I quite often get asked “What’s in my pantry?” That’s a tough question for me to answer in a short blog. Main reason is because I’m in the food business, but even before this, I was always a foodie.  If I saw something unusual in the grocery store that I had not seen/tried before, I usually picked it up. But if I take those items out of the equation, I will always have the items below in my pantry in various quantities. This is a snapshot and by no means a complete list.  Needless to say, buy good quality items/goods. I know, “What do you mean by good quality?” Good question!

It is a personal thing in most cases. As an example, I prefer canned beans as I tend to like their texture, others may want the firmness of dried beans, soaked overnight and cooked to desired tenderness. But aside from texture, there are other items to consider, such as – lower sodium products, less/no additives, frozen foods, country of origin – to name a few!. We have come so far in how we preserve canned and jarred goods – pat yourselves on the back. We have become more aware and have demanded this in our products and successful manufacturers have responded. Twenty years ago, you would never have used the liquid in a can of chickpeas or beans, now we use that liquid as a substitute for egg whites, or a quick thickener in soups and stews. So consider this and other things that are important to you. So let’s start this blog – oh, you may want to grab a glass of wine, cup of something, beer or even water – it’s a long blog – but it has pictures at the end!

Canned Items – I like cannellini beans, kidney beans and chickpeas – you will always find these in various quantities in my pantry. I can make a soup or stew or even serve them in a salad. A real simple meal is to cook some pancetta in a pot, throw in some chili flakes and cannellini beans (liquid and all). Enjoy this with some bread or with rice – or add some stock to it and enjoy as a soup. I will quite often substitute one item for another – pantry staple cooking is what this is all about. Don’t forget about canned salmon as well – I love the Rio Mare brand.

Canned and/or jarred tomatoes – I always have some good quality bottles of passata, some tinned San Marzano (very affordable at Costco) whole or crushed tomatoes. Again, I make almost any type of cuisine using these products. I also include in this a tube or two of tomato paste – I used to buy the tins, but so much used to get wasted.

Stock – boxed stocks – chicken, vegetable, beef – low sodium if available. I like Campbells, but in my cooking classes at Loblaw’s and Longo’s I use their brands a lot – and they are pretty good. Choice is yours, find one and stick with it. I don’t personally buy organic anything, until we become a more organic world, I don’t think such a thing exists – like gluten free fish?! I can’t tell the difference, and besides, my body has so much stuff in it, I think it might reject organic!

Dried goods – packaged pastas – spaghetti to penne, lentils of all kinds, rice – of all kinds like basmati, jasmine, converted, brown etc.

Other Dry Goods – Flour – I bake a lot so this is a bit skewed, I have a lot of different varieties, but really all you need is all-purpose flour. You can make just about anything with it. If you want, you could keep a small bag of whole wheat to mix in with the white or even some almond flour (which is just almonds ground up) if you are gluten free. But even gluten-free all-purpose flour has come a long way in taste and quality. On the Asian side – chickpea flour is always good to have. White sugar, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, corn starch, vanilla extract (this increases as you bake more – lemon, orange, coconut, macadamia nut etc.).

Oils, sauces and condiments – ketchup (oh grow up – this is the magical ingredient for everything!), Dijon, soy, sesame oil, seasoned rice vinegar, mayonnaise (the real stuff), balsamic vinegar, regular vinegar and of course extra virgin olive oil and vegetable oil. Honey, coconut oil and peanut butter are also what I consider staples.  

Spices – Kosher salt, whole black pepper (and a pepper mill to dispense it), some handy ready-made mixes – herbes de Provence, Peri Peri etc. Read the ingredient list, if it starts with salt, put it back on the shelf and look for another type. Za ‘atar, sumac, paprika, cayenne, whole cumin, whole coriander, whole and ground cinnamon, cloves, bay leaves, turmeric, curry powder (my favorite brand is Dion), and anything else you like. I think these are my everyday go to spices, but I have a lot of homemade mixes – berbere, garam masala, etc. If you do not have a spice grinder, please go buy yourself one. It will be the best thing you can purchase for your cooking. And the large size of a spice is only a bargain in price if you actually use the whole package. I purge my spice cabinet about once a year – but only throw things out that don’t smell like they should i.e. cinnamon should smell like cinnamon.  I also always have on hand dried basil, rosemary, thyme and sage.  I used to carry other dried herbs but found I rarely used them or after trying it, didn’t really like the flavor.  

Fridge – again I bake a lot so 35% cream is always on hand as is milk (for my wife’s coffee). You will also find jams, home jarred olives (previously blogged item), capers, sweet pickles and of course my favorite “Lolita’s hot sauce – honorable mention in my blog – https://www.foodinspires.com/2015/03/14/slow-cooked-spicy-pulled-pork/”. Eggs, cheese, hot peppers of all kinds, fresh cilantro, rosemary, thyme (I have a pot of basil on my window ledge), celery, carrots, onions, potatoes (not in the fridge). Hard cheese like parmigiana, softer like cheddar, and of course bacon. 

Freezer goods – these are always in my freezer – squash, kale (I know, but so handy when frozen), peas, edamame, mixed etc. Some things I prefer fresh, but I will always have these available. Again for soups, stews or side dishes. I prefer to use fresh cauliflower, broccoli, snap peas and whole green beans. Unless I can’t get it and need it, but I find these tend to get too mushy when cooked. Simple recipe for a Caribbean squash dish is on my site, but so versatile. My favorite on most of these frozen (or fresh) veggies is olive oil, salt and pepper – that’s it. Then I will embellish if I feel creative – herbes de Provence, harissa, peri peri etc.  You will always find puff pastry – at least 2 packages. It is one of the most versatile products and can be used in sweet and savory baking recipes.

So these are just “some” of the basic items I think should be in a pantry. This will inevitably grow depending on how much cupboard and fridge space you have. I can remember when we bought our first home, a massive 1300 square foot home (everything is relative, we moved from an apartment) and I said I would never be able to fill up those cabinets with stuff – boy was I wrong. Thirty five years later, perspectives and the pantry have gotten bigger, and let me tell you – it is busting at the seams – just like my waistline.

You certainly don’t need all these items and I’m sure you have your own items, but when I speak of pantry cooking, this is generally what I have to work with. So, “What’s in Your Pantry?!” Let me know!