A few days back, I made granola for the very first time in my life. I buy granola from bakeries and local shops to experience different flavors as I have it for breakfast most days. But, suddenly, I noticed that it got pretty pricey, so I decided to make my own. Inspired by how easy the process was, I decided to share some ideas on easy pantry items to make at home that will keep for a long time. Let’s dive in.
Granola
Making granola is a very intuitive process. Just toss some rolled oats, crushed nuts, and seeds of your liking with some coconut oil and honey, bake for 25 minutes at 350ºC and let it cool down. Then you can mix it with dried fruit like raisins and coconut chips.
I found this process so intuitive and easy that I don’t believe I’ll buy it from stores anymore. Additionally, cost-wise, I spent the equivalent to two granola bags on enough ingredients to make about 5 or 6. Pretty good, right?
Dried Pasta
If you have a pasta machine, this should be a no-brainer. Admittedly, the entire process takes up some work, but cost-wise is not expensive, and the results are unbeatable. To achieve this, simply make extra batches of semolina pasta dough, consisting of semolina, water, salt, and olive oil; and after rolling the pasta, leave it to dry overnight on a wire rack or hanging somewhere. You can store the dried pasta in a paper bag, and it will keep fresh for months.
Dried Herbs
Do you have a herb garden that produced plenty? Making dried versions of your herbs takes up little work. Simply wrap your fresh herbs loosely in a paper towel and microwave them for about 30 seconds.; they will come out perfectly dried and not wilted. Some herbs that retain great flavor when dried are: mint, rosemary, oregano, and thyme.
Flavored Oils
Some oils can become your distinctive touch in the kitchen. For example, I use them to finish dishes and flavor the bread I bake. Infusing oil is ridiculously simple; just heat the oil of your preference to about 300ºF, drop in your herbs, chiles, or garlic and let it cool off. Then you can either fish the solids or keep them in the jar for presentation.
Vinegar
I haven’t tried this one myself, but I’ve seen the process. It requires some equipment as vinegar is the by-product of fermentation. To do so, you simply submerge your favorite fruit in water inside a fermentation jar and voilá a few weeks after you have vinegar.
Other Options
Finally, I won’t go through how to make them, but you can try jarring or confit tomatoes, artichoke hearts, mushrooms, eggplants, or garlic. Canned vegetables are also an option or, why not mill your own flour?
I close my post with this, but I’d be curious to know what other things come to mind when you make your pantry items? Please leave a comment in the section below.
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