With a well-stocked pantry, you'll not only be prepared to cook a wide range of dishes, you'll save time and money in the long run, because by getting accustomed to your personal set of supplies, you'll develop your own style, and you will not have to go out to the store and buy every single ingredient in a dish when it's time for dinner.
In the Kitchn Cure, I'm starting to try to impart some techniques for cooking more by instinct than by recipe. This is a great time of year to try this style of free-hand cooking because the availability of inspiring ingredients, produce in particular, starts to be more bountiful. And, ironically, the best place to start is not at the farmers' market, but at the grocery store. Sure, those fiddlehead ferns you see at your friendly farmer's stand are sure pretty, but what are you going to do with them?
You need to stock your pantry.
Here, in roughly descending order of importance, is a list of pantry staples that having on hand at all times will make it easier to cook regularly and by instinct rather than depending solely on recipes. Of course, depending on the cuisines that influence your cooking, this list could change dramatically. And depending on how much space you have, you may be limited. Take it with a grain of salt, and leave suggestions for pantry basics I've left out that you feel are essential for the way you like to cook.
- Good Sea Salt. Maldon Sea Salt is a nice flakey salt that many chefs prefer for finishing. It costs about $7 for a box that will last you a long time. This stuff is different and it will make a noticeable difference if you salt your food with it. Trust me. For salting while you cook, a $2 box of coarse kosher will work.
- Black Peppercorns and a Good Peppermill. You can buy peppercorns in a container that also grinds them, but usually this is a big waste of plastic since you cannot refill the container. There are a range of peppermills to choose from: we've written about the beautiful (and pricey) Perfex mill. This is also a good item to scavenge for on eBay.
- Good Quality Olive Oil. We've covered this topic a lot on the site (see Emma's piece on How Much To Pay For Olive Oil) My rule of thumb is to get the best you can afford, and don't buy more than you can use in a few months because it will go rancid.
- Chicken (or Vegetable) Stock. Have a few cartons of stock around for risottos, simmering vegetables, and just giving extra flavor to your stove-top and oven-prepared dishes. Shelf-stable, packaged stock (or broth) comes in 32oz (4 cup) cartons, and handy 8oz (1 cup) containers. Imagine and Pacific are two brands that offer organic free range broth in both sizes.
- Dried Pasta. Perhaps the most obvious pantry staple. If you have several shapes, you'll be halfway to dinner. I keep one long, like spaghetti and several shaped pastas, like penne and orecchiette.
- Cooking Wine. There is a lot of chatter out there about how to select wines for cooking, but if you're just starting out, don't fuss too much about it. Just start experimenting. I tend to use wines for cooking that I would drink. Try Sauvignon Blanc and Chiati. Madeira and Marsala are other reds that go nicely with foods, especially desserts like simmered fruits.
- Vinegar of Several Varieties. Don't get lost here. Start with balsamic, then try white wine vinegar. If you cook with Asian-influenced flavors, a bottle of rice wine vinegar will help.
- Canned Whole Plum Tomatoes. If you have room, keep several large cans on hand. Many meals for me start by dumping one into a pot and then adding whatever else I have around. Stews, braises, pasta sauces, bruschetta purees. It's pretty much endless.
- Rice. With brown rice and a package of Arborio rice (risotto) in my kitchen, I always feel like I can pull something together. Those are my preferences - one for health reasons, the other for taste and texture. There are many varieties of rice: choose at least two.
- Dried Mushrooms. Dried porcini mushrooms pack the most punch, but buy what you can afford. FungusAmongUs.com offers a pound of bulk organic dried porcini for $25, which may sound expensive, but that is a lot of dried mushrooms, and they keep well in a sealed container (I use a canning jar.) Trader Joe's shoppers can buy an inexpensive bag of dried wild mushrooms ($1.99 for an ounce, enough to get you through a couple of meals so buy a few packets), a mix of porcini, shiitake, cremini, and oyster mushrooms.
- Capers. Either packed in brine, or salt, capers are an essential ingredient in many Mediterranean dishes from Pasta Puttanesca to salad Niçoise. They instantly add a tang and pungency to chicken, fish and pasta. Try pairing them with lemony flavors.
- Anchovies. Cured fillets, packed either in olive oil or salt (which have a longer shelf life), add depth to salad dressings, pasta sauces. Just one or two mashed up fillets can be that "magic ingredient" you're looking for when something just isn't tasty enough.
