I recently received a request for which pantry staples I consider necessary and some organizational ideas. I have to say the question really got me to thinking because I have pantry space many people may not – so I keep many different items that I may not necessarily. With that in mind, I thought ‘what are the items I use regularly or that I want on hand if I need to improvise while making a meal’. Therein lies the conundrum, as I found that with so many more ingredients then I had ever considered before, it was hard to decide what was necessary. So in thinking back to when I first began cooking for myself, I came up with the solution below. I have listed what I think is essential, then listed additional items to suit individual cooking styles and tastes. With the basics on hand, each time a new recipe calls for an ingredient you don’t have, it will give you the opportunity to add something new to the pantry. Over time, you will build a wonderful variety of ingredients that allow you to create more robust meals… or you will just run out of space and eventually go on a ‘Spring Cleaning’ spree ridding yourself of the things you never or rarely use. I hope this bit of information helps the reader and anyone else that might be thinking along the same lines – ‘I have very limited storage, what should I keep on hand?’. Let’s see how I did compared to all of you – let me know if I missed something (or included too much!) or want to discuss those items that you consider necessary in your kitchen!

Basic Dry Pantry Goods

• All Purpose Flour
• Oatmeal
• Granulated Sugar
• Brown Sugar
• Powdered Sugar
• Honey
• Iodized Salt
• Baking Soda
• Baking Powder
• Cornstarch
• Olive Oil
• Canola Oil
• Shortening
• White Rice
• Pasta (spaghetti, penne, farfalle, etc)
• Couscous
• Rice Sticks
• Tomato Sauce
• Diced Tomatoes
• White Vinegar
• Cider Vinegar
• Balsamic Vinegar
• Sesame Oil
• Panko Bread Crumbs
• Peanut Butter
• Canned Beans (pinto, garbanzo, red, black, etc)
• Refried Beans
• Coffee
• Tea

Additional Dry Pantry Goods

• Bread Flour
• Cornmeal
• Peanut Oil
• Brown Rice
• Arborio Rice
• Various Dry Beans
• Various Pasta shapes
• Various Rice Stick sizes
• Egg Noodles
• Soba Noodles
• Sliced Mushrooms (button/shitake)
• Marinated Artichokes
• Water Chestnuts
• Bamboo Shoots
• Red Wine Vinegar
• Rice Wine Vinegar
• Rice Cooking Wine
• Hot Pepper Sauce (like Tabasco)
• Roasted Red Peppers
• Raisins
• Chocolate Chips
• Coconut Milk/Cream
• Diced Jalapenos

Basic Refrigerated Pantry Goods

• Milk
• Cream
• Butter (sweet and unsalted)
• Eggs
• Cheese (Italian blend, Mexican blend, etc)
• Soy Sauce
• Mayonnaise
• Dijon Mustard
• Tomato Paste in a squeeze tube (refrigerate after opening)
• Maple Syrup
• Jelly
• Chicken Broth/Stock (refrigerate after opening)
• Beef Broth/Stock (refrigerate after opening)

Additional Refrigerated Pantry Goods

• Vegetable Broth/Stock (refrigerate after opening)
• Seafood Stock (refrigerate after opening)
• Worchestershire Sauce
• Horseradish
• Chinese Hot Mustard
• Yellow Mustard
• Capers
• Oyster Sauce
• Fish Sauce
• Seasoning Sauce
• Curry Pastes
• Aji Mirin
• Sambal (Chili Garlic Sauce)
• Mae Ploy (Sweet Chili Garlic Sauce)
• Sriracha
• Hoisin Sauce
• Browning Sauce
• Olives
• Dill Pickles
• Ketchup (sorry, I do not consider this condiment a basic item!)
• Gochujang
• Ssamjang

Basic Frozen Goods

• Peas
• Cut Green Beans
• Corn
• Peas and Carrots
• Hash Browns
• Fruit Mix (Berry, Tropical, etc)
• Ground Beef (vacuum sealed into 6 – 8 oz packages)
• Ground Beef/Ground Pork Mix (combined and split into 6 oz per person vacuum sealed packages)
• Chicken Breasts (vacuum sealed separately)
• Prawns (16 – 20 or 31 – 40 sizes are the most handy I have found)
• Tilapia (prepacked into single fillet vacuum sealed packages)
• Center Cut Bacon (vacuum sealed into 6 – 8 oz packages)
• Slivered Almonds (stored in the freezer after opening)
• Limoncello

Additional Frozen Goods

• Ground Pork (vacuum sealed into 6 – 8 oz packages)
• Flat Iron Steak (split and vacuum sealed into 6 – 8 oz packages)
• Chicken Cordon Bleu (prepared and vacuum sealed per this post)
• Ground (Mexican) Chorizo (split and vacuum sealed into 6 oz packages)
• Andouille Sausage (separated into 1 – 2 sausage vacuum sealed packages)
• Kielbasa (halved and vacuum sealed)
• Thin Sliced Beef (vacuum sealed into 6 oz packages)

Basic Spices and Seasoning

• Sea Salt
• Peppercorns for fresh grinding
• Garlic Powder
• Onion Powder
• Cinnamon
• Nutmeg
• Ginger
• Vanilla Extract
• Basil
• Oregano
• Paprika
• Thyme
• Rosemary
• Sage
• Chili Powder
• Cumin
• Bay Leaves
• Red pepper Flakes

Additional Spices and Seasonings

• Star Anise
• Cardamon
• Coriander
• Curry
• Tarragon
• Summer Savory
• Dill
• Mustard
• Fennel Seeds
• Caraway Seeds
• Allspice
• Ground Cloves
• White Pepper
• Parsley
• Cilantro
• Turmeric
• Cayenne Pepper
• Herbs d’Provence
• Smoked Paprika
• Saffron
• Juniper Berries
• Gumbo Filé

Basic Fresh Ingredients

• Garlic
• Yellow Onions
• Celery
• Carrots
• Lemons
• Limes

So these are my basic and additional regularly stocked ingredients. Naturally,  these ingredients will change based on your cooking preferences and dietary requirements. As you can see from my lists, I have a fairly substantial Asian and Mediterranean influence. The fresh ingredients I pick up each week are based on the menu so I can reinforce the menu. It works most of the time… remember nobody’s perfect! For me, some vegetables typically available are bell peppers, broccoli, asparagus, shallots, brussels sprouts, and cauliflower. For fresh fruit, it would be bananas, pears, apples, and oranges. And you may have noticed an absence of bread. I do not eat a lot of bread unless a recipe calls for it or I bake it myself. I figure I get quite a lot of carbohydrates with rice, pasta, etc.

I hope this information helps… and sparks a conversation on what everyone else is doing!