When I first started thinking about this list of pantry essentials, my mind turned towards building blocks like grains, beans, and greens – all of which I keep in abundance. But then I considered what I would need to enhance those ingredients. What are the flavors that make me savor a meal? Here are five…
Emily's 5 Pantry Essentials• 1. Garlic: Some of my earliest memories involve watching my father swiftly chopping garlic with his Chinese cleaver, so this ingredient is central to my ideas about cooking. In my own kitchen, I use this pungent allium in all forms: raw, cooked, roasted, fermented, and fried – which I recently discovered makes a fantastic soup topper.
• 2. Onions: Onions are the foundation of so many dishes that I start to feel antsy if there are only one or two bulbs left in the pantry. I most frequently use all-purpose yellow onions, but I like to have one red and one white on hand, too. For quick flavor boosting, I keep batches of caramelized onions and onion jam in the freezer.
• 3. Olive Oil: I highly recommend spending the time to really taste olive oils (it's a fun activity to do with friends!). There are so many varietals and flavors, from bitter to fruity to buttery, that it makes sense to have a few bottles for different dishes. For general, everyday use, however, I like the extra virgin olive oil from California Olive Ranch.
• 4. Sesame Oil: Between my Chinese-Vietnamese heritage and my partner's Korean background, we use a lot of sesame oil in our kitchen. This robust oil makes its way into stir fries, salad and noodle dressings, dipping sauces, marinades, and more. Tip: when cooking East Asian dishes, always use dark, toasted/roasted sesame oil, which has a richer flavor.
• 5. Soy Sauce: I cook with soy sauce not just to add saltiness but also depth and complexity. Even if I'm lacking time, ingredients, or inspiration, I can almost always whip up a quick bowl of vegetables, tofu, or noodles with the simple trio of soy sauce, sesame oil, and garlic. For general cooking, I usually prefer darker, richer varieties of soy sauce.
To see more of my pantry essentials, check out my posts on vegetarian and vegan and freezer staples.
Related: How To Stock a Vegetarian (or Vegan) Pantry
(Image: Emily Ho)
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I also keep on hand a lot of what you have listed, and in the last year or so added coconut oil to the list. I use it almost daily and really prefer it to olive oil (which I also still use). Incredibly useful and versatile, and the flavor is nice. Really glad Trader Joe's is now carrying it; their version is great and quite a bit less in price than Whole Foods.
Ooh, tell me about freezing onion jam. I don't use it very often, and I always feel bad about the portion(s) that go to waste. Do you freeze it in individual TBs, or is it soft enough to be used straight from the freezer?
Great list. I also agree with RMF325 about keeping coconut oil on hand and TJ's version is indeed economical as as well as good.
My basic pantry expands to include rice, quinoa, a variety of dried pasta, chocolate chips and cocoa, good salts, potatoes, and canned tomato paste - aside from baking basics and perishables such as eggs and milk. With all ones already listed in the post and other comment along with mine, I feel prepared for almost anything.
Oh, and because we have a fantastic Chinese grocery store here, I also have begun keeping a wide range of Lee Kum Kee sauces on hand - their Korean Barbeque sauce is fantastic for doing ribs. I cannot always understand what is in other brand names there, but this brand always lists its ingredients in English which is important because my husband has food allergies. Adding even a dash of an intense or aromatic sauce can lift the most mundane dishes.
Thanks for a great post. I look forward to seeing what others add.
Wow, I didn't know sesame oil came in such large containers! The little bottle I have must be one one-hundredth of that!
@RMF325 I've recently starting using coconut oil, too. It was so hard to choose just 5 items for this list!
@ALICELOST I freeze the onion jam in small portions, a couple of tablespoons to 1/4 cup.
Korean soy sauce!
Koreans eat dumplings with soy sauce as a dip. Dumplings are usually meat-filled. - this is the off the point though.