One of the most difficult parts of my personal kitchen journey was building up a solid pantry. It can be expensive and daunting to gather all those herbs, spices, grains, condiments, oils, and what not that every recipe seems to call for. And where the hell do you even start? Then, to make matters worse, one day you'll inevitably find yourself partway through a recipe that you know you read through before committing to, but now you're being asked to bust out some tool that you just don't have and there's no reasonable way to approximate its function without an absolutely insane amount of effort. What to do now? Just toss it? Run to the store and buy it? Have a tiny little panic attack on the floor of the kitchen until the dish is burnt to a crisp and then it's not your problem anymore because everything is inedible anyway?

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Calm down.

 

The bests answer to all of this, quite honestly, is "you do you." There are some basics that you can keep on hand that will make all of this easier (more on that below), but it's important to understand that as you keep cooking, trying new things, figuring out stuff that you want to try, building your skills, and expanding your portfolio, a lot of these things will come with time. Contrary to where I first started, my problem now is not having enough pantry space to store all of my shit. Never went on a major spice run, never had to set everything up, it just came with time. So, below, I'm going to offer some of the things I, personally, have found to either useful to have immediately on hand or that come up frequently. Having these things in my culinary tool belt has made my grocery list shorter. Cooking with these things has taught me the little tricks to making truly delicious and highly nuanced dishes. Have what you want in your pantry, keep the things that you use, but based on my experience keeping these things in stock will make your life a hell of a lot easier.

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Kitchen Tools and Gadgets

Without a doubt, you will need some basic tools. A few words of caution, though. This doesn't mean you need a bunch of fancy, super expensive shit. I encourage you to find tools that fit your pricepoint and have any of the extra bells and whistles that you want. Also, beware of single-use tools or things that offer some kind of magic solution to problems you didn't know you had. Avocados aren't that hard to cut, coring a mango with a knife is completely possible, there's no need for a fancy toy to peel a melon. And sure, those round ice cubes look cool, especially when you're entertaining, but fuck off with that $760 precision-crafted mold used in premier bars and restaurants that creates a perfect 2 1/2"-diameter sphere of ice one minute. The $5 version from the bodega will suit you just fine. 

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Tools that are actually useful, include...

• Vegetable peeler

• Can opener

• Measuring spoons

• Measuring cups, dry

• Measuring cup(s), wet

• Colander

• Mesh strainer

• Knives, to include:

  • Large knife, like a chef's knife (6 - 8 inches)

  • Small knife, like a paring knife

• At least two cutting boards (cutting an apple where you just cut your onion is going to mess things up something awful - if you eat meat, be sure to have at least four, with one full-time dedicated to poultry, and one for other meats to avoid poisoning yourself)

• Box grater

• Big skillet or wok

• Big pot (think soup)

• Blade-style spatula

• Blender

• Parchment paper (I cannot stress what an amazing tool this is and how important it is to not confuse this with wax paper - that will fuck all your shit up)

• Baking dish (think lasagna)

• Rimmed baking sheet

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Optional, but almost game changers

• Nakiri-style knife (this is the one I use most)

• Bread knife (especially if you plan to buy bread loaves or bake your own)

• Small and medium pots

• A rubber spatula for mixing wet stuff like batter

• Immersion blender (so much easier for soups and stews)

• Rolling pan

• Grill, grill pan, or electric grill

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Remember, if this list seems long, there's no need to fret. Take your time building up your toolkit and in the meantime make do with what you have. There's nothing wrong with living low-key.

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Pantry Items

Unlike the above items, these things will, of course, eventually need to be replenished. If you're just starting out, consider going for smaller amounts of these items while you figure out what you like. Maybe it turns out quinoa isn't really your thing or avocado oil wasn't quite as useful as you first thought. No problem with that. Stock these things as you see fit and, once again, don't worry if it takes you a while to get them into your rotation. There's no need to panic-buy ingredients if you don't have a reason to use them. Eventually, you'll find that you have a good variety of options and they'll all be things that you enjoy.

