variety. i'm into canning, wb and pressure, but have yet to make it.
Homemade, Yes Please!
I loved to be able to make any kind of cheese, sausage & crackers just to name a few.
I pinned this post.
I pinned this post.
I tweeted the phrase.
I tweeted the phrase.
I've been hearing a lot about
I've been hearing a lot about making your own mozzarella cheese lately. I would love to learn how to make that!
Crackers & granola
There are some things I'm not confident trying and crackers are one - granola I just get overwhelmed with all of the variations out there. This book sounds delightful!
I want to make
I want to make fig bars and more...I get more plums than figs from my orchard, and I will try that
Quark
Would love to learn how to make quark. My husband is from Germany and misses quark so much. The closest we can get is creme fraiche and it costs $8, plus a 1 hour drive!!!
I would love to find an
I would love to find an excellent granola bar recipe!
Cinnamon rolls
I would love to make cinnamon rolls that I can freeze - haven't found out a way to make them ahead of time, instead of waking way too early to make them fresh!!
pantry learn how
ketchup and mustard
Making my own chicken nuggets?
Oh my god I'm so there. They were my favorites as a kid, if I could make them at home... I'd be so excited.
crackers
I'll admit that as a healthy eater, crunchy snacks are still my guilty pleasure. I'd love to learn to make crackers and chips from scratch
Crackers
I want to try these toaster pastries, especially with Nutella. But for some reason, I find myself drawn to the crackers-- both whole wheat and graham. I'm thinking about starting a monthly cooking class here at the Library. The local Grange has suggested we use their kitchen. I think Homemade Pantry recipes would be a great way to kick it off. I'll be interested to see what recipes come at the top of everyone else's lists.
Crackers!
My kiddo LOVES crackers, and I balk at buying them. It would be great to make them at home.
tweeted
tweeted https://twitter.com/mommysdizzy/status/234805326434689025
Toaster strudels would be
Toaster strudels would be awesome to make at home. sweepmorey at gmail dot com
Pop Tarts!
My teen son lives on Poptarts. I would love to make my own.
Pop tarts and toaster pastries
With school starting - I would love to have some pastries premade in the freezer for the boys to have for breakfast! Real fruit, scrambled egg and cheese (to use the surplus of eggs from our chickens) and maybe some ham or turkey and cheese for after school snacks while I am at work! This is a fabulous idea! Can't wait to try it out!B
awesome
Some of the ingredients in my mother's recipes like all those canned soups used in casseroles. I have attempted to make these dishes from scratch but not very well. Worcestershire sauce sounds interesting!
Crackers and ketchup!!!
Crackers and ketchup!!!
crackers
crackers
Pickles!
First batch of pickles is planned for today! Ketchup will need to wait a few more weeks for tomato season to really kick in...
Sausage!
I'd love to be able to make my own sausage. The stuff in the store is laden with chemicals and nitrates, and other stuff I probably don't want to think about.
Crackers!
I've made them before, but I'd love to find a simple way to work them into my weekly routine. It's one of the few things that I still buy from the grocery store.
I would love to make ketchup
I would love to make ketchup - seems like it should be simple...
I'd love to make homemade
I'd love to make homemade yogurt that's as good as my favorite from the grocery store...
No good reason
but I've been resistant to add granola to my home made pantry.
I'm hot for the canned tuna too...
Tomato Paste & Crackers
I already can a lot of things, including ketchup and hot sauce. I haven't attempted tomato paste yet, and would love to make my own crackers.
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