"Must Haves" in the Kitchen

[MrsNickToBe]

I was cooking tonight and started thinking how over the past 6 years of my domestic life I have perfected what I absolutely always need to have in my kitchen, when it's time to get more, how long they last, and what goes well together. I was thinking about this because my best friend of 13 years is in that beginning stage of a new relationship where she is showing more of her domestic side. She continuously looks to me for advice, ect.

So what are some MUST HAVES that you can always count on to be there when you are baking and cooking meals?

Mine:

Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Vegetable Oil
Eggs
Garlic Salt
Pepper (regular and freshly ground)
Cristco
Flour
Sugar, baking soda, baking powder, ect.
Corn meal
Cans of cream of soup
Spaghetti sauce
Brown Rice
Bell Peppers


There's so much more that I ALWAYS have available, but that's the short list ;).

What are yours?

[kgvettegirl]

Onions
Potatoes
chopped garlic (I get it at Costco in a big jar and it keeps in the fridge)
Frozen boneless skinless Chicken breasts (also from Costco)
Bisquick
Red Wine Vinigar
Apple Vinigar (2 capfulls in green beans makes them really yummy)

[sandy03]

yellow onions
balsamic vinegar
unsalted butter
low sodium chicken stock
onion soup mix
rosemary and thyme (fresh and dried)
single serve bottles of white wine
risotto
lemons

[uptowngirl]

Mine is a lot like Sandy's :)

sea salt
white and black pepper
balsamic vinegar
lemons/lemon juice
soup stock (chicken/veg/beef)
risotto
udon/soba noodles
parsley or cilantro
unsalted butter
EVOO
diced garlic
shallots

I have about 50 different herbs and spices, but I use dill, basil, and thyme more than any of the others

[gwenshack]

Must haves in Gwen's kitchen
Frozen meals

I'm the worst housewife ever. :rofl:

[MrsNickToBe]

Hahahaa Nice Gwen!!

kgvettegirl- I love those boneless skinless chicken breasts as well! Gotta have em in the freezer too ;).

[ChristineLS]

Must haves in Gwen's kitchen
Frozen meals

I'm the worst housewife ever. :rofl:
:rofl: I apparently rep you too often...

Usual Staples
Carrots
Onion (whatever is in season/on sale)
Seasonal vegetables
Tortillas
Tahini
Lemon juice
Spices (we have a lot - BIL paid a debt to Will back in spices :rofl:)
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Pasta
Sofrito
Tomato Paste
Legumes (I'm a vegetarian)
Eggs
Baking supplies
Cheese for Will (I'm lactose intolerant :X)
SALT! :)

[WebLady]

hmmmm .... I don't know; we always have these around the house, I am sure there is more ...

kosher salt (less sodium)
fancy pepper (with grinder)
lots of spices and seasonings (we have a whole drawer of stuff)
salt free beef and chicken broth/seasoning packets
boxed strained tomatoes
potatoes
olive oil
unsalted butter
frozen veggies like broccoli and pea and carrots
various pastas
quick rice
canned beef and chicken gravy
ranch dressing
salsa
cheese
pasta sauce
kidney beans
green beans

I don't bake a lot, so when I do I usually have to buy just about everything I will need. Usually I just by mixes though.

[ksherlin]

I am with ya Gwen! I cook easy... must haves:

Cooking Oil
Milk
Macaroni and Cheese
Ground Beef
Tomatoes
Loaf Bread
Hot dogs
Rice-a-roni
Potatoes
Steamers Corn
Pasta
Marinara
Lemon Pepper Salt
Salad Mix
Boxes Meals

[WBandMe]

Hmm... I think you guys have all said anything I can think of for us, but here goes:

Vegetable oil
Salt, pepper and whatever is on the spice rack
Cream of chicken soup
Chicken broth
Green beans
All of the baking stuff, sugars, flour, vanilla etc
Spaghetti
Spaghetti sauce
Olive oil
Onion soup mix
Diet Coke :rofl:

That's all I can think of that we ALWAYS have, we also usually have ground beef, chicken, Kasia's frozen pierogis and lunchmeat.

[KMS]

Interesting...I have never really thought about the things that we always have on hand to cook with!

salt
pepper grinder
olive oil
oatmeal
Indian/Thai/Mexican spices
onions
garlic
nutritional yeast
hemp nuts
brown rice
whole wheat pasta
canned and dry beans
frozen soy sausage
Earth Balance
soy milk
almond milk
coconut milk
nut butter (peanut, cashew, & almond)
bananas

[FFC]

I love this thread already!!!

Must have's for my kitchen:

Olive Oil
Cooking oil (cuz I'm stingy with my olive oil)
Any type of dry pasta
Spaghetti sauce
At least 1 can of black olives
Onions
Fresh Garlic
Soymilk
Salt
Pepper
Garlic Salt
Hot sauce (Tapatio or Wing Sauce)
Canned or frozen corn/peas (make for a great side dish when all else fails)
Peanut Butter

That 'bout sums it up from the top of my head :)

Now, MATT's kitchen must have's as of the past few weeks:

Diet soda (something with caffeine)
Lean Pockets
Bananas
Slim Fast

[mitch]

We've always got herbs and spices on hand. Well not at the moment, they are in a box somewhere lol. But we have about 30 different ones.

There's always self raising and plain flour.
Demerara sugar.
Caster sugar.
Raisins or sultanas.
Yeast.
Bread flour. (We've got a bread maker)
Salt and pepper.
Olive oil.
Pasta sauce.
Tomato puree.
Worchestershire sauce. Great on cheese on toast. ;)
Dry pasta.
Tins of baked beans, peas, carrots etc. Great to chuck in a stew if too lazy to buy and chop fresh produce.

The freezer always has sauages, mince and oven chips in.
The fridge always has milk, cheese, bacon and eggs in.
Bread i buy or make daily. Plus there's always an "Emergency" loaf in the freezer.

Sometimes we just have sandwiches for tea. DH's too tired to eat some nights. Even known to fall alseep eating lol. But we do have friends over some weekends. Then we will cook a three course meal from scratch. Getting the ingredients fresh that day.

[dodgercpkl]

lol ok... I'm a baker atm so my must-haves have to do with baking.

Flour
Sugar
chocolate chips
LOTS of vanilla
LOTS of cinnamon
brown sugar
baking powder
baking soda
salt

Now... from the little bit of cooking that FH and I have done that list would probably be:

Cheese
Bread (any kind)
steak
potatoes

We'll work on more once we are back in the US... :D

[Katie-ryn]

Things you will always find in my kitchen are:

salt (regular table salt)
pepper (whole)
garlic powder
onion powder
garlic
onion
vegetable bouillon
vegetable oil
butter
Crisco
sugar (white and golden brown)
flour
baking powder and soda
pure vanilla
peanut butter
bread
pasta
rice
canned tuna and ham
jarred spaghetti sauce
parmesan cheese (just cheap grated stuff)
half and half cream
salsa
lemon juice
ranch and caesar dressing
hot sauce
coffee
frozen mixed veggies
chicken breasts
pork loin
ground beef
cheese
milk
mayo
eggs

[MrsNickToBe]

wow we got some great lists going! I'm out of my olive oil and ive had to cook with Vegetable oil....just not the same :(.

[Katie-ryn]

wow we got some great lists going! I'm out of my olive oil and ive had to cook with Vegetable oil....just not the same :(.

Haha! I'm the same, except exact opposite! I HATE olive oil! Can't stand it! It sucks when I'm out of vegetable oil and have to use olive oil. I'm just glad we're out of olive oil now.