Pantry Essentials for Those Starting to Cook at Home

Something I commonly see when people either want to start learning to cook, or want to start saving money by eating at home more, is that they either find themselves limited to 2 or 3 very simple dishes that they get bored with quickly (PB&J and Ramen, anyone?), or they find themselves experimenting with new recipes and having to deal with leftover ingredients they don’t know how to use. Soon, they are either bored or their food is spoiling, making them feel discouraged.

One solution to this problem is popular package services such as Blue Apron and Hello Fresh, where pre-portioned ingredients for new recipes are delivered to your door!

But let’s face it, not everyone can fit services like these into their budget, and they require forethought, preparation, flexibility, and open-mindedness to the menus they offer. They can be a lot of fun and a great way to cut back on unused groceries! But they’re not for everyone.

For the rest of us, I offer a solution: Pantry Staples.

(This list would be great to share or print out for upcoming graduates in your life!)

Stock your pantry well with versatile ingredients, and you will learn how to improvise and adjust recipes. Stock your pantry with the odds and ends from specific recipes and you will throw a lot away every few weeks.

So, what staples should you always keep in your pantry? Here is the simple list, and I’ll explain in more depth below for those who want more information:

• Onions
• Dried Herbs & Spices
• Lemons & Limes
• Potatoes/Sweet Potatoes
• Carrots & Celery
• Vinegar (Balsamic & Apple Cider)
• Oil
• Eggs
• Bread
• Protein
• Cheese
• Cooking Wine
• Peanut/almond Butter
• Baking Essentials:
  • All Purpose Flour
  • White Sugar
  • Brown sugar
  • Baking soda
  • Baking powder
  • Salt
  • Chocolate chips
  • butter
  • eggs (again)

