The Entire Food52 Pantry is on Sale—Here's What We're Buying

The Food52 Pantry is having a sale—like, a 100 ounces of olive oil for $36 kind of sale. This is a good thing, of course, because our pantry is only stocked with high-quality, responsibly sourced items that were all approved, endorsed, and curated by Food52’s co-founder, Amanda Hesser. And unlike the shoe box pantry in my apartment, our pantry is big, and it’s stocked with 41 items. Here is everything to buy to immediately improve your home kitchen.

Oil & Vinegar

High-quality olive oil and vinegar are on the short list of things that you actually need to make delicious food at home. Unlike the cheap stuff—which often tastes like nothing at all—both of our EVOOs are packed with a bright, slightly fruity flavor. Like anything else, this deep flavor comes from marrying the best ingredients with thoughtful processing, and—luckily for us—we were able to find a family-run mill in Puglia, Italy that is exceptional at both. We followed this same approach for our vinegars by partnering with a third-generation family-run acetaia in Modena, Emilia-Romagna, Italy that is committed to creating the most vibrant vinegars with the fewest (but highest quality) ingredients.

Flavor Boosters

Do you need a harissa that has the perfect blend of spice and peppers, or anchovies that have been scrupulously sourced by expert Italian fishermen? No, probably not. But if you enjoy spending a little money (under $10) to make your food taste unnecessarily delicious, then high-quality harissa, anchovies, and tuna filets are exactly what you’ll want to add to your cart. If you’re still not convinced, here are two use cases to consider: First, you’ve got friends coming over and the only snack in the fridge is lifeless, store-bought hummus—well, if you’ve got our harissa on hand, you can add it to your hummus and suddenly it becomes a lot more appetizing. Second, your pantry is barren besides a box of pasta. Instead of eating plain butter noodles, melt in some anchovies and have yourself an umami-rich bowl of noodles.

Pasta

We’ve got really good pasta in really cool shapes, and we’ll sell you three bags of whatever kind you want for $10. Let me answer some of the questions that just popped into your head. Why is this pasta “good?” It’s made with wheat germ, which gives it a delicious, nutty flavor. What are these cool shapes you speak of? Busiate, tortiglioni, and bucatini—all of which have an intentionally uneven texture that’s optimal for grabbing sauce. Why will you sell me three bags for $10? I don’t know, maybe we’re in a good mood.

Tomatoes

Eventually, your pasta is going to need a bath, and when that time comes, you’re going to want an arsenal of canned tomatoes to help you build your sauce. Of course, pasta isn’t the only reason you’d want these canned beauties—our red Datterini tomatoes are frequently eaten straight from the jar. If you want to explore the wonderful world that is our canned tomatoes, try our variety pack and you’ll get two cans of each of our three types for $14.

Which of these pantry products will you be buying? Let us know in the comments below!