Hunt’s Spaghetti Sauce

 

Here I am, Googling for Hunt’s Spaghetti Sauce to check for ingredients and nutrition info to compare to jarred sauce, and I stumble across a review of a can on a blog called Cheap Eats.

 

By the way, the name sounds promising — I’m desperately trying to keep the grocery budget in check myself. We’ve been having a lot of beans and meats filled out with frozen vegetables. Sadly, my cheap cooking protein staple — tofu — is, oh, about $15-20 a pound in Slovakia.

 

Why the canned sauce? Well, Scott and I were just discussing pasta sauce the other day, remarking upon how most jars are kind of pricey but don’t give you much good flavor. (But I never buy jarred sauce here anymore — you pay a few bucks and get a teeny-tiny jar of stuff that tastes like ketchup.) We started reminiscing about our college days, when we routinely opted for Hunt’s pasta sauce in a can (not the kind labeled “tomato sauce” — that’s something different). It usually cost only $1, and the flavor was just as good as the Ragus and Pregos on the shelves (or any sauce in a jar that costs less than $8).

 

Hmm, there is one exception, though. Whole Foods had this store-brand sauce infused with pesto back when I was a senior — wonder if it’s still around?

 

Anyway, it was nice to stumble upon a review that jived with what we remembered from back-when. Now, back to stumbling — still haven’t found that nutrition and ingredient info, as hunts.com doesn’t list their spaghetti sauce or even their Cook’s Illustrated-endorsed ketchup.

 

Hunt, hunt, hunt.

 

OK — Hunt’s Four Cheese, $1.85 on NetGrocer

50 cal/1 g fat for 1/2 cup

6 servings

ingredients:

Ingredients: Tomato Puree (Water, Tomato Paste), Sugar, Granular And Parmesan Cheese (Pasteurized Milk, Cheese Cultures, Enzymes), Salt, Soybean Oil, Part-Skim Ricotta Cheese (Pasteurized Whey, Cream, Whey Protein Concentrated, Distilled Vinegar), Dehydrated Onions, Spices, Dehydrated Romano Cheese Made From Cow’s Milk (Pasteurized Milk, Cheese Cultures, Salt, Enzymes), Dehydrated Mozzarella Cheese [(Pasteurized Part-Skim Milk, Cheese Culture, Enzymes), Whey, Sodium Phosphate, Lactic Acid], Citric Acid, Natural Flavor.

 

Ragu Robusto! Six Cheese, $2.95 on NetGrocer

90 cal/3 g fat for 1/2 cup

6 servings

ingredients:

Tomato Puree (Water, Tomato Paste), Diced Tomatoes, Onions, Sugar, Ricotta Cheese (Pasteurized Milk, Whey, Vinegar, Salt), Soybean Oil, Aged Asiago, Mozzarella and Fontina Cheese (Pasteurized Milk, Cheese Cultures, Salt, Enzymes), Salt, Romano and Parmesan Cheese (Part-Skim Milk, Cheese Cultures, Salt, Enzymes), Basil, Garlic, Spices, Natural Flavor (Egg).

 

Notice that both, like most jarred and canned sauces, are mostly tomato puree. It’s a lot cheaper to ship that tomato paste to the factory and reconstitute it than to ship water-laden whole or crushed tomatoes. Hence, such smooth sauce.

 

Hey, I’m not saying any are as good as homemade, which is definitely my stock in trade these days — but if you’re going to buy a cheap jar, why pay extra for stuff that’s not any better?

Building a Pantry

I’ve now had several experiences with creating a pantry from scratch in a new kitchen, and I think I finally understand the unspoken rules.

First, a pantry should be built around what you know for sure you will cook; i.e., don’t stock up on inexpensive canned soup if you don’t particularly enjoy eating soup for a meal.

Meal planning plays a part in this as well. I’m a big advocate of mapping out in advance what you will serve for dinner each week. When you plan, you don’t end up with a freezer full of sausages and veggie burgers slowly turning into ice crystals over the course of a year.

For my third pantry, I started out with the usual blind buying of food items during my first grocery store visit, but through careful dinner planning I thinned the stock down to the always-on-had basics.

 

Take this list as guide to the most basic American pantry. Use it for your first shopping trip in a new kitchen, along with a list of ingredients you might need for your first week’s meals. If you’d like an expanded pantry that takes into account particular cooking predilections you might have, I’ll provide a few lists of extras.

 

Cooking Fats

Olive oil: The healthiest fat you can buy. Use it for vinaigrettes or sautés. Pure is usually cheaper, but some prefer extra-virgin for the added flavor.

Canola oil: Probably the second-healthiest cooking oil. Keep this around for any cooking that requires a higher temperature, such as deep-frying or stir-fries. Also good for salad dressings that you don’t want to be overwhelmed by olive oil’s flavor.

Non-stick spray: It’s great for reducing the amount of fat you use in cooking on the stovetop, and it’s necessary for almost any pan you pop in the oven. Sure, you could use butter to lube some baking pans, but it’s messy and time-consuming.

Butter or butter-flavored spray: Unless you’re a baker (see the Baking Pantry), you can get away with using oil for most recipes calling for butter and save yourself from saturated fat, but butter is good for flavoring bread and steamed veggies. A refrigerated butter-flavored spray can do the flavoring without the fat.

Filling the Canisters

All-purpose flour: Unless you bake, you’ll probably only need the small bag to use for thickening gravies and sauces, for making pancakes or waffles, and for breading meat.

White granulated sugar: For any sweetening needs. You only need a small bag or box (again, unless you bake), and it doesn’t matter whether it’s “cane sugar” or just “sugar.”

