Ingredients in The Perfect Pantry

Items in the pantry today: 257

The inventory changes frequently, but here are the basic ingredients you'll always find in my pantry. On each list, you'll find items marked with an asterisk (*) to indicate the absolute essentials if you're just starting to build a pantry or have limited space.

To search for a particular ingredient and all of the posts written about it (including recipes), use the search bar in the right-hand column.

Spice rack (dried herbs and spices, hot pepper sauces, salts, etc.)

Cupboards (dry goods, canned goods, pastas, beans, grains, etc.)

Freezer, refrigerator, garden, counter top (condiments, frozen meats and vegetables, onions and garlic, etc.)

For more on pantry essentials, you might enjoy these posts about the things I'd plan to take with me if I were going to be stranded on a desert island, albeit one with running water, air conditioning, a garden, a dishwasher, high-speed internet, and high-definition television so I could keep up with Top Chef and Chopped:

23 pantry items you absolutely, positively, have to have

13 pantry items every baker absolutely, positively, has to have

Readers' favorites: the top 10 items you absolutely, positively, want to have

If you're just starting to build your pantry, or moving into a new kitchen with limited space (or a limited budget), here are the bare essentials you might want to buy:

How to stock your new apartment's pantry

If there are ingredients you have in your own pantry -- things you use over and over again -- that are missing from mine, please let me know. I'm always looking for my next favorite ingredient. And if you have a recipe for how to use it, please share that, too.