Dry staples: unsung heroes

Dry staples are the unsung heroes of the pantry, quietly waiting in jars, ready to rescue us from potential dilemmas. Their importance cannot be overstated; from grains and legumes to spices and herbs, these humble ingredients are indispensable for all of us in the kitchen, from the top-flight chef to the humble dog cook.

One of the greatest advantages of maintaining a diverse selection of dry staples is how they help you improvise. A well-stocked pantry lets you get creative with leftovers and experiment with new ingredients and textures: leftovers can be transformed into training treats, dry grains turned into sprouted vegetables and yesterday’s topping into cookies.

I’ve put together a list of most of the dry staples in the Well Dog Pantry, some of which are used more often than others but all of which have a part to play.

So here we go:

Amaranth

Ashwagandha powder

Baobab powder

Beetroot powder

Broccoli germination seeds

Buckwheat flour

Chia seeds

Chickpea flour – Offers a more concentrated source of protein, fibre and nutrients than chickpeas

Chickpeas, dried

Coconut milk powder (bio)

Cornmeal

Couscous

Dashi

Fenugreek

Flax seeds

Flaxseed ow-carb meal

Freekeh

Ginger

Green lentils

Green spelt

Hemp protein powder

Hemp seeds

Lentils (various e.g. red, Pardina, Puy, Beluga)

Lima (butter) beans

Maca powder

Malt

Millet

Moringa Oleifera

Mucilage (not a dry staple as such, but can be made easily from dry staples such as flax or chia)

Mung beans –

Mushrooms, dried

Mushroom powder

Nutritional yeast

Oats (organic, rolled)

Plantain flour

Psyllium husks

Pumpkin seeds (ground)

Quinoa (various)

Reishi powder

Rice, basmati brown

Rice flour

Rosemary

Semolina

Sorghum flour

Soy flour

Spelt

Spinach

Spinach powder

Spirulina

Split peas (green and yellow)

Strawberries

Thyme

Turmeric

Watermelon

Wheatgrass

Wholewheat flour