In the interest of saving you time and money, here’s everything you need to ready your kitchen for the next-level cooking you’re about to do.
I know it looks like a lot of stuff, but don’t panic. You probably have many of these items already, but I’m not the kind of guy who makes assumptions. When I worked as a private chef, I met a surprising number of people who used their stoves to store wine bottles.
IN THE SPICE RACK
• Adobo all-purpose seasoning: Goya’s salty spice blend.
• Kosher or coarse salt: It doesn’t have to be blessed by a rabbi, but it needs to be coarse.
• Ground black pepper
• Crushed red pepper flakes: If you can find it, try upgrading to the smoky Urfa bieber (that’s Turkish smoked red pepper).
• Ground cumin: Are you really going to toast and grind your own cumin seeds? I think we both know the answer to that.
• Ground turmeric: Street name, “Broke-ass Saffron.”
• Smoked or Spanish paprika: This smoky flavor enhancer is a kitchen MVP.
• Hot paprika: It has a mild spice level that won’t freak out plain-Jane palates. If you’re a hot-food hero, add more to build the heat.
• Truffle salt: I know truffle salt is overhyped, overdone, and isn’t even made of real truffles. (Sad, but true. Google it.) But it’s so damn delicious. And yes it’s expensive, but suck it up. I just saved you thirty grand on culinary school, you ingrate.
• Ground cinnamon: WTF are you gonna do with a cinnamon stick?
• Dried thyme: This evergreen herb is great to have around because it makes whatever it touches taste kind of French. Not in a nihilistic Parisian way, though, but from Brittany or the Languedocian hills.
• Dried oregano: Babies born in Italy receive a jar of this pizza herb at birth.
• Curry powder: That jerk Christopher Columbus sailed halfway around the world (in the wrong direction) on a quest for curry. It’s that good.
• Garam masala: This mild Indian spice blend with cumin, coriander, cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg—tastes like Thanksgiving.
• Chinese five spice: It’s the garam masala of China, with Sichuan pepper, anise, fennel, cinnamon, and cloves.
• Sugar
• Hot sauce: Any kind. I like Sambal Oelek, Cholula Hot Sauce, or Sriracha.
IN THE PANTRY
• Olive oil: Get both kinds—use the extra virgin for salad dressings and the slutty kind for cooking.
• Coconut oil: Seriously, everything tastes better with a hint of coconut. Plus, you can do a lot more than cook with it. There’s an entire subreddit devoted to the endless ways coconut oil can improve your life. It’s a great moisturizer, hair detangler, antibacterial cream, even rust remover. Head down the rabbit hole at reddit.com/r/coconutoil.
• Canola oil: Great for frying.
• Sesame oil: This isn’t for cooking. It’s a finishing oil; drizzle it on or use in a dressing or sauce.
• Vinegars: Red wine, white wine, balsamic, rice, champagne…get one of each.
• Honey: As always, local is best, but the kind in the bear will do. If you’re vegan or just curious, try molasses, date syrup, or maple syrup (my favorite).
• Mustard: Graduate from the squeeze bottle. Dijon works best in salad dressings.
• Tahini: This sesame paste is underutilized—you pretty much only see it on falafel, but it tastes good on anything. Even ice cream.
• Peanut butter: The creamy kind tastes best and the natural kind is healthiest. Try to find one that’s both, like Peanut Butter & Co. Smooth Operator. Almond butter is nice to have around, too. Just saying.
• A few types of nuts: Almonds, cashews, peanuts, walnuts, pine nuts, and pecans. Sliced, halved, slivered, chopped. The world is your pistachio shell.
• Seeds: Hemp, chia, sunflower, and sesame all provide a nutritious crunch.
• Dried fruit: Raisins, apricots, dates, and Craisins are great ways to add a little sweetness.
• Canned tomatoes: There’s nothing better than a freshly picked tomato, but prime tomato season is only a few weeks a year. Canned tomatoes are picked and canned during that time, so buy those to use when your grocery store only has pale orange tomatoes that taste like nothing. I always keep a few giant cans of San Marzano or plum tomatoes, and a few small cans of crushed tomatoes around.
• Canned beans: Kidney beans, fava beans, chickpeas, black beans, black-eyed peas, green peas—they each have their own flair.
• Starches: Pasta, rice, quinoa, farro, oats, barley. You have your favorites, but every now and then, branch out and try something new.
• Vegetable broth: Keep a couple of quarts in the pantry, and use broth instead of water when cooking grains. It makes a huge difference in flavor.
IN THE FRIDGE
• Salad greens: Spinach, kale, arugula, and romaine are all great options. Iceberg lettuce doesn’t count.
• Eggs: There’s some global controversy about whether you need to refrigerate eggs. The answer varies depending on how chicken farmers in different countries clean them, but, long story short, if you live in the USA (or Scandinavia, Japan, or Australia), yes.
• Fruit preserves/jam: A touch of strawberry or raspberry jam is an easy way to kick up a vinaigrette.
• Olives: Black, green, Kalamata. They’re all good, except the cheap kind with the red-pepper pimientos.
• Capers: Did you know that a caper is a pickled flower bud?
• Good cheese: There is no reason a Kraft single should ever darken your fridge’s deli door. Keep some gorgonzola, Parmigiano-Reggiano, feta, or Pecorino Romano around. Sure, it’s more expensive, but good cheese is potent so a little goes a long way.
• A squeeze tube of tomato paste
• A squeeze tube of wasabi paste
• Soy sauce: What’s the difference between soy sauce and shoyu? Shoyu is the Japanese term for soy sauce, and is also used to indicate that it’s been fermented naturally. So all shoyu is soy sauce but not all soy sauce is shoyu.
• Fresh herbs: Whatever looks good at the market. Man cannot live on dried herbs alone.
• Meat alternatives: Try tempeh, seitan, and tofu. They all have different ingredients, textures, and flavors. See which one speaks to you.
IN THE FREEZER
• Frozen veggies: Frozen peas, green beans, and butternut squash are especially awesome, as is spinach. Buy a giant bag of the store brand for two bucks, and when you sauté it, the spinach won’t wilt away to nothing. You’d have to spend ten times as much on fresh spinach for the same yield.
• Meat substitutes: I like Morningstar products best, especially the crumbles, which can help give sauces a satiating heft. Go beyond the basic veggie burger and try Quorn and Beyond Meat, too.
• Frozen fruit: Use for smoothies.
• Leftover tomato sauce: Pour it over rice, potatoes, or noodles, or poach some eggs in it for a quick shakshuka (see here).
• Onions, garlic, herbs: Pre-chop them and store in separate airtight bags so you don’t have to interrupt your kitchen flow when inspiration strikes.
• Leave room for dessert: DIY ice cream and frozen yogurt and stick it to Big Ice Cream.
IN THE KITCHEN CABINETS
• Chef’s knife and sharpener: This workhorse is the only knife you really need.
• Misto sprayer: For misting cooking oils
• Big 8- to 12-quart stockpot: For making soups and boiling pasta
• Medium saucepan
• Big nonstick frying pan: Use it instead of a 200-pound cast-iron skillet that’s a pain in the ass to clean.
• Medium frying pan: for all your sautéing needs
• Mixing bowls: small, medium, and large
• Mason jars: You don’t need a Pinterest account’s worth—just a few for making and storing salad dressing.
• Giant salad bowl: The bigger the bowl, the easier it is to toss your salad.
• Baking sheets: You don’t need more than two.
• Parchment paper
• Aluminum foil
• Vegetable peeler: I like ceramic ones, or the classic in Kisag Swiss stainless steel.
• A four-sided box grater: for grating, slicing, shredding, or thin, mandoline-like cuts.
• A good blender or food processor: If you can afford it, buy a Vitamix high-performance blender that will outlast you.
• Whisk: A hand mixer is nice to have, too, but it’s your call.
• A cheap immersion blender: Don’t spend more than $40.
• A nonslip cutting board: You don’t want it sliding around on you.
• Wooden spoons
• A floppy spatula
• Set of measuring cups and spoons: Buy two. These things get lost like socks.
• A large strainer
• A colander
• Tongs: the regular metal kind
• Tupperware: Fill all the rest of your cabinet space with these. You’ll thank me when you’re swimming in leftovers.