Pantry Guides

Demystify spices, know your flours, and learn how to stock your kitchen for different cuisines with our pantry guides.
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
Everything You Need to Know About Buying Honey
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
What is Sumac?
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
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
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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
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