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• Olive oil (some people will tell you that you should only use this type or that - use what you want and what you can afford. I rarely buy extra virgin because I buy in large quantities, and EVOO is more expensive)

• Neutral-tasting oil (coconut, grape seed, peanut, sesame, etc.)

• Tamari or soy sauce

• A hot sauce or two (just a variety of the ones you like)

• Your preferred nut butter (almond, peanut, cashew, powdered, it's up to you)

• Vinegar (I usually have white, apple, red wine, and balsamic, but whatever suits you)

• Rice vinegar

• Your favorite grains (try a few different versions. I like to stock brown [short and long grain], white [jasmine and basmati], and wild rice; some ancient grains [usually kamut, farro, and quinoa at all times, plus barley for when I'm feeling fancy]; and anything else that's reasonably priced)

• Cornmeal (or polenta, they're pretty interchangeable)

• Some pasta or noodles (don't forget things like soba and udon)

• Dried beans and pulses (I always have some chickpeas, black beans, baby lima beans, and a variety of lentils. Cooking beans from dry is, in my opinion, far more versatile and offers a much better texture, but if you don't have the time or desire, there's nothing wrong with going the canned route)

• Flour (All-purpose is fine. I try to keep whole wheat and rye on hand, too, and occasionally pick up a bag of bread flour, but there's really no need to go all out - obviously, if you have gluten issues, make selections that work for you)

• Yeast (I prefer active dry, but whatever floats your boat)

• Nutritional yeast (yes, that obnoxious vegan pantry staple)

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Basic Dried Herbs and Spices

We've all heard that overused phrase "variety is the spice of life." In the kitchen, the reality is more that a variety of herbs and spices add life to your dish. There are so many different kinds of herbs and spices it can be hard to know where to start, but keeping a few choice varieties on hand can really give you the basis for just about anything you need. Now, don't get me wrong, these won't cover the gamut, but they'll definitely set a solid base for all your seasoning needs. As I previously mentioned, I've amassed quite a collection of dried herbs and spices, but I'll be the first to admit that many of them are probably unnecessary and not something that should reasonably be taking up the limited space in my New York City apartment. Don't get me wrong, that urfa biber really adds an amazing aroma and color to Turkish cuisine, I'll never be able to look at paratha the same way after incorporating some ajwain, and don't even get me started on how much sumac I like to add to my hummus, but are any of these going to completely break a dish without? Absolutely not. If you're just getting started, the list below will get you far. You can expand or contract your collection as you see fit, but having these suckers on your spice rack will make everything a lot easier

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• Basil

• Black pepper

• Cayenne pepper

• Chili powder

• Cinnamon

• Cumin

• Dill

• Garlic powder (or granulated garlic)

• Onion powder

• Oregano

• Paprika

• Salt

• Smoked paprika

• Thyme

• Turmeric

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See? Not that daunting, right?

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Veggie Basics

Not something that a lot of people necessarily think about as "staples," but keeping these perishables around can be really helpful if you're not the most organized cook, shopper, or meal planner. These items are all over the place and many of them keep for a good, long time. I like to load up on loose versions of these so that I can stock a variety.

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• Carrots

• Citrus fruits (especially lemons and limes)

• Garlic

• Leafy green of your choice (when in season, I like to keep spinach and a couple of varieties of kale on hand, but if romaine or iceberg are more your style, that's your prerogative!)

• Yellow onions

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Before closing this bit, I just want to reiterate that there is absolutely no reason to fret if you don't have these items in your home right now or if it takes a few weeks, months, or even years to collect everything you decide you could benefit from. Cooking, while an essential skill, should also be enjoyable. Technically, yes, it's a chore, but that doesn't mean it has to feel that way. If you stress about these little things, it's probably going to make the whole task a nightmare, and your dish will likely represent that.

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