Pantry Guides

Ingredients

Demystify spices, know your flours, and learn how to stock your kitchen for different cuisines with our pantry guides.

Spoon lifting beef chunks and vegetables from a bowl of stew

My Mom's Secret Ingredient Makes Everything Taste Better

A jar of breadandbutter pickles viewed from above

Food Snobs Hate This American Classic—Here's Why They're Wrong

Knafeh being drizzled with syrup from above set on a round copper tray with handles

This Centuries-Old Ingredient Makes Almost Everything Taste Like Magic

Slice of bread with peanut butter spread evenly

Natural Schmatural—This Is Why "Junky" Peanut Butter Is Better, According to a Pro Chef

Tomato puree being poured into a pan with sautéed onions on a stovetop surface

The Genius Tomato Sauce Upgrade Italians Have Always Known About

Overhead view of dumping oats into a bowl

Want Better Oatmeal? It All Starts With Buying the Right Oats

Collage of curry powdeers

What Is Curry Powder? A Comprehensive Guide to the Spice Blend That Spans Cultures

Essential ingredients of a Persian Pantry

Stocking a Persian Pantry: Explore The 2,500+ Year-Old Cuisine With These Ingredients and Recipes

Bread vs Ap Flour

Bread Flour vs. All-Purpose Flour: Our Culinary Team Explains the (Very Important!) Difference

Basmati and jasmine rice

Basmati vs. Jasmine Rice: Here Are the Most Important Differences, According to Experts

A collage of fish sauce and different dishes.

The Umami-Rich Pantry Ingredient That Will Instantly Improve Your Cooking (It's Not MSG)

Basmati rice

What Is Basmati Rice? A Guide to What Some Call the "Queen of Rice"

Graphic of Orange Blossom bottles

Why I Always Keep This Sweet, Floral Ingredient in My Pantry

Graphic for Jasmine rice

You Can Get the "World's Best Rice" in Almost Any Supermarket—Here's How to Buy the Best and Cook It Properly

a group of pantry items typically used in Jamaican cooking

How to Stock a Jamaican Kitchen: The 3 Types of Indispensable Ingredients

Overhead view of pink peppercorns

How to Use Your Favorite Forgotten Spice of the ’90s

Overhead view of all the essential ingredients needed in a pantry to cook a range of Nigerian dishes. Ingredients range from spices to roots to tinned food and fresh spices, organized in a neat grid

Everything You Need to Know About Stocking a Nigerian Pantry

Bowl of black peppercorns and a bowl of white peppercorns

White Pepper vs. Black Pepper: What's the Actual Difference?

Overhead view of items in an Armenian Pantry

Your Complete Guide to Stocking an Armenian Pantry

Doughnuts with pistachio cream and pistachios on top on a tan plate.

Here’s Why Sweet, Green Pistachio Cream Has Replaced Nutella in My Kitchen

Best Places to Buy Spices Online

The Best Places to Buy (Whole, Ground, Blended) Spices Online

a variety of jars of honey with their tops open

The Ultimate Guide to Selecting the Best Honey, According to Experts

Cascade of ground coriander followed by whole coriander seeds.

What is Coriander?

Overhead view of star anise on a plate on a purple background

What is Star Anise?

Overhead view of sumac in a bowl

A number of chili crisps on a wooden coutnertop.

I Tasted 18 Chili Crisps to Find Spicy, Savory, and Garlicky Options

a variety of tinned fish on a pale, sea foam green background

The Best Tinned Fish (and Other Seafood) You Can Buy Online

an illustration of a golden tin of caviar with caviar on oysters on plates, and glasses of wine.

Where to Buy Caviar Online

Curry leaves on a plate with Spice Cabinet badge

What Are Curry Leaves?

Cornstarch being added to cheese

A Guide to Cornstarch

Overhead view of Korean pantry ingredients arranged on a dark gray surface.

How to Stock a Korean Pantry: Jeot, Jang, and More Ingredients to Know

Close up of a variety of different types of salt

A Guide to Salt, the World’s Most Popular Food

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A Guide to Pepper: The World’s Most Popular Spice

Closeup of a bottle of aged Italian fish sauce called colatura.

Colatura di Alici: What It Is, Why It’s Worth It, and How to Use It

How to Stock a Japanese Pantry: 13 Indispensable Ingredients

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How to Stock a Mexican Pantry: 14 Ingredients to Know and Love

overhead shot of an array of tinned fish, or conservas, on a wooden table with bread and olives.

A Guide to Canned Fish and Seafood from Spain and Portugal

Overhead shot of Chinese culinary ingredients like sauce, mushrooms, and chilies

How to Stock a Chinese Pantry: Essential Staples to Keep on Hand

A selection of seaweeds (kelp, nori, ogo-nori, ao-nori, sea beans, wakame, dulse) viewed from above

A Seaweed Primer: How to Use Kelp, Nori, Wakame, and More

Overhead view of jar of passata, a bag of pasta, and mise en place ingredients.

All About Tomato Passata, Italy's Puréed Pantry Essential

A collection of ingredients used in Moroccan cooking, including preserved lemon, rose water, cinnamon, saffron, Ras el Hanout, harissa, and a sheet of warqa pastry

How to Stock a Moroccan Pantry: Harissa, Ras el Hanout, and More

Bags of different types of flour against a purple background.

Types of Flour: A Guide

A small bowl of capers.

All About Capers, the Powerhouse Pantry Staple

Spice Hunting: Piloncillo

An assortment of vanilla extract bottles on a marble background.

Real Talk: DIY Vanilla Extract Is a Waste of Time and Money

Overhead view of Indian pantry items arranged on a fuchsia surface.

How to Stock an Indian Pantry: Spices, Dals, and More Essential Ingredients

Bloom Ground Spices in Oil for Better Flavor

Use Gelatin to Improve Pan Sauces, Store-Bought Stocks, and Beyond

Spice Hunting: Cinnamon

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How to Use Saffron

A cartoon figure, holding an arm-like appendage to their cheek area. A thought bubble is to the left of their head and contains question marks, a molecular diagram, a hamburger, and a slice of pink layer cake.

What's the Point of Bay Leaves? | Ask The Food Lab

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How to Buy, Store, and Cook With Cumin

A bowl of pho with meat, noodles, herbs, and a pair of chopsticks resting on the side of the bowl

These Dried Worms Make Pho Taste Great

Spice Hunting: Asafoetida (Hing)

Why Sherry Vinegar Deserves to Be Your One True Vinegar

Spice Hunting: Vadouvan, A Curry Powder for Every Pantry

Spice Hunting: What's The Deal With Saffron?

Spice Hunting: Black Cardamom

Pantry Essentials: All About Liquid Seasonings

Spice Hunting: Chinese Fermented Black Soy Beans

Spice Hunting: Fennel Pollen

A handful of long pepper.

Spice Hunting: Long Pepper

Spice Hunting: Anardana, Dried Pomegranate Seeds

Spice Hunting: Black Mint