Olive Oil – The Foundation of Every Chef’s Kitchen
Walk into any professional chef’s kitchen and you’ll find multiple bottles of olive oil within arm’s reach. The popular cooking oil is an absolute essential in the pantry, and there’s a simple reason why. Keep light olive oil in your pantry for cooking, and extra virgin olive oil for making sauces or finishing a dish. The versatility is unmatched – from sautéing vegetables to creating emulsions, olive oil transforms ordinary ingredients into restaurant-quality dishes.
Professional chefs understand that quality matters here. The best way to choose the right olive oil is by tasting it and finding out whether the olive oil is fruity, buttery, rich, green, smooth, or peppery. This liquid gold can rescue a boring salad, elevate roasted vegetables, or become the base for countless marinades that turn simple proteins into memorable meals.
Canned Tomatoes – The Pantry Hero That Never Disappoints
Canned Italian plum tomatoes are a great item to keep on hand. When fresh tomatoes are out of season or you have a tight budget, they are a great choice. They are versatile for marinara and other sauces, soups and entrée items. Think of canned tomatoes as your kitchen insurance policy – they’re always there when inspiration strikes but fresh ingredients aren’t.
This sweet and tangy soup relies on two things you probably have in your pantry already – chicken stock and canned tomatoes – to create a delicious dinner or lunch that can be ready in just over an hour. Professional chefs know that a quality can of tomatoes can be the difference between a mediocre weeknight dinner and something that tastes like it came from their favorite Italian restaurant. The secret lies in choosing whole peeled tomatoes over diced – they maintain better texture and flavor.
Pasta – The Universal Quick Meal Solution
Pasta! says Janet Capua, master of Italian cuisine and co-owner and Executive Chef of Z’s Cafe. There’s wisdom in that exclamation – pasta represents pure possibility in pantry form. It is not expensive and is easy to stock up and store. You can get all different types of noodles like rigatoni, fettuccini, shells, spaghetti, farfalle. There are a million different recipes for making pasta so you won’t get bored. Pasta is an easy and quick main ingredient to make and combined with some canned vegetables you can get a delicious meal only using pantry products.
Smart chefs keep multiple shapes on hand because each serves a different purpose. Long strands like spaghetti work beautifully with oil-based sauces, while shells and rigatoni capture chunky tomato sauces perfectly. Bobby Flay suggests that everyone have at least a few boxes of pasta and rice in the pantry at all times. These elements are so basic and versatile that they can be made into virtually anything.
Onions – The Flavor Foundation You Can’t Live Without
Onions! says Brad Waier, Senior Chef Instructor at The Culinary School of Fort Worth. They are a flavor builder for all kinds of food you are cooking. I always have a five-pound bag on hand. He adds that onions keep at room temperature for a comparatively long time and are an inexpensive way to add lots of flavor to dishes.
Every professional chef understands that onions are where flavor begins. They form the aromatic base for countless dishes across every cuisine imaginable. Whether you’re building a simple soup, creating a complex braise, or just scrambling eggs, onions add depth and complexity that transforms basic ingredients into something special. The beauty lies in their versatility – they can be sweet when caramelized, sharp when raw, or mellow when slowly sautéed.
Beans and Legumes – The Protein Powerhouse
Alex Guarnaschelli, judge on “Chopped”, always furnishes her pantry with a stock of pulses like lentils, beans, and chickpeas, either in canned or dried form. The beauty of these ingredients is that they have a long shelf life, can be used to feed large groups, and lend themselves well to a wide variety of recipes, from pastas to chilis and even salads. They’re also highly nutritious, packing a good amount of fiber and protein in those tiny little nuggets.
Beans are a staple in pantries around the world. A pot of beans can be used throughout the week: baked into a gratin, mixed with vinaigrette for a bean salad, or added to pasta for a dish of pasta e fagioli. Cooking with dried beans (or dried chickpeas) adds more flavor and texture than canned beans. Smart chefs know that a well-seasoned pot of beans can become the foundation for multiple meals throughout the week.
