Raid-Friendly Kitchen: Setting Up a Pantry

One of the keys to a successful raid is preparation. From simple things such as repairing your gear and showing up at the instance on time to the slightly more difficult and time-consuming process of gem socketing or enchanting your gear and gathering up consumables such as flasks, preparation is a key to success. It is much the same with getting your kitchen together - with a little preparation, you can make it so even when you forget to do a bit of shopping there's something good to eat in your house.

Today we'll discuss the foodstuffs and spices that you should keep around the house, and we'll save what equipment you should keep in your kitchen for another time. Yes, there's a recipe in this post.

Click here to skip past all the lovely information and get straight to the recipe.

Spices
An easy wasy to add a lot of flavor to even the most basic dishes is to keep a well-stocked spice rack. Even if you're on a bit of a budget, picking up one container of spices or herbs at the store each time you make a trip will see you quickly amass a worthy collection of spices. I've placed them in order from most important to least important below:
-Salt
-Pepper
-Italian Seasoning (A simple combination of marjoram, thyme, rosemary, savory, sage, oregano and basil - this blend if useful in a lot of dishes and is an easy seasoning for a lot of dishes)
-Ground Cumin
-Chili Powder
-Dried Basil
-Dried Parsley Flakes
-Curry Powder
-Bay Leaves
-Garlic powder
-Chicken or Beef Bullion Cubes
-Ground Cinnamon
-Nutmeg
-Vanilla Extract

The Basics
These everyday staples are ones you'll find yourself using on a somewhat regular basis, things you'll want to have on hand so that when you're making most simple recipes you only need to purchase the perishable goods. You can gradually stock up on these as you need them for a recipe you're using, or just gather them up in one go. Make sure that you replace any of these that you use on your next shopping trip so that you can have them on hand! Unlike the spices, I've put these in no particular order:
-All Purpose Flour
-Baking Soda
-Baking Powder
-Granulated White Sugar
-Brown Sugar
-Olive Oil
-Vegetable Oil
-Cornstarch
-Bread Crumbs
-Soy Sauce
-Worcestershire Sauce
-Vinegar
-Peanut Butter
-Vegetable Shortening
-Onions and Garlic (Okay, so these are technically fresh vegetables. However, they can last in your cabinet for a while if they must, and they are crucial in most dishes. Keep this stuff around!)
-Dried Pasta
-Pasta Sauce
-Egg Noodles
-Ramen
-Rice (I personally recommend using a short or medium grain rice as your everyday rice. My personal favorite variety is Calrose.)
-Canned Diced Tomatoes
-Chicken Broth
-Beef Broth
-Cooking Sherry
-Canned Tuna
-Canned vegetables, beans or fruits that you enjoy

Your Freezer
Okay, so it's not technically your pantry, and your freezer should never be considered a stasis chamber where nothing ever goes bad. However, it is true that stuff in the chill box can last months, maybe even years. Do try to clean out your freezer at least once a year, more if you find it getting crowded in there. Here are a few things to consider keeping in your freezer:
-Frozen Chicken Breasts
-Frozen Hamburger Patties (Get them already frozen, as they will preserve better than freezing your own ground beef. You can use the beef from the patties in other dishes in a pinch.)
-Frozen Vegetables (Your call here. I'm never without a bag of frozen corn in the freezer, though some people like peas better.)
-Butter (Yes, butter! Keep a box in your freezer and you'll thank me the day you run out of butter and are too lazy to go to the store. Just thaw it out in your fridge for a few hours and it'll be good as new.)
-Ice Cream or Popsicles (Spoil yourself a little!)

So what are the benefits of keeping a fully-stocked kitchen?
I'm starving. So hungry I could eat my own arm, and we haven't gone shopping in a while. With only my basic pantry stuff on hand, I was able to cook up a nice little dish that served both my boyfriend and myself with very little fuss at all. It's nothing very fancy, but it's fast and very tasty.

Herb Chicken with Buttered Noodles
Serves: 2-3
Cook Time: 20 minutes or so of defrosting, plus 20 minutes actual cooking.
Difficulty: Easy

Hardware
-Microwave
-Plate
-Small pot with lid
-Colander (strainer)
-Large Pan
-Knife
-Cutting Board
-Stovetop

Foodstuffs
-2 to 3 Frozen Chicken Breasts
-4 tablespoons butter
-1 medium-sized onion
-Italian Seasoning
-Salt and Pepper
-Worcestershire Sauce (about 2 tablespoons)
-One Package Egg Noodles

Place chicken breasts on a plate, microwave to defrost. Follow your microwave's directions on defrosting poultry, as microwave settings vary by manufacturer. This will take somewhere between 15-20 minutes, during which you can be doing something else, like farming primals. Although, it may be handy to dice up your onion now to save you a minute or so of time. So yeah, dice up that onion into small pieces.
Once the microwave tells you it's done, take the chicken out and cut into bite-size pieces. Heat up 2 tablespoons of the butter in your pan over medium heat. Fill your small pot with water up to about 2 inches away from the top, add your lid and set it over high heat to boil. Add the onions to your melted butter in the pan. Sprinkle Italian seasonings, salt and pepper to taste over your chicken, then add to the pan. Sprinkle on some more seasoning to the backside of your chicken, then add the Worcestershire Sauce. Let this cook, stirring every so often to ensure even cooking, for about 10-15 minutes until your chicken is cooked all the way through. You can tell because it's white all the way through and also very tasty.
Long before your chicken is done, though, you'll notice your water boiling in the pot. Remove the lid and add your egg noodles. These noodles will take somewhere between 5-7 minutes to cook through. Don't let them get too soggy - check them for done-ness every minute or so after the 5 minute mark. Once done, drain and rinse these in your colander in the sink, then return the noodles to your pot off the heat of the stove. Once your chicken is cooked through, add the chicken to your noodles along with the remaining two tablespoons of butter. Stir to combine and melt the butter and serve while warm.

Also: hai Saruin~. To the Anvil Raid: Yeah, I didn't do the ramen recipe, I'll save that one for next week. I mainly wrote this up to remind myself that I need more egg noodles when I go to the store today. >.>