• Onions –
  • I usually keep a few yellow onions (I prefer them because they’re a little sweeter and a little milder, you use what you like) because they keep for a long time
  • These onions are great because if you want to add depth to the flavor of ANYTHING, they will provide that. Quarter one up and toss it into a crock pot with your chicken, or roast it in a pan with other veggies and tubers with a little balsamic vinegar on top for an amazing side dish.
  • Then every few months I take an hour or so to dice and mince up several large onions, sauté them in butter until they’re caramelized, let them cool, and them put them into either an ice cube tray to freeze in individual portions, or just freeze it all in a Ziplock baggie and break off pieces as you need them. This is a super quick and useful source. You can also pre-chop and freeze raw onions, bell peppers, and jalapenos.
    • This can be used to cook with, but can also be used as a filling for stuffed meats, kolaches, or a spread for sandwiches. (My favorite filling is just caramelized onions and asiago cheese)
  • An alternative if you don’t want to be bothered with chopping onions is to keep a large container of dried, minced onion in your pantry, and just rehydrate about 2 tablespoons in a quarter cup of warm water for about 10 minutes. Then they’re ready for cooking! This works great in sauces, because the mince is so fine.
• Dried Herbs and spices
  • Herbs
    • Basil
    • Parsley
    • Thyme
    • Rosemary
  • Spices
    • Black pepper
    • Salt
    • Cayenne/chili pepper
    • Red pepper flakes (if you like things spicy)
    • Cinnamon
    • Nutmeg
    • Taco seasoning (makes for adding an easy Tex-Mex flair)
    • Garlic powder
    • Regional favorites (cajun, italian, Jerk, etc.)
  • My personal favorites:
    • Poultry seasoning
    • Herbs de Provence
    • Jalapeno salt
    • Garlic pepper
• Lemons & at least 1 lime
  • Adding a dash of lemon juice to almost any dish will add brightness and acidity. If what you are making is tropical, Central American, or Latin in theme, lime will enhance that flavor profile.
  • The best part is, these citrus fruits last a while, so they aren’t going to go bad if it takes you a week to use them. And if you don’t get around to cooking with them, you can always slice them up and use them in your water!
  • You can purchase lemon and lime juice if you are concerned you will not use these staples frequently enough to keep them stocked fresh.
• Potatoes/Sweet Potatoes
  • These are a quick, easy side dish whether you bake them, microwave them, chop and roast them, or sauté them in a skillet with salt and paprika
• Carrots & Celery 
  • These are an awesome nutritional and flavoring supplement to stretch any meal, enhance its nutritional impact, and magnify the flavor. Just because it’s not a typical ingredient in whatever you’re making doesn’t mean you can’t use carrots or celery in pretty much any meal if you need to use them up. When I roast a chicken in my crock pot, I always add carrots and celery, even if I make it “Mexican” by adding a can of Rotel tomatoes, lime, and taco seasoning. By the time the chicken is roasted, the carrots are flavorful and soft.
  • You could substitute this with any versatile vegetables you might prefer, such as squash, zucchini, bell peppers, or parsnips.
• Vinegar
  • Balsamic
    • This can be added to roasted veggies for an excellent dimension of flavor
    • It can also be added to a sauce for a bit of sweetness
    • Obviously a great staple in your pantry if you ever need salad dressing and don’t have any – simply combine with olive or canola oil and herbs, maybe even mustard, and you’ve got a simple dressing for any salad.
  • Apple Cider
    • This is a great substitute if you ever forget or run out of your lemons or other citrus ingredients in a recipe. It does have a strong flavor, so be gentle when substituting it.
    • Also an excellent item to have in your kitchen in case of minor burns! Just pour it over the burn, or soak a paper towel in it and dab at the burn, it will give you relief. White vinegar or even wine vinegar will have the same effect.
    • Great for quick sanitation and cleanup. If you don’t like to use harsh chemicals when cleaning out your cabinets, you can combine this vinegar with water and spray them down and give them a wipe
• Oil
  • I prefer to have olive oil available for savory cooking, but it can be expensive. In most cases, canola oil will be a sufficient substitute unless you’re going to be dipping bread in it or something
  • The other advantage to canola oil as opposed to olive oil is that if you find you need oil for baking, you won’t have to make an extra trip to the store! If you can have both, though, I recommend it
  • There is a huge trend for Coconut Oil right now. If this is your favorite thing, go for it. I personally find that it has enough of its own flavor I limit what I use it in, because it starts to make everything you cook taste overly familiar and similar. Particularly when it’s the oil you’re cooking or dressing other foods with, be mindful of strong flavors. Also remember that when you are cooking for large groups, there are coconut allergies out there, so label it well.
• Eggs
  • These are always a kitchen essential, because they play a huge part in all kinds of meals, baking, etc.
  • You can add eggs to most recipes when you are low on protein and trying to stretch two chicken breasts between 4 people, or you want to make a stir-fry or a salad a bit heartier
  • Eggs also provide a vessel for disposing of almost any other ingredient. Serve a fritatta, omelette, “benedict”, or add a gooey fried egg to a sandwich.
  • Eggs are a parent’s best friend! When your kiddos are picky and you struggle to get enough protein into them, just french toast that PB&J or even quesadilla in an egg batter and they’ll gobble it up and be none the wiser.
• Protein
  • On a budget, my staples are frozen chicken and canned tuna. You can determine for yourself what you will be most comfortable eating regularly, whether that’s ground beef, frozen fish, or tofu. If you want to cut back on preparation time, deli-sliced meats can be frozen for backup, and used in many recipes for quick protein. The important thing is to have a stock of frozen or canned protein on hand for those days when you don’t have the time or energy to shop for fresh meat.
• Cheese
  • I like to keep shredded cheese on hand because I can freeze it if I need to keep it longer than a week or so, and it’s already ready for melting or spreading on tacos, whatever. However, if you like sliced cheese on your sandwiches, buy whatever you know you’ll enjoy eating.
• Bread
• Peanut Butter
  • You can use this in a sauce with soy sauce and garlic, as well as sandwiches, stuffed French toast, or baking
• Cooking Wine
  • This is great to have on hand for any sauce, roast, even stir-fry! Wine adds depth and the alcohol cooks out, so it’s safe to serve any age.
  • You can throw the butter or oil and onions listed above into a skillet, then add half a bottle of wine and cook until it boils for at least 5 minutes for a quick sauce that’ll make everyone think you’re an amazing chef, without any grocery trips for special ingredients.
• Baking Ingredients:
  • If you bake much, there are some essentials you MUST keep readily on hand for unplanned baking escapades:
    • All Purpose Flour
    • White Sugar
    • Brown sugar
    • Baking soda
    • Baking powder
    • Salt
    • Chocolate chips (I recommend Ghirardelli 60%)
    • butter
    • eggs (again)
  • The above listed essentials should get you through any major baking bind.

These essentials should set you up for success in any basic culinary adventures that might await you.

Did I miss anything? Please share YOUR favorite pantry staples in the comments!