What you cook for dinner often depends on what you have in your pantry or fridge. Any dinner plans you might have will go to the wayside if you don’t have all the ingredients you need. But with meals planned out in advance and a well-stocked pantry, cooking meals in your apartment is easy. (Read: A Menu Plan Saves You Time and Money) Here are some tips for making sure you have what you need on hand to make a delicious meal.

Building up the basics
Many recipes are based on the same ingredients. To be prepared for practically any dish — whether it’s a casserole, crockpot meal or dinner made on a whim — cooking experts recommend that certain items always stay in stock.

MealsMatter.org and SavingDinner.com have a detailed lists of recommended grocery items you should keep on hand in your pantry or refrigerator. Some items — such as canned or dry goods — last longer than others.

Some of the basics include:

• Dry pasta
• Beans
• Spices to add flavor to any dish
• Jars of sauce
• Flour
• Sugar, granulated and brown
• Dry bread crumbs
• Butter or margarine
• Cheese
• Eggs
• Frozen fruits
• Chicken or beef broth
• Cornmeal
• Cooking oils

There are other items that you can keep on hand to substitute for ingredients you may find you’re missing. For instance, if you’re short on spaghetti sauce, some spices and a can of tomato paste can make up the difference.

Other sites with pantry tips include Nutrition.gov and Health.gov.

Keeping it fresh
It’s important to keep track of expiration dates to avoid eating something that should be tossed. A good way to use items before they go bad — if they are in your pantry especially — is to move older items to the front as items are used. Replacements can then be put behind, creating a rotating system that ensures that food is eaten in the order it’s purchased.

Replacing some staples on a more regular basis is unavoidable. Milk goes bad after about 10 days, bread starts to mold after a while and vegetables rot. To avoid losing these valuable ingredients, plan your meals in advance or cook according to what needs to be eaten.

Before you go to the grocery store, take stock of what you have. Note any items that need to be replaced. Health.gov offers has a recommended shopping list and has other tips on health eating.

Pantry organization
It’s not easy to keep track of what you have and don’t have if your pantry is disorganized. Spend some time putting it in order to make stocking it easier. Place similar items together while separating out the dry goods.

Cooking experts recommend using re-sealable airtight containers for items such as pasta, sugar and flour, to avoid contamination and keep out bugs. Buying containers that are transparent also gives you a clear view on how much you have left of those items. When freezing items, consider using resalable freezer bags that you can write the date on, so you’ll know how long it has been in there. Consider installing a spice rack on the inside door of the cabinet next to the stove, not only giving you quick access to the flavors but also a quick look at what’s running low.

As you use up items, replenish them. Keep a list of items that you stock your pantry with inside a cabinet door on the refrigerator, as you used up an item, cross it off or highlight it to remind yourself to add it to your shopping list.

With a little planning and organization, you can be ready for any meal.