- Dried Red Pepper Flakes. When you want a little spice in any dish, a pinch of red pepper flakes added during the cooking process will go a long way.
- Dijon Mustard. Slater it on roasts, add to salad dressings, plop a dollop of it on your cheeseboard.
- High Smoking Point Oil. If you plan to fry anything, don't waste your olive oil. A bottle of canola or grapeseed oil is good to have around.
- Nut Oil. A small bottle of walnut or hazelnut oil will go a long way as a base for salad dressings, or a quick finishing drizzle on finished pasta dishes, meats, or cooked vegetables.
- Nuts. If you keep one kind of nut around, the pine nut gets my vote. Then sliced almonds. They turn in a few months' time, so really use them if you have them. Toasted in the oven or in a skillet, they're great in salads, in rice dishes and smashed up as crusts for meat and fish.
- Lentils. A quick legume that makes a nice warm side-dish, or a fresh, cool salad. The tiny green French variety is my favorite. Yellow lentils are common in Indian cooking.
- Couscous. Cooks quickly and is delicious warm or cool. Takes to cooked vegetables, or finely chopped fresh vegetables.
- Dried Herbs and Spices. This is really a matter of personal choice. I only use a handful of dried herbs and spices, like fennel and fennel pollen, cayenne pepper, ginger powder, coriander and cumin. Nutmeg is useful in both sweet and savory cooking, but we'll list it officially in the sweet list.
- Soy Sauce. It adds lots of flavor to stir-fried vegetables and meats, but don't over-do it, it's packed with sodium.
With even just a few of these items in your arsenal, you will be ready to create magic the next time you come home with a bundle of fresh produce and maybe even some fish or meat. Next up... a list for bakers.
This is the best pantry list I've seen in a long time. Thanks for the explanations and alternatives! (Although right under soy sauce, I would add fish sauce and oyster sauce. It took me a long time to realize those were the flavors I wanted, not another dash of soy sauce!)
view squidlette's profile
Note about pine nuts - they are kind of pricey and i never need the entire package for one meal so I keep mine in the freezer and don't have to worry about them going bad before i want to use them again.
view vertigo's profile
Just a question - do balsamic vinegar and soy sauce go bad? I have both but I haven't used them in awhile and I'm wondering if i should replace them. I don't see expiration dates on them? BTW, neither smell rancid. Thanks!
view amm1029's profile
chicken broth is a must -- but instead of those bulky boxes, i like using the shelf stable broth concentrate sticks from savory creations (http://www.savory-creations.com/products/retail.html). they save so much space, not to mention that the flavor has so much depth..
view thedonna's profile
Please, please encourage people to make their own stock. It's not that hard, and you can freeze it pre-portioned. It's such a thrifty thing to do since you basically just use stuff that you'd otherwise throw out! Stock takes some time on the stove, but you don't have to do much.
Here's a blog post with my method that I wrote ages ago:
http://angorian.livejournal.com/37666.html
I now just do veggie stock as a one-day thing (min. 5 hrs simmering) since it doesn't really need the extra day that chicken stock does. I know the recipe looks long, but seriously, it's not that much work. The fiddliest bit is straining it through a sieve at the end and not dumping the bits all over your floor/counter. Be daring! Give it a shot!
view angorian's profile
May I add my own tip about wine? Since I don't drink wine, I used to waste a lot just using 1/3 cup here and there for cooking. It usually turned before I could use even half the bottle. Then I realized that my local liquor store sells four-packs of 187 ml bottles of low-rent brands such as Sutter Home. Granted, it's lower quality. I wouldn't use the stuff for coq au vin, but it's good enough to deglaze a pan or lurk in the background of a soup.
view Julie's profile
I suppose we'll see them on the baking list, but even for people who don't bake, I think honey and brown sugar are essentials for sauces, marinades, dry rubs, etc.
Also, mayo and ketchup.
view renata's profile
Julie, I do that too! And even if I DID drink wine, I couldn't finish a whole bottle alone.
amm1029, I hope soy sauce and balsamic don't go bad, I never toss either one. Soy sauce is so salty I think it would have a hard time going bad anyway. Anyone else have any ideas?
view Tiamat_the_Red's profile
A suggestion that I read a while ago--I think in the Art of Braising--that has proved really helpful. Dry (sometimes labelled extra-dry) white vermouth doesn't oxidise like wine and will keep for months in the fridge, so it's great for adding a splash to a soup, braise, risotto, etc. Martini brand is good, though the best I've found is Noilly Prat. And they make a wonderful aperitif too, plain, with gin or vodka, or with creme de cassis!
view shiras's profile
Hi! Just found this blog a couple of days ago and I'm already in love-- especially because of articles like this one. I'm getting ready to move from single dorm life to married city-apartment life, and the contents of my pantry will change drastically.
