American

Chocolate Chips: Best-quality semisweet. These live in my freezer for my baking needs, but I have to hide them. The boys consider a bag of chocolate chips perfectly decent snacking material.
Aromatics: Garlic, onions, and shallots. Don’t take these flavor powerhouses for granted! First off, be mindful when grabbing a garlic head from the bin: Check that the cloves are snuggled together tightly. Press on the bulb to make sure it is firm to the touch. Avoid heads with protruding green sprouts. Keep both red and yellow onions on hand. Shallots are a real recipe workhorse, combining the flavor of a sweet onion with a touch of garlic’s pungency.
Condiments: Ketchup, mayonnaise, steak sauce, barbecue sauce, Worcestershire sauce, and sweet relish; mustard—Dijon, brown, and stone-ground. For ketchup and mayonnaise, I opt for the standard varieties. Worcestershire sauce is a cornerstone of my mom’s cooking, and, hence, mine. Relish is relish unless you need the neon-green variety for a Chicago Hot Dog (page 77).
Bread I buy two whole fresh loaves at a time. One is for same-day eating; the second loaf is an extra—I slice it in half, wrap it in plastic and foil, label and date it, and freeze. When we need it, it’s defrosted and still tastes almost as good as same-day fresh. (Replenish as needed anytime you’re near a great bakery.) I also keep a package of commercial sliced whole-grain in the freezer for toast and sandwiches.
Baking Powder Replace the can every 4 to 6 months. Nothing is worse than going to the trouble of baking something that should rise and ending up with a flat pancake.
Baking Soda Use it almost forever (really!), and when it’s too old, transfer the box to the back of the fridge, package wide open, to suck up rank odors. If you doubt its strength, drop a pinch into some vinegar. If it bubbles, it’s still active.
Broth: Canned or shelf-stable low-sodium chicken, beef, and vegetable. Commercial broth is highly convenient; unfortunately, I haven’t tasted a commercial variety that I really like. I go for the organic tetra-pack boxes from Pacific Natural Foods, which are a bit more healthful at least. If you have time, however, make a batch of homemade (see page 57 for a chicken broth recipe) and freeze it in 2-cup portions.
Cookies for Piecrusts: Graham crackers and vanilla wafers. Cookies ground in the food processor and some melted butter make a quick crust pressed into a pie pan. (Add pudding, chill, and top with whipped cream for a quick pie.)
Pickles: Dill spears, sweet bread-and-butter chips. I’m a pickle lover and eat them every which way. There’s nothing like a little tangy-sweet, crunchy-cool bite to set off a burger (see pages 85–86) or grilled cheese sandwich.

Beans, Canned and Dried: Black-eyed peas and navy and kidney beans. I prefer dried beans for flavor and bang for your buck. A quick soak—rinse, bring to a boil in water to cover, and let stand, covered, off the heat for 1 hour—prepares dried beans for cooking. Still, canned beans are a great convenience. Try different brands. Some are good, with the beans intact; others are a mushy, salty-tasting mess. Drain and rinse before using. Watch for organic dried (but fresher) beans at farmers’ markets or online.
Cocoa: Unsweetened Dutch-processed; nonalkalized unsweetened powder. The better the quality, the better the end result. Different brands have unique flavors; find your favorite one. It’ll keep tightly sealed in the pantry for a good long time.
Cornmeal: Yellow and white. There are too many good things made with fine-ground cornmeal not to keep it in stock: corn bread, porridge, muffins (not to mention polenta—see the entry in Mediterranean Pantry, page 23). Keep it well sealed to avoid bug infestation, or store in the freezer.
Cornstarch: A great thickening alternative to flour for puddings, pies, sauces, fillings, and stews (especially when baking or cooking for a gluten-free friend). Sauces made with cornstarch are clear, not cloudy. It keeps forever.
Peanut Butter: Salted natural and organic; both smooth and crunchy. I prefer natural to supermarket brands, but make sure to identify a good brand with a decent texture. My kids warn me against buying the “sand” peanut butter. Store the jar upside down in the cupboard to prevent separation and avoid laborious stirring just to make it spreadable.
Marshmallows: For quick-fix desserts. And nothing beats a golden toasted one slipped between graham crackers with a piece of chocolate.
Pepper: Black and white peppercorns; cayenne pepper. Buy peppercorns in bulk for a better price. Finely grind a couple of tablespoons and keep it in a small ramekin for seasoning food before cooking. Keep a pepper grinder (or two—one for black, one for white) by the stove and another on the dining table.
Nuts and Seeds: Walnuts, pecans, almonds, cashews, and peanuts; sesame and poppy seeds. All nuts and seeds easily go rancid and should be stored in a sealed bag or container in the refrigerator or freezer.
Dried Fruit: Dark and golden raisins, cranberries, apricots, and cherries. These are great additions to muffins or granola. Also use as stuffing mix-ins or as an impromptu trail mix.
Oats: Best-quality old-fashioned rolled oats (not instant). If you eat a lot of oatmeal, like my family does, keep a couple varieties on hand to switch things up. For daily eating, I spring for organic.

