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11 Kitchen Pantry Essentials for The Holiday Season

Damon Cox • Nov 11, 2021
11 Kitchen Pantry Essentials for The Holiday Season

Tis' the season to look forward to celebrating the upcoming holidays and all the delectable food that accompanies them. Many cherished holiday memories evoke images of enjoying favorite eats, treats, and spirits with family and friends. Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, and New Year's Eve offer up opportunities to dish up a diverse menu of appetizers, entrees, sides, and sweets, often informed by beloved family traditions. 

To ensure that you are prepared for any holiday events that you celebrate, here is a curated list of 11 seasonal ingredients that you should always have in your kitchen pantry. A handful of specialty items can turn any dish into something with a touch of holiday flair for you to bring to a party, work event, or serve to guests in your home.

  1. Broths
  2. Chocolate
  3. Citrus
  4. Cranberries
  5. Dried Fruit
  6. Fall/Winter Spices
  7. Fresh Herbs
  8. Jams/Preserves
  9.  Nuts/Seeds
  10.  Puff Pastry
  11.  Sugars

Are you ready to channel your inner Paula Dean and create the most delicious pie of the holiday season? Keep reading to learn more!


Broths

Cook rice, pasta, meat, and veggies with beef, chicken, or vegetable broth to give your dishes an extra punch of infused flavor. Check out Saveur’s list of comforting holiday-inspired soups and stews made with a variety of hearty broths.

Chocolate

Unsweetened cocoa, baking chocolate, bittersweet chocolate, white chocolate, and chocolate chips are all important ingredients for baking. A holiday cake, a striking trifle, or decadent brownies, making chocolate-covered fruit or creating a festive ganache, you can never have too much chocolate in your kitchen pantry. Don’t forget the hot chocolate too!

Chocolate

Citrus

Lemons, oranges, and grapefruits, oh my! Sliced with roasted vegetables, placed in cocktails, squeezed over salads, or zested over meats or desserts, citrus pairs nicely with just about everything. They brighten up any dish and act as a beautiful garnish. Read a bit about the history of citrus and its ties to the holiday season straight from Citrus Industry News.

Cranberries

Cranberries are very versatile and offer tiny, but mighty bursts of flavor. Not only can you cook and mash them to create a delicious sauce, but they can also be utilized as a bright finishing touch on a cake or pie or as the main ingredient in any number of salads. Freeze them in a mold for a holiday punch bowl or toss them into sparkling wine or cider for a festive touch.

Cranberries

Dried Fruit

The varied hues of dried dates, figs, golden raisins, apricots, pineapple, and papaya give some extra TLC to a cheese board or charcuterie platter. As mentioned by the pros as feastmagazine.com, "The holidays are the perfect time to add pizzazz to traditional dishes, and incorporating dried fruit is a spectacular way to do it."

Fall/Winter Spices

Cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, ginger, cloves, anise, and pumpkin spice encompass all the warmth and feels of the fall/winter season, especially the holidays. Add them to marinades, rubs, sauces, and of course to all baked goods and sweet confections. Check out this Taste of Home article to learn more about how to incorporate fall/winter spices into your cooking/baking.

Cinnamon

Fresh Herbs

Fresh sage, rosemary, and thyme—a requisite holiday trio. Finely chopped, bundled together, or sprinkled generously on top of your turkey or roast, they all are a must-have flavor profile for the holidays.

Jams/Preserves

Jams and other preserves are versatile for baking, cooking, and enjoying on their own. Marmalades and jams are the perfect additions to pair with roasted meats for a quick sauce. For an indulgent hors d'oeuvre, top your favorite cracker or bread with a bit of preserves and a fresh, spreadable cheese.

Jams

Nuts/Seeds

Great for adding to desserts, soups, salads, and side dishes, a variety of nuts/seeds can add a welcome crunch. When entertaining guests, have seeds on hand as an easy substitute for anyone with a nut allergy. Toast some and let their fragrant aroma waft through your kitchen. Not sure how to cook with nuts/seeds, this Bon Appetit piece offers a primer. 

Puff Pastry

This light and fluffy workhorse is the perfect base for a whole host of tarts and small bites. Wrap around any mix of savory or sweet ingredients and voila, nibbles extraordinaire! Take note that it's perfectly fine to store puffy pastry in your pantry until it comes to room temperatures, but otherwise, keep it refrigerated or in the freezer. 

Sugars

No matter what kind of dessert you whip up, you will be glad to have all necessary sugar varieties on hand, granulated, brown, and confectioners. A drizzle of gooey glaze or a light dusting of powdered sugar will make any baked good look touched with holiday spirit. Note that sugar, flour, and other baking staples should be stored in a cool and dry area of your pantry preferably in airtight storage containers to keep pests at bay. 


Conclusion

To help you arrange your holiday goodies, take some time to consider the best options for organizing & storing your specialty items in addition to your everyday kitchen pantry inventory. No time like the present to declutter, sort, and remove unused or expired items as you stock up for the holidays.

The 11 pantry essentials listed above will help guide you as you plan for the approaching holiday season. To this list be sure to add your own family’s favorite traditional holiday food must-haves.  Fa-la-la-la!

Sources

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