May 28, 2010
If you have a garden or a box of seasonal produce delivered to your door (in Santa Barbara this service is offered by such companies as Plow to Porch, Fairview Gardens or Local Harvest Delivery) and you have the below items stocked in your pantry, you will be able to not only make most of the recipes on this site, but it will elevate the taste of all your culinary endeavors. A well-stocked pantry also ensures that you will be able to entertain breakfast, lunch or dinner on a whim!
Whenever possible, I choose organic products, although this is not necessarily indicated on my list. Choosing organic products not only is better for our beautiful world, but I find the quality of the ingredients make a huge difference in the overall taste of the food. The most important thing about stocking a pantry is to have the best tasting and finest quality items you can get. This does not necessarily mean the most expensive. Trader Joe’s is a great and inexpensive resource for organic sugar, flour, condiments, grains, specialty nuts, cheeses and oil.
Sometimes you will find that your dish tastes “off” and you aren’t sure why. Do yourself a favor and try your ingredients before you cook with them. Take olive oil, for instance; it’s more common than you think to open a recently purchased bottle only to find that it’s rancid. It’s such a drag to take the time to cook a wonderful meal and have it flop because the oil is bad. Ugh! Selecting the finest ingredients will result in great tasting meals all the time, and you will be confident that even the simplest preparation will taste delicious.
At first glance this list may seem long, but you likely already have many of these ingredients on your shelves. As you stock and re-stock your pantry, enjoy the thrill of the hunt of finding the best ingredients.
Oil
Coconut oil
Canola oil and spray
Grape seed oil
Olive Oil – for cooking, Costco Kirkland Reserve (I buy it by the case)
Olive oil – for finishing, whatever the Rare Wine Company is offering
Cooking Booze
White wine – Sauvignon Blanc, a little for the cook and a little for the pan
Red wine– Nebiolo from Northern Italy, fruity and light
Sherry – Oloroso, Spain
Cognac
Vinegars
Sherry vinegar
White wine vinegar
White Balsamic vinegar
Aged Balsamic vinegar
Rice wine vinegar
Apple cider vinegar
Salt
Kosher – Diamond Crystal
Murray River –pink, Australia
Maldon – flaky white; Brittnay, France
Kilauea – black, Hawaii
Specialty Dry Herbs, Spices and Sauces
Aleppo Pepper
Cayenne pepper
Zaatar
Smoked Paprika
Sweet Paprika
Cumin
Yellow and black mustard seed
Turmeric
Celery salt – for the rim of our Bloody Mary’s
Cinnamon
Star Anise
Vanilla bean
Vanilla extract
Almond extract
Soy sauce
Fish Sauce
Sriracha sauce
Tabasco
Ketchup
Dijon mustard
Stone ground mustard
Flours
All purpose flour
White whole wheat flour
Semolina flour
O0 flour
Whole-wheat pastry flour
Cake flour
Baking
Baking soda
Baking powder
Corn starch
Rapid rise yeast
Sweeteners
Turbine sugar
Sugar
Light and dark brown sugar
Confectioner’s sugar
Agave nectar
Honey – local
Maple syrup
Coconut milk
Molasses
Grains and Starches
Oats
Flax seed
Cheerios
Brown rice cereal
Farro
Carnaroli rice
Brown Basmati rice
Jasmine rice
Quinoa
Pasta, assortment
Udon noodles
Soba noodles
Whole wheat bread
Crackers, assortment
Popcorn — essential for movie night!
Other Staples
White anchovies
French lentils
San Marzano tomatoes
Capers, packed in salt
Tomato paste, in a tube
Smoked dried tomatoes
Piquillo peppers
Dried beans; flagolette, pinquito (from Shephard Farms) and pinto (from Rancho Gordo)
Tortilla chips
Valrhona chocolate – dark chocolate, in a variety of percentages
Dark chocolate chips, I like Ghirardelli disks
Unsweetened baking chocolate
Peanut butter
Nuts; my stash is an assortment from TJ’s and Farmer’s Market (peanuts, almonds, Marcona almonds, pecans and cashews)
Unsweetened dried fruit- cherries, blueberries, cranberries, currants
Coconut, unsweetened
Pantry Basket Drawers
Heads of garlic
Yellow onion
Ginger root
Dried Chiles de Arbol
Refrigerated Staples
Farm eggs
Bacon
French ham
Sliced turkey
Pancetta
Roasted chicken
Green olives, in salt brine
Triple cream cheese
Gruyere
Parmesan
Israeli feta
White cheddar
Milk
Cream
Buttermilk
Greek yogurt
Butter, unsalted
Mayonnaise (I like Spectrum if I don’t make it myself)
Jam
Whole wheat tortillas
Mini corn tortillas, Gurrero
Chicken stock
