Beginning with the basics is an easy first step in what some of us call food stocking or stockpiling.

What are the basics though? What essentials should every pantry have?

It depends on what you use. If you never cook with tuna then 10 cans of tuna on sale is pointless to stock. Check your pantry for the staples you use in many meals like flour, sugar, rice, cooking oil.

What other items do you think should be on an essentials list to keep stocked in the pantry?

I agree that it depends on what you cook.

 I'm sure I'll think of others but this is what I always keep on hand in my pantry (I often make "from scratch versions" but keep some of the basics on hand like spaghetti sauce, cr. of mush soup, etc.)

Long grain rice

Noodles/pasta of all types

Canned and dried beans

Boxes of chicken stock/beef stock

Canned tomatoes /tomato sauce/paste

Peanut butter

Canned chicken (preferred at my house over tuna)

Cooking oil/olive oil

Corn muffin mix (I use for so many things)

Flour/sugar

Tomato soup/cream of mushroom soup

Jar/canned pasta sauce

Along with the above lists I keep a stockpile of the following:

ketchup

mustard

bbq sauce

black pepper

garlic powder

canned chili

canned salmon

vinegar

canned green chilis

hominy

coffee

splenda for DH

El Pato Jalapeno salsa for DS

canned salmon

chili powder

Staples/must haves over here...

Olive oil

Dry herbs and spices - everything from here to the moon and back lol

Dried beans/legumes/peas - a collection

Whole grain rice and pasta

Assorted sizes of freezer/micro safe storage containers

BB,

I thought I was the only one with a stock pile of herbs, lol. I have 3 shelves in my cabinet full of herbs and spices. I am always on the lookout for something new to try.

salt & pepper

ww flour 

breat flour

all purpose flour

powdered milk

white rice

brown rice

herbs dried

beans - dried canned 

oil , lard , seasoning meat  

tomatoes canned

canned meat

that's a few I keep a very nice stocked pantry. we dont run out  often 

My pantry is stocked with everything I use to cook - we pretty much eat from either the garden or the pantry.  The vast majority of my pantry is in glass canning jars: fruits, veggies, meats, pickles, dried fruits, dried onions, herbs, etc.  DH eats gluten free, due to celiac, so that is a challenge, but we found Tinkyada rice pasta tastes good - some of the others were horrible - so I switched out the regular pasta & noodles for the kind he can eat 2 years ago.

A few of our neighbors were pretty happy with the switch-over, since I gave away the pasta, & anything else with gluten in it, instead of tossing it.

 peanut butter, canned beans, oatmeal, some canned vegetables (hate them because of sodium), evap milk from Senior Commodities, crackers and animal crackers, protein supplements. Some envelopes of Erin soups. Wholegrain cereal in freezer. Cold cereal and pasta.

mamasjob:

Peanut butter

That was once a staple in my house but with the cost of jars now, it's a rare treat.

Looks like this really is dependent on how a person cooks.  I like to cook from scratch and I like to stock the pantry with staples that have very long shelf-life so, here are the things that I pretty much always have:

 flour (high gluten and whole wheat)

Whole grains (wheat berries and 1 or 2 others)

Rolled oats

Nuts (to make nut milks and nut butters, peanuts are still cheaper here than peanut butter so I just grind my own)

Dried fruits and veg (dried myself except for the cranberries which are cheaper dried),

Dried tomato powder

Dried herbs

Spices

cooking oil (canola and olive)

Salt

baking soda

freeze dried yeast

honey

vinegar (lots of plain white distilled and apple cider, then a bottle of something more exotic like raspberry or balsamic)

rice (sushi or jasmine and brown)

sprouting seeds

jams and jellies

tea

coffee

vegetable broth powder