what's in my pantry

essentials + how I stay stocked

Anytime I’ve ever posted a picture of the inside of my fridge it gets more engagement than anything else. And that’s because if there’s one thing y’all are, it’s nosy.

But I am fully the same, I can’t lie. I shamelessly walk into my friends homes and open all their drawers just to get myself aquatinted with everything. I have to make sure I’m not missing out on anything you know. But in turn, my friends make fun of all my stuff and often grocery shop in my pantry - so it’s a fair system.

A few weeks ago though, it was that quarterly time when my pantry less so resembles useful storage, and more so an absolute shit show stock pile of product. And as I looked at all my shit, I thought to myself “what is all of this shit”. The nature of being a content creator, I get sent a lot of food items - most of them solicited and some not (no but like really, where did you get my address hahahaha) So sometimes I’ll accept fun products that end up not tasting very fun. And other times I think I need something when I simply do not. So I am definitely trying to be better about being more intentional on that acceptance process. But moral of the story, things really start getting crowded around here. Hence why we have a 3rd bedroom in our apartment where I store all my cups and plates and trinkets.

ANYWAY! I decided to do a major pantry clean out and share with the class, what I deem pantry essentials. By essentials I mean things that if I know I’m running low on, I’ll grab an extra at the store. My most used and love things. Ingredients that I know can make any meal with - salad, soup, quick desperate lunch etc.

So if you’re looking to build up your own pantry consider this list! This doesn’t include my spices, baking items, snacks or shelf stable condiments like oils/vinegars etc! I’ll have to open some more cabinets for you soon and do a list of those too. And yes, I’ll even show my fridge (I need a 10 business day headway on that though). Heck let’s go through my cookbook stash and closet while we’re at it!!

I’ve also linked every item I could HERE if you want to browse and shop all in one place.

Holy Grails:

• Organic Chicken Broth (2x normally, 3-4 in the winter)

  • pacific foods + trader joe’s are my go-to’s

• Olive Oil (1-2x)

  • brightland pizza oil is the best for a fun finishing oil (I have 3 backup) a little goes a long way so it honestly lasts a while! def worth it.

  • california ranch, specifically single origin is a great + affordable oil

  • I recently bought a small batch olive oil from “like family” and I am loving it for finishing

• Avocado Oil (1x)

  • chosen foods is our go-to. one of the only real 100% avocado/non-diluted ones out there (my bf is a freak with his research, but our gain)

Tomato Trio:

• San Marzano Tomatoes (1x usually, 2-3x in the winter)

  • not picky on brand, but Cento is a go-to for me

• Double Concentrated Tomato Paste - squeeze tube

  • sorry I don’t want to freeze the damn remnants etc etc. just makes my life easier. do a backup can if you wish or if it’s much easier!

• Marinara Sauce 2x

  • I love Sauz summer lemon it’s so different to any sauce i’ve tried and so fresh and delicious (they actually just launched in target if you want to find it - yay for them but also in WF I believe), Rao’s Classic, Michael’s of Brooklyn Arrabbiata

Umami Squad:

• Capers (1x)

• Dashi (1x box)

  • HonDashi is great. If you like to cook asian food, add it to soup bases, noodles, miso soup, curries, sauces, marinades etc. It’s essentially just a salty, slightly smoky, aromatic dried powder.

  • If you’re local to nyc - Dashi Okume in BK has insane quality dashi that I love to drink as a broth - you can make your own or buy their premixed one (I do that because they’re already mixed to perfection imo) they also have a ton of awesome japanese products to peruse

• Canned chiles (I like green + adobo, 1 of each)

  • both are great for soups + stews + chiles - tj’s sells green hatch chiles, otherwise the international section of a grocery store will have both types of chiles - look for milk green and red chiles packed in adobo sauce

• Calabrian Chili Paste

  • if you can find it at an italian grocer go with that, otherwise any brand is fine from the grocery store - even tj’s has it under the name of “italian bomba sauce”

  • add this to anything you would red pepper flakes - pasta, sauces, chili, marinades - literally anything. it has a little bit of a sweeter forward taste, and fiery spice. definitely worth trying!

