How to Stock Your Pantry to Make Almost Anything?

What is in a fully stocked kitchen pantry in order to make nearly any meal? Not as much as you would think. You can go all out and buy the entire list of pantry staples provided here. If you don’t cook a variety of dishes and cuisines, buy what meets your needs. Let’s not waste ingredients or your hard-earned cash. Stock Your Pantry to Make Almost Anything

It used to irritate me when I would be missing one ingredient to make a recipe. When you first start cooking, you lack the knowledge of herbs and spices that go into different types of cuisine. You think you have all of the ingredients, and then you’re missing one! You sigh and then contemplate whether to make the recipe without that ingredient or take a trip to the store.

There are certain staples that should be in every kitchen, regardless of the type of cooking you enjoy doing. The idea is to be able to put together a meal without having to head to the store just to pick up missing staple ingredients. Below you will find a list of essential ingredients that you should have on hand to make nearly anything.

Dry Foods

With the right selection of dry foods, you will never have to wonder what to make for dinner again. There are a myriad of recipes that call for rice or pasta as the base ingredient and all you need in addition are a few condiments and spices to create a delicious meal. These are arguably the most important items on your grocery list.

Rice

Long-grain White Rice
Medium to Long Grain Brown Rice
Basmati Rice

Pasta

Farfalle
Angel Hair Pasta
Spaghetti
Penne
Rigatoni
Fettuccine
Pappardelle
Fusilli
Ditalini Pasta
Macaroni
Gnocchi
Ravioli Lasagna

Cereal

Puffed Rice or Wheat
Bran
Corn Flakes

Starches

Cracked Wheat
Orzo
Couscous

Dried Soup Mixes (used to season meals)

French Onion
Vegetable

Dried Beans

Black Beans
White Beans
Pinto Beans
Kidney Beans
Navy Beans
Lentils
Lima Beans
Black-eyed Peas
Cannellini Beans
Great Northern Beans
Chickpeas
Fava Beans
Red Beans

Canned Goods

There are times when you need to feed people fast. That’s where canned foods come in. They make it easy to make a fast meal that tastes great and can be added to other staple ingredients to create a truly wonderful meal. Whether you are short on time or just need a shortcut, canned goods are just the thing to have around.

Beans (see list above)
Tuna
Soups (cream of chicken, cream of mushroom, etc. can be used alone or with rice or pasta for a heartier dish)
Fruit Salad / Canned Fruit
Tomatoes

Fresh Ingredients

While it is good to have a supply of stock dry and canned ingredients, it is just as important to have fresh items on hand to round out the meal. Dairy products and fruit can bring a dish to life and add valuable nutrition at the same time. The majority of these items will need to be kept in the refrigerator to help them last longer.

Staples

These ingredients are ones that you will most likely be using on a consistent basis. For example, milk and eggs are used in pretty much every baking recipe. Keep an eye on expiry dates and make sure to use the ingredients before they go bad.

Milk
Yogurt (plain works best with most recipes)
Eggs
Cheese (cheddar and mozzarella)
Sour cream
Cottage cheese
Cream cheese

Fruits and Vegetables

You will want to add your favorites to this category, as it is based mostly on preferences. What is the point of having a bowl of apples if you never eat them? If you like salad, add more salad ingredients to your shopping list. Prefer to cook your veggies? Then you might want to think about adding squash and similar items to the list.

Apples
Oranges
Lemons
Limes
Lettuce
Tomatoes
Celery
Onions
Mushrooms
Potatoes
Carrots

Meat

Remember that not all meat has to be kept in the refrigerator. You can and should freeze things like chicken breasts and ground beef if you won’t be using them right away. They can be thawed under warm running water or in the microwave when you need them, just be sure not to leave raw meat at room temperature for more than a couple of hours.

Fast thawing methods are preferable over leaving the meat out all day to thaw. If you must thaw slowly, do it in the refrigerator and allow at least 12 hours for a pound of ground beef or a package of chicken breasts. Smaller items, such as bacon and shrimp will be ready sooner.

