The word “pantry” makes me think of a closet stocked with things like cereal, Pop Tarts, Ritz Crackers, canned beans, chips and salsa, stray garbage bags–a cluttered, catch-all location for the food that doesn’t go in the fridge. This is certainly one way to have a pantry, but in the context of this site, it means something else entirely.
Simply put: my pantry is the collection of ingredients that I regularly have on hand. Yes, it incorporates things that don’t perish easily, like rice and beans, but it also includes the staples that I have to buy on a regular basis, like eggs and milk. More often than not, my pantry will determine whether I can cook when one of us gets hungry instead of running to the store or ordering pizza.
So in that spirit, here’s a list of what I like to keep on hand. Don’t run out and buy everything on this list. Use it as a starting point, something to get you thinking about the foods you like and their various uses. This list isn’t exhaustive–it’s probably 40 percent of my actual pantry–but it includes the items I would be most likely to replace as soon as I used up what I have. There are some categories that you simply won’t find here: I don’t cook a lot of Asian food, I don’t do spicy-hot, and I hate chocolate. Stock up based on your own palate and build from there.
Onions/shallots
Garlic (fresh)
Sweet potatoes
Citrus (usually 1–2 lemons plus oranges if in season)
Purple cabbage (keeps a while in produce drawer of fridge)
Frozen peas
Frozen fruit such as peaches or blueberries
Eggs
Chicken (bone-in, skin-on thighs when possible, frozen)
Bone broth
Canned skipjack tuna in water
Milk
Unsalted butter
Whipping cream
Yogurt (whole milk full fat)
Feta and/or goat cheese
Parmigiano Reggiano
Cheddar, mozzarella, or gouda cheese
Extra-virgin olive oil
Coconut oil
Safflower oil
Balsamic vinegar
Worcestershire sauce
Mayonnaise
Stone-ground mustard
White cooking wine
Red wine vinegar
Red curry paste
Canned coconut milk
Dried cranberries
Golden raisins
Dried apricots
Almonds
Pine nuts
Walnuts
Cashews
Almond butter
Sesame seed (white and black)
Pumpkin seeds
Jasmine or basmati rice (white or brown)
Red lentils
Black beans (canned or dried)
Canned chick peas
Barley
Angel hair
Fettuccine
Penne or farfalle
Couscous
Panko
Canned tomatoes
Tomato paste
Black pitted olives
Sea salt
Cayenne
Paprika
Garlic powder
Onion powder
Oregano
Ground cumin
Turmeric
Celery seed
Mustard seed
Za’atar
Saffron
Cinnamon
Whole nutmeg
Pure vanilla extract
All-purpose flour
Cake flour
Rye flour
Whole wheat pastry flour
Aluminum-free baking powder
Baking soda
Pure organic cane sugar
Honey
Light brown sugar, coconut palm sugar, or date sugar