What Makes a Pantry Sustainable?

A pantry is sustainable when it is stocked with the right ingredients that allow you to easily transform whatever fresh seasonal produce and protein you have into a flavorful well-rounded meal.  By keeping the pantry well stocked and learning to use it effectively you can minimize food waste due to spoilage, and enjoy healthy, easy, inexpensive meals for yourself and your family.

What’s Essential?

Take a look below to see the pantry items that we always have in our kitchen. You will see these items repeatedly in our recipes, and if you have these on hand, you will be able to make 99% of the dishes on our site. By setting aside shelf space and stocking these items, your pantry can sustain your every meal.  We plan on sharing weekly meal plans and shopping lists soon, so get those pantries ready so you can follow along!

BOLDED items are essential.

Grains:

Brown short grain rice, Millet, Quinoa, Steel cut oats, Rolled oats, Cornmeal/Corn Grits, White short grain rice, Barley, Basmati rice

Pasta/noodles:

Dried Pasta (whatever shape you like), Couscous, No-boil lasagna sheets, Soba, Udon, Rice noodles, Fideos, Egg noodles, Orzo, Israeli couscous

Flour:

Bread flour, All purpose flour, Whole wheat flour, Rye Flour, Spelt flour, Cake flour

Baking:

Baking powder, Baking soda, Granulated sugar, Dark brown sugar, Dark chocolate, Superfine sugar, Confectioner’s sugar, Coco powder

Canned:

Canned/boxed tomatoes, Black beans, Garbanzo beans, Peanut butter, Coconut milk, Curry paste, Honey, Chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, Capers, Tahini paste, Tomato paste, Artichoke hearts, Roasted red peppers, Dolmas, Raisins

Dried Beans:

Lentils, Split peas, Black beans, Aduki beans, Mung beans

Spices:

Pepper (in a grinder), Kosher salt, Cumin (ground and seeds), Fennel seed, Thyme, Cinnamon (best to grind from sticks as needed), Vanilla bean, Vanilla extract, Black sesame seeds, Nutmeg, Good quality curry powder, Oregano, Bay leaves, dried whole peppers (store in freezer), Cardamom, Turmeric, Coriander, Paprika, Ground ginger, Caramelized ginger, Sage, Herbes de Provence, Rosemary, Garam masala, Tarragon, Cayenne pepper, mustard seed, Star anise, Clove, Old bay seasoning, Poppy seed, Saffron

Oils:

Extra virgin olive oil, High heat oil (Canola, safflower or sunflower), Toasted sesame oil (store in refrigerator)

Vinegars:

Rice wine vinegar, Balsamic vinegar, Apple cider vinegar, Red wine vinegar, White wine vinegar, Sherry vinegar, Tarragon vinegar, Distilled white vinegar (NOTE: vinegar should NOT have any sugar, corn syrup or “carmel” coloring added.)

Other condiments:

Dijon mustard, Whole seed mustard, Tamari, Ketchup, Mayonnaise, Sriracha, Hot sauce (Cholula, Melinda’s), Ponzu sauce, Fermented black bean paste, Fish sauce (Nuoc man), Molasses, Grade B maple syrup,

Freezer:

Peas, Spinach, Nuts and seeds: peanuts, cashews, sunflower seeds, pine nuts, pistachios, walnuts, sliced almonds (they keep for months in the freezer), Edamame (shelled and whole), Corn, Dried fruit (cranberries, apricots), Frozen fruit (blueberries, raspberries)

Refrigerator:

Miso paste, Lemons/Limes, Mochi

Dry storage:

Onions (red, yellow), Garlic, Potatoes (Idaho, new, sweet, fingerling…), Squash (hard-skinned squashes like acorn, butternut, etc)