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One of the most important things you’ll do as a cook is build out your pantry. I like to say that good cooking happens at the intersection of fresh produce and a well-stocked pantry. Most of the time, you’ll pick up fresh ingredients on a regular basis (things like meats, vegetables, fruits, eggs, dairy, etc) and then use what’s in your pantry to build those into exciting, flavorful dishes and full meals. When you have the right ingredients on hand, adding flavor and complexity becomes easy.
A well-stocked pantry should include ingredients that cover all of the basic building blocks of flavor— things like salt, fat, acidity, umami, and spice. We’ll dive into each of these categories in-depth in later lessons in the course, but here I’ll show you how to create a starter pantry that covers all of these profiles.
Building out your pantry is a gradual process, and ultimately it is a very personal thing. The ingredients that you keep in your kitchen will reflect your personal preferences, the meals you like to cook, and the flavor profiles you gravitate towards. If you cook a lot of Japanese food, for example, you’ll want to have soy sauce, mirin, sake, and miso. If you cook a lot of Mexican food you’ll want chile pastes, limes, dried chiles, and masa harina. For Thai food you might have dark soy sauce, toasted rice powder, palm sugar, and fish sauce. Many of these things are more cuisine-specific and may not apply to everyone. If you like those flavors, you can acquire those pantry items over time.
Getting started, however, is much more simple. You should think about your pantry in terms of two overarching categories:
Flavor Builders
You pantry should have items that cover all of the basic building blocks of flavor so that you can easily turn everyday items into flavorful complete dishes. You don’t need to overthink it— if you have salt, olive oil, and lemons, you can make most things taste delicious. If you have salt, some fats, some sources of acidity, a few spices, and some sauces and condiments that give you umami and spiciness, you’ll have a ton to work with.
Shelf Staples
In addition to your flavor builders, you should have some basic shelf-stable staples for complete meals. This includes things like grains (rice, pasta, flour, etc), canned goods (beans, tomatoes), and versatile items that make their way into most dishes like onions and garlic.
If you have these two categories covered, even with just a few basics, you’re ready to get started.
In this lesson I’ll offer both a minimalist pantry list, as well as a more complete list that you can work towards as you continue your cooking journey. This list doesn’t include many cuisine- specific specialty items— you should acquire those as you start to learn more about what you like to cook— but it includes plenty to work with!
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As I mentioned before, a minimalist pantry will cover both your flavor builders and your shelf staples.
Here’s a simple checklist to get started: