Cooking is one of the things that in life that we all have in common. Some people see it purely as an act of sustaining themselves; it fills a physiological need, provides us with energy and nutrients, and allows us to continue surviving. At the other end of the spectrum are those that glorify cooking. For them; ingredients are sacred, techniques must be mastered, and chefs are the revered purveyors of this high art.
Neither perspective is inherently wrong, but I think most of us fall somewhere in the middle. We can enjoy and appreciate food for what it is, we often connect it to fond memories, and we use it to not only celebrate, but to provide comfort in our lives. As a professional chef, I’ve probably spent a little bit more time and effort trying to answer that question “What’s for dinner?” then some. But it’s still challenge that most of us confront every day. One of my strategies for overcoming this challenge is to always have certain ingredients on hand that give me flexibility and options in the kitchen.
Everyone’s pantry is going to look a little different. The staple items that you keep are going to be based on your preferences, but what I’d like to offer is a starting point that will give you many different options with the same basic ingredients. These are items that are long lasting and versatile. Perishable items such as meat, milk, and bread are typically not considered pantry items.
One more thing before I get started, most of the ingredients that I’m going to mention are common to European cooking. South American, African, Middle Eastern, and Eastern cuisines will all have slightly different items, but we’ve got to start somewhere! I’ve chosen Europe to get things rolling.
Here is my list of items, and why I like having them on hand:
Cooking:
I’m going to start with what I consider the most critical item on the list. That is SALT! Everything else is great, but you need to have salt!
Kosher salt: for seasoning. Chefs prefer Kosher salt because of the ‘feel’ you have while adding it to your dishes with your hands. The single biggest eye opener for me while attending culinary school, was the amount of salt that properly seasoned food requires. I assure you, salt is the main reason that restaurant food tastes different from the food most of us make at home!
Balsamic vinegar: for flavoring dishes and making salad dressings. Provides sweetness and exceptional depth of flavor when added to soups and sauces
Beans (dried and canned): for soups, stews and other dishes. I lean toward canned because the cooking time is so much shorter. Try your favorite bean, with some herbs and a little fresh garlic blended into a smooth puree. It’s a great substitute for sauces and even traditional starches.
Bouillon (beef, chicken, and vegetable): for soups, seasoning, casseroles and marinades. These little flavor boosters can go into just about every sauce you make to increase the depth and intensity…just remember, they also bring salt into whatever you add them to.
Breadcrumbs: for toppings, stuffing, and other dishes. I would recommend plain as you can easily add herbs and spices to flavor these exactly as you wish.
Canned cream soup: for a quick lunch, or to add to side dishes, soups, casseroles and other dishes. The basis of almost every casserole… I always have Cream of Mushroom, Cream of chicken, and Cream of Celery. They are incredibly versatile!
Canned tomatoes: for sauces, salads, soups, stews, casseroles and other dishes. If you can, spend the little but extra it costs for high quality canned tomatoes. You will notice the difference in everything you add it to.
Canned tuna fish: for quick sandwiches and casseroles. Tuna is also used in many Mediterranean pasta dishes.
Cooking sprays: for greasing pans for baking or frying. Easy fast, and frugal.
Cornstarch: for thickening puddings, sauces, stews and gravies. When you get the flavors of your sauce where you want them, simply add a slurry of cornstarch and water to the sauce and heat. It will thicken and shine!
Crackers: for snacking, appetizers and topping casseroles. Crackers can also be a great substitute for breadcrumbs in stuffing and breading.
Dried herbs: for seasoning sweet and savory dishes, some dried herbs have very little flavor, so I’ve provided the following list of reliable, flavorful options: basil, oregano, thyme, rosemary, dill, cilantro, tarragon, chives, and bay leaves.
Dried spices: for seasoning sweet and savory dishes, again, flavoring ability varies: cinnamon, nutmeg, cumin, paprika, mustard, ginger, peppercorns, allspice, and cayenne pepper
Hot sauce: for adding a touch of spice to dishes. It’s also used in many salad dressings to add flavor. One, moderately spicy sauce is a good start, but the more you explore hot sauces, the more options you will find. Go with your favorite, and if you don’t have one, Tabasco is tried and true.
Ketchup: for flavoring sandwiches or other dishes. This is the base of many commercial barbecue sauces, so it’s a great starting point for making your own!
Mayonnaise: for salads, sandwiches, salad dressings, dips, and many other dishes.
Prepared mustard: for sandwiches, mayonnaise-based salads, salad dressings and marinades.
Long Storing produce:
Carrots: for long storage, snacking, soups, side dishes, roasting meat, casseroles, stews and more.
Celery: The classic combination of Onions, celery and carrots are used in almost all European sauces soups and stews. These are your aromatic vegetables used to stuff roasts, and poultry. Get it out of the plastic; wrap the base in one sheet of damp papertowel, and then the bottom two thirds in foil. It’ll keep for weeks in a crisper drawer.
