The importance of a well-stocked pantry cannot be overstated. Without it, you'll find yourself searching for common baking substitutions, like baking powder substitutes or heavy cream substitutes, or making unnecessary last-minute trips to the grocery store.
The right kitchen basics will make it much easier for you to pull out your favorite recipes (or try something new!) and put together a meal at any time of the day, even if you don't have a lot of fresh produce or meats or poultry on hand. You especially want to focus on ingredients with a long shelf life that can be shelf-stable for a few weeks or months (or, in some cases, even years), until you need to add them to something you're making.
Some popular pantry staples include items like basic spices and seasonings (think dry herbs or sea salt), olive oil, dry or canned beans, bags of rice, and canned tomatoes. But if you want to expand your list to include more options and flavor, take advice from the pros. Here, we asked chefs to share the one thing you should always have in your pantry.
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