In the pantry...

Part of any good kitchen is the pantry. This includes the cupboards where shelf-stable food ingredients are stored as well as the refrigerator and freezer for preserving more perishable items. My cupboards are classified as "spice cupboard" vs. general ingredients vs. vinegars and alcoholic liquids. I also include the baking supplies that live in my mom's Hoosier cabinet.

So, what is needed for a good, flexible, prepared pantry? Here are some of the things I include in mine:

Spice cupboard (by no means an exhaustive list):

Whole dried bay leaves (laurus nobilis): absolutely essential for stews, soups, and other preparations. I prefer Turkish bay, but have used California Bay Leaves (umbellularia californica) with good results.

Whole black peppercorn (piper nigrum): by this, I usually mean the dried black seeds of the pepper vine. Both white pepper and green pepper are also available (they are both the same seeds of the same vine, but processed differently). I've never bothered with white pepper since I don't object to the little flecks of ground black pepper in food (the main reason for using white pepper). As far as green pepper, I've never used it, mostly from lack of inclination, not for any particular dislike. If you like it, use it where appropriate and called for.

Dried thyme (thymus vulgaris): Another essential herb. I add it liberally to a lot of my cooking. It has a wonderful fragrance and flavor that works well in most Western cooking and in a surprising amount of Indian cooking (it has a similar profile to another spice, ajwain (trachyspermum ammi), which is commonly used in Indian cooking.

Onion powder and garlic powder: Okay, these may not always enjoy the best reputation among foodies. However, they are indispensable for adding a savory foundation when used appropriately. First off, when I call for onion powder or garlic powder, I do not mean onion salt or garlic salt. I'm talking about pure granulated (my preference) or powdered (also good) dehydrated onion or garlic. Because the powders have a more mellow, broader flavor than the raw fresh ingredients, I often use both fresh and dried in my recipes.

Paprika: Another product that sometimes gets a bad rap. I used to think of it as that boring dusty red powder that get sprinkled on deviled eggs and various bad casseroles to "jazz up" their appearance. But, considered as an ingredient, paprika is one of my favorite spices. Used in large amount (I'm talking several tablespoons), it has a rich, earthy sweet pepper flavor (it's dried sweet red pepper, so why not?). I use it in soups, stews, sautes, etc. I also like smoked paprika (or pimentón), which adds a nice smokey flavor to foods along with the base pepper flavor. Look for a good smoked paprika that only contains ground smoked sweet peppers and is not spicy. You can of course get high quality Hungarian paprika (and pay for the name), but I've found that the basic supermarket stuff is just fine. Look for a rich brick-red product and buy a large jar.

General goods:

Rices (yes, it's plural): I usually try to have at least three types of rice on hand. Risotto rice (Arborio or a similar medium-grain amylopectin-rich rice) for making...well, risotti. You can also use it for making sushi in a pinch (Arborio is a cultivar of Japonica rice). I also like to have a good long-grain rice such as Basmati on hand for south Asian dishes and for plain steamed rice. Finally, my favorite type of rice is medium grain rice...my favorite brand is from Goya and it's my go-to for almost any rice dish. You can make a pilaf, steam it for sushi or bap, or make a fairly decent risotto if its what you have on hand.

Tinned fish: I usually try to have good canned tuna (in olive oil and not too mushy) in the pantry. I also like to have ventresca tuna for special dishes (this is the expensive Spanish stuff that is meaty and rich and makes you remember that canned tuna is a premium good in many parts of Europe). I also like to have a couple tins of kippers and smoked mackerel. Sardines are also nice to have around, especially for eating on plain wheat crackers.

Pasta (maccheroni): No matter how much I try to stay away from starchy carbs, there are times when I like a nice pasta dish. For pasta, I prefer to look for products that are made with hard (durum) wheat and have minimal additions (no eggs, no odd chemicals, etc.) I also look for pasta with a rough, porous surface that will grab onto whatever sauce I want to use. Different shapes have different uses, so I try to have rigatoni (for meaty sauces like ragù alla bolognese), rigatoni or farfalle (for lighter vegetable sauces) and spaghettini (for thin sauces like a good marinara or putanesca). And of course, these all work well in non-Italian dishes (you can, for example, make a perfectly creditable macaroni and cheese casserole with rigatoni, or an excellent tuna-noodle casserole with farfalle.

Dry noodles: These are not the same as Italian pasta. When I say noodles, I'm talking more about flat dried egg noodles (to be used in more Northern European style dishes, as well as in many traditional American farmhouse dishes) and Asian noodles (Chinese fěn or miàn, ramen noodles (either Japanese or Korean), udon, glass noodles, rice sticks, etc. Most of these are not made with hard wheat (they can be made with rice, mung bean starch, sweet potato starch, soft wheat, buckwheat, etc.) They are rarely interchangeable with hard-wheat Italian pasta and vice versa.

Oils: I usually use olive oil. For cooking, don't worry to much about getting a great olive oil. In fact, doing that is sort of throwing away your money (like cooking with a great wine) since the heat of cooking will cancel out the nuanced flavors of the oil. A good quality, mild-flavored extra-virgin supermarket oil is fine for cooking. I also usually have peanut oil or safflower oil on hand for when I want a more neutral flavor profile (or where I want to heat the oil to a high temperature). A really great premium olive oil, a good toasted sesame oil, and flavored oils are also great to have on hand as finishing oils or for use in cold dishes where the full quality of the oil will shine.

Vinegars (and other souring agents): These are great to have on hand. My basics are cider vinegar, for a hit of sour with a bit of fruit. I also use red wine vinegar, for dishes where I want a brighter, less mellow taste. If you can get it, a high-quality aceto balsamico tradizionale is great for adding a spark of brightness and complexity to fruits and salads. I don't usually bother with the cheap supermarket balsamics. If you are into Asian cooking, a good white rice vinegar is great for sushi and kimbap, and a Chinese black vinegar is something you'll use for (surprise) Chinese cooking. BTW, while I don't recommend using balsamic as a substitute for black vinegar, you can switch them the other way around in some uses. For other souring agents, I always have lime and lemon juice on hand (and yes, I use the kind that comes in the bright yellow and green plastic bottles labeled ReaLemon and ReaLime).

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