Garlic: for flavoring or garlic bread. Store it dark and dry to prevent sprouting, but if it sprouts, you can still use it! Sprouted garlic is used all over the eastern world in much the same way as green onions.
Ginger: fresh for mincing or grating and adding to dishes for a spark. The best tool for peeling fresh ginger is a regular spoon! Gently rub the outside with the tip, and watch the skin just fall away.
Lemons and limes: for squeezing into fresh juice or using the zest in cooking. Acid is a key component in balancing your food. Adding just the right amount will make your dishes sing.
Onions: I usually choose a sweet onion for versatility, but the punch of onion in a dish is something I love. Choose the variety you like best.
Potatoes, russet: for baking and mashing. They bake up dry and fluffy, perfect for a side dish. Keep them out of direct sunlight to prevent sprouting and turning green. The green is a chemical called solanine, and it is poisonous!
Potatoes, small red: for boiling and roasting. These are waxy, and great for roasting, and using in potato salads. Store them the same way you store russets.
Olive oil: for making salad dressings and marinades. I choose Extra Virgin because it’s very flavorful. You can get really good quality oil for very reasonable prices now.
Vegetable oil: for frying, cooking, salad dressings and greasing pans. Here’s a little tip: Combine equal parts olive and vegetable oil for cooking, you’ll get the flavor of olive oil, with the higher heat resistance of vegetable oil.
Pasta: for eating plain, with butter, or a sauce; also great for using in soups, stews, casseroles, or as a side dish. Again, I spend the extra dollar to get much higher quality pasta. It’s amazing how much you can taste the difference.
Red and White wine vinegar: for cooking, seasoning, pickling. The acidity will help you brighten up any dishes that taste a little dull and flat. Try a few drops, and taste the difference it can make.
Soy sauce: for flavoring and quick stir-frying. Use Soy sauce in place of salt in soups and stews. It also brings a great depth of flavor to your dishes.
Tomato paste: for making pasta sauces, stews, soups and casseroles. Tomato paste adds richness and depth to almost everything you add it to. Just be sure to give it time to cook.
Worcestershire sauce: for seasoning and adding color. I end up using it as the secret ingredient in so many dishes…
Let me just say this about baking, It is a completely different discipline from cooking, and those who love to bake, are typically very good at following the prescribed methods and formulas. I have been baking from a very early age, and still find much of it challenging. Perhaps it’s my ‘wing-it’ approach? Actually, that’s exactly the problem! Baking uses formulas and methods that you can’t simply adjust on the fly, therefore, you must follow the directions! Many of these items are also used when cooking, so here is the list of items I find necessary:
Flavored extracts: for adding a little extra flavor to desserts, pie crusts, vegetables and other dishes. I usually have Anise, Almond and Lemon, but the sky is really the limit. These will keep indefinitely.
Baking soda and Baking powder: for baking and cleaning. The ability to leaven dough is almost magical. There are many ways to do it, but these two are indispensible. Baking soda reacts with acidic ingredients to leaven, Baking powder also does, but has a second reaction when it is heated. You cannot interchange the two without changing the method of your recipe
Brown sugar: for cooking, baking and seasoning. Brown sugar has some molasses remaining from its production. It brings a darker richer flavor to everything its added to.
Cocoa powder: for baking and making hot cocoa.
Cold cereal: for baking, topping casseroles, snacking and breakfast.
Cornmeal: for cornbread, breading proteins and for baking white bread. Also handy for preventing pizza from sticking to the pan you bake it in!
Cornstarch: for thickening puddings, sauces, stews and gravies. Not only great for sauces, with the right ratio, it’s a really fun science project! Google non-Newtonian fluids…
Cream of tartar: for whipping egg whites.
Dried fruit: for desserts, sauces, roasting meat and poultry and snacking.
Honey: for seasoning, cooking, or eating on biscuits or cereal.
Jams or jellies: for making sandwiches, desserts or sauces.
Maple syrup: for breakfasts and baking
Nuts: a selection of your favorite nuts for breads, muffins, desserts, casseroles and side dishes.
Oatmeal: for baking, cooking and as a breakfast cereal.
Peanut butter: for cooking, baking and snacking.
Powdered sugar: for making frosting, cooking, baking and decorating.
Semisweet chocolate chips: for desserts and snacking.
Solid shortening: for baking and greasing pans.
Unbleached white flour: for cooking, baking, thickening.
Unsweetened chocolate: for baking and cooking.
Vanilla: for flavoring many dishes, especially desserts; only use the real flavoring or vanilla beans.
White sugar: for cooking and seasoning.
Yeast: for baking.
This is by no means a comprehensive list, however, with the preceding items on hand; you can make many thousands of different dishes in varying styles. Almost all of the ingredients mentioned wil last for many months in a dark pantry, and can be found at even the most modest grocery stores. These tend to be reasonably priced items that you may choose to upgrade at your discretion. Just remember, this is to get you started, and have some flexibility in what you choose to prepare. I’ll cover additional items to supplement in future articles. Until then… Please, if you don’t have it already; go buy a box of Kosher Salt! J
