A home cook needs a well stocked pantry. I’ve had lengthy discussions with friends, family and coworkers about the certain items they keep on their shelves at all times. Below are some the basic items that can be found in my cupboards 99 percent of the time – I rarely use absolutes like “always,” “never” or “100 percent” because eventually there’s snowstorm/flood/other natural disaster/my general laziness that gets in the way. I’ve broken it down into five categories: baking, canned items, dried goods, oils & sauces and spices. Some items do overlap, like salt. I went back and forth over putting it in baking or spices. I finally landed on spices because A) that’s where I store it, and B) I cook more than I bake.
BAKING
All-Purpose flour
White granulated sugar
Light brown sugar
Baking powder
Baking soda
Confectioner’s sugar (powdered sugar)
Yellow cornmeal
Whole wheat flour
Vanilla extract
CANNED ITEMS
Diced, stewed or whole tomatoes (Salt free if possible. I like the Hunt’s brand.)
Pineapple slices, chunks or tidbits (In water or juice. Stay away from syrup or light syrup when buying canned fruit, it breaks down the product.)
Tuna (In water or olive oil. Also check for the dolphin safe seal, we like to save Flipper.)
Condensed soup (Again, I stick to low sodium versions. Usually it’s just a can of cream of mushroom or chicken noodle.)
DRIED GOODS
Beans (Assorted varieties. They require soaking, but dried beans have no added salt, a longer shelf life and have less packaging.)
Split peas
Rice (Arborio, basmati, brown and the 10-minute bagged stuff for busy nights.)
Pasta (Assorted shapes. I prefer whole wheat, but I normally buy whatever is on sale.)
Lentils
OILS & SAUCES
Apple cider vinegar
White vinegar
Balsamic vinegar
Olive oil
Extra virgin olive oil
Vegetable oil (Like Canola)
Grapeseed oil (For high heat dishes)
Sriracha (It doesn’t have to be refrigerated because of the vinegar base, but feel free to put it in the fridge if you like.)
SPICES
Salt
Black pepper (Whole peppercorns are preferable, but I use the preground stuff more often than not.)
Cayenne pepper
Cumin (Ground cumin is always on hand, but whole cumin is nice to have too.)
Bay leaves
Oregano (Fresh oregano is very strong, so I prefer dried.)
Parsley (Fresh is better, but everyone has dried parsley.)
Turmeric (A lovely warming spice. Watch out, it stains.)
Coriander (Ground is fine. Whole seeds are troublesome to find at times.)
Whole green cardamom pods (Add depth to an Indian dish, or anything really, by cracking the pods with the side of a knife and simmer in the dish. Remove before serving like Bay leaves.)
Dried red pepper flakes
Nutmeg
Ginger (Ground and crystallized are both handy to have.)
Cinnamon
