Other People's Pantries #46

From Michael (Herbivoracious), in Seattle, Washington:

I find having bottles of delicious, high quality oils, vinegars, soy sauces and so on within reach of my stove and cutting board makes cooking much more efficient. These are the ingredients I grab every day for a saute, deglaze, pan sauce, hit of flavor, vinaigrette or final garnish. I'd be curious what other folks keep on that special "quick grab" shelf.

On Saturdays, we peek into Other People's Pantries.

Come on -- show us your pantry.

*Other People's Pantries will be ending in early 2009 to make way for a new Saturday feature. If you'd like to share your pantry photos, please send them as soon as possible!

Here's how.

Comments

[MyKitchenInHalfCups]

You seem to have a lot more variety than I do!

[Mae]

You must have a near-surplus of counter space! I like the look of the bottles -- at first glance I thought it was the shelf behind a bar; just no mirror behind the bottles.

Your arrangement looks good but for me it wouldn't be practical. Anything too close to my stove eventually gets covered in oily vapor from frying -- even with the exhaust fan on. Do you need to wipe down all those bottles all the time?

[Natashya]

You know what they say, "I'd rather have a bottle in front of me than a frontal lobotomy". Great selection of bottled flavours!

Now I want to know what the new Saturday feature will be....

[Pilar]

Love your collection of flavors. I can't live with counter clutter, however. I wish I could...then I'd actually remember and use all of those bottles of goodness lurking in the cupboards!
I am so sad that the Saturday Pantry Peek is going away. It is truly the highlight of my Saturday surfing. boo

[April in CT]

I'm going to miss this feature! I always enjoy seeing what other people have in their pantries and getting ideas and inspiration. I'll definitely be sad to see it go as well. Maybe it could be a special feature once a month or so? :)

[Bernadette Salvato]

For those folks without endless counter space, the answer to this delema is to get a small or medium turntable and set it beside your working area. It is surprising what everyday things you will have right on hand. I have had two, what seems like forever, and love the access they provide. As for frying, etc., the solution to messiness? could be to simply cover lightly those items not in use with a cloth (I do it all the time). Never had a problem. Good luck.
Bernadette

[Michael Natkin]

Thanks for the comments everyone! It actually isn't that much counter space, maybe about 18 inches square... but it does bug some members of the household :). The bottles might get slightly sticky, but nothing too major. I go through most of them fairly rapidly, especially the ones in front near the stove - the olive oils and such. I definitely find a difference between having them on the counter and in a cabinet, both in terms of speed and inspiration. The turntables are a nice idea!

[Kim]

Ok, I now know I have to send in the pictures of my pantry, since this feature will be going away.
My solution to a "Quick Grab" shelf will be part of the pictures, but a hint - I converted all of the oils, and vinegars into decorative bottles that way I combined usefulness’ with my decor also I created a shelf just over my stove.
I too will miss this feature (it was the reason that I subscribed to this blog). I loved taking a peek into other peoples pantries and I too got some really great ideas.