Another thing I try to keep on hand: fresh lemons. They're dirt cheap at the grocery store and they keep for a good while in the refrigerator, and a tablespoon of lemon juice is great mixed in with all sorts of things.
When making vinaigrette or tangy dressings, I often add lemon juice for a hint of citrus complexity-- really works well with spinach salads and anything that involves fruit or juicy vegetables.
A teaspoon or so of lemon juice can be used to prevent sliced avocados and fruits from oxidizing, as I'm sure most of you know-- plus they add a terrific flavor. (Avocados also go well with small amounts of lime juice, which is even cheaper and longer-lasting, paired with salt and chili powder.)
And if you find that capers are a little too strong for your pasta dish (light sauce, delicate vegetables), try sauteeing them in olive oil with a tablespoon of lemon juice until they're beginning to fall apart. It mellows the flavor without losing any of the lemony punch, and the liquid left in the pan is fantastic mixed into the sauce or a salad dressing.
view elise_the_great's profile
Here's a tip that an Italian nonna passed down to me: put your dried porcini in a jar with some black peppercorns. The pepper helps preserve the mushrooms, and also protect them from parasites.
view mlt43's profile
Glad to say I have everything on this list except the anchovies because I've been a vegetarian since I was 10. Also, you can get 2 Buck Chuck at Trader Joes to use in cooking. And I do have vermouth, because that goes in my home-made pasta sauce with Kalamata olives. I did get the good quality kind, but don't drink it because I'm more a wine-y.
view kaanswfm's profile
Good boxed wine (it exists) is great for cooking. It keeps for weeks if not months without oxidizing.
view bubble's profile
I agree about the lemons. You can use them a million different ways from salad dressings, to cakes and breads, to just putting a slice in your ice water. They are a must in my house.
Also, I'm looking for a sleek modern spice rack I can mount on my wall. Any suggestions?
view ll's profile
I think Target had some that were wall mountable.
view kaanswfm's profile
A wine tip: I use vermouth when white wine is called for. You can keep an opened bottle for along time on the shelf. It's actually cheaper than wine, and, most of the time, I think the flavor is better than plain white wine.
For red, I always have a good quality boxed red wine to use.
view Dulcibella's profile
Vermouth is a great substitute for white wine. They have cheap wine in small tetra packs that I find very convenient when you need 1/3 cup here and there since they keep well. Brandy is a must in my kitchen since it is great to deglaze and make a quick sauce for meats.
view delecson's profile
I also keep some cans of cooked beans, corn, tuna, sardines, smoked oysters and such. For emergencies.
view Sol's profile
Yeah, I would add to this list canned cannellini beans, black beans, and tomato puree.
And because we make a fair amount of Japanese food in this house, we also always need dried seaweed (usually toasted nori and wakame), sesame seeds, miso, and rice vinegar (not the seasoned stuff--as a basic, the unseasoned is better because you can easily season it yourself and it has more uses plain).
view cmcinnyc's profile
a trick my grandma taught me when left with a partial can/carton of chicken broth - pour into an extra ice cube tray and freeze, then pop one or two out as needed for stir fries or steaming veggies. if i have even more than a trays-worth, i pour the rest into a small tupperware and freeze as well.
i have the same problem as julie, never getting through entire bottles of cooking wine (no problem with drinking wine though!). here in china, even cheap table wine is imported (and expensive), so i use the local 'yellow wine' for cooking. it has a higher alcohol content and keeps for months. can't taste the difference in sauces or for deglazing, works great!
view quiet time's profile
This is fantastic, thanks so much for putting it together. A lot of ingredients I wouldn't have thought of. Normally I plan a week's worth of dinners (with leftovers for lunch) and make my shopping list from that, but I will dare to stock the pantry (tomorrow night!) and see what we can come up with this week.
(yes, we're a little behind, but my parents visited last week and we impressed them with the new kitchen skills we're acquiring. that should be worth some extra credit, right?)
view d1g1t1ze's profile