Baking powder: For any small baking tasks. It’s not expensive and will keep for months.

Baking soda: Get at least two boxes (very cheap stuff!). Put one in the pantry for recipes and one, open, in the fridge to deodorize.

Iodized table salt: It’s the cheapest and easiest-to-find salt around, it provides two necessary minerals in your diet, it dissolves easily and so won’t leave salt pockets in baked goods, and no, kosher salt does not taste any different. Unless you’re talking pricey fleur de sel or other designer salts, salt is salt, so don’t waste your money. Use about half the salt called for in recipes written for kosher salt.

Spice Rack

Black pepper: If you have a grinder, get whole peppercorns (check the ethnic aisles for inexpensive bags). If you don’t, get a small can so you can replace this about every six months.

Spice blend: Having a bunch of herbs and spices all together in one jar is a good shortcut for adding flavor to your cooking. Sprinkle it on potatoes, meats, veggies, whatever. If you cook Rachael Ray recipes a lot, you’ll probably want that salty, spicy Montreal Steak Seasoning from McCormick; if you love barbecue potato chips, try Lawry’s Seasoned Salt; if you’re watching your sodium, Mrs. Dash Table Blend is great; my mother-in-law recommends slightly lemony Greek Seasoning. Chili powder is also a good, easy-to-find blend of spices; just make sure it’s CHILI powder, as in what you would add to chili, and not powdered version of some kind of dried chile pepper, like Ancho chile powder.

Garlic powder: It’s good to have on hand to add mild garlic flavor to dressings and dips. You can also use it in a pinch if you’re out of garlic.

Paprika: Hot, sweet, smoked — your choice. Paprika adds nice color to meats and mayo-based salads. You eat with your eyes, of course.

Cinnamon: A sweet spice for desserts. Great on apple dishes. Plus, it’s the secret ingredient in many chili recipes.

Cayenne: For adding heat. Alternatively, go for crushed red pepper flakes.

Bouillon cubes: To make broth for cooking rice or soup.

Italian seasoning or herbes de provence: A shortcut for getting some dried herbs on your shelf. Use it until you have a real (recipe) reason to buy other dried herbs.

*Another possibility – a spice rack: My husband is a big proponent of this route. For about $20-30, you can pick up a spinning rack pre-filled with a variety of seasonings, probably including most of the above. It’s usually cheaper than buying individual jars of each spice. If you think at all that you’ll be using a lot of spices in your cooking, go this route and save some money long term.

Produce

Onions: You can add them to just about any dish to fill it out and add flavor. They keep well in a cool, dark, dry place — NOT under the sink and NOT near the potatoes.

Garlic: Me, I’m a sucker for the jars of peeled cloves in the refrigerator case, but whole bulbs keep longer and don’t need refrigeration.

All-purpose potatoes: If you’re not a low-carb person, potatoes are cheap and filling. Smashed, mashed, fried, roasted, baked, whatever — they make a great side dish. Look for the white or light-colored all-purpose ones that are decent in any application. Keep them in a cool, dark, dry place, far away from those moisture-releasing onions.

Salad greens: Adding a salad with dinner most nights will help you eat less of the richer foods on your plate. Buy them buy the bag or head.

Tomatoes: Along with the onions and salad greens, they make a great side salad. Sliced on their own they make a good side dish. Chopped, you can throw them in a variety of dishes.

Bananas: Or apples, or oranges, or whatever. Some fruit to have available for snacks or desserts. Eat healthy.

Dry Goods

Bread: For sandwiches or a dinner side dish. I like whole-wheat loaves.

Popcorn: For snacking — cheaper and healthier than any sort of chips or pretzels. It’s a whole grain! If you go the microwave route, avoid any brands with diacetyl butter flavoring. Apparently it kills your lungs.

Apple cider vinegar: It’s slightly sweet, making it vastly more palatable than white vinegar (which is great as a cleaner). It’s also the cheapest vinegar after the white stuff.

Tea bags: Iced tea is easy to make at home (if you like it sweet, add simple syrup made by boiling equal portions of tap water and your sugar, or invest in artificial sweetener) and inexpensive. Also, grab coffee if you’re a coffee drinker.

Cereal: Whatever kind you like, though I prefer one that’s not too sweet and features whole grains. Oatmeal is a good cereal, too.

Condiments

Mustard: Essential for sandwiches and homemade salad dressings. It can also supplement your spice rack (no need for powdered mustard).

Mayonnaise: I prefer light mayo for sandwiches and dressings.

Ketchup: Great for those potatoes and eggs.

Worcestershire sauce: Adds meaty flavor to recipes.

Refrigerator Staples

Eggs: So versatile! Eat them on their own, bind other ingredients, make other dishes richer-tasting for the fat . . .

Cheese: I like a sliced cheese for sandwiches and grated cheese (parmesan or pecorino romano) for seasoning.

Lunch meat: Go with what you like. The idea is to have something you can eat for lunch when you don’t have leftovers.

Bacon: It makes everything yummy.

Milk: For drinking and cereal.

Keep in mind, this is just to get you started. Your pantry will grow as you start buying more things to meet your recipe needs through weekly grocery shopping.

Of course, there might be a few things on my list that you wouldn’t use. If you’re vegetarian, you’ll likely want to leave out those meats and replace them, maybe roasted red peppers for the lunch meat and kalamata olives for the bacon.

The point is, don’t go stocking up on stuff because you think you might use it or because it’s on sale. That can of beans is no good if it’s just taking up space in the pantry until the day comes when you need it and discover it’s past the expiration date. Why keep around the sack of arborio rice only to throw it away when you move, having never touched it? It’s a waste of money and space. Plan and keep the stored staples to a minimum.