Originally, I was going to call this post “What a Well-Stocked Pantry Looks Like,” but in reality, “well-stocked” is going to look different for everyone. The cuisines we cook vary, dietary restrictions vary, budgets vary. However, I’ve been able to get my grocery shopping down to something of a science as someone who bakes for a living and also cooks most meals at home. And I’ve been seeing a few tours of foodie pantries (and fridges — foreshadowing) on social media that I have really enjoyed. So whether you’re looking for some guidance on how to think about your shopping list, or if you’re just nosy like me, here’s mine.

I have two roommates but these are for the most part my set of shelves, so that’s all I’m showing. (And yet, when you’re a recipe developer in a Brooklyn kitchen with limited storage, food goes wherever it will fit.)

By the way, this is not an exhaustive list. We’re not even going into my huge collections of sprinkles, edible glitter, and food color gels; or my several types of specialty flours.

Oils

• an everyday olive oil — for cooking and baking. I typically buy the store brand or whatever is cheapest in a massive tin jug.

• a nicer, finishing extra virgin olive oil — for salad dressings, drizzling on top of tomato toast, ice cream, etc. I recently partnered with them so I have a lot of Graza on hand but I genuinely recommend it.

• toasted sesame oil

• coconut oil

• vegetable oil/canola oil

• chili crisp

Vanilla

• always: vanilla extract — I keep a jar of my own going and top it off with used beans and vodka every few months. Rodelle, Heilala, Neilsen Massey are all good choices. That being said, imitation still wins a lot of taste tests online….

• usually: vanilla beans or vanilla bean paste — I like Native Vanilla for beans. I got this massive thing of paste for like $30, which is way better than in store prices.

• extra credit: vanilla sugar — made by mixing pulverized beans with sugar

Canned Goods

• white beans (great Northern, cannelini)

• black beans

• chickpeas

• a can of tomatoes

• tomato paste — I have a ton in a gallon bag in the freezer, long story

Grains

• long-grain white rice

• one of these: bulgur, farro, buckwheat

• old-fashioned oats — great for my baking and oatmeal needs.

Nuts, Seeds and Dried Fruit

• at least one: pistachios, pecans, walnuts, pine nuts, almonds, cashews

• chia seeds — for smoothies, chia pudding and overnight oats

• flax seeds — same as chia but also great for making flax eggs

• dried fruit: cranberries, apricots, cherries (if I’m feeling rich)

Vinegars

• red wine vinegar — a need all the time for salad dressings

• rice vinegar — I find that it is the most versatile for me and keeping a bunch of white vinegars around just takes up too much space

• balsamic vinegar

• soy sauce — I know that’s not a vinegar but it sits with the vinegars in the pantry lol

Chocolate

• white — Callebaut, Guittard, Ghiradelli

• dark — Callebaut, Guittard, Ghiradelli

• chocolate chips — white, semi-sweet

• Dutch-process cocoa — for deeper color and richer flavor; Dröste or Guittard

• natural cocoa powder — for a more classic taste; any brand

• black cocoa powder — just very alkalized Dutch-process cocoa; King Arthur or Guittard

Pastas and Noodles

• One long shape — spaghetti, bucatini

• One short/small shape — farfalle, cavatapi, orzo, cous-cous

• Some kind of rice or ramen noodle

Sugars

• granulated sugar — I prefer Domino sugars for all my baking.

• powdered sugar — make sure you read the ingredients as some use tapioca starch, which makes frostings grey IMO.

• light brown sugar

• dark brown sugar — if I could only choose one, it would be dark brown.

• Turbinado sugar/Demerara sugar — great for topping baked goods or rolling sugar cookies in

Spices

Very much dependent on what you like to cook! Half of these probably need to be thrown away.

• Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt — for baking and cooking

• a flakey sea salt such as Maldon — for sprinkling on cookies, brownies, bowls of yogurt, tomato toast

• black peppercorns — for grinding fresh

• spice blends I try to always have on hand: za’atar, furikake

Flours

• unbleached all-purpose flour — King Arthur is my boo

• cake flour — King Arthur (unbleached), Swan’s Down (bleached)

• bread flour

• yellow cornmeal — most of my recipes use a fine stone-ground type like this

Etc.

• peanut butter — usually I opt for a smooth peanut butter spread such as Jif as those work better in my baking recipes.

• honey

• maple syrup — the real stuff

• panko breadcrumbs

• Italian breadcrumbs

Produce

• garlic

• red onion

• yellow onion

• ginger

• shallot

Baking Essentials

These seemed a little too obvious but just in case.

• baking soda — replace every few months

• baking powder — replace every few months

• cream of tartar — gives snickerdoodles their tang and helps meringues hold their whip

• cornstarch — not just for thickening custards or making cookies soft; I also use it for tasks like coating tofu before air-frying.

Okay, I think that’s it! Did I miss anything? Was this helpful or interesting? If so, or if not, I’d love to know what you’d like to see/ learn from a fridge tour? Organizing tips? Cutting back on waste? Saving money?