The Best of Pantry

Janet Arnett is the former campus manager of adult education at Ontario’s Georgian College. She is the author of Antiques and Collectibles: Starting Small, The Grange at Knock, and 673 Ways to Save Money.

The editors describe this collection as “simple, unfussy” cooking.
Simple, it seems, has changed.

The food section in the Canadian magazine Harrowsmith Country Life is
called “Pantry,” which explains the awkward title for this
assemblage of over 300 recipes.

While you will find much here that is reminiscent of a traditional
Canadian country pantry, you will find also recipes for eight different
flatbreads (puri, hasha, lefsa, etc.), widespread use of exotic grains
(couscous, quinoa, kasha), spicy Asian dishes (gado gado, garam masala),
and the mandatory pasta dishes. Mixed in with this jumble are recipes
for some things you might be expected to associate with a pantry:
baking-powder biscuits, pound cake, bread, doughnuts, jam, pancakes, and
muffins.

There are sections devoted to light lunches, salads, main dishes,
soups, side dishes, sauces, baking, desserts, and beverages. A few
recipes stand out as must-haves: stuffed squash, orange French toast,
pear crisp.

The book is rather unattractive, with a dull layout complicated by
photos printed as monochromes, in red, overlapping the type. There’s a
scattering of full-color illustrations of the recipes ready to serve.
Nice but skimpy.

The recipes are just a bit upscale. They assume a well-educated cook
with all the toys of a foodie’s kitchen at hand. Now where did I put
my clam knife?