Pantry Guides

Demystify spices, know your flours, and learn how to stock your kitchen for different cuisines with our pantry guides.
a few jars of chili crisp on a pink background
Spicy! Crunchy! Crispy! The Best Chili Crisp You Can Buy Online
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?
Essential ingredients of a Persian Pantry
How to Stock a Persian Pantry
jars of stem ginger on a black countertop
Why I Always Have A Jar of Stem Ginger in Syrup in My Pantry
Cornstarch being added to cheese
A Guide to Cornstarch
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Nutritional Yeast: What It Is, How It’s Made, and How to Use It
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
a group of pantry items typically used in Jamaican cooking
How to Stock a Jamaican Kitchen
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Beyond Vanilla: Extracts, Oils, and Waters That Can Improve Your Baking
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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
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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
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How to Stock a Turkish Pantry: Flavorful Ingredients Worth Seeking Out
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
A bottle of orange blossom water with an orange next to it.
Spice Hunting: Orange Blossom Water
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 spread of ingredients commonly used in Indonesian cooking shot from above on a dark blue background
Essential Indonesian Ingredients and How to Use Them
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
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Bloom Ground Spices in Oil for Better Flavor
Use Gelatin to Improve Pan Sauces, Store-Bought Stocks, and Beyond
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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
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Spice Hunting: Asafoetida (Hing)
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Why Sherry Vinegar Deserves to Be Your One True Vinegar
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Spice Hunting: Vadouvan, A Curry Powder for Every Pantry
Spice Hunting: What's The Deal With Saffron?
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Spice Hunting: Black Cardamom
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Pantry Essentials: All About Liquid Seasonings
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Spice Hunting: Chinese Fermented Black Soy Beans
Spice Hunting: Fennel Pollen
A handful of long pepper.
Spice Hunting: Long Pepper
Jar of Marmite
Pantry Essentials: All About Marmite and Other Yeast Extracts
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Spice Hunting: Anardana, Dried Pomegranate Seeds
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Spice Hunting: Black Mint
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Mexican Food You've Maybe Never Heard of: Mixiote
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What's Inside a Slim Jim?
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Spice Hunting: Fenugreek (Methi)
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Spice Hunting: Amchoor
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Spice Hunting: Celery Seed
Spice Hunting: Coriander
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Spice Hunting: Grains of Paradise
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Spice Hunting: A Guide to Paprika
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How to Stock a Thai Pantry: Essential Ingredients for Your Shopping List
Several pieces of Thai cane sugar. Their shape resembles a miniature swirl of soft-serve ice cream.
How to Use Raw Sugar: Jaggery, Gula Melaka, Panela, and More