A well-stocked pantry is a good thing for anybody to have, especially a bachelor. In addition to all the cans, boxes, and jars, you need some dry goods that will be used in almost every dish.
Pepper
Along with salt, you need pepper. In most cases, that means black pepper. You can buy it already ground or as peppercorns. For the latter, you’ll need a grinder or pepper mill. Many people swear by the pepper mill and they are right that pepper will lose its potency after it is ground. But that doesn’t mean that already ground pepper doesn’t have a punch. You just might have to use a little more. If you have a pepper mill or grinder, by all means, get the peppercorns, because it is better. But the cost may push you to use the pre-ground and that’s okay. The only problem I have with using peppercorns is that they can get expensive. If you can find a good, inexpensive source, go for it. Along with salt, pepper is a basic seasoning that gets put on almost everything.
There are other kinds of peppercorns, white, orange, red, and green. They all come from the same plant, piper nigrum, a flowering vine. The peppercorns are drupes, a sort of fruit containing a seed. The color results from drying, preserving, or stripping off the outer husk. It’s still the same thing, although minor flavor differences can occur. Different types are used primarily for appearance.
Sugar
Even if you are diabetic or prefer artificial sweeteners, you’ll still need sugar at some time or other. There’s just no replacing it in some cooking, especially baking. That’s because sugar acts like a liquid in many applications. Replacing it with sweetener, even Splenda, doesn’t replace the sugar volume. However, sometimes, you can replace half the sugar in a recipe and it will work well.
Flour
Wheat flour is used for more than just bread. With flour in the home, you can make biscuits, pancakes, sweet rolls, and even tortillas. There are also many kinds of flour from different kinds of grains. But basic white flour is the most versatile for cooking and baking of all kinds.
