A well stocked Pantry

What is a pantry? It’s just a fancy word for dry goods storage: sugars, canned items, flour, and the like. Some people have the luxury of a whole room stocked with dry goods for cooking. Others have a closet, single cabinet, or a free-form set of open shelves in their kitchen. Your preferred cooking or baking style will dictate exactly what is important in your pantry. If your cabinet is filled with Ramen pride, Pringles, instant coffee, and Cremora, then it’s time for a makeover. Today, we will go over the basics of a well stocked pantry. The goal here is to have a universal set of ingredients that we can all work with, thus, assuring there is always something to eat. Using the following list and recommendations, you will have a well stocked pantry that will make your (cooking) life easier.

Your own personal tastes and cooking style will dictate what you stock your pantry with. For Asian cuisine you may have soy, star anise, mirin, rice wine vinegar, and rice flour. If your tastes run toward South American fare, you may find masa harina, nopales, and assorted chilis. For our purposes, we are focused on American and European cooking. As with our discussion of spices, this is simply a starting point, taking into account that you may have limited space. This list provides versatility to make a variety of things. Our major concern is making meals that everyone can enjoy (unlike Our friend, Major Tom, floating in a tin can, eating dinner out of a tube). Over a period of time we will expand the categories and individual items. For now, we are focusing on the basics.

Just remember, anytime you are buying any food product, it is going into your body. Read the label. Know what is in your food. Try to buy simple, natural products as much as possible.

And now: the list

Here is a general list of what you will need to be able to cook through most situations in a typical American kitchen. We can add on later. But, this will get you by:

1. A couple of different varieties of salt. There are dozens available. Don’t resign yourself to table salt. Sea salt and/or kosher at a minimum.
2. A basic set of spices (see our discussion of the spice rack).
3. At least 3 types of oil: A quality extra virgin olive oil, a neutral oil, such as canola, for salads and baking, and a coconut oil
4. Red, white, and balsamic vinegars
5. Condiments: Mayonnaise, 2 types of mustard (plain and dijon), pickles and/or relish (sweet and/or savory), Worcestershire, Steak sauce, hot sauces.
6. Flour: Preferably several grades, but all-purpose flour at a minimum.
7. Corn starch or other thickening agent.
8. Corn meal
9. Sugar: Granulated, Sugar in the raw, Brown sugar, Powdered sugar
10. Liquid sweeteners such as honey and/or agave
11. Baking powder
12. Baking soda
13. Vanilla extract (preferably real, but imitation will do in a pinch)
14. Chocolate chips or baking chocolate
15. Dry pasta
16. Canned tomatoes
17. Canned and/or dried legumes or beans: Chic peas, kidney beans, black beans, lentils
18. Chicken or vegetable broth
19. Peanut butter
20. Jams, preserves, or jellies
21. Rice. Preferably 2 or more varieties
22. Unique grains such as faro, cous cous, or quinoa
23. Coffee and Tea
24. Cereals (Hot and cold) of your preference
25. Cooking wine: Sherry, marsala, madeira

The discussion

We will briefly discuss the categories listed above. In future posts we can have full blown discussions of ingredients and techniques. We will also discuss maintaining an inventory. When you work in a professional kitchen your life revolves around inventory. At home, it is helpful to have an inventory checklist as well. Keeping a list will make your life easier and keep you prepared for any culinary situation.

Spices

First, you will need a basic set of spices to be anchored with salt and pepper (see our article on spices). You want to keep in mind how quick you will use them. Spices have a long shelf life, but they are not intended to last forever. They do lose their potency and get stale after awhile.

A general rule of thumb is 1 to 2 years for ground spices, 2 to 3 for whole. Outdated spices won’t get you sick, but they lose potency. In general, I prefer whole spices. Invest in a coffee grinder and grind just what you need. This way the true flavor of the spice will pop just like fresh ground coffee. This isn’t to say you shouldn’t keep powdered spices too. They are convenient, save time, effort, and mess. You need to clean out the grinder between each spice. A handy trick to wake up the flavor of a spice is to put it in a dry pan over moderate heat in a process we call blooming. In essence you are toasting the spice to activate it’s character.

Oils

Oils can be derived from a wide variety of sources. Some are neutral. Some pack a lot of flavor. Here are a couple pointers.

Olive oil comes in varying grades and levels of quality. This can be confusing. The only way to really know which one is best for you is to taste them. It’s all about what you like and the intended use. Olive oil has a very distinct taste, and, doesn’t go with everything. If you are tasting them side by side you will notice each one’s subtleties. But, when paired with food, that difference won’t be as apparent. Pick oils with complementary flavors to what you are making.

