It’s the first night of your beach house vacation. 6 pm: time for pasta salad!
You pull out the pot you remembered to pack (because you studied up on those kitchen tool essentials) and you reach for the oil, and—
You forgot the oil.
Some pantry items are essential. It’s pretty difficult to cook anything without oil. Or salt. And what about some form of acid for that classic pop—lemon juice or vinegar?
While many of us live close enough to a grocery store to run and grab an onion when we need it, it pays to run down a mental checklist of essential pantry items every time we’re in the store. No one likes getting home and discovering they need to go out again.
Here are my top ten essential pantry ingredients:
(Kosher) Salt
A must-have! It’s impossible to prepare any food—cooked or uncooked—without salt. I could write an entire post on this ingredient alone (and I did!) but for space consideration, I’ll just say that salt has this magical (scientific) power to heighten other flavors. Without it, food just tastes boring.
If you’re restocking your pantry, I highly recommend kosher salt, which has larger flakes that make it easier to season with by hand as you cook. Professional chefs and restaurants all use kosher salt. While the brand you choose is largely up to you (and may depend on where you live and what you can get), be aware that the density, and therefore the level of saltiness, will vary by brand.
Bottom line: pick a type, pick a brand, and get used to cooking with it so you can salt easily by feel as you cook and don’t have to measure.
Oil
Preferably two types: a neutral vegetable oil for general cooking and a nice(ish) olive oil for vinaigrettes, roasting, and anytime you’re cooking Mediterranean food. If you’re sticking with just one type, go for the neutral oil like canola or vegetable oil. Contrary to popular belief, olive oil is not good for general cooking: its low smoke point makes it a poor choice for sautéing and frying. Also, it will infuse anything you cook with eau de Mediterranea. Which is great if you’re making a pasta salad vinaigrette, but not so hot for an Indian curry.
Garlic
Cloves, not powder . . . not that I’m anti-G-pow, but it’s the actual cloves you want to stock. Whether smashed, grated, or finely chopped, this amazing allium helps to create a flavorful aromatic base for countless dishes, from chicken piccata to cabbage stir-fy.
Buy it in bulb form, preferably (not already peeled and floating in a jar—that’s always seemed a bit weird) and store in a dark cool place. The bottom shelf of your kitchen cupboard works great.
Onion
Like garlic, onion boosts flavor in almost any dish. Keep at least one stocked in your cupboard at all times. When shopping, look for the plain yellow variety—the more expensive Vidalia onions lose their sweetness as soon as they hit the pan, so there’s no need to pay up if you’re planning to cook with them.
Citrus Fruit
Bright, tart, acidic—fresh lemon or lime juice provides the perfect zip and zing to balance out any dish. Add a squeeze to finish a sauce, whisk with oil to make a classic vinaigrette dressing, or throw a few slices into an icy cold glass of water for a refreshing beverage on a hot day.
Please note that I’ve listed the fruit itself, not the juice. You want to buy the actual fruit, because nothing in a plastic squeeze bottle will ever be half as good as the freshly squeezed stuff.
Sugar
. . . or honey, or agave, if you prefer! Some form of sweetener to balance bitterness in sauces, macerate fruit, and pickle red onions. I prefer plain granulated sugar only because it’s neutral, and I can use it without worrying about bringing other random flavors into my food.
Flour
Your ticket to fluffy pancakes and gooey brownies. But even if you’re not a baker, a bag of good all-purpose is still a must in the kitchen. Use for thickening sauces, breading proteins and vegetables and building the most tremendously delicious etouffee imaginable!
Vinegar
For dressing salads, pickling veg, brining meat, and adding that tangy pop to almost any sauce. There are dozens of types, ranging from apple cider to rice wine to balsamic, and some of these specific types are essential to certain cooking genres. For everyday cooking, I recommend white wine vinegar. Again, it’s fairly neutral, and you can use it without worrying that your food will take a sudden Asian or Italian direction.
Black Peppercorns
For seasoning cuts of meat, adding a pop of spice to any creamy sauce, and making that BLT sing! Please, please, please, do yourself a favor and buy peppercorns and a little handheld pepper grinder rather than buying the preground stuff in a canister. I don’t usually insist on freshly grinding spices, but in this case, it makes a HUGE difference!
Coffee
Because everything is more bearable and every day is brighter with caffeine. I like to grind mine fresh, but whether you’re buying the beans or the grounds, store it in the freezer for maximum freshness!
Of course, this is just a starting point.
Depending on the type of food you usually cook, you may find yourself needing other, more specific ingredients, such as soy sauce, dashi powder, or preserved lemon. Feel free to build on and modify this short list, making it personal to you. That way, whether you’re stocking a rental kitchen for a week of vacation cooking or keeping tabs on your own basic home pantry, you’ll always have what you need to cook delicious food!
Originally posted on August 27, 2020.
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