24 Party-Ready Pantry Items

By Lauren Gniazdowski
Can, carton, bottle, jar: stock these star-chef staples.
From Reader's Digest
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Michael Psilakis
Chef/owner of Anthos restaurant in New York City and author of How to Roast a Lamb (Little, Brown)
Can: Chickpeas. “They’re wonderful to just throw into a food processor and puree with a little bit of garlic and whatever else you have available—sun-dried tomato, any kind of fresh herb, dry herb. Season with just a little bit of salt and pepper, and you make a really fun, quick hummus.”
Carton: Eggs. “Whenever [my mom] ran into a wall as far as time was concerned, she would just cut up some French fries and deep-fry them and make a big French fry and egg omelet with tomato—very, very traditional Greek food.”
Bottle: Champagne. “You’d be surprised how a simple thing like champagne, as opposed to wine, really gets everything going in the direction you want it to.”
Jar: Roasted red peppers, artichokes, and mushrooms. “No fuss. Very, very simple. And if you get a really, really good quality brand in a jar, they eliminate so much time that you’d spend getting them ready yourself.”
Tip: “My secret for home entertaining: Take the formality out of the dinner and allow people to feel comfortable in your environment.”
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By Miss Peaches, 11/21/2009, 7:37 PM EST
Linda S- I second that and COMMEND YOU. To all you other HATERS, I can pretty much conclude that you are indeed NOT CHEFS yourselves. Contact me when you make an entire meal from scratch when an unexpected guest shows up! Happy Holidays, Merry Christmas, Mazal tov, and Happy Kwanza!
By Linda S, 11/16/2009, 1:59 PM EST
Learn to read--nothing was said about being a chef. She is referred to as a "host" and author. These are "party-ready pantry items" to have on hand for when something expected crops up. One does not have to be a chef to have good ideas. Don't be such snobs.
By Judy D., 11/08/2009, 12:02 AM EST
You must be joking, you are calling Sandra Lee a "chef". What kind of sick joke is this? That creature cannot cook, she is a dirty joke in the cooking community.
By Betty C., 11/07/2009, 11:37 PM EST
I second Cheryl F.'s comments. I cannot believe you included Sandra Lee here. She is not a "chef"; she is the laughing stock of the food community. I'm sure Bittman, Psilakis, Keller, et al. are none too pleased with being lumped in with her. Please, Reader's Digest, do some research before you publish this stuff!
By Cheryl F., 11/07/2009, 9:19 AM EST
Have you people lost your minds? Putting Sandra Lee amongst the ranks of Mark Bittman and Michael Psilakis? Canned pie filling? Vanilla vodka? Whoever wrote this piece obviously knows nothing about cooking, and she is NOT a chef.

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