Quality Vinegars – The Secret Weapon for Instant Flavor
You can usually find vinegar next to olive oil at the grocery store. Alice uses red wine vinegar for salads, but she also keeps bottles of champagne, sherry, balsamic, apple cider, and rice wine vinegar for a variety of uses. Professional chefs treat vinegar like a flavor amplifier that can rescue any dish from blandness with just a splash.
Todd Brown has white balsamic vinegar as one of his top choices. We reach for white balsamic vinegar, because it’s a quick fix for sautéing mushrooms, asparagus, or any vegetable. The acidity in vinegar balances richness, brightens heavy sauces, and can transform simple roasted vegetables into restaurant-worthy sides. It’s the difference between flat, one-dimensional flavors and complex, layered taste profiles that keep people guessing about your secret ingredient.
Eggs – The Ultimate Versatile Ingredient
Eggs are a flexible ingredient that can be incorporated into custards or baked goods; transform the protein into a simple omelet or quiche; oil, fry, or poached eggs for a finishing touch on a dish of whole grains, salad, beans, and more. No other single ingredient offers such incredible versatility for the price point.
Professional chefs view eggs as the great transformer – they can turn leftover rice into fried rice, elevate a simple salad into a complete meal, or rescue a disappointing dinner with a perfectly poached crown. Potatoes and onions are a great pantry staple – they’re super versatile and therefore easy to incorporate into a variety of recipes. We love this skillet hash that combines potatoes, onions and kielbasa with fried eggs. It’s perfect for an easy breakfast and is a great way to feed a crowd.
Spices and Seasonings – Your Passport to Global Flavors
Spices are a must-have in every pantry. The warm spices of Morocco – cumin, coriander, turmeric, and cayenne – are key to meat and vegetable braises and tagines. Saffron from India can feature in fish soups and rice. Cinnamon bark, vanilla beans, nutmeg, cloves, and sweet anise seed add depth and complexity to sweeter dishes.
For the best flavor, buy spices whole, then toast and grind them yourself. Look for organic spices and buy in small amounts so that you don’t have large amounts sitting unused and losing pungency. Smart chefs understand that spices are what separate home cooking from restaurant-quality dishes. A well-curated spice collection is like having a passport to every cuisine in the world, allowing you to transport your taste buds without leaving the kitchen.
Honey – The Natural Sweetener That Does More Than Sweeten
Honey is a versatile pantry staple that can replace added sugar, be mixed with yogurt, sweeten tea, or make a unique dessert. Top mild ricotta cheese with honey and toasted nuts and you have a quick and elegant dessert. But professional chefs use honey for much more than just sweetness.
Another ubiquitous item in Chef Todd’s pantry is honey. We like to toss fresh berries and melon in honey and chopped mint. Honey is also great in sweet marinades for meats. The complex flavor profile of honey adds depth to savory dishes, balances spicy heat, and creates beautiful glazes for roasted vegetables or proteins. It’s nature’s perfect balance of sweet and complex, with floral notes that can elevate the simplest ingredients.
Stock or Broth – The Liquid Foundation of Great Cooking
Another staple Chef Waier keeps on hand is frozen homemade stock. You can’t beat handmade stock, he says. Professional chefs know that good stock is liquid gold – it’s the difference between a soup that tastes like it came from a can and one that tastes like it simmered for hours in a grandmother’s kitchen.
Whether homemade and frozen in portions or high-quality store-bought versions, stock transforms everything it touches. It’s the secret behind restaurant-quality risottos, the foundation of memorable soups, and the key to deglazing pans for incredible sauces. When stocking up on canned vegetables, make sure to get canned broth as well. These pantry must haves are perfect for soups, casseroles, and meat-based dinners. Look for canned veggies like tomatoes, beans, corn, and vegetable, chicken, and beef stock.
