Need some help. I don't know how to buy groceries. So if you had no food and were

[xultar]

starting a kitchen from scratch,

What would you put on your grocery list.
The list needs to include pantry, fridge, and freezer.

Seriously. how do you start a pantry, fridge, and freezer? Don't think I'm nuts but I've lived on the road since 1995. I'm usually gone from Monday 5am to Thursday or Friday nights so my skills in the whole kitchen setup are retarded.

I can cook though if given a recipe but I can't just go throw something together because I don't have shