How to Stock Your Pantry and Refrigerator

The ingredients on the following pages are used over and over again in countless recipes. Here’s what you need to know about buying, storing, and using these key ingredients.

How to Stock Your Pantry and Refrigerator

Salt

While gourmet shops and high-end supermarkets carry a staggering array of salts from all corners of the globe these days, there are really just three main types of salt.

Table Salt

Table salt can be used in any application. It dissolves quickly and easily, making it especially great for baking or for using in a brine.

Kosher Salt

Kosher salt crystals are larger than those of table salt, making them easier to sprinkle over foods before cooking. We also like to use kosher salt as part of a rub for barbecued foods.

Sea Salt

Sea salt can be purchased as fine grains, crystals, or flakes. There are tiny differences in flavor from brand to brand, and some have a welcome briny taste from the sea. Crystal size and “crunch” can also vary. For this reason, we suggest using sea salt as an at-table condiment.

Pepper

Once the shell of the peppercorn is cracked, its aroma immediately starts to fade, and most of its scent and flavor disappears within a half-hour. We don’t recommend buying ground pepper. Replacing your pepper shaker with a good pepper mill is one of the simplest ways to enhance your cooking.

Black Pepper

This is the classic choice when cooking. Until recently, supermarket brands never specified origin or variety of peppercorns; suppliers bought the cheapest they could get. But specialty retailers offering exotically named varieties like Sarawak, Lampong, and Tellicherry have raised awareness. When we tested eight varieties, we could detect differences—some are floral, others more spicy—but it was hard to make value judgments. Personal preferences really come into play.

White Pepper

The pepper berries used to make white pepper are the same as those used to make black pepper, but they are harvested at a riper stage. The hulls are then removed, and with them goes the heat that is characteristic of black pepper. What’s left is more floral and aromatic than spicy. We use white pepper in dishes where black specks might be unwelcome (such as a white sauce) or where its floral flavor works well with other ingredients. We especially like white pepper in Thai dishes with citrus, lemon grass, and chiles.

Green Pepper

Green peppercorns are peppercorns picked before they ripen. They are available in dried form, which adds a fresh, clean flavor to dishes, or you can buy them preserved in brine or vinegar. The latter are often used in sauces to add a little heat and tang.

Pink Pepper

This floral, pungent spice is not related to black peppercorns; it comes from a different plant. We rarely use pink peppercorns in the test kitchen.