strong pantry

A pantry is like a quiver of arrows, at your back and at the ready. Having a shelf of even a few dependable staples is the single best thing you can do to ensure that you can always make a quick, varied, and delicious meal at home. This chapter is dedicated to what I keep in my pantry and reflects the majority of ingredients used in the recipes outside of the primary vegetables. This list, intentionally, can be sourced from a neighborhood corner store or small-town grocery. There are a few ingredients that I love using that aren't available in all stores; I've noted substitutions by each one in the recipe.

Relying on a stalwart set of supplies improved my cooking for three reasons.

One, by keeping key ingredients on hand, you'll never be dissuaded or disappointed by a recipe because you don't have something you need. You will always have a good substitution on hand. If a recipe calls for feta, you can either go to the store, give up, or use the Parmesan you already have instead. It won't be the same, but it will be similar enough. Understanding how each ingredient functions within a dish gives you an immeasurable amount of control to transform a recipe to your own tastes.

The single change that has made me utilize my pantry is to look regularly at what I have there. I transfer the grains from their packaging to clear jars and store those jars on open shelves. I also label most things, because the one time I grabbed sushi rice instead of risotto rice was enough. Seeing the ingredients not only reminds me of what I have on hand but also that I was excited enough to buy them. So I should use them.

Two, you will be able to make faster meals because your tools are in place (with less time spent shopping). Similarly, dinner is always partially prepped because you can mix and match from a handful of condiments and sauces. Having these on hand is great; making them regularly enough that it doesn't feel like a chore is even better. It will take some time, but developing a new skill always does. The secondary benefit is that when it seems like you really don't have anything in the house and are tempted by takeout, you can always whip up something — like pasta dressed with chili oil and garnished with sunflower seeds. Your quiver is full of quick fixes.

Three, by cooking faster, easier, and more delicious meals — regularly, you'll increase the likelihood of making meals you enjoy at home — meaning you're more likely to continue to do it and increase your appetite for experimentation. This has a positive effect on your budget, relationships, and health. As a society, we will never stop going out to eat, because restaurants serve an important social function as a third space to develop community outside of the home and work. That said, I do believe that there has been an undermining of home cooking to sell a packaged food product or push the idea that you must be trained as a chef to know how to cook. Yes, our time is valuable, and outsourcing our food preparation is reasonable as long as it is a deliberate choice and not one made out of fear or ignorance of the process. When you know you can use your precious time to make good food, it restores the luxury of bringing people together or celebrating the ease of letting a restaurant do it for you.

This pantry list is a lot to go out and buy in one fell swoop. Instead, I urge you to simply read through this book and find the recipes that use ingredients you already like and have on hand. Start there, then add more items as you go. I found that I initially spent more to stock my pantry, but then spent less on average because I wasn't buying random ingredients scattershot at the whim of a recipe I found online.

My golden rules for buying ingredients are: buy only what you are excited about, use it up, and if you can't remember if you have it on hand, don't buy more — you probably have something you can use in its place.

oils

I try to always buy oil in glass containers, because when oil is in plastic it seems to go rancid more quickly. This is not scientifically proven, so it's a science feel on my part, but I really think it is true! Plastic and clear bottles allow oxidization as well. Dark glass or metal containers will help preserve the integrity of the oil. If you have very old oil, smell it before using. If it has gone rancid it will smell flat and musty. Throw it out. Moral of the story: if you don't cook often or prefer butter to oil, buy small amounts and store them in the refrigerator.

When considering which oil to use and when, think about flavor and smoke point — the temperature at which the oil will begin to burn. Neutral oils have less inherent flavor but a higher smoke point, making them well suited to high heat cooking like roasting or grilling. Oils with more delicate flavor, like nut or fine olive oils, generally have a lower smoke point, and the hotter the oil gets the less nuanced the flavor. Also note that unrefined oils tend to contain more particulate matter, making them more flavorful, but with a lower smoke point. Save nut and other high-quality oils for finishing vegetables or a salad.

I also think about whether the flavor of the oil is important to the dish. If the other ingredients are strong, like herbs or spices, I use neutral oil because it is generally cheaper than the others. Use olive oil if you want its added depth of flavor. That said, if you want to make chili oil and all you have on hand is olive oil, feel free to use it. These are all rough guidelines and things that make a difference in the high volume/low margin world of restaurants — less important to a household budget.

NEUTRAL OIL

I use this term to include any sort of high smoke point, flavorless oil. I use grapeseed, rice bran, or safflower oils because they are not grown as a monoculture in our country. If you have access to these I encourage you to do the same because it creates demand in the market. If you don't have access, you can use any vegetable oil.

I also use neutral oils when making something with very strong flavors like herb or chili oils. I used to use olive oil for these but didn't taste the olivey-ness and so couldn't justify the cost.

OLIVE OIL

Look for extra-virgin and cold-pressed. There is fraud in the labeling...