From the journal
How to Stock a Simple Pantry
You do not need forty spices. You need a dozen things you reach for every week, kept where you can see them.
Most weeknight cooking is not about the recipe. It is about what is already in the cupboard when you open it at seven in the evening. A well-stocked pantry is not a large one; it is a reliable one.
The dozen that do the work
- Good olive oil for finishing and a cheaper one for cooking.
- Flaky salt and fine salt. They do different jobs.
- Whole black pepper in a grinder.
- Tinned tomatoes, whole rather than chopped: they are better quality and you can crush them yourself.
- Dried pasta in two shapes, one long and one short.
- Rice you like, and know how to cook.
- Tinned beans and chickpeas.
- Onions and garlic, kept in the dark.
- Lemons. Acid fixes more dishes than salt does.
- Stock cubes or bouillon powder for the days you have not made stock.
- Soy sauce and a vinegar you enjoy.
- Parmesan or another hard cheese that keeps.
Keep it visible
Decant dry goods into clear jars and keep them at eye level. What you can see, you use; what you cannot see, you buy again by mistake.
Restock on a rhythm
Once a month, take five minutes to look at the shelf and write down what is low. That one habit is the difference between a pantry that helps and one that just takes up space.