Flours: All-purpose white flour (preferably unbleached), whole wheat, Wondra superfine flour. Store flour properly for freshness and to avoid a weevil fest. If you use it often, keep it in a countertop canister for easy access. Superfine flour is a must for the lightest coating when dredging pieces of meat or fish and sautéing (see Fried Lake Fish, page 178).
Malted Milk Powder: If you love making milk shakes at home, like I do, keep this on hand; see page 258 for a recipe.
Oils, Vegetable Safflower and canola oils are flavorless and tolerate high heat. But I’m not a fan of canola—it smells like fish to me when it’s heated. Safflower is my go-to all-purpose oil when I’m not using olive oil.
Rice: Long-grain white, such as Carolina. Stock rice in your pantry, and use it as a platform for anything. Leftover rice with a fried egg on top is one of our go-to breakfasts.
Salt: Kosher salt. I use kosher salt (also known as coarse salt) for all cooking, sweet or savory. I also like to keep some chunky sea salt in a grinder and flaky salt as well, for topping a finished dish to add textural interest to every bite.
Spices and Dried Herbs: Chili powder, sweet and hot paprika, celery seeds, poppy seeds, cinnamon, cumin, and cloves. Oxygen is the enemy of freshness here, so keep your spices well sealed and out of the light. If you don’t use them often, check for freshness and pungency before adding to a dish; a sprinkling of tasteless powder will not enhance any recipe. For dried herbs such as thyme, rosemary, and oregano, see page 22.
Pretzels Use as a baking mix-in, or for a quick dessert with some raisins and chocolate chips. Essential for dark chocolate and peanut butter pretzel bars (see page 283).
Spices and Dried Herbs: Chili powder, sweet and hot paprika, celery seeds, poppy seeds, cinnamon, cumin, and cloves. Oxygen is the enemy of freshness here, so keep your spices well sealed and out of the light. If you don’t use them often, check for freshness and pungency before adding to a dish; a sprinkling of tasteless powder will not enhance any recipe. For dried herbs such as thyme, rosemary, and oregano, see page 22.
Tomatoes: Canned or shelf-stable whole plum tomatoes. Unfortunately, the term San Marzano is used as a marketing term these days, so it’s no longer an automatic guarantee of quality. Unless I can get a brand of top-quality imported San Marzano tomatoes I’m familiar with, Muir Glen organic canned plum tomatoes are my hands-down top choice. They aren’t too acidic and they have a consistent slightly sweet, real tomato flavor.
Vanilla Extract and Vanilla Beans Make sure the bottle of extract says “pure,” not “imitation.” Keep the expensive beans well wrapped in plastic and then aluminum foil in the refrigerator or freezer. Split vanilla beans before using.

Hot Sauce: If you had to have only one, Tabasco would be it. However, the center of our dining table and the side of the stove hold multiple red and green hot sauce choices. You name it, we have it. Cook with it or shake a little on top of the right foods, and revel in the beautiful bottles and wonderful flavors.
Yeast: Regular active dry. Always check the freshness date and once it is opened, keep the package tightly sealed. Store in a cool, dry place or in the refrigerator. Recipes that require yeast are dependent on its power to succeed.
Vinegars: Distilled white and apple cider. Aside from the obvious uses for vinaigrettes and other recipes, the acidity of vinegar makes it a secret cooking weapon. Splash a dash in your stew or soup at the end to brighten it up.
Sugar: White, light and dark brown, and confectioners’. Store a bread heel in with the brown sugar to keep it soft. If you find a rock-hard chunk in the pantry when you go to use it, microwave it for 20 to 40 seconds to revive it, and crumble. (Sweetener)
Other Sweeteners: Maple syrup, honey, molasses, and corn syrup. I like the flavor that honey or maple syrup brings to some dishes. Pick up local honey when traveling; it’s a true souvenir of place. Ditto for maple syrup if you are in Vermont, Upstate New York, or nearby Canada—and the prices will be much more reasonable too. All-natural unsulfured molasses lends its caramel–burnt sugar flavor to sauces, baked beans, and baked goods galore. Corn syrup is just a necessary evil in some recipes (like hot fudge sauce; see page 286) when you want that silky texture. (Sweetener)
Bacon Standard operating procedure for the Quinn kitchen is 2 pounds in the fridge crisper and a backup in the freezer. Enough said! (Perishable)
Butter Freeze extra butter too. I’ve got my everyday organic 4-sticks-in-a-pack unsalted butter. And whenever possible, I splurge on the yummy high-fat, creamery-made crunchy-salt-studded Vermont Butter and Cheese variety too (which I hide behind the box of the unsalted). (Perishable)
Eggs Always large. Here’s another place where I splurge on organic, free-range, handled-with-care brands. Eggs make too many great quick breakfasts, lunches, and dinners not to buy 2 dozen on the weekly shopping trip. (Perishable)
Milk Buy 2 quarts and keep one in the freezer. While organic milk is my preference, BGH-free (with no bovine growth hormone) is imperative, especially for growing children. (Perishable)