Home-Cook's Essentials: Basic Refrigerator/Pantry Edition

When I was new to cooking, the biggest thing I learned really quickly is how important it is to have your fridge and pantry stocked. Not just stocked with anything, but stocked with basic ingredients that you could make all different kinds of dishes with. Once I figured out the things that I needed on a weekly and monthly basis, it made it easier to stay away from take-out, easier to stay committed to cooking, and easier to shop for groceries! The key to this is having enough protein, veggies, grains, condiments, seasonings, etc., to make meals that will promote variety and flavor. All of these items are things I buy myself and find myself using regularly, or things that are common in those categories. I personally don't have a lot of specific brands I use, but there a few that I swear by. I'll be making another blog soon about some of my favorite brands of flour, beans, ice cream, even my favorite kind of salt very soon! This list does not include specific gluten free or vegan items, but if your interested in me creating post catered to just vegan, gluten free, or dairy free pantry/fridge essentials I can absolutely do that as well!

Once you have this list, it'll be even easier to make modifications to recipes that call for things like wine, specific vinegars, condiments, and more! Need help figuring out different ways to modify a recipe to fit what's in your fridge or pantry? Subscribe to my mailing list to get notified upcoming posts, there might be a post coming up to help you out! Take this comprehensive list with a grain of salt (get it?), and once your done reading, feel free to use my template below to make your own pantry and fridge essentials!

Pantry Essentials:

Fundamentals

Kosher Salt

Black Peppercorns (or ground black pepper)

Extra virgin olive oil

Neutral oil (vegetable or canola)

White distilled vinegar

Apple cider vinegar

Red or white wine vinegar

Worcestershire sauce

This list of fundamental items will be in almost every meal you make from breakfast to dessert, so it's top of the pile in terms of importance! White vinegar is a staple and if your going to buy one vinegar over the rest, white vinegar is the one I would go with. After that, I would go with apple cider vinegar because it is a very versatile ingredient. The wine vinegars are a great way to add acidity to creamy sauces or dressings for things like pasta salad, potato salad, vinaigrettes, and worcestershire sauce is (I would consider) imperative to adding depth of flavor to red meats like steak or pork, and even can go in some chicken marinades! Remember, having olive oil is imperative, but so is neutral oil! Not every recipes calls for olive oil, such as when your frying foods, certain baked goods, and various kinds of other meals. So if you can get both, I would!

Baking

All purpose flour

Baking soda

Baking powder

Cocoa powder

Baking chocolate bars and chips (milk, semi-sweet and dark chocolate)

Vanilla extract

Cornstarch

Baking is a science, and part of that science is flour, leavening agents, extracts, and acids to help with rising, texture, and mouth feel. Different baked goods need different kinds of powders or soda's, but they all need at least one them!

Sugars/Sweeteners

Granulated sugar

Light or dark brown sugar

Maple syrup

Honey

Powdered sugar

Sugar! The key to anything truly delicious. Granulated sugar goes into anything from cutting the acid in a tomato sauce to being the prime ingredient in sugar cookies. Light and brown sugars are essentials for chocolate chip cookies, and can also be used in savory meals that pair nicely with sweetness like pork-chop's and apples, or brown sugar roasted carrots.

Nuts/Snacks

Nuts: peanuts, pine nuts, walnuts, pistachios, almonds

Pretzels

Cookies: chocolate chip, sandwich cookies, wafers

Drinks (Non-Alcoholic/Alcoholic)

Instant coffee/instant espresso

Tea

Dry white wine

Dry red wine

Beer

By no means is alcohol completely essential to making food, but it does add some depth of flavor to all sorts of dishes. Next time add some beer to your cheese dip, or reduce some wine with your onions and garlic while making your favorite pasta sauce and see how the flavors get enhanced! Tea like chai or earl grey can be used in icings, cakes, cookies, and all sorts of baked goods, and instant coffee or espresso is great to add to brownies, cookies, even to your steak marinade!

Grains/Rice

Long or short grain white rice (i specifically like Arborio rice)

Brown rice

Quinoa

Cornmeal or polenta

Oatmeal

Grits (instant or slow cook)

Pasta: including rice noodles, egg noodles, short pasta (ex: rigatoni), long (ex: spaghetti)

Breadcrumbs: plain or panko

Bread

Flour/Corn tortillas

Ah, grains and rice. Two of life's wonders. I do make a lot of different meals that involve tortilla's like tacos, burritos, quesadillas, etc., but they can be cut up and fried to top soups and chilli, make tortilla rolls-up, mini pizzas, and more! Some people keep their bread in the fridge, my mom being one of them. Because I use my bread pretty quickly I keep it in the pantry, but if your wanting your bread to last a little longer than putting it in the fridge will do that! I always have grits and polenta in my pantry because they are great vessels for anything you want to put in or on top: shrimp, meat, veggies, load it up with cheese, eggs, the options are endless!

Canned/Boxed Goods

Chicken broth

Better than Bouillon: chicken, vegetable, beef, ham

Corn

Beans: black, pink, chickpeas, kidney beans, lentils

Chipotles in adobo

Coconut milk

Pickled jalapeños

Salsa

Tomato paste

Diced tomatos

Tomato sauce

Roasted red peppers

Jarred minced garlic

Boxed vanilla or white cake mix

Boxed sugar or chocolate chip cookie mix

Boxed brownie mix

Boxed corn muffin mix

Canned foods and non-perishables are one the best things to have in your pantry because there versatile, and last a long time! I always have a large supply of beans in my pantry, as well as tomato paste and better than bouillon. Better than bouillon is a great alternative to buying containers of chicken broth that once open, will need to be used within the week. Instead, you can make the specified amount you need and store the jar in the fridge once opened. The box mixes are on this list because do you always have time to whip a cake from scratch last minute? Because most of the time I do NOT. Having a boxed cake or cookie mix on hand is a huge time saver, and it can act as a base for whatever you want to use it for. You can add lemon zest and juice to sugar cookie mix to make yummy lemon cookies, add almond extract to vanilla or white cake mix and top of sliced almonds to make a delicious almond cake, etc.

Dried Herbs/Spices

Garlic powder

Everything bagel seasoning

Turmeric

Red Pepper Flakes

Onion powder

Smoked Paprika

Thyme

Rosemary

Oregano

Basil

Cumin

Ground or whole coriander

Sesame seeds

Ground or whole nutmeg

Ground ginger

Dill

Cinnamon

Chili powder

Cayenne pepper

Bay leaves

Cilantro

Old Bay seasoning

This may seem like an extensive list of spices, and some may say that I'm a bit spice obsessed. I try to my make my own spice blends, grind my own whole coriander or nutmeg, and toast my spices whole before grinding them ( I know, I do a bit much). But I always find that it lends to a more flavor packed seasoning or marinade, and I can control the amount of salt I put in the blend. Im fortunate to have space in my kitchen for a whole cabinet to be devoted to storing my spices, but there were times when I was in college and sharing a room with 3 or 4 other girls where that was not a possibility.

If thats the case for you, then my biggest suggestion: buy the spice blends already done, but find the no-salt versions! Recipe calls for parsley, oregano, and basil? Italian seasoning. Cumin, chili powder, and cilantro? Most Mexican blends. Need cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger? Apple pie spice, Pumpkin pie spice, even French toast spice will have those in their blend. Just check the label and make it has no added salt so you can still have control over the salt content. But if your not that worried about it, the regular versions are also great!

Fridge Essentials

Dairy

Milk

Unsalted and salted butter

Plain yogurt

Cheese: cheddar, mozzarella, parmesan, feta, brie

Eggs

Heavy cream

Half & half

Buttermilk

For me, I generally only use cow's milk and cream when I am making dishes to post for reimagined roux (which get eaten by my lovely boyfriend), or if I'm making food for my meat eating or dairy loving loved ones. Therefore, I tend to buy whole milk, whatever cream I need (typically heavy cream), and oat milk. You don't need to buy buttermilk, buttermilk can be made at home by simply mixing vinegar and your milk of choice which can be helpful if you need it in a pinch. But I tend to buy it to have in my fridge so I can save myself the extra step.

Produce

Apples

Berries: blueberry, raspberry, strawberry

Bananas

Avocados

Bell peppers

Cauliflower

Broccoli

Carrots

Celery

Mushrooms: portobello, cremini, or shiitake

Lemons

Limes

Greens: spinach, kale, collard greens

Lettuce: mixed greens, arugula

Fresh herbs: thyme, rosemary, parsley, cilantro, basil

Onion: yellow, purple, shallots

Garlic

Potatoes: white, sweet, yukon gold

Tomatos: cherry, roma, or steak

Having fresh produce in your fridge is really your saving grace. Of course there is accessibility issues and quality issues depending on where you live and how much you want to spend on groceries. So if you look at this list and say "good lord thats a lot" then my biggest tip is by it frozen or dried! Almost all of these ingredients come frozen, and can be easily incorporated into recipes calling for fresh ingredients. I will say, if possible try to buy your cauliflower, mushrooms, potatoes fresh as I find they can sometimes come out pretty mushy when cooking them from frozen.

Condiments

Mayonnaise

Ketchup

Mustard: dijon (whole grain or smooth), yellow, brown

Pickles

Hot sauce: sriracha

Soy sauce or tamari

Fish sauce

Sun-dried tomatoes

Jam or preserves

Freezer

Boneless, skinless chicken breast

Skin on, bone in chicken thighs

Ground beef, turkey, or Italian sausage (regular or hot)

Chorizo

Thick cut bacon

Frozen vegetables: spinach, kale, corn, peas

Frozen fruit: berries, peaches, mango

Puff pastry dough or pizza dough

Ice cream

Cookie dough

My biggest tip for buying and storing freezer food is separating into portions before you put it away. I like to separate my packaged meat into serving sizes, so if I have a pack of 6 chicken thighs I split them into servings of 2. This makes it easier to plan ahead cooking wise, and so that you don't end up cooking 6 chicken thighs and only serving one or two people. Especially if you live with, or are someone who doesn't like leftovers, this solution will be great for you! I put ice cream as an item not just because its delicious and should always be in your freezer, but because it can serve a lot of different purposes. Coffee affogato, milkshakes, topping it on brownies, fried ice cream, icebox cake, you can really make a lot of quick desserts when you have ice cream in your freezer. Same goes with cookie dough. Whether you make it yourself or buy it from the store, having cookie dough on hand in your freezer is going to save you during those middle of the night, "Gosh I could go for a cookie right now" moments.