Columns

Q. “What are staple items for a pantry that everyone should have?” —Kieran, Oshkosh

A. The answer to this question really depends on what a person prepares, but in general, here is my opinion of the categories and items most people should have in his or her pantry:

• Seasonings. By far the biggest category, seasonings includes 5 basic categories:
  • Salts: Table salt, kosher salt, sea salt
  • Sugars: White granulated sugar, brown sugar, powdered sugar and honey
  • Colors: Paprika, turmeric, etc.
  • Flavors: An immense variety of spices, herbs, bases, extracts and sauces
  • Heats: Notably members of the pepper family, especially black pepper of various grinds and cayenne pepper    
• Oils. My basics include extra virgin olive oil, canola oil, peanut oil, sesame oil and white truffle oil because life is too short!
• Vinegars. Must-haves include white vinegar, apple cider vinegar, red wine vinegar, rice wine vinegar, basic balsamic vinegar and fun flavors like cherry balsamic vinegar.
• Flours and Thickeners. My must-haves include all-purpose, whole-wheat flour, bread flour, seasoned flour, corn starch, cold starch and potato flakes.
• Crumbs. Such as breadcrumbs, panko crumbs, graham cracker crumbs and of course Oreo cookie crumbs!
• Carbs. White rice, brown rice, wild rice, arborio rice, varieties of pastas, cornmeal and grits, couscous, barley and quinoa.