Q: I'm a college student with a college apartment kitchen, but my cooking style is a bit more sophisticated than my peers. I unfortunately can't always have all of the ingredients I'd like on hand, but I'm trying to keep a fully stocked shelf of staples for healthy, quick, yet creative and fun meals. Do you have a list of must-haves?
Sent by Elysia
Editor: Elysia, your list of must-haves will depend on what type of food you like to cook. I like to cook a lot of Asian food at home, so soy sauce, fish sauce and miso paste are a few of my own staples; if you cook a lot of Italian food, your list will likely look a little different. But here's a list of economical staples that most cooks would like to have on hand:
→ 10 Low-Budget Pantry Items Everyone Should Have
Readers, what do you make sure to keep on hand for healthy, quick and creative meals?
Related: My Pantry Essentials: 5 Staples When Cooking for Two
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College student here!
Other than the list of pantry items listed and linked to in the article (which are all totally on the mark), I would say essentials include:
-stock/broth/bouillon cubes (because we don't always have time for homemade)
-hot sauce/chili sauce
-spice mixes/curry pastes
-cheese
-nut butter
-sugar
-oil
-vinegar
-flour/cornstarch
-citrus fruit (especially lemons)
-NOODLES
Beyond that, like the author said the specifics dependon what kind of food you like, but if you have all this stuff you can probably throw together something tasty given a protein and some veggies.
Former college student here!
I also recommend keeping taco fixxings on hand (tortillas and/or tacos, salsa, beans, avocados). Use tofu, tempeh, ground meat, chicken, whatever and you've got a great dinner.
Canned beans, quinoa, veggie burgers, potatoes or sweet potatoes (great for a quick dinner).
Paprika and smoked cayenne are essential. They offer a tiny bit of heat, contribute some really great color to dishes, and go a long way because you don't use much.
I second all of the above, plus:
pasta
rice
for stock, I really like Better than Bouillon (comes in a little jar and keeps in the fridge)
canned beans
canned tomatoes
SPICES - if you know you'll be cooking creatively and often in the future, which it seems like you will, then they're worth the investment.
Lemons (always!)
Various vinegars (balsamic, red wine, apple cider, etc.)
And kudos on cooking well while in college!
I graduated a few years ago, so I know what it's like. If you have a few of these on hand, it'll save you the time and money. The first time you go to the grocery store though, you'll most likely think "Oh crap that's a lot of money!" In the end, you'll have these ingredients in your pantry for a good while and it'll save you some time whenever you feel like making something yummy.
I also think it's easier to stay away from going out if you check out a recipe and see that you have most of the ingredients.
Mirin (for stir fries, teriyaki, Asian recipes)
Soy sauce
Fish sauce
Vinegars (I like to keep 3 in hand: cider, red wine or balsamic, and rice wine)
Sriracha (I prefer shark brand..it's more garlicky)
Spices - buy bulk so you can keep fresh (cumin, ginger, coriander, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice)
Herbs - buy bulk so you can keep fresh (oregano, basil, thyme, rosemary, parsley)
Dried beans (chickpeas, black, and lentils)
Rice
Quinoa
Oatmeal
Pasta and noodles
Oils (cooking oil and olive)
Organic veggie base (Better Than Bouillion base, so worth it)
Yeast (for bread)
Flour (whole wheat and all-purpose)
Sugar
Peanut butter
Bottled lime juice (for back up when you realize you have no limes/lemons)
Tomato paste (Trader Joe's sells them for $1 for a tube)
Canned tomatoes (bigger cans are better, you can always freeze the rest)
Parm cheese (again with the Trader Joe's for this one)
Onions
Garlic
Eggs
Fruit (apples and bananas to keep the doctor away!)
Popcorn
Dark chocolate for sweet cravings
Good luck and happy cooking!
Thank you all! This is super helpful. I tend to cook a lot of Asian foods (my rice cooker is my life), and most of my meals start with sauteed vegetables of some sort.
The items I stock up on are lemons/limes, fresh ginger and garlic, hearty bread, lots of eggs, rice, canned beans, nuts and seeds, soy sauce, Greek yogurt and other smoothie must-haves (flax, chia seeds, frozen fruit), hot sauce, olive oil, red wine vinegar (I need some rice vinegar!!!), cheese, granola, and as many fruits veggies as can fit in my fridge. I have some dried herbs, but they are expensive to buy...these comments will hopefully help round out my pantry. I hope for more comments soon! :)
All of the above Elysiamann, sounds like you have a pretty good pantry going on. Things that keep well in the fridge are olive tapenade & pesto, if you make a jar of pesto yourself and add the parmesan cheese when you actually come to use it, it will keep for longer, just make sure you cover the top with olive oil.
You can do the same with Harissa if you like chilli as well. I do a lot of Moroccan & Italian food, so we always have cumin, paprika, fresh & tinned tomatoes, fresh parsley & coriander (cilantro) Lemons, olive oil, Salt & pepper, garlic and onions on hand as well as olives, olive tapenade, Cannelli beans, pasta, flour, Rice - long grain & aborio, butter, Parmesan cheese, eggplant, capsicum (peppers) and a block of cheese, potatoes, minced beef, minced lamb, lamb chops, (meat in the freezer divided into meal size portions, bread, Flat & otherwise - with all of this I can make pizza, pasta, risotto, tajines, tacos, BBQ's baked potatoes, gnocchi, meat balls etc. I usually make enough so there are left overs for lunches the next day for hubby to go to work, oh and if you have room in your freezer? some puff pastry, so you can make a ricotta & spinach roll. Hope that helps