organizing a plant-centric kitchen
tools
great knives
Maybe if enough people say it…they’re your biggest kitchen investment. Chopping fruits and vegetables can be a huge chore or a pleasure depending on the quality of knives used. I find three knives are sufficient: a santoku or a chef’s knife, a paring knife and a serrated bread knife. I chose well made ones that are comfortable and have a nice balance, and I keep them sharp.
a wooden cutting surface
Keep two or three separate surfaces: your best surface (a butcher’s block or large wooden cutting board) for vegetables, one for fruit (the acidic juice of fruit releases and absorbs the flavor of garlic and onions), and one for meat (if you eat it).
storage system for bulk items
If you’re moving toward eating more plants you’re going to spend a lot of time in the bulk section of your grocery store. 
Don’t go home and pile the bags up in a cupboard only to have them fall out, get holes or be forgotten in the corner and bought over and over again. Pick up some inexpensive glass canisters and shelve them in plain sight.
Small magnetic spice tins to keep your spices on the refrigerator are very handy. 
I used to spend 20 minutes spinning the lazy Susan to find all the spices I needed. One would inevitably have gotten knocked to the back of the cupboard, and I would knock several other spices down squeezing my hand back there to get it.
spice grinder
Whole spices in bulk are the more economical and flavorful than pre-ground powders from the grocery store. A blade coffee grinder (reserved just for spices) is cheap and makes quick work of pulverizing the spices just before use.
pantry
Most of these bulk ingredients keep well, so you might as well buy extra and have them around.
grains
brown rice (I like Basmati)
whole wheat penne, spaghetti, shells, or whatever you like
whole wheat couscous
Israeli couscous
orzo
oatmeal
hulled Barley
quinoa
polenta
cornmeal
hominy
legumes (only use canned in a pinch)
black beans
pinto beans
black-eyed peas
chickpeas
cannelini beans
brown lentils
lentils de Puy (or French lentils if your budget is tight)
red lentils
nuts
These don’t keep well, so buy small quantities when you need them. It’s nice to have at least one kind around, but I’ve eaten them rancid even at good restaurants so be careful. Buy raw and toast just before using.
spices (whole)
salt, kosher or sea
cumin
coriander
peppercorns
cinnamon
nutmeg
ancho chiles (grind to make chile powder)
fennel
nigella
black mustard seeds
fenugreek
allspice
cloves
garam masala
curry powder
bay leaf
star anise
sesame seed
annato
spices (ground)
ginger
cinnamon
turmeric
paprika, both sweet and smoked “de la Vera”
asafetida
herbs, potted indoors, and/or in beds outside (depending on your region)
thyme
rosemary
sage
mint
parsley
cilantro (plant in successions)
lemon balm
basil
savory
oregano
cheese*
real Parmigiano Reggiano
queso fresco
Bulgarian sheep’s milk feta
* Obviously not plant products. But I keep these beautiful cheeses on hand because even in small amounts they add so much to a dish. Go to a great cheese shop and compare different parmesan-type cheeses as well as types of feta to find what you like. They vary widely in taste. Argentina produces a Regianito that might be an acceptable substitute for the more expensive Parmigiano Regiano depending on the sensitivity of your palate. Cow’s milk and domestic feta tend to be less flavorful than imported sheep’s milk feta. I haven’t found a place that has specialty queso fresco but if you have I’d love to hear about your experience.
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4 Responses to “organizing a plant-centric kitchen”
A couple of questions: first, is Basmati really considered brown rice? Chef and I love Basmati, but hate what we consider brown rice. Just wondering if you are aware of a classification that we aren’t.
Second, isn’t polenta just a way to cook cornmeal? I was under the impression that polenta (also called “mush” if you’re from the South, which I almost am, and that’s what my mom calls it) is cornmeal cooked with water until it’s kind of mashed potato consistency.
As for spices, yay for whole spices. Chef and I will never go back to ground nutmeg. We will find it whole and grind / grate it ourselves. It’s so much more fragrant. We feel similarly about ginger (not technically a spice, I think, but still much better fresh)… though I think it would be difficult to make something like ginger cookies with fresh ginger. However, I admit I’ve never tried it.
Basmati is a variety of rice. Any variety of rice can be brown or white depending on how it is processed. I like brown rice as long as it is fully cooked. Seems like when I first started making it, I didn’t cook it long enough. Maybe I’ve just become accustomed to it.
As for polenta, I guess I have to admit that I use the instant variety. (I know!) It is cornmeal, but the particular grind means I use it primarily for polenta.
Thanks for the clarification on Basmati. I should have realized that any rice could be brown or white, but I didn’t. Makes total sense, though.
Sometime, I’ll have to share with you my favorite way to serve/eat polenta. It’s not really a recipe — with the help of my husband I’m far less dependent on recipes than I used to be — but I do have it written down at home and can’t remember off the top of my head what I put in it. Oh, and last night Chef made the best red lentil dal I’ve ever had. Man, your blog makes me hungry. (:
Misty,
You have a very classy blog….just one note though, (I’ll say it quietly)—i believe orzo is technically a pasta though i suppose pasta can be subcategorized under grains since they are a product thereof…
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