Ever found yourself staring into the pantry with no idea what to cook? When we don’t have a stash of pantry staples on hand, preparing home-cooked meals can feel pretty darn overwhelming. 

But, setting up the perfect pantry doesn’t have to be complicated (or cost you an arm and a leg). Instead, it just takes a bit of planning and a good shopping list to get your pantry stocked with all the basic ingredients you’ll need. 

To take the guesswork out of your next trip to the grocery store, we’ve rounded up 12 categories of pantry essentials you need to add to your shopping list.

Pantry Staple 1: Cans and jars 

No matter the season, having a pantry stocked with plenty of canned vegetables, legumes and fish is always a wise move. These long-life pantry items are perfect for hearty soups, nourishing pasta dishes and warming curies. 

When it comes to which cans to add to your shopping cart, it’s all about versatility. Tinned tomatoes are a popular choice as they have so many uses, from pasta sauces to soup stocks and beyond. Plus, canned legumes (such as chickpeas, lentils and butter beans) are a fantastic and cost-effective way to bulk up winter soups. 

Another wise choice is canned fish (such as tinned tuna in olive oil), which works well for pasta bakes, salads and even a delicious sandwich filling. 

Plus, it’s always a good idea to have chicken or vegetable stock in the pantry to whip up a simple soup in a flash. If you’re tight on pantry space, you can easily purchase stock cubes. And if not, grab a couple of litres of liquid stock to keep in your pantry at all times. 

If you’re a baker keep on hand a jar of cherries (for muffins, cakes, puddings) tinned peaches and tinned apples.

Pantry Staple 2: Oils and vinegars

Oils are an essential ingredient in almost any home-cooked meal. Whether you’re cooking meat, preparing a stir fry or roasting vegetables, oils are what will help cook your ingredients to perfection. 

A good place to start when stocking your pantry with the essential is to grab a bottle of extra-virgin olive oil (perfect for pastas, roast dinners and meats) as well as a neutral cooking oil (such as canola). 

Along with the oils, you’ll want to add a selection of vinegars to your pantry (such as red wine vinegar, white wine vinegar and even balsamic vinegar). These work well as impromptu salad dressings and are often called for in glaze recipes. 

Pantry Staple 3: Herbs and spices 

Give your home cooking the edge by stocking your pantry with a selection of delicious dried herbs and spices. These pantry staples will come in handy time and time again when preparing a roast dinner, soups, curries or pasta dishes. 

When it comes to picking the right herbs and spices, opt for ingredients that you regularly use in your favourite recipes. 

It's all too easy to end up with a cupboard full of dried herbs and spices but here's some of the ones we reach for most often:

• Salt and pepper - cooking salt for, well cooking ;), and salt flakes

• Chilli flakes

• Curry powder

• Paprika (sweet and grab some smoked paprika which transforms a dish and we use quite a bit) 

• Cinnamon 

• Ground cumin 

• Ground coriander

• Dried bay leaves

• Ground turmeric

• Cardamom 

• Dried oregano 

• Sesame seeds

Pantry Staple 4: Grains and starches 

The base of every good home-cooked meal are grains and starches. No matter what cuisine you’re cooking, having a stash of dried grains in your pantry will ensure you’re never confused about what to cook. 

When it comes to grains and starches, we’d recommend stocking your pantry with white (we tend to use basmati the most) and brown rice, quinoa, dried pasta (in a variety of shapes, such as long spaghetti and shorter ribbon or tubular pasta) as well as dried lentils (look for the French green lentils as they hold their shape when cooked). 

Pantry Staple 5: Nuts and nut butters

Whether preparing a delicious salad or simply making a serve of toast, nuts and nut butters are a must-have pantry staple. 

We recommend always having your cupboards stocked with walnuts, almonds, roasted peanuts as well as peanut butter (smooth or crunchy, you decide).  Although not nuts, it's also handy to have some pepitas (pumpkin seeds) and sunflower seeds to add some crunch to a salad or topping on a cake.

Pantry Staple 6: Sweeteners 

When you’re in the mood for something sweet, these pantry staples are sure to come in handy. We always have a jar of honey, raw sugar and caster sugar.  Although it can be pricey, keep an eye on the store specials and grab a bottle of maple syrup as just a little bit makes for a good refined sugar substitute, and pancakes and French toast really do need it!  Once you open your maple syrup it needs to be stored in the fridge.

Pantry Staple 7: Preserves and pickles 

Another fantastic long-life pantry staple has to be preserves and pickles. These come in both sweet and savoury varieties and are fantastic for jazzing up pasta dishes, sandwiches or simply spreading on freshly baked bread.

Our cupboards are always stocked with a jar of fruit jam, anchovies (to add to your next homemade pizza or a simple pasta sauce), capers,  as well as cucumber dill pickles (perfect for burgers and cheese toasties). 

All of these jars need to be stored in the fridge once you open them.

Pantry Staple 8: Condiments and sauces

Just like herbs and spices, this next pantry staple is perfect for enhancing the flavour of your home cooked meals. 

We always recommend having your pantry filled with a range of condiments and sauces, including tomato sauce and/or tomato relish, mustard (dijon is the most versatile), passata, tomato paste (buy the sachets as jars and tubs just go off too quickly), mayonnaise, a jar of pesto, hot sauce and soy sauce.   The soy can stay in the cupboard but the other items need to be chilled once you open them.

When it comes to mayo grab the whole egg mayo (look out for brands such as S&W and Hellman's) It's a touch more expensive but streets ahead in flavour.

These will bring your next home-made dish to life and are often called for in popular recipes, meaning you’ll get plenty of use out of each. 

Pantry Staple 9: Fresh produce

While these next categories won’t live in your pantry, we wanted to include a range of handy fresh food items you’ll want to have stocked in your kitchen, too. 

When it comes to fresh produce, there are a selection of multi-purpose staples we always have on-handy. In the crisper these include lemons, carrots, broccoli, cucumbers, and a nice crisp lettuce such as cos. And keep in the cupboard garlic, onions and potatoes as they are best stored in a cool dry place.  Potatoes actually don't like too much light so put them in your cupboard.

Eggs!  While eggs are often stored on the shelf in the supermarket it's best to store them in your fridge.

Pantry Staple 10: Dairy products

Another must-have in your fridge are dairy products. Whether you’re preparing sweet or savoury meals, these staples are perfect for any easy home-cooked meals. 

We always have eggs, butter, yoghurt (Greek style is the most versatile), sour cream, a range of cheeses (always a block of cheddar and a block of parmesan), maybe some marinated feta, or feta in brine (both have a long shelf life)and fresh milk in the fridge, ideal for everything from breakfast to baking.  

Pantry Staple 11: Freezer

Want to extend the life of your pantry staples? Having these staple ingredients in your freezer will ensure you’re never caught out with nothing to cook for dinner. 

We’d recommend stocking your freezer with a range of meat options (including mince beef, chicken breast or thighs and sausages) as well as frozen fish (such as salmon fillets).  Also, grab some filled pasta such as ravioli, or even gnocchi for a super quick meal option.

Frozen vegetables offer a stack of flexibility but for our money the most versatile and flavoursome  veg to have in the freezer is baby green peas (baby peas are sweeter than garden peas) which make for a quick bit of ‘green’ on your plate and corn kernels.

Ice Cream!  There’s always room for a litre of vanilla ice cream:)

We always have some frozen berries on hand to throw into cakes or muffins, or onto the morning bowl of porridge.

But really the best thing to make room for in your freezer is your own frozen leftovers - tubs of soup, Bolognese sauce, chilli con carne, curry, homemade burgers, marinated chicken etc.  

Pantry Staple 12: Baking

Last, but not least, we have everyone’s favourite pantry staple category: baking goods. 

These last set of ingredients are great to have on-hand if you’re an avid baker (or just enjoy the occasional plate of cookies). These include:

• All-purpose flour 

• Self-raising flour

• Cornflour

• Rolled oats

• Bi-carb soda

• Baking powder

• Pure vanilla essence 

• Sugar - caster is the most versatile

• Brown Sugar

• Golden Syrup

• Sultanas and dried dates

• Blocks of baking chocolate 

• Cocoa powder 

When it comes to preparing delicious home-cooked meals, having the right ingredients in your pantry is what will set you up for success. By having these pantry staples stocked up at all times, you’ll be able to whip up simple, flavourful meals in a flash (without having to make a last minute dash to the grocery store).