Pantry and Refrigerator Items
These are food items that every cook should have on hand. Many of these are common ingredients in many recipes.
Basic Pantry Items (dried or canned)
- Baking powder
- Baking soda
- Beans, canned: black beans, red kidney, white
- Beans, dried: red kidney, great northern, lima, lentils, split pea, black, pinto
- Bread crumbs
- Broth, boxed or canned: beef, vegetable, chicken
- Cereal
- Chocolate: unsweetened squares, semisweet chips, cocoa powder
- Coffee: beans, ground, instant
- Cooking spray
- Cornmeal
- Cornstarch
- Crackers
- Dried fruits: raisins, apricots
- Extracts: vanilla, lemon, almond, orange
- Flour: All-purpose, whole wheat, cake, bread
- Fruit preserves, jam, jelly
- Gelatin: powdered, unflavored
- Milk: boxed, powdered, evaporated milk
- Nuts: almonds, peanuts, walnuts, pecans, pine nuts
- Onions: red and yellow
- Pasta, dried: spaghetti, linguini, angel hair, fettuccine, penne, noodles
- Peanut butter
- Potatoes, fresh
- Rice: long-grain, wild, basmati, arborio
- Soup: canned and dry bouillon
- Sugar: granulated, confectioner's, light and dark brown
- Tea
- Tomatoes: canned whole, crushed, chopped, puree, sauce, fresh
- Tuna, canned
- Yeast, dry active
Basic Refrigerator Items (Most of these items do not have long shelf lives. Check the expiration dates.):
- Eggs
- Butter or margarine
- Milk
- Sour cream
- Cream cheese
- Mild cheese
- Sharp cheese
- Mozzarella
- Parmesan cheese
- Romano cheese
- Green olives
- Mayonnaise
- Yellow mustard
- Dijon mustard
- Worcestershire sauce
- Steak sauce
- Horseradish
- Ketchup
- Pickle relish
- Assorted pickles
- Salsa
- Jellies or jams
- Apple butter
- Refrigerator biscuits
- Bacon