Most takeout dishes rely on a short list of pantry staples. With these on your shelf, you can make dozens of restaurant-style meals with just a quick stop for fresh ingredients.
Pantry staples by cuisine
Soy sauce
The salty backbone of most stir-fry sauces. 'Light' or regular soy is for seasoning; dark soy is thicker and mainly adds color.
Oyster sauce
A thick, savory-sweet sauce that gives restaurant-style depth to beef and broccoli and lo mein. Contains shellfish.
Rice vinegar
Mild and slightly sweet. Brightens sweet-and-sour, orange and dipping sauces.
Toasted sesame oil
A finishing oil with a strong nutty aroma. Add a few drops at the end — it's not for high-heat frying.
Good canned tomatoes
The base of a red-sauce marinara. Crushed tomatoes simmered with garlic, olive oil and oregano make a quick sauce.
Low-moisture mozzarella
The shredded, firmer mozzarella that melts and browns on pizza and parm without making it watery.
Cayenne pepper hot sauce
The vinegary hot sauce behind classic buffalo flavor; mix with melted butter for wing-style sauce.
American cheese
Melts smoothly without separating, which is why it's the go-to for diner burgers and patty melts.
Five restaurant techniques worth learning
1. The cornstarch slurry
Mix 1 part cornstarch with 2 parts cold water, then stir it into a simmering sauce. Within a minute it turns glossy and thick. Always mix with cold liquid first — cornstarch added straight to hot liquid forms lumps.
2. Velveting
Coating thinly sliced meat in cornstarch, soy sauce and sometimes a pinch of baking soda before stir-frying keeps it tender and silky, just like restaurant stir-fries.
3. Cooking in batches
Home stoves produce less heat than restaurant burners. Cooking meat in small batches keeps the pan hot so food sears instead of steaming.
4. The breading station
Flour, then egg, then crumbs. This three-step setup creates the crisp coating on chicken parm and tenders. Press the crumbs on firmly so they stay put.
5. Setting the sauce
For buffalo-style dishes, toss crispy food in sauce and return it to high heat for a few minutes. The glaze tightens and clings.
Three all-purpose sauces
| Sauce | Mix together | Use it on |
|---|---|---|
| Basic stir-fry sauce | 3 tbsp soy sauce, 1 tbsp oyster sauce, 1 tsp sugar, 1 tsp sesame oil, 2 tsp cornstarch, ⅓ cup broth | Any meat or vegetable stir-fry |
| Quick sweet-and-sour | ⅓ cup pineapple juice, 3 tbsp ketchup, 3 tbsp rice vinegar, 2 tbsp brown sugar, 1 tbsp cornstarch | Chicken, pork or shrimp |
| Diner burger sauce | ⅓ cup mayonnaise, 2 tbsp ketchup, 1 tbsp mustard, 1 tbsp chopped pickles | Burgers, fries, sandwiches |
Helpful tools
- A wok or 12-inch skillet for stir-fries and lo mein.
- A cast-iron skillet for smash burgers and searing.
- A half sheet pan for pan pizza and roasting.
- An air fryer for crispy tenders, wings and fries with less oil.
- An instant-read thermometer to check chicken (165°F) and burgers (160°F).
Put your pantry to work with beef & broccoli, chicken lo mein or orange chicken.