Bacon
Lunch meats (ham, bologna, salami, etc.)
Chicken
Beef
Ground beef
Shrimp

Baking Supplies

Having the right ingredients on hand to bake a cake or turn out a batch of yummy chocolate chip cookies means you’ll be tempted to do it more often. When unexpected company arrives, you won’t be struggling to find what you need to make up some quick baking powder biscuits or dumplings. Here is a list of baking ingredients that you should always have in your pantry.

Flour (also handy for thickening homemade sauces)
Baking powder
Cornstarch (also used for homemade sauces and soup)
Sugar (brown, white, and confectioner’s sugar)
Yeast (keep this in the fridge for a longer shelf life)
Unsweetened cocoa powder
Powdered milk
Unsweetened baking chocolate
Chocolate chips (you may also want to stock butterscotch or peanut butter chips)
Light corn syrup
Margarine
Vanilla extract (if you bake a lot, consider stocking almond and mint extract as well)
Honey
Molasses
Raisins (other dried fruit can be added, if you wish, dried apricots, prunes, etc.)

Herbs and Spices

Without these special add-ins, meals would be boring! When you have a variety of spices and herbs on hand, you can turn out delicious meals easily.

If you enjoy a more exotic style of cooking, you can include the herbs and spices that are unique to that cuisine as this list is just to get you started. For example, Indian cuisine uses curry powder and saffron, while Asian food calls for lemongrass, among other things.

Herbs

Herbs are always better fresh, but since they don’t last long, even in the refrigerator, you should have a good supply of high-quality dried ones in your cupboard. Look for dried herbs that smell strongly, as this means that they still contain much of the essential oil that gives them their flavor.

Parsley
Basil
Oregano
Thyme
Bay Leaves
Garlic powder

Spices

You can never have too many spices! Here is a basic list to start with, but feel free to add more to your collection. Since spices are used in relatively small amounts, one bottle goes a long way, and you can afford to buy a new spice each time you do your grocery shopping.

Paprika
Pepper
Chili powder
Dry mustard
Peppercorns
Ground cinnamon
Ground cloves
Nutmeg
Ginger powder

Condiments

We tend to think of condiments in simple terms, such as peanut butter and salt. However, this category covers everything from vinegar and oil to cooking wines and barbeque sauce. Each ingredient can be used to enhance an existing dish and again, you can add to the list if you prefer a more exotic cooking experience.

Ketchup
Mustard (both yellow and Dijon)
Mayonnaise
Bouillon cubes (chicken and beef, or vegetarian cubes)
Salt
Vinegar (white, red wine, apple cider, and balsamic)
Oil (olive, avocado, and vegetable)
Wine (red and white, avoid cooking wines as they contain salt)
Soy sauce
Barbeque sauce
Peanut butter
Jams and jellies
Worcestershire sauce
Tomato paste (you may also want to have tomato sauce on hand)
Maple syrup
Salad dressings

The lists given above are meant to give you a good base to work with. However, you know yourself and your family best and you should adjust the ingredients to fit your own lifestyle and preferences. It may take a little time to set everything up, but once your pantry is stocked, it will be easy to maintain, and you will be able to cook pretty much anything you like.

The best way to make sure you don’t run low on pantry items is to keep a comprehensive inventory list. Each time you use something, mark it on the list. At the end of the week or month, you can simply look at the inventory and see exactly what you need to buy. It’s a good idea to double-check the refrigerator and cupboards as well, in case someone else has used an ingredient without marking it down.

Items such as condiments and spices will rarely need to be replaced as they tend to last a long time. However, fresh ingredients like milk and cheese will most likely need to be bought on a weekly basis, depending on the consumption rate and how long they are good for. Always check expiry dates.

Having a well-stocked pantry means that you will never have to run out to the store again just to finish making a decent dinner. You will also find that you are more inspired to cook when you have everything you need at your fingertips. Instead of reading through tasty recipes and wondering if you have what you need, you will be able to simply choose what you want to make and get started!