Journal / Pantry
Pantry - March 6, 2026
Building A Pantry For Five Cuisines
By Mariana Estevez
The same kitchen that can produce a carbonara on Monday should be able to produce a chana masala on Tuesday and a stir-fry on Wednesday without a special-occasion shopping trip. The pantry is the secret. About fifteen ingredients gets you remarkably far.
Olive oil, soy sauce, neutral oil, sesame oil, ghee. White wine vinegar, rice vinegar, lemons. Canned San Marzano tomatoes, dried chickpeas, basmati rice, soba noodles. Garlic, ginger, onions. Garam masala, dried oregano, Sichuan peppercorns, chipotle in adobo. That is sixteen items, and they will produce probably 300 dishes between them.
Add a deeper bench when you have a favorite cuisine. The pantry is not static; it grows with what you cook. But starting with these sixteen will save you a hundred trips to the store and unlock most of the world.
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