Low Carb Pantry Essentials:
Low Carb Pantry Essentials. OK, here’s the deal. We all know Rome wasn’t built in a day and neither will your pantry. Buy things as you can and then keep them stocked while you add to them. I think one of the problems people consider when going lowcarb is OMG I don’t have any of this stuff and they give up. Eating lowcarb does take commitment and that’s really about all it takes. If you are eating recipes from this site you will be eating keto lowcarb and trust me, I am not into suffering. As a chef in my former working life it has been relatively easy for me to formulate my recipes and all you have to do is now follow them. I realize most people cannot do this (re-formulate recipes) and now it should be much easier for you. Some of the recipes may look complicated and some of them actually are and if you want a finished meal that tastes like anything people will actually eat it takes time, good ingredients, and patience. I have eaten all the recipes here and have eaten this way for the last nearly 12 years and as I said, I am not into suffering. I eat a lot of fat cause fat makes your pants fall down, as in lots of weight loss and…it is good for you. I eat full fat cheeses, tons of butter, olive oil and 40% heavy cream. I render and use my own lard and tallow and I am not asking you to do that, only that you use healthy fats which means, if possible, no vegetable (seed) oils. Butter, olive oil and coconut oil should do you very well in almost all cases.
Yes, I am lucky to be living in foodie town heaven Portland, Oregon. I have access to absolutely everything here. Not all of you will be this lucky and my only advice can be to do as well as you can under your own circumstances. Here is another lucky thing for me. Portland is the home of Bob’s Redmill. I go to their only store and buy things in bulk for 40% less than any grocery. Most of the products & prices I get from Netrition are probably the best I have found and their shipping is ridiculously low and free with a $99.00 order. I have marked them with a red X.
It will cost a bit more in the beginning but I would suggest trying a product before you stock up unless you are familiar with it. I will say as the guinea pig, these are the products I highly recommend. You may have a product you have used & love and I say continue using it as I am absolutely not wed to anyone else’s decisions. Each link will take you to pictures & prices of the products and NO I am NOT compensated for any endorsements I may make here as these are all products I use…everyday.
It is almost always less expensive to order from @Netrition than from @Amazon.
Examples: $Netrition $Amazon
Carbalose Flour 9.99 17.99
Pork King Good Pork Crumbs 10.99 12.99
Bob’s Almond Flour 10.99 14.37
Lily’s SF Chocolate Chips 6.99 9.30
Mt. Olive SF Sweet Relish 3.89 7.27
Many times Amazon is forcing you to purchase 3-6 items to get the prices above and the list goes on. It is my opinion that Netrition is not only less expensive, it is very easy to get free shipping with a purchase of $99.00 or more. Where do I shop? Netrition.
Here, in one tidy package, are over 550 Keto~Paleo~Low Carb~Diabetic Chef’s Recipes
Essential Equipment: Pretty short list but I’m going to blab about a couple things first.
A Good Quality Set Of Knives And What To Look For:
My preference happens to be Forschner Knives made by Victorinox which is the same company that has been making Swiss Army Knives forever and first delivered to the Swiss Army in 1891. I have had my chef’s knife nearly 40 years which is pretty good testament as to its quality and durability. There are several reasons why I like these knives. 1.) The balance and feel in my hand and yours may be different 2.) The prices. They are extremely well priced for what you get. 3.) They are easy to sharpen and keep sharpened. There are different hardness’s of steel blades and Forschner is what I call a middle of the roader. It is easy enough to realign the blade on a knife steel quite easily and hard enough to keep its edge for a time. I do have a honing stone and I use it maybe every 3 years. Remember every time you use a stone you are grinding away part of the blade. All you are doing when using a knife steel is realigning the blade which happens with use. 
I liken a knife blade to my beloved Rocky Mountains. If you could see a straight on view of a blade that needs sharpening it is kind of raggedy. By steeling the blade it aligns those raggedy edges back into line which sharpens. Every time you hone a knife you are actually wearing away part of the metal. Keep this in mind when purchasing your knives. How often do I want to hone them? How often do I want to just steel them? How long do I want them to last? If you end up with very hard steel blades the edge will last a long time but they are much harder to sharpen and depending, it may need to be done professionally. As you look at the pictures notice the Rosewood Handled Knives and each is riveted three times. These are my preferred knives but you can’t put them in a dishwasher and I never have. All knives should always be hand-washed. The three rivets will hold the blade forever. When looking at the length of a knife it refers to the blade length-not an overall length. It is absolutely essential to have knives that feel good and have the right balance in your hands and this will be different for each of you. Buying knives is an investment. I have more than 3 knives but really it is my belief you only need 3 working knives. I do have an electric knife. One last thought: The absolute easiest way to cut yourself is using a dull knife. Ever notice how it can “bounce” off an onion and into your finger or hand? That’s a dull blade so keep those puppies sharp.
Baking Pans:
I have talked several places on the site about the importance of quality metal baking pans and this is another reminder. If you are going to bake it would be a very good idea to use professional pans. Magic Line Pans are the best quality available, they come in about every size & shape you will ever need and…they are made here in the USA. There is a complete size set of square pans (6″, 7″, 8″, 9″,10″ and 12″) and with these you will have what you need (and perhaps more) to make my recipes. Since there are only two of us I often make a ½ recipe, use the 6″x6″ pan and cut into 8-10 pieces. I think because I promote this set of pans several places on this site they keep selling out of them so if you don’t see the 6 pan combo call 309-747-2125 and they will make one for you.
The rest of the stuff and I’ll add as needed:
I have always pretty much been a chef of limited gadgets but there are a few essentials you will need. For me if it only does one job then I don’t need or want it, if it does two jobs then maybe, and three or more count me in baby. And before you laugh, there are a few gadgets that do only one thing but they are few and far between. I have had and used the same Chef’s knife for nearly 40 years and same goes for my Sharp convection microwave. Got it in 1978, I have no idea how many times a day I use it but it’s plenty, and it still has the original bulb in it. It was produced long before the notion of planned obsolescence. I guess now-a-days you can buy a microwave for $40. but what are you really getting?
Keto Lemon Garlic Aioli as shown with padron peppers. An aioli, as I know it, pretty much always has garlic in it and by garlic I mean GARLIC and served as an appetizer with padron peppers? Yikes, so good. Not too long ago chef Taffiny Elrod from NY, a twitter friend, became a real-life friend when she came to visit Portland for a food conference.
We ate at the spectacular restaurant OX and one of the appetizers we had was padron peppers in some to-die-for sauce. I have always loved padrons just blistered and drenched in olive oil and lots of salt but as you can see and may find out that the addition of the keto lemon garlic aioli with the padrons are simply to die for. Blistered padron peppers have what I consider a very mild heat but…every once in a while you might get a zinger.