We are going to let you in on a little secret here. Not all of your oil has to be the highest quality. People forget the chemistry of cooking. When you apply heat, you alter the chemical structure of the oil. What tastes one way straight out of the bottle, will be drastically different at 350 degrees Fahrenheit. For high heat cooking, you are better off with a neutral oil. Most quality olive oils have a smoking point in the mid 300 degree range. Canola and sunflower oils smoke in the mid 400’s. Save the olive oil for finishing dishes and more delicate cooking.

So, our recommendation is to have

1. a high quality extra virgin olive oil for dipping, dressings, and finishing dishes (something handpicked, expertly curated)
2. a lesser quality olive oil or olive oil blend for cooking (This is a good place to save money, buy in bulk if possible)
3. At least one generic oil with a neutral flavor profile (canola, soy bean, salad blend, safflower)
4. Coconut oil. Provides health benefits in addition to being versatile for multiple cooking purposes.

There are so many different oils that we haven’t even scratched the surface on yet. We will discuss oils in future articles.

Vinegar

The next pantry staple is vinegar. This is another category that has endless possibilities. They are the yin to the yang of oil: the acid to the base. Oil and vinegar go together like peanut butter and jelly, the Captain and Tennille, Shields and Yarnell. Having an acidic component is a key part of cuisine, especially in room temperature or cold prep items. It is essential for marinades, dressings, and pickling. There are other places to get acids such as citrus fruits or tomatoes. But, a bottled vinegar is something you can always have on hand. Plus, it’s a useful tool for cleaning. It even does windows!

In a basic pantry there should be a neutral white vinegar for every day basics. I keep plain old white vinegar on hand for killing weeds and other household maintenance projects. For salad dressings, and cooking, though, I would keep a nicer white wine or champagne vinegar in the pantry. You will also want a red wine vinegar and a balsamic. With these 3 bases you can adapt to most situations in the kitchen. If space permits, add in other flavors and bases such as cider, rice wine, sherry, or a variety of infused vinegars.

Condiments

Next on the list are your basic condiments: Mayo, mustard, ketchup, pickles. Although they start in the dry storage pantry, they end up in the fridge. They have a long shelf life, and, tend to take a while to go through, so don’t skimp on quality. If Hellman’s is $6 and the store brand is $5, Spend the extra. It will take 3 months to go through a bottle. That’s a difference of 33 cents per month. The same theory applies to all your condiments..

Your condiments list should include:

1. Mayo or vegan mayo
2. yellow and Dijon mustard (Dijon is great for cooking and dressings as well as straight)
3. A quality ketchup (Heinz or a thick natural brand)
4. Pickles (1/2 sour is nice, but shelf life is short. Consider a sweet and a savory or dill)
5. Relish (sweet or savory. If you run out, chop up a pickle)
6. Worcestershire sauce
7. Steak sauce
8. 2 hot sauces: a Tabasco and a sriracha. If you want hotter, there are plenty of options. Check out the Scoville ratings.

Canned Goods

I am not a fan of canned goods in general, but, some are necessary. No, not Campbell’s soup or canned peas and green beans. Fruits and vegetables should always be bought fresh or frozen. The only reason for having canned vegetables is if you are stocking a fallout shelter. Otherwise, get fresh when possible. Canned doesn’t just mean in a metal can. Advances in vacuum packing have come a long way. Most things are now available in milk carton/juicebox looking containers. And, the product in these “boxes” tends to be better than traditional canned goods. Also, tuna and some products are now available in pouches. These are items that will sit around for a while. They are adjuncts to “real” cooking. Try to get the highest quality you can.

The most important canned good (to me) is tomato. You can put together a tomato sauce in short time with little effort. As for the tomatoes to keep in the cupboard: diced, whole, or crushed are all fine choices. Tomato paste is also good to have on hand. It adds body to stocks and sauces. Canned tomatoes help with soups, salsas, sauces, marinades, and more. If you only have one canned product in your pantry, make it tomato.

I would also keep a chicken and/or vegetable broth. In general, if you have time and space, making your own stocks is preferable. Store bought broths tend to be too thin, and may have unwanted ingredients like salt and preservatives. But, keeping a few cartons on hand is a good idea. It allows for quick last minute meals, such as, soups, sauces, stews, casseroles, glazes, and brazed dishes with minimal work. I keep shelf stable versions as a back up only.

The canned list:

1. Tomato product
2. Canned Beans: garbanzos, kidney beans, black beans, cannelini beans. Pick one or all. They add protein and texture to dishes and the liquid makes a good thickener for vegan recipes.
3. Bottled or canned artichokes.
4. Tuna (Get the pouch if possible). I recommend chunk white. Light tuna tends to be more “fishy” I would not recommend any other canned protein. We don’t want the Monty Python “salmon mousse” scene.
5. Chicken, vegetable,and beef broth.

Thickening agents: Flours, starches

You will need a couple types of flour, a cornstarch or arrowroot, and a cornmeal. These products can thicken sauces and stews, serve as coatings and crusts for frying or sauteing, and/or make things easier to get out of pans. Plus, they are used in most baking products (Can’t forget that).

Flour has gotten a bad wrap lately because of the gluten and the nutritional emptiness of the carbohydrates. But, it is the base of existence since biblical times. Do we not need bread to survive? If you are concerned about gluten, there are blended GF flours, rice flours, chic pea flours, corn flours, sorghum, besan, and more. White flour is considered bad because nutrients have been stripped from it. If this is a concern you can use whole wheat or other grain. But, it won’t be the same. The consistency of traditional flour can’t be duplicated. By all means, though, if you have the space, keep whole grain flours and/or other variations.

White flour comes in a variety of forms. There are AP, bread, pastry, cake, and pizza/pasta flours. The difference is the fineness of the milling and the gluten content. The most important factor is gluten content. Bread flours are high in gluten (about 14%), pastry flours are low (7 to 10%). AP flour is the middle (around 12%). If you only have one flour, make it AP. It won’t give the “perfect” consistency on either breads or pastries, but it is close enough. Of course you could keep bread and pastry flour on hand and mix the two when a recipe calls for AP. Do this if you can. Often times, though, it is a question of availability where you shop and your storage space. AP works fine for most products.

The Sweet Stuff

Next come your sugars and sweeteners. There is your old fashioned cane sugar, powdered sugar, and brown sugar. Those are your basics. Powdered sugar is what it is. But other types of sugar require more thought.

Brown sugar is either light or dark. The difference is the amount of molasses. Personally, I would just get light and have molasses on hand as well if you want to add color and the flavor of molasses.

For some recipes, plain old white sugar is preferable. Use organic if possible. It tends to have a larger grain and a smoother flavor.

In addition to these 3 sugars, a turbinado sugar (sugar in the raw) is great to have on hand. There is nothing like it in coffee. It doesn’t work for all recipes, especially with the larger grain, but, it is a superior sweetener in general. I like to use it for lining the pan when making poundcake or molten lava cake. It adds a nice crunchy crust. Or you can sprinkle it on top of muffins. The texture adds a whole new dimension.

Liquid sweetness

Then, there are your liquid sweeteners. You definitely want a honey: medium amber for most applications. The best honey, of course, is from local bee keepers. Support your local farmer’s market, if and when possible. Locally produced honey is more pure and authentic. It’s a little known fact, but many store bought honeys are actually blended with syrup. You can tell by the consistency and flavor. If you are baking or cooking with honey, it won’t be that noticeable. But, if honey is a main ingredient, you definitely want the real McCoy.

Another alternative to honey is agave. Agave is more available than other alternatives and has a pleasant flavor and consistency. So, it makes a nice easy go to for sweetening on the fly. Plus, it is better for the environment. Honey is a problem because it exploits the bees. Therefore, it is not technically vegan. Agave is derived from the same plant as tequila. What’s not to like? Margarita time, baby!

Then, of course, there is maple syrup. Beyond the obvious breakfast staple, it suits many forms of cooking and baking. Think: maple ginger squash soup, maple glazed duck breast, or maple corncakes. Just like with honey, get the real stuff. “Pancake syrup” is not the same. Some states, like Vermont, have purity laws for maple syrup. Otherwise, people are tempted to mix with with sugar syrups or even make a sugar syrup with maple flavor. Read your labels and get the highest grade possible.

Chocolate, Baby!

Of course, the most basic of all life essentials is needed in every kitchen: Chocolate.

The variety of chocolate out there is daunting. When I was growing up there was cocoa, chocolate chips, and maybe a baking chocolate. White chocolate was super exotic. Now, there are dozens of varieties broken down by percentages. Some are bitter, some sweet, others in between. They each have flavor and nutritional values that differ among the products. If you really want to get into chocolates, you can spend weeks, months, years, studying and finding the “perfect” chocolate. For our purposes: perfection is not the aim. Function is more important than form in a basic pantry. So, we suggest stripping back to the pantry of generations past: cocoa powder, chocolate chips, a baking chocolate bar, and white chocolate. If you want to upgrade, have at it. Our purpose here is to simplify and stock base ingredients.

