The Well Stocked Pantry

Written by Chef Elisa Hindes, Sous Chef for Whole Foods Market and blogger, A Life in Pie

The Boy Scouts had it right when they coined their motto, “be prepared.” As with scouting, preparation is the key to success in cooking. While many an exciting new dish can be made by improvising with what you have laying around, preparation will save you precious time and money. The foundation of preparation in the kitchen starts with a well-stocked pantry. Keeping the essentials on hand will not only help you to avoid last minute problems (“I swear I had that!”), but enable you to cook a wide variety of foods without constant back-breaking trips to the grocery store.

When it comes to cooking, our mantra is fresh is best. But in the pantry, there are many dried, canned and boxed items that will prove invaluable to you. Here you will find a list of the essential items that will keep you cooking. Let’s assume that we all have flour, sugar, salt and pepper in our cupboards and build from there.

THE BASICS

Stock or broth – chicken at a minimum but beef and vegetable are also helpful. The low sodium variety is best so that your food is not overly salty.

Canned, diced tomatoes in juice.

Canned tomato paste.

Dried pasta – Try keeping several varieties, including a long noodle such as spaghetti or fettuccini and a short noodle, such as penne or elbow.

Soy sauce – a naturally brewed variety, called tamari, is preferable over the usual supermarket brands.

Worcestshire sauce – great for adding a meaty flavor and color to sauces, gravies and roasts.

Olive oil – extra virgin is your best friend for sautéing and making dressings and marinades.

Vegetable and/or canola oil – your second best friend for sautéing and making dressings and marinades.

Vinegar – cider and white wine are good versatile vinegars to have on hand but red wine, rice, and balsamic are so widely used it is hard to leave them out.

Cornstarch – used for thickening sauces and gravies and also comes in handy in some breading applications.

Canned beans – kidney, pinto and black beans can be used in a variety of cold and hot dishes.

Canned fruit – pineapple and mandarin oranges right out of the can are perfect for tossing into both green and fruit salads.

Rice – long or medium grain white rice and brown rice will cover your bases in everyday applications. If you like to get fancy once in a while, stock some Italian arborrio rice for making risotto.

Condiments -- ketchup, mustard (Dijon and yellow), mayonnaise, barbeque sauce and hot sauce. 

Honey- Sometimes just a few drizzles can add a little sweetness to a vinaigrette or a sauce.

Dried herbs and spices – OK, this one could be an article on its own but the essentials include rosemary, thyme, oregano, basil, dill, tarragon, bay leaves, paprika, garlic powder, chile powder, cayenne pepper, cumin, and coriander. An all-purpose blend such as Jane’s Crazy Mixed-Up Salt or Mrs. Dash can also come in handy when you need to simply season a burger or piece of chicken. If you really want to go crazy, buy whole spices and grind them yourself in a coffee grinder (for spices only, please). Otherwise, try to buy small quantities from a store that sells bulk spices so you’re sure to use them up while they are still fresh.

Capers – these salty, tart little bundles of flavor are the berry of a flowering shrub. Use them in Italian and Mediterranean cooking.

Sundried tomatoes – they are one of the biggest food “fad” ingredients for a reason. You can’t beat them for adding concentrated, sweet tomato flavor to any dish.

Bread crumbs – Japanese panko crumbs create a light, crispy coating on anything fried. Standard dried breadcrumbs will do in a pinch. Or make your own by drying out the leftover odds and ends of bread in a low oven and grinding it in the food processor.

Peanut butter – not just for sandwiches, you can use it in Asian dishes and dressings.

FOR THE FOODIES

Here are a few extra ingredients for the gourmets out there.

Anchovies – much maligned salty little fish, essential in pasta puttanesca and many other Italian, French and Mediterranean dishes.

Olives – kalamata, Spanish, oil cured, the list goes on.

White truffle oil – when you really want to impress someone, drizzle a tiny amount over pasta or risotto with mushrooms.

Premium olive oil – it is well worth the high price when you want the flavor of the oil to come through, usually in uncooked applications. 

Ethnic spices and spice blends – such as garam masala, curry, fenugreek, smoked paprika, cardamom, star anise, Chinese five spice powder and Schezuan peppercorns.

Asian condiments – chili sauce, black bean sauce, hoisin, oyster sauce, fish sauce, you get the picture.

Coconut milk – a must for Thai cooking.