The importance of having a well stocked pantry
I’ve always believed that having a well stocked pantry is essential for any home kitchen. No, I’m not talking about stocking up with enough food to last a year like we’re some sort of doomsday prepper.
Unless that’s your thing then you do you.
I’m simply referring to having enough pantry staples that you could whip up dinner without having to make a trip to the grocery store. In fact, everyone should have at least a handful of go-to dishes that they can prepare on the fly this way. Not only will it make your life significantly less stressful. But it will also help you in answering the eternal question of what’s for dinner?
Plus having a well stocked pantry can help you save a little bit of money. Instead of buying ingredients whenever the need arises, you can plan and buy them in bulk or when they are on sale. And while a buck saved here or there might not sound like much, over the course of a year it can result in some significant savings.
Three rules to get started
- Make a list
This might be obvious, but the first thing you need to do is make a list. Start by checking out your pantry and make note of all of the goods that you already have. Also, make sure to check the expiration dates on anything you have. If it’s past the expiration date then you might want to get rid of it. Then once you have all of that done you can check out our list of pantry staples below and make a list of what you need.
- Tackle it slowly
If you are starting from scratch then your list might be pretty large. And while this might be a bit stressful, I have one tip that can really help you out. Take it slowly. You don’t need to go to the store and grab everything you need all at once. Instead, simply get a couple of the items on your list every time you go, and eventually, you’ll fill out your pantry. Similarly, this is how you approach maintaining your pantry. Constantly restock goods that are getting low and never let your pantry get completely empty.
- Only get things that you will use
This is arguably the most important rule of stocking your pantry and is why there is no one size fits all list for pantry staples. For example, while canned tuna is a great pantry staple for most people it would be ridiculous for you to have it stocked up if no one in your family eats it. Similarly, if your family eats canned beans with every other meal, then you should have a large stock of them in your pantry. So make your list tailored to what you and your family likes to eat.
Pantry Staples
Baking Essentials
- Flour: The essential ingredient for any type of baking. You can’t make things like bread, pizza dough, or cake without it. However, it is also needed for breading or dredging meat before frying, and for thickening up stews or gravy. So even if you don’t bake I suggest you get some. Try and stick with all-purpose flour if you are a beginner, and move on to special types of flour later.
- Sugar: Just like flour, sugar is not only essential for baking, but for other things like sweetening a sauce or dish.
- Yeast: Always have a couple of packages of active dry yeast to add to bread and pizza dough.
- Baking soda/baking powder: These are leavening agents that are used to rise certain types of bread.
- Corn starch: Mix 1 part corn starch with 1 part water to make a slurry that can thicken any sauce or stew.
Canned & Bottled Goods
- Tomatoes: Canned whole or diced tomatoes are great for homemade pasta sauce, chili, and even salsa. Canned tomato paste is perfect for adding richness to dishes and thickening up soup.
- Beans & chickpeas: Canned beans are great as a quick side dish or for adding to soups or chili. While canned chickpeas can be used to make homemade hummus.
- Vegetables: Canned vegetables like corn or green beans are perfect for a quick and easy side dish.
- Meat: Canned fish (tuna, salmon) and canned chicken meat are an easy way to add protein to your diet. Also, canned anchovies can add umami flavor to all sorts of dishes.
- Better than bouillon: While cartons of stock are essential for making soup, having some bouillon on hand is great for when you only need a little bit of stock for a dish.
- Olives & capers: Olives are great for snacking on or for adding to pasta dishes like puttanesca. And capers are essential for one of my favorite weekday dishes, chicken piccata.
- Pickles: Pickled cucumbers, pickled peppers, pickled beets, pickled asparagus, you name it, they are all great for snacking on.
- Fruit: Canned fruit like peaches, mangos, or even apple sauce again make great snacking options or simple desserts.
- Chipotle peppers in adobo: These are amazing for adding heat and smokey flavor to soups like chicken tortilla, and for marinating meats like pork chops.
- Coconut milk: Great for making vegan-friendly versions of oatmeal, and are essential for making Thai curry.
- Thai curry paste: Mix it with coconut milk to make a quick and easy Thai curry, or use it to make delicious pad prik king.
Dry Goods
- Grains: Things like dried rice, quinoa, and farro make healthy side dishes. While rolled oats can be added to baked goods, or to make homemade oatmeal.
- Pasta: Unless you are an expert at making fresh homemade pasta then this is essential. Just make sure to get a variety so that you don’t get bored.
- Legumes: While canned beans are quick and easy, dried beans will last for years and are a lot cheaper. Similarly, dried chickpeas and dried lentils are essential for a number of Indian dishes like dal.
- Granola: Great to snack on, or for adding to yogurt or milk for a quick and healthy breakfast.
- Herbs & spices: These are key ingredients for adding flavor to any dish. Check out our post on spices 101 to get our list of essentials.
- Bread crumbs: Add them to meatballs or meatloaf to extend the meal, or use them to make a crispy coating on fried chicken or vegetables. However, make sure that they are unseasoned that way to can use any spices or salt that you need.
- Nuts: Doesn’t matter if it’s walnuts, peanuts, pecans, or almonds, they are all perfect for snacking on. Plus you can add nuts to baked goods for a little bit of crunch.
- Dried fruit: Use them in salads or baked goods for a touch of sweetness.
Liquids and sauces
- Oil: Always have some neutral-flavored oil on hand like vegetable or canola to saute and fry in. Extra virgin olive oil is essential for Italian cooking and for making homemade salad dressing. And sesame oil is key to getting the right flavor in many Asian dishes.
- Vinegar: Balsamic vinegar and red wine vinegar are perfect for making homemade vinaigrettes. Apple cider vinegar is great for making homemade pickles and for certain marinades. And seasoned rice vinegar is an essential ingredient for a lot of Asian recipes.
- Condiments: This one really comes down to what you like/ what you cook often. But some of my favorites to have on hand are BBQ sauce, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, oyster sauce, dijon mustard, fish sauce, and steak sauce (HP, A-1, 57).
- Hot sauce: While these are technically condiments I felt like they deserved a special mention. Get some vinegar-based ones like Tabasco, Crystal, or Franks for buffalo wings, and drenching fried eggs. Cholula, Tapatio, or Valentina are great for taco night. Sriracha, gochujang, and sambal are needed for Asian dishes. And make sure to have one habanero hot sauce like El Yucateco for when you really need to kick things up a bit.
- Honey: Just like sugar, honey is a great way to add sweetness to any dish.
- Stock: Always have a couple quarts of chicken, beef, and vegetable stock so you can prepare a quick soup or stew. Just make sure that they are in the cartons, they taste a lot better than the canned stock.
- Nut butter: Whether it’s peanut butter, almond butter, or cashew butter, they are great ways to add protein to your diet.
And that’s it, a great starting point for a well stocked pantry. However, as I said these are just my suggestions, so feel free to add and remove any items to fit your needs. Also, comment below with any items that you feel are essential to your pantry. 🙂
