I'm a food reporter and these are the 11 essential items I always have in my pantry
Rachel Askinasi
- Pantry staples are must-have food items that vary from person to person.
- There are so many things I love to have in my cupboard at all times, but there are only 11 that I take extra care to make sure I always have.
- From easy-to-use pancake mix to olive oil and chicken stock, my pantry essentials are all over the map.
- Canned tuna, alliums, potatoes, vinegar, pasta, boxed mac and cheese, rice, and dark chocolate are all things I like to keep on-hand.
I'm nearly 25 years old, I live in a small New York City apartment with roommates, and I'm typically cooking for just me. That means my pantry — which is really a little cubby and some shelf space in my kitchen — is stocked with the things I reach for most.
To me, a pantry staple is, at its core, one of two things: something that you can buy for later, or something kept out of the refrigerator that you use daily. By that standard, my pantry staples include for-later items like canned tuna and chicken stock as well as every-day stashes of olive oil and dark chocolate.
There are plenty of other pantry items that I typically have on-hand, like canned beans and tomato products like paste or sauce, but this is a list of things I always have without fail.
My feeling is that the core of your pantry should reflect the things you would be really bummed about if they weren't there when you reached for them. From boxed macaroni and cheese to pancake mix, here are 11 of my personal must-have pantry items.
Even if I have absolutely nothing else, I have olive oil.
Olive oil is the No. 1 most popular component of my family's diet. My Mediterranean roots run deep, and I truly can't remember a meal growing up — regardless of the cuisine featured for the main dish — that didn't start with "good" olive oil and bread for dipping.
Whether used for cooking, garnishing, dipping, or sautéing, there isn't a dish to come out of my mother's kitchen that didn't benefit from at least a little bit of the fragrant and flavorful oil.
If you've been buying olive oil and are still not really sure what the hype is all about, chances are you haven't tried the right one.
There are lots of labels that say "olive oil" out there, but don't let them fool you. If you're looking for the good stuff, keep an eye out for dark bottles or metal containers and pay attention to the wording used on the label. Extra virgin is a good sign, although it's not as meaningful of a label as it once was.
Red wine vinegar is my vinegar of choice.
I'm not a huge fan of balsamic vinegar, and I'd rather use its pinker cousin for salads and sauces.
There isn't a brand I'm married to or a criterion I look out for here. I just pick it up from whatever store or market I'm at when I know I'm running low.
I always have Bisquick Shake 'n Pour pancake mix in my arsenal.
Take me anywhere and you can pretty much guarantee that if pancakes are on the menu, I'm ordering them — even for dinner.
While I have my own personal list of the best pancakes I've ever eaten, all of them pale in comparison to the fluffy simplicity of this easily storable at-home option.
All you need to do is add water and shake it up. While I'm not a huge fan of syrup on my pancakes, I do add chocolate chips and sometimes berries inside — and yes, I do have that practice down to a science as well.
I keep some source of dark chocolate in my kitchen at all times.
Sometimes this means there's a bag of Dove squares in my freezer, other times it's a specialty bar that I picked up from a local chocolate shop.
A bite of after-dinner dark chocolate is something that sparks joy for me, so I make sure it's always around.
I've been known to savor certain things for a little too long, so I may or may not have a year-old bar of craft chocolate in my cabinet. But, hey, don't judge — I'm not asking you to eat it.
I always have fresh alliums — garlic, onions, and shallots — around.
Some home cooks may loop these in with fresh produce, but I consider them a pantry staple since I keep them out of the fridge before I use them.
Garlic and either a yellow or red onion are things I always keep around. They last incredibly long on the countertop and they're a base layer for almost every dish.
If I look over at my allium pile and I see a full head of garlic and two or more onions, I know I'm doing OK in terms of my stash. If I see any less than that, I know it's time to pick up some more on my next grocery run.
Similarly, potatoes are also a pantry staple of mine.
Sweet potatoes and russet potatoes in particular are usually my go-to varieties. Having sweet potatoes on-hand means I know I can always have a healthy vegetable side with my dinner if I have nothing else in the fridge.
I keep russet potatoes around as well because they're great for making home-baked potato chips, which are another great dinner side. I'd count them more as a starch than a veggie but that's a you-call, my friend, I support you either way.
I always keep rice on-hand.
When in doubt, I reach for the rice. If I'm unsure of what to make for a meal, need a snack, or need to add a little more substance to leftovers or refrigerator scraps, I pull out the rice and whip up a serving.
Typically, I keep basmati around. But I also love the versatility of jasmine.
A freezer-staple of mine is actually frozen, single-serve bags of rice from Trader Joes. Those are great because they only take three minutes to cook in the microwave.
There's always a bag or box of $0.99 pasta in my kitchen.
Unless it's a special occasion and I'm buying fresh pasta from the person who made it, I will not spend more than 99 cents on a bag or box. That's my rule and I'm sticking to it.
Trader Joe's has a great selection and Whole Foods also sells its 365 in-house label at my target price point.
Annie's Shells and White Cheddar always does the trick for me.
I've never felt as seen as I did when Netflix star and best-selling cookbook author Samin Nosrat told me that she too loves that beautiful, purple box of goodness.
I've eaten a lot of mac and cheese in my day — and I even ranked some well-known instant cups — but there is nothing quite like Annie's Shells and White Cheddar, in my opinion.
The miniature macaroni shaped like seashells, mixed with the one-of-a-kind texture that comes from powdered cheese really does something special to the soul that I don't want to ever live without.
If it's a pantry staple good enough for Samin, it's good enough for the rest of us.
I always have canned tuna somewhere in the back.
I find comfort in seeing a tuna can in my pantry. It lets me know that if I'm stuck without something to make one night, or it's 11 p.m. and I need lunch for work the next day, I'm covered.
Growing up, a great weekend lunch was a tuna melt with a side of chips and some fruit. Tuna fish lends itself well to bread, bagels, crackers, and even just a fork.
Although I only eat canned tuna a couple of times per month, I feel lost without it. It's my culinary security blanket.
Chicken stock or broth is a versatile ingredient.
From making soups to thinning sauces, I love cooking with chicken stock or broth.
I've been buying the 4-pack of eight-ounce boxes because I loathe having an open stock in my fridge. I'm never quite sure when it's gone bad and I typically end up tossing half the container. I saw these in a store once around a year ago and have been buying them ever since.
While you can get similar flavors from bouillon cubes, a box of stock or broth is just easier, in my opinion. And isn't convenience the whole point of a pantry staple item?
- Read more:
- 13 long-lasting fruits and vegetables you can stock up on that aren't canned or frozen
- I tried 4 kinds of instant mac and cheese and thought Kraft's Easy Mac was the tastiest
- Photos show how common baking mistakes can drastically change your banana bread
- A bartender's 5 easy steps to creating a perfect at-home bar
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