Reviewed by Dietitian Kelly Plowe, M.S., RD
Credit: Getty Images. EatingWell design.
Key Points
Canned beans, like black or cannellini, are versatile, affordable and perfect for quick, healthy meals.
High-quality olive oil and vinegars add depth, balance and flavor to sauces, salads and rich dishes.
Pantry staples like canned tomatoes, whole spices and hot sauce create bold, flavorful meals with ease.
A refrigerator full of fresh fruit, vegetables, meats and seafood can inspire a wide variety of meal ideas, but they also come with a relatively short shelf life. It’s easy to forget that head of broccoli tucked in the back of the vegetable drawer or lose sight of the chicken breasts you portioned earlier in the week. This is where pantry ingredients have a unique advantage; not only do they last a long time, but they can add big flavor and even help you put dinner together when the fridge is empty.
To learn what the experts keep in their pantries, I reached out to chefs across the country to ask which ingredients they always have on hand. While these chefs work with fresh, often local ingredients every day in their restaurants, at home they all keep their pantries full of convenient meal starters and flavor enhancers. Read on to learn what ingredients chefs always have in their pantries.
1. Canned Beans
Canned beans are as simple as it gets, plus they are quite affordable. Chefs use them just like home cooks, in soups, stews, salads and more. Black beans, white beans, butter beans and chickpeas are all healthy, hearty meal starters chefs love to keep around in their pantries.
“Cannellini beans are one of the most versatile staples I keep stocked,” says Angelo Caruso, chef and owner of Angelo’s Ristorante in Stoneham, Massachusetts. “They’re perfect for a quick, satisfying meal, whether I’m tossing them with extra-virgin olive oil, fresh lemon juice and black pepper for a simple salad, or using them as the base for a comforting pasta fagioli. They’re hearty, nutritious and come together in minutes.”
For Frank Bonanno, chef and proprietor of the Denver restaurant group, Bonanno Concepts and a TV personality, a can of black beans is a must in his pantry, along with cornbread mix and pastas. “They are great in a salad or a black bean quesadilla,” he says.
Similarly, for Stefy Devita, executive chef at Bar Dough in Denver, who has worked with celebrity and Michelin-awarded chefs, a can of beans and leftover veggies can help her “make a ‘kitchen trash can’ mixture, if you will.”
2. Good-Quality Olive Oil & Vinegar
“Good olive oil is a must-have anywhere,” says Michael Erickson, chef at Spruce Farm & Fish in Boulder, Colorado. “Olive oil is a special thing that everyone will have an opinion on. I use olive oil in my finishing as a drizzle, as part of my oil-and-vinaigrette to add a bit of flavor, as a drizzle in my ceviche to round out the acidity and to add depth to the butter I sauté with.”
Several chefs mentioned the importance of keeping both good-quality olive oil and vinegars on hand for cooking, sauces and flavor enhancers. “Whether it’s sherry, Banyuls or a real balsamic, this is what balances everything out,” says Stuart Rogers, executive chef at Luella in Atlanta. “Rich dishes need acid, and a few drops at the end can make food feel lighter, cleaner and more complete.”
3. Hot Sauce
Erickson says his absolute favorite pantry ingredient is hot sauce. “I can’t live without it.” Part of what he loves about having hot sauce in his pantry is that it can quickly add a pop of flavor, and it’s also easy to adjust the spice level for his family and company. “I’m constantly cooking for all kinds of people, whether it be my kids, employees or guests. Everyone has a different spice tolerance, and most of the time it’s less than mine, so a quick addition to my food when my kids can’t handle the heat is a must.”
4. Canned Tomatoes
Another pantry essential that several chefs mention is canned tomatoes. Indian American celebrity chef Vikas Khanna, who’s executive chef and partner at Bungalow in New York City, says a good can of tomatoes can quickly start dinner. “They are incredibly versatile. With garlic, ginger and a few spices, they can quickly become the base for a curry or sauce.”
Chris Valdes, a chef, cookbook author and celebrity caterer, says canned tomatoes form the base of so many dishes: “I use them for quick pasta sauces, soups, shakshuka and even to braise meats. When you have good canned tomatoes, you’re already halfway to a great meal.”
5. Curry & Spices
Several chefs also mention the importance of having whole spices and curry powders to flavor dishes. It’s these elements that can transform a basic meal into something special. “Another essential for me is whole spices, especially cumin, coriander and black pepper,” says Khanna. “Freshly toasted and ground spices can completely transform a dish.”
“I love everything curry,” Erickson says. “The flavors and excitement from curry are second to none. A little curry in my chicken salad or braising some chicken thighs in curry sauce to serve over rice, it’s always a win.”
Other Staples to Keep on Hand
The chefs offered a handful of other pantry ingredients to keep on hand, including:
Stocks. A rich stock serves as the backbone of many sauces and can be used to make a quick soup or stew.
Chili Crunch. “Chili crunch goes on everything in my house, breakfast included, no apologies,” says Joe Nierstedt, chef and owner at Katsubo in Charleston, South Carolina.
Pasta. Dried pastas are an essential element of many quick dinners.
Tomato puree (passata). “A weeknight dinner miracle-maker, passata can quickly and easily provide the base for a fast pasta dinner,” says Michael Handa, culinary arts chef-instructor at the Institute of Culinary Education. “Its lightly salted, strained and slightly thickened texture provides a blank canvas for almost any type of sauce you would like to create.”
The Bottom Line
If you want to keep your pantry stocked like a chef, make sure you have essentials like canned beans, tomatoes and olive oil, but don’t skip more specialty ingredients like whole spices, hot sauce, passata and chili crunch. These ingredients can help create a bold, flavorful dinner and will last a long time in your pantry.
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Dining and Cooking