Choose the Canned Tomato That Suits the Pan
Whole, diced, crushed, and paste each solve a different cooking problem. Start with the texture you want.
Ingredient family notes
Pantry ingredient guides
Canned tomatoes, dry goods, and the ingredients that help a small cupboard produce a decent dinner.
13 notes in this topic
A good place to start
More pantry ingredient guides
A Seed Can Add Crunch, Make a Paste, or Bind a Batter
Sesame, pumpkin, sunflower, chia, and flax do different work. Choose the form that belongs in the finished dish.
Fresh and Dried Chiles Bring More Than Different Heat
Choose a chile for its shape, preparation, and flavor in the dish. A fresh pepper and a dried pod are not simple spoon-for-spoon substitutes.
Read the Seaweed Name Before Opening the Bag
Nori sheets, wakame, and kombu do different work. Start with the named seaweed and the preparation printed on its package.
White Beans for Broth, Toast, and Pasta
A small guide to cannellini, great northern, and navy beans, with the dish doing the choosing.
A Small Pantry for Short Dinners
Stock ingredients that share work across several meals, then buy the fresh part you actually want to eat.
Bread Flour, All-Purpose, or Cake Flour? Read the Recipe First
Flour names describe useful differences, but they vary between brands and markets. Keep the type and the weight in your baking notes.
A Smaller Spice Shelf Can Be a More Useful One
Buy for the meals you cook, keep steam out of the jars, and grind whole spices when the recipe benefits from them.
Choose an Oil for the Pan and Another for the Final Spoonful
Flavor, refinement, storage, and the cooking method matter more than a single ranking of oils. Buy bottles you can use while they taste good.
Chocolate Bars, Chips, and Cocoa Are Different Baking Ingredients
Read the chocolate percentage and the cocoa type before starting. Sweetness, fat, and the recipe's leavening all belong in the decision.
Better Coffee and Tea Begin with a Repeatable Cup
Measure what goes in, record the water and time, then change one thing. New equipment is easier to judge when the cup has a clear starting point.