Pantry Basics

My pantry is more than just food storage. A good pantry takes time (and money) to build, so don’t try to get everything at once. Get what’s most important to you to start, gradually adding things as they’re on sale, and gradually phasing out all the crap (junk food, sugary cereals, soda, etc.). There are probably several things on here that are unfamiliar (fish sauce, for example) or that other people would never consider essential (Nutella, truffle oil). Again, feel free to adapt this list to your own purposes. I have all these things because with this pantry, I can make or fake almost any recipe out there.

Here’s what I consider to be essential:

Basics
Flour (all-purpose; bread; White Lily Self-Rising, for biscuits; semolina; whole wheat and rye flours)
Sugar (regular, brown, confectioner’s)
Baking soda
Baking powder
Cornmeal
Cornstarch
Onions
Shallots
Garlic
Potatoes
Powdered milk
Baking chocolate (cocoa powder; semisweet; bittersweet; chips)
Bread crumbs
Panko
Crisco
Karo syrup (light and dark)
Crackers
Graham crackers
Croutons (homemade)

Pasta
Spaghetti and/or linguine
Penne
Elbow macaroni
Lasagna noodles
Orzo

Rice
Brown
Basmati
Arborio

Grains and beans
Black beans
Black-eyed peas
Garbanzo beans
Red beans
White beans
Pinto beans
Grits (the slow-cooking kind)
Israeli couscous
Lentils (green and red)
Steel-cut oats
Pearled barley
Bulgur wheat
Quinoa

Dried
Dried fruit (apricots, raisins, cranberries, blueberries, assorted other)
Sundried tomatoes
Dried peppers, various kinds
Dried mushrooms, various kinds
Vanilla beans

Nuts
Almonds (whole and sliced)
Peanuts
Pecans
Pine nuts
Pistachios
Walnuts

Oils and vinegars
Apple cider vinegar
Balsamic vinegar
Champagne wine vinegar
Chili oil
Grapeseed oil
Olive oil, the best you can afford
Peanut oil
Red wine vinegar
Rice wine vinegar
Tarragon vinegar
Truffle oil
Walnut oil
Vegetable oil
White vinegar
White wine vinegar

Extracts
Vanilla
Lemon
Almond
Orange

Sauces and Condiments
Fish sauce
Honey
Hot pepper sauces
Maple syrup (REAL maple syrup)
Memmi sauce
Molasses
Nutella
Oyster sauce
Peanut butter
Peanut sauce
Soy sauce
Sriracha chili sauce
Teriyaki
Worchestershire sauce
Thai curry paste (green and red)

Spices
Allspice (ground and whole)
Arrowroot
Barbecue seasonings (a variety)
Basil
Bay leaves
Cardamom (ground and whole)
Cayenne pepper
Celery salt
Chili powder
Cinnamon (ground and whole)
Cloves (ground and whole)
Coriander
Cream of tartar
Cumin (regular and whole)
Curry paste
Curry powder
Dill
Dried mustard
Dried pepper flakes
Fennel seeds
Filé powder
Garam masala
Garlic powder
Ginger (ground, crystallized and whole ginger root)
Ground pepper
Lavender
Liquid smoke
Marjoram
Mint
Mustard (ground and whole mustard seeds)
Nutmeg
Old Bay
Onion powder
Oregano
Paprika (regular, Hungarian sweet, and Spanish smoked)
Parsley
Poppy seeds
Rosemary
Saffron
Sage
Salt (sea salt, regular table salt, and various flavors of smoked salt)
Sesame seeds
Star anise
Tarragon
Thyme
Turmeric
Wasabi powder
Whole peppercorns

Canned items
Anchovies (in tins and anchovy paste, in tube form)
Beef broth (as a backup)
Capers
Clams
Coconut milk
Crab
Evaporated milk
Olives
Tomato paste (also in tube form)
Tomato sauce
Whole tomatoes

Tea and coffee
Black tea
Cold-brew iced tea bags
Espresso
Green tea
Peppermint tea
Various herbal teas
Whole bean coffee

In the fridge
Bacon
Bacon fat
Butter
Cornichons (little French pickles)
Cream
Cream cheese
Duck fat
Eggs
Feta cheese
Goat cheese
Gorgonzola or other blue cheese
Horseradish
Jalapenos or other hot peppers
Jam
Ketchup
Lemon juice
Lime juice
Mayo
Mozzarella
Mustard (regular and Dijon)
Parmesan
Plain yogurt
Ricotta
Sour cream
Tofu
Yeast

In the freezer
Andouille sausage
Broth (chicken or vegetable)
Frozen corn
Frozen peas
Frozen spinach
Ground beef or turkey or pork
Italian sausage
Peppers (green or red, chopped, plus chopped hot peppers)
Phyllo
Puff pastry
Whole chickens
Chicken parts (whatever's on sale)

Other
A good supply of dish towels and dish rags
A good supply of jars/Tupperware (to put homemade broth into)
Disposable latex gloves, for chopping hot peppers
Kitchen matches
Paper towels
Twine
Ziploc bags
Foil
Parchment paper
Wax paper
Cheesecloth