Pantry and Kitchen
The staple ingredients that define Mexican cooking.
Start here · Essential guide
A map of the Mexican pantry: dried chiles, corn and masa, beans, tomatillos, herbs, cheese and sweeteners, and how these staples combine in everyday cooking.
Learn how Hass and other avocado varieties differ, how to judge ripeness by feel and color, and how to ripen and store avocados for Mexican dishes.
Vanilla is the fruit of an orchid native to southeastern Mexico. Learn how it is grown, pollinated and cured, and what to know when buying Mexican vanilla.
Oaxaca cheese, or quesillo, is a stretched curd cheese wound into balls. Learn how it is made, how it melts, and how it is used in quesadillas and more.
Piloncillo is unrefined cane sugar pressed into cones or blocks. Learn how it is made, how it tastes, how to cut it, and where it is used in Mexican cooking.
A guide to fresh and dried Mexican chiles: how ancho, guajillo, chipotle and others differ in heat and flavor, and how to handle them safely in the kitchen.
Explore maize as a living crop in Mexico: native varieties and colors, heirloom seed saving, and how farming and diversity shape flavor in food.
A guide to Mexican cheeses such as queso fresco, Oaxaca and cotija: how they are made, how they melt, and how they differ from the Tex-Mex idea of queso.
How nixtamalization turns dried corn into masa: the lime treatment, why it improves flavor, texture and nutrition, and how masa becomes tortillas and more.
A guide to non-chile seasonings in Mexican cooking: Mexican oregano, cumin, cinnamon, clove, achiote and epazote, and where each is traditionally used.
Compare tomatillos and tomatoes: how they differ in flavor, texture and acidity, how each is prepared, and when Mexican cooks choose one over the other.
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