Pasta, Noodles ’n More:

• Basmati and/or Jasmine Rice

  • I keep both on hand. Jasmine rice for asian recipes + basmati for mediterranean etc. if I had to pick one though I would do jasmine - it’s more fragrant and flavorful.

  • I recently learned you should look for “thai hom mali” grade jasmine rice. it’s pretty much the highest quality jasmine rice that has been evaluated on a range of criteria. three ladies is a great brand, you can order on amazon if you’re not near an asian grocer.

• Japanese Rice

  • this is my all time favorite brand + type. i’ve bought the 15 lb bag probably 7x.

  • koshihikari variety is super sticky and has a really distinct soft sweetness to it. It’s amazing and I highly recommend buying a bulk bag - it’s pricy but lasts a while and you save that way.

• Tiny Pasta (2-3x in winter)

  • “Anna” brand has a lot of tiny pastas that I usually buy - lumachini, baby shells, anelli, farfalline, abcs etc. are my go to’s for soups

• Orzo (1x all year round)

  • love throwing it in a salad or as an herby pasta base

• Medium Pasta

  • brands I love for interesting shapes: rummo, sfoglini, pastificiog di martino, pasta garofalo

    • these can be usually found at italian grocers, whole foods and sometimes shoprite etc.

  • trader joe’s have fun shapes however they’re very hit or miss on breaking in the boiling water so I’ve stopped purchasing

  • shapes I love: lumache, fusilli corti bucati, mafalda corta, cavatappi

  • shapes I hate: penne

• Long Pasta/Spaghetti (1x)

  • you can do 1 traditional spaghetti and 1 fun long shape like mafaldine (my fave)

  • linguine is okay, I don’t mess with fettuccine

• 1-2 Grains

  • I always have pearl couscous on hand - Rice Select has a big container I buy

  • buckwheat or farro are also options to switch up your life

• Asian Noodles (1-3x varieties)

  • I do a long rice noodle + a sweet potato noodle. The latter I love for japchae and rice noodles are great for asian soups getting a pho-esque vibe.

  • I also love the momofuku noodle packs for a quick all-in-one quick noodle side. they sell them on their site but also in Whole Foods i believe!

Briny Things:

• Green Olives (2-3x)

  • always have them on hand - always marinate them in some olive oil, garlic, citrus and set them out for guests

  • also great for salads, pasta salads especially in the summer, pastas, chicken dishes, the brine for marinating etc. I always have a bunch!!!

  • mezzetta is a great brand or any from an italian grocer

• Black Olives (1-2x)

  • after trying many brand “Pearls” brand really do be the firmest best ones

• Chickpeas (1-2x)

  • i love the organic 365 whole foods ones - they’re small and firm and idk they just hit different

• Cannellini beans (2x)

  • love a cannellini - chilis, soups, salads whatever

• Pepperoncinis (1x)

  • huge on pepperoncinis especially in the summer for pasta salads etc. but I love eating them with chicken/tuna salad, using the brine in marinades and sauces. a must for me!

• Artichoke Hearts (1x)

  • I just feel like you can’t go wrong with an arthicoke heart in a salad or rice!

Others That I Didn’t Know How To Categorize:

• A Box Mix of Sorts (1-2x)

  • ghirardelli brownie mix (goat), pancake mix, perhaps a rogue cake mix - if you want a sweet treat or have unexpected visitors or plans to attend!

• Tinned Fish (3-5x)

  • the fishwife trio (salmon, tuna, trout) is grandfathered in, they’re truly impeccable quality but understandably on the pricier side. wild planet is also a good quality brand or conservas ortiz

  • patagonia provisions lemon caper mackerel is my favorite for just popping the tin open and eating on crackers with cucumber and a squeeze of lemon juice

• Panko (1-2x)

  • gotta bread those cutlets or make meatballs!

• Boxed Mac and cheese

  • goodles shella good is my favorite - they’re other flavors don’t totally do it for me. but they have protein and do not make me explode like some other brands

• A Bottled Sauce of Sorts

  • when I’m too lazy to make a sauce/marinade etc. I like to have some backup - Momofuku bbq sauce is great or sometimes I’ll just scoop up a random TJ’s one that looks good

Let me know if this was helpful for you! Sorry if this reminded you to clean out your pantry. You’ll feel so much better for it though. TALK SOON!