A little while ago I mentioned this new website, the City Cook. It’s basically what I would do if I ever got around to it (albeit with more swooning over the Greenmarket and less swearing). You can go over to the site and sign up for a weekly email full of tips on how to get into the habit of cooking regularly. She’s not dealing with super-fancy food, in terms of prep, but she is suggesting ideas that you only get from having been exposed to all of NYC’s restaurants on a regular basis.

The newsletter she just sent is about stocking your pantry…or your “pantry,” really, because most people in the city don’t actually have a physical pantry. (But I do! It’s the coolest! Sorry to gloat.) Here’s most of the info online. There’s something so soothing about lists like this.

Her advice to tailor to your tastes is essential, though, and she spells it out a little better in the newsletter: “If you rarely cook Asian recipes, resist the abundance of Asian ingredients and sauces. Instead, be candid about how you cook every day and stock for that because pantry goods can spoil, fade in flavor, or just get lost in the clutter, leaving you with more but not better choices.”

But I had to laugh about the suggestion of buying just an 8-oz. jar of mayonnaise. I think ours is the 2-lb. model.