Basic Staples To Have on Hand

Newly married couples, or just single friends, have asked me to provide them with a list of standard staples that should always be on hand in their kitchen. Over the years I have written this list many times, today I want to share it with you. This list pretty much will cover just about every recipe you will ever make. Hint: mark your items with a purchase date to ensure you rotate your stock with oldest in front, newest in back. This way you will always be using the freshest within your pantry.  If the item requires refrigeration after opening, be sure to put an open date on the label.

Basic Pantry items:

Baking powder

Baking Soda

Beans: dried or canned:  red kidney, black beans, green pea, or white

Bread Crumbs (save the container so you can use old bread to make your own)

Broth: bouillon, powdered, or canned ( I stock all three) Beef, Chicken, Vegetable and Fish

Chocolate: cocoa powder, semi-sweet chips, unsweetened squares

Coffee: your choice, beans, ground or instant

Cooking Spray: Baking with flour, Olive Oil

Cornmeal

Cornstarch

Dried Fruit: Apricots, Raisins, Banana, Dates

Extracts: there are tons of extracts on the market, but for basic cooking I'd suggest Vanilla, Almond,       Lemon and Orange to start with.

Four: All-purpose, cake, rye, whole wheat

Garlic: Fresh, in oil and dried, Garlic Salt (for garlic bread)

Gelatin: Knox unflavored

Nuts: Walnuts, Pine Nuts, Pecans, Peanuts, Cashews, Almonds

Pasta: Spaghetti, Linguini, Angel Hair, Penne, Egg Noodles, Fettuccine, Elbow, Bows, Ziti

Rice: Long grain, Wild, Arborio, White, Instant, Brown, Basmati

Soup: Chicken Noodle, Creamed Chicken, Creamed Mushroom, Cream Celery

Sugar: Brown - light and dark, Confectioner's, Granulated

Tea: Black, Green and any other type of Tea you like

Tuna:     Canned and pouch

Yeast:  dry active

I use Tupperware Spice Containers for my herbs
& spices. They keep my cabinet organized. 

Herbs and Spices:

Allspice: whole and ground

Basil

Bay Leaves

Black Pepper

Cajun Seasoning

Caraway Seeds

Cardamom: Ground or seed

Caribbean Jerk

Cayenne

Celery Salt

Chili Powder

Chinese 5 Spice Powder

Chives

Cinnamon: sticks and ground

Cilantro: powder or leaves

Cloves: whole and ground

Coriander: ground is best

Cream of Tartar

Crushed Red Peppers

Cumin: ground and whole

Curry Powder: Indian, Asian, or Portuguese

Dill

Fennel: seed or ground

Garlic: powder, salt

Marjoram

Mint

Mustard: ground

Nutmeg

Old Bay Seasoning

Onion: Powder or dried

Oregano

Paprika: Hungarian, Spanish or smoked hot

Peppercorns

Poultry Seasoning (yellow box in spice aisle)

Rosemary

Sage: dried or rubbed

Salt: Kosher, table, Sea

Sesame Seeds

Tarragon

Thyme: ground and dried

Turmeric

Fridge  & Freezer Basics:

Butter or margarine

Cheese: Romano, Parmesan, Cheddar, Goat, Feta

Eggs

Fruits: frozen and fresh

Mayonnaise

Milk

Heavy Cream

Orange Juice: Concentrate

Salad Dressings

Sour Cream

Frozen Vegetables

Condiments:

Barbecue sauce

Capers

Chili Sauce

Cholula Sauce

Chutneys

Hoisin Sauce

Honey

Horseradish

Ketchup

Maple Syrup

Marmalade

Molasses: Light and Dark

Mushrooms: dried and canned

Mustard

Oils: Olive, Peanut, Canola, Sesame

Olives: Black and green

Pickles: dill, sweet or relish

Soy Sauce

Steak Sauce

Teriyaki Sauce

Tomatoes: sun-dried or dried

Vinegar's: Cider, White, Rice, Red Wine, Balsamic

Worcestershire  

So as you can see with everything on this list, you can pretty much make any recipe with confidence. In a later post, I will explain more about the variations from different countries, and how they can change the taste of a dish.

See you next time when we talk about those Kitchen Gadgets. 

Next: Household Management