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Thought it might be nice for the beginning cookers to have a list of necessities. Things are the things that I try to keep on hand at all times to make meals with.
Dry goods:
Beans - one bag dried, several cans (great northern, black, and kidney)
Tomatoes - crushed, diced, Italian diced, diced with chiles, tomato sauce and paste
Pasta - spaghetti, ziti, lasagna, and tri-color
Protein - tuna, canned chicken, Spam (if you like Spam!)
Spaghetti sauce (although you can make this from aforementioned tomatoes, sometimes it's nice to have a can ready in a pinch)
Rice
Instant mashed potatoes (I really prefer homemade, but these are good in a pinch or for thickening soups)
Peanut butter
Vinegar (white, cider, and balsalmic)
Olive oil
Canned fruit - pears, pineapple, mandarin oranges, fruit cocktail
Spices (black pepper, garlic powder, cumin, cayenne pepper, oregano, rosemary, thyme, basil are some of the basics - spice blends are also good for instant seasoning without the fuss)
Canned broth (chicken, beef, and/or vegetable)
Soy sauce, Worchestershire sauce
Baking supplies:
Flour, whole wheat flour, bread flour, cornmeal
Sugar, brown sugar
Baking powder and soda
Salt
Cinnamon and nutmeg
Shortening and canola oil
Cocoa, bittersweet chocolate, chocolate chips
Molasses, honey
In the fridge:
Milk, butter, eggs
Cheese (usually American, cheddar, and Parmesan)
Celery, carrots, peppers, cabbage
Jam, jelly
Ketchup, mustard, BBQ sauce
Yeast
Mayo or salad dressing
Garlic cloves or chopped garlic (I like the convenience of the chopped garlic in a jar)
In the freezer:
Meat (hamburger, stew beef, chicken breast, pork chops/roast, kielbasa, sausage, chuck roast, other meat that I stock up on when it's on sale)
Seafood (fish fillets, crab meat, shrimp)
Veggies (corn, tomatoes stewed from the garden, peas, green beans, lima beans, etc.)
Cheese (shredded cheese that I buy cheap when it's just past the sell-by date - throw it immediately in the freezer - of course, you need a store that sells stuff like this!)
Other:
apples, bananas, oranges, grapes
bread, flour tortillas
onions
potatoes
I try to keep the above on hand at all times. This gives me the ability to bake breads and desserts, soups and stews, even full meals, on short notice. How many of us have called for take-out or eaten PB&J because "there wasn't anything to make"? The above list is pretty comprehensive, but if you can find the space, it's well worth to effort to have a well-stocked pantry. Feel free to add anything I've forgotten!
Dry goods:
Beans - one bag dried, several cans (great northern, black, and kidney)
Tomatoes - crushed, diced, Italian diced, diced with chiles, tomato sauce and paste
Pasta - spaghetti, ziti, lasagna, and tri-color
Protein - tuna, canned chicken, Spam (if you like Spam!)
Spaghetti sauce (although you can make this from aforementioned tomatoes, sometimes it's nice to have a can ready in a pinch)
Rice
Instant mashed potatoes (I really prefer homemade, but these are good in a pinch or for thickening soups)
Peanut butter
Vinegar (white, cider, and balsalmic)
Olive oil
Canned fruit - pears, pineapple, mandarin oranges, fruit cocktail
Spices (black pepper, garlic powder, cumin, cayenne pepper, oregano, rosemary, thyme, basil are some of the basics - spice blends are also good for instant seasoning without the fuss)
Canned broth (chicken, beef, and/or vegetable)
Soy sauce, Worchestershire sauce
Baking supplies:
Flour, whole wheat flour, bread flour, cornmeal
Sugar, brown sugar
Baking powder and soda
Salt
Cinnamon and nutmeg
Shortening and canola oil
Cocoa, bittersweet chocolate, chocolate chips
Molasses, honey
In the fridge:
Milk, butter, eggs
Cheese (usually American, cheddar, and Parmesan)
Celery, carrots, peppers, cabbage
Jam, jelly
Ketchup, mustard, BBQ sauce
Yeast
Mayo or salad dressing
Garlic cloves or chopped garlic (I like the convenience of the chopped garlic in a jar)
In the freezer:
Meat (hamburger, stew beef, chicken breast, pork chops/roast, kielbasa, sausage, chuck roast, other meat that I stock up on when it's on sale)
Seafood (fish fillets, crab meat, shrimp)
Veggies (corn, tomatoes stewed from the garden, peas, green beans, lima beans, etc.)
Cheese (shredded cheese that I buy cheap when it's just past the sell-by date - throw it immediately in the freezer - of course, you need a store that sells stuff like this!)
Other:
apples, bananas, oranges, grapes
bread, flour tortillas
onions
potatoes
I try to keep the above on hand at all times. This gives me the ability to bake breads and desserts, soups and stews, even full meals, on short notice. How many of us have called for take-out or eaten PB&J because "there wasn't anything to make"? The above list is pretty comprehensive, but if you can find the space, it's well worth to effort to have a well-stocked pantry. Feel free to add anything I've forgotten!
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