I am a decent cook after years of trying, good enough that a friend at work asks me for advice. This got me to thinking; what needs to be on hand so that one can always make a decent meal?
My thoughts:
Phone numbers of delivery places that take plastic (sorry I scooped so many of you)
Canned tomatoes
soup stock
canned beans
onions
potatoes
good bread (as opposed to Rainbo)
olive oil
pasta
corn tortillas
frozen veggies
fresh veggies that don’t spoil quickly
frozen shrimp
mayo
salsa
I’m a midwesterner transplanted to the southwest, so my list is heavy on the carbs (and my husband is a strict vegetarian).
I’m not talking anything close to gourmet or survivalist here, just something reasonably healthy and tasty so the kids, spouse, or SO won’t bitch and moan.
Thios is in addition to your original list which is good:
Rice
Dried beans…I dont mind soaking them
Dried herbs
Noodles, whatever type you like; I keep rice stick and farfalle noodles around.
soy sauce, oyster sauce, bean paste, etc.
cornstarch
curry
cocnut milk
Notice a trend towards Asian stuff here? I love it and its easy to cook
I’m only going to list those things which can reasonably be termed long term storage items. For most dishes, you will need to have a few fresh things. You can have some portions of chicken in bags in the freezer for a while as well. But with these, along with the potatoes and onions and canned veggies, you should be able to do a lot.
OK, in the fridge I will add a few things.
eggs
butter NOT margarine!
milk
cheese
bread (lasts longer)
Milk
Cheese, at least sharp cheddar and usually something else, too
eggs
Butter
onions
pasta
canned beans
canned tomatoes
Condiments - salsa, green tabasco (I’m addicted to this stuff), a few different kinds of mustard, etc
Beer
Popcorn
Some kind of meat in the freezer, chicken thighs, beef, pork, something…
tomatoes (paste and fresh)
mushrooms
zucchini
frozen veggies (usually spinnach and some other easy stuff)
onions
garlic
margerine
olive oil
vinegar
loads of fresh and dried herbs (i keep a bunch of herbs potted and ready for the occasion:))
Rice
pasta (usually tagiatelli and spagetti)
potatoes
easy to prepare meats such as chicken breasts or ground beef(I buy a bunch and freeze them, JIC)
bacon bits
eggs
flower
milk
sugar
cheese (usually feta, danish blue and some gouda)
Olives, you can never have too many olives
This way, I have around six or seven meals I can prepare within 30 minutes. Something for every mood…
Spices and herbs. Fresh garlic, fresh ginger, peppers, basil, garlic, cumim, thyme, curry, garlic, garlic, garlic. I also keeps some little jars of prepared pastes like Thai green curry paste and roasted red pepper paste. Back in the day, I could live on rice and beans every night as long as I had a different spice each day. For almost any dish, it’s the spices that make the difference between mundane and extraordinary.
[sub]and the lucky spice of the day is… paprika![/sub]
The perfect add on. Spice up EVERYTHING. Season steaks, bagels with cream cheese, french fries, anything! Also works great in bloody mary mix (serious)
Go out and buy one of those huge honking 3 lbs tins at Costco.
Every inexperienced cook needs to either have cable with the Food Network, TLC, Discovery etc…if they can’t afford cable, watch the cooking shows on PBS. Another alternative would be to get a friend with cable involved and hold a “Cook’s Day Party” where you watch cooking on the tube all day find the favorite recipes featured, hunt them on line, go to the store and cook up a storm.
Since I don’t have cable (even though I am an experienced home cook) I watch cooking shows on PBS every Saturday. It really helps people that want to cook more involved dishes and even less involved to learn techniques. I just wish I could chop, julienne and dice as quickly and cleanly as those TV cooks – someday.
I wont add to the list of ingredients though, so many good suggestions already.
Also, if people run across a food ingredient or a cooking term they aren’t familiar with I highly recommend http://www.epicurious.com/ and click on the “Learn” button at the top. It’s a great resource for old and new cooks alike.
Rice (basmati or jasmine)
Lots of little containers of dried herbs/spices
A bowl of ready-made stir-fry mix (I buy a bunch, chop it up all at once and get a handful or two out of the bowl when I cook. It’s basic; snow peas, celery, capsicum, bok choy)
Bottles of satay marinade, oyster sauce and the like
Oranges
Frozen stuff (for those nights when I’m just too knackered to cook)
[li] Cream[/li][li] Butter[/li][li] Cream cheese[/li][li] Cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese[/li][li] American process cheese[/li] Spices:
[li] Salt[/li][li] Pepper[/li][li] Oregano[/li][li] Basil[/li][li] White pepper[/li][li] Five spice powder[/li][li] Onion powder[/li][li] Garlic powder[/li][li] Paprika[/li][li] Chili powder[/li][li] Powdered wasabi[/li][li] Cumin[/li][li] Curry[/li] Condiments:
[li] Soy Sauce[/li][li] Roasted sesame chile oil[/li][li] Crystal hot sauce[/li][li] Horseradish[/li][li] Maple syrup[/li][li] Heinz 57 ketchup[/li][li] Honey[/li][li] Sherry[/li][li] Rice Vinegar[/li][li] Cider vinegar[/li][li] Red wine vinegar[/li][li] Balsamic vinegar[/li][li] Coleman’s mustard[/li][li] Morehouse brown mustard[/li][li] Herdez salsa casera[/li][li] Pico Pica hot sauce[/li][li] Best Food’s Mayonnaise[/li][li] Sweet pickle relish[/li][li] Bread and butter pickles[/li][li] Clausen dill pickles[/li][li] Xaosing rice wine[/li] Canned Foods:
[li] Las Palmas green enchilada sauce[/li][li] Las Palmas red enchilada sauce[/li][li] Comstock cherry pie filling[/li][li] Ortega roasted green chiles[/li][li] Tahini[/li][li] Chick peas[/li][li] Foul Madummas[/li][li] Tomato sauce[/li][li] Tomato paste[/li][li] Green Giant Shopeg corn[/li][li] New potatoes[/li][li] Tuna[/li][li] Sardines[/li][li] Ham[/li][li] Beef stock[/li][li] Chicken stock[/li][li] Campbells cream of tomato soup[/li][li] Campbells cream of mushroom soup[/li] Oils:
[li] Vegetable oil[/li][li] Olive oil[/li][li] Roasted sesame oil[/li]
I can whip up just about anything I want from these basics. I just buy some meat and fresh vegetables on my way home from work. Most of the items listed have extremely long shelf lives.
Geez, I thought the OP asked for items in an inexperienced person’s kitchen.
You’re all sounding like pro’s.
I was gonna suggest ketchup and seasoning salt, but that’s for the completely incompentent. Enough of both and you won’t even know you burned something
