With news of the ‘Circuit Breaker’ extending, it has certainly put a snag in our plans. While we are staying at home and keeping safe, it has inadvertently spawned an entire legion of home cooks and bakers. As a home cook myself, you bet I’m all for it.
However, our enthusiasm to finally make that lasagna dish or those double chocolate chip cookies has caused an unprecedented scarcity in supplies.
It’s true supermarket deliveries have been a tremendous help but with the volume they’re handling now, you’ll be waiting a while for them to come.
No matter, there’s Shopee to the rescue. Here are 7 essential items you can get from Shopee that are currently sold out in supermarkets.
1. Flour
I can’t tell you how difficult this was to source from my neighbourhood supermarkets. Since we have all become bakers during this ‘Circuit Breaker’, there has been a significant dearth at the baking aisle at the supermarket.
All types of flour, be it all-purpose, bread, cake flour, whole wheat, rye are wiped clean from the shelves. You’d be lucky if you manage to get your hands on a bag.
Sure, you can make your way down to those speciality baking stores but so will everyone. Not to mention, with the tighter ‘Circuit Breaker’ measures, you’ll be stuck in a queue for a fair bit of time. With Shopee, there is a whole host of flour at your disposal. It ranges from good ‘ole plain flour like this bag from RedMan, to high-end organic stuff such as this organic flour.
It’s time to get busy in the kitchen!
2. Baking Powder/Baking Supplies
The serious Circuit Breaker baker is nothing without their baking supplies.
If you looked up the recipe for Banana Bread, chances are you’ll need the likes of baking powder, baking soda and vanilla.
Yes, those are unfortunately missing from the shelves as well. You don’t want to search high and low for vanilla essence or cocoa powder—order them off Shoppee and get baking!
3. Yeast
This is for all the people who are feeling a little more ambitious this Circuit Breaker and want to dip their toes in the wonderful world of bread making.
For that to happen, you need your yeast.
That’s what helps your dough rise and get all fluffy. After all, there’s nothing more therapeutic than kneading all your feelings into a ball of dough.
Shopee has got you covered from instant yeast to active dry yeast. What’s more, all you really need is a small amount and your entire house will start smelling like bread.
4. Box Mixes
This is for the more ‘efficient’ baker that just wants to get those cookies quick. Baked goods can be tricky and if you don’t want the extra stress of getting every little step right, let Betty Crocker do the measuring.
All you need are common household items like eggs and vegetable oil and voila brownies! That’s not all if convenience is your middle name there are also pancake mixes and instant bread mixes so you can make a whole meal out of it. All you need is a click on Shopee and these boxes will be delivered to your doorstep.
5. Spices/ Herbs
Since everyone is bringing their A-game when in the kitchen, the spice rack has taken a hit too. The likes of oregano, rosemary, parsley and more have disappeared from the shelves.
Even ground chilli is hard to find. To really see whether you have the chops to make that new pasta recipe that you were always dying to try or even attempting to recreate the McSpicy Burger—you’ll need your spices/ herbs.
It gets better—on Shopee, you can buy these spices/ herbs in bulk so you can finally work your way down that bookmarked recipe list.
6. Pasta
This one hurts the most. While the grocery stores are not completely out of pasta, the popular hits like spaghetti, penne, fettuccine are few and far in between. I don’t know about you but carbs do make the days pass a little faster.
The magic and beauty of shopping online is that Shopee opens you up the wonderfully varied world of pasta. I mean princess pasta? I’m sold.
7. Select Canned Goods
Another part of the supermarket that we often take for granted has to be canned goods. Usually well-stocked, I found myself scouring for beans, canned tomatoes and even sardines. To be honest, Shopee was not my first choice for canned goods but if you’re in a desperate pinch, I don’t see why not.
These are uncertain times and given the current COVID-19 situation we want to stay at home as much as possible. Shopee allows us to get those highly coveted items while minimising out risk. It’s an ingenious way to bake as much banana bread as you want. You can even try our simple stay-home recipes get yourself started!
