Stocking a weeknight pantry
The shelf, refrigerator, and freezer items that make the recipes on this site possible on a Tuesday.
Dry goods worth keeping
Keep long pasta, orzo or rice, rolled oats, canned tomatoes, chicken or vegetable broth, black beans, chickpeas, lentils, and tortillas. Those ingredients cover most of the dinners and breakfasts here. Buy broth in a size you will finish within a few days of opening, or freeze extra portions in a marked container.
A short refrigerator list
Eggs, milk, butter, a hard cheese, plain yogurt, lemons or limes, and one sturdy green such as spinach cover the fresh side of these recipes. Onions and garlic can live on the counter. Replace herbs when you know which recipe you are cooking, because a bunch of cilantro rarely survives an unplanned week.
Freezer backups
Frozen shrimp, a bag of vegetables, and leftover cooked rice or beans make a late dinner possible when the fresh plan falls through. Thaw shrimp in the refrigerator. Do not thaw meat on the counter.
Seasonings that do the most work
Salt, black pepper, olive oil, smoked paprika, cumin, chili powder, dried thyme or Italian seasoning, and cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice will season every recipe currently on the site. Add soy sauce and a vinegar you like if you cook the stir-fry or fried rice often.