Basic Pantry Ingredients To Have On Hand In Your Kitchen

A Home Cook's Kitchen Pantry

Some of the Ingredients I Like To Keep On Hand for a Quick & Easy Meal

What ingredients do you want to have on hand so you don't have to run out to the market daily?

Just like my must-have kitchen tools, you may consider having these staples in your kitchen to whip up a delicious meal at a moment's notice. Most of these items you can find in your local supermarket, and some you may need to order online, but they will definitely make your cooking life easier and more fun.

It’s important to remember that some products with long shelf lives, like spices, lose their flavor over time. So you may want to toss the ground cumin that hasn’t seen the light of day since that special grilled shrimp dish three years ago. And if you have a deep pantry like mine, you may want to check in the back occasionally to see what’s there.

So we’ll start with some of the basics, and you can add to them according to your own cooking enjoyment:

Anchovies: a must for many pasta sauces, flat filets in a can, or anchovy paste.
Artichokes: canned hearts packed in water.
Beans: an assortment of canned (easier) or dry (more work but tastier).
Bread crumbs
Capers: great in salads and pasta dishes.
Chutney: great for crackers and sauces.
Clam juice is a good substitute for fish stock and linguini with clam sauce.
Corn meal: great for dredging foods and a must for polenta.
Coconut: either shredded in a can, coconut milk, or both.
Cornstarch: for thickening sauces
Crackers: assorted types.
Dried fruits: apples, apricots, currants, figs, and raisins.
Dried herbs: basil, bay leaves, chili powder, cinnamon, dill, nutmeg, oregano, paprika, crushed red pepper, rosemary, sage, tarragon, thyme.
Extracts: vanilla is the most important, but try orange and almond.
Flour: unbleached all-purpose
Jams, Jellies, Preserves, and Honey
Ketchup: always have an extra bottle on hand.
Mushrooms: an assortment of dried including shiitake, morels, and porcini.
Mustard: Dried and Dijon in a jar
Oils: Olive, pure for everyday cooking and virgin for drizzling, canola, and sesame.
Olives: canned, pitted, and non-pitted, Nicoise and calamata, and olive paste
Pasta: an assortment of shapes and sizes; dried
Peanut butter: I like the chunky style.
Peas: canned petite style. Fresh is better, but these are good to have on hand
Pepper: whole peppercorns, ground black and white pepper.
Pesto, Tapenade, Salsa
Rice: Arborio (for risotto), brown, white, wild (not really rice but a long-grain marsh grass).Salt: regular and sea salt.
Salad Dressings: my favorite is Good Seasons
Sauces: Soy or Tamari, Tabasco, Teriyaki, and Worcestershire
Stocks: one of the most important cooking ingredients
Sugar: white and brown, granulated and confectioners
Tomatoes: canned - whole plum, paste, and puree; sun-dried
Tuna: canned, packed in water.
Vinegar: balsamic, white wine, red wine, rice wine.
Wines: Marsala, Madeira, and Sherry