PB and J and Cereal

Sticking with the sweet products let’s turn to peanut butter and jelly. When all else fails, there is always the childhood standard. Keeping an apricot and/or berry jam comes in handy when baking as well. A nice raspberry layer in a lemon cake is always welcome. We would recommend 2 to 3 varieties.

Peanut butter is a personal taste issue: chunky VS smooth. We prefer smooth since it is more versatile for things like sauces, soups, and baking. Whichever you choose, read the labels. Many use artificial sweeteners and chemicals. Look for the fewest ingredients and natural ingredients as much as possible. It is better for you and safer for kids and pets. If there is a peanut allergy, having an alternative like cashew butter or almond butter is a good choice. Luckily, we live in a time when those things are available. And, some specialty stores even have grind your own nuts. If this is an option, try it. The downside is the shelf life. The upside is the purity of the product and flavor.

Cereals are another easy go to. When all else fails, there you have it. We recommend keeping a hot cereal such as oatmeal. I, personally prefer steel cut. Your taste will dictate the type of cold cereals as well. Stick to more natural cereals as much as possible. Read the label. Many are high in sugar and preservatives.

Grains

1. Rice: A neutral long grain rice (like uncle Ben’s), a basmati or other fragrant rice like Jasmine (More delicate, but better flavor), and a rosotto rice (Arborio or carnaroli)
2. An ancient grain or non typical grain. Quinoa is considered a gluten free super food. You could also keep things like Faro, Amaranth, wheat berries, barley, buckwheat, or more. Experiment. See what’s available at your store.
3. Beans, legumes, and lentils. We mentioned Beans under canned goods. You should also keep some dry ones. They have a longer shelf life and you can control their flavor and consistency. Include lentils, garbanzos, white beans, and black beans.
4. Nuts. Unless there is an allergy, nuts add wonderful flavor and consistency to everything. They make a great snack too. Cashews, pistachios, macadamias, pecans, walnuts. You can even candy them.

Pasta

Having dried pasta on hand is always a good thing. People overlook what an amazing product it really is. There are dozens of shapes to choose from and they all taste unique even though they are made up of the same ingredients. We have no recommendation of shape to keep on hand. It is your call. I, personally, like to mix it up and get different shapes from time to time. We will follow up with articles on pasta in future posts as well. For your basics, try to keep at least one or two types in house.

Booze

Since you will be making sauces, stews and marinades, having some cooking wines available is essential. I constantly go to my liquor cabinet for cooking. Booze and food are meant for each other like sea and sand. You could buy the grocery store cooking wines, but I prefer potable liquors. You don’t want to use a 1956 Chateau Lafitte in beef stew, though. Boxed wine has a purpose other than reminding you of how sad and miserable your life is! Keep a cheaper red and white wine around just for cooking. You should also keep a few fortified wines as well: port, Madeira, Marsala, and sherry. And, don’t forget Liqueurs. Grand Marnier, Frangelico, and more. We will have recipes using all these and other liquors in future posts. Have your glasses ready for our cooking with booze series.

Coffee and Tea

We have saved the first thing for the last discussed. Most people start their day with a cup of coffee or tea. This is such a personal choice that we can’t go into varieties here. But, we will give a couple quick pointers. While ground coffee may be convenient, do yourself a favor and get whole bean. You can get a coffee grinder for as little as $20. The difference in flavor and freshness is well worth the investment. If you use K cups, you can buy re-fill-able cups and grind your own. It’s better for the environment, your coffee will taste better, and you will save money in the long run. The same holds true to tea. If you have access to loose tea and a tea ball take advantage. We will discuss teas and coffees in future posts. We may even have some guests in for the conversation!

As mentioned above, this is a basic guide to a well stocked pantry. There are countless directions one may go in. Consider this a shopping list to stock your kitchen with items you should always have on hand. There will be recipes calling for specific ingredients that aren’t on this list. With this, though, you can make substitutions or adjustments to a recipe so you don’t have to run out to the store constantly. Once we have established basics and have a common inventory, we can help you whip up an incredible variety of foods with little effort. We recommend you keep an inventory list. If you keep these items “in stock” you will be prepared and won’t have to worry about “running on empty” (I didn’t forget your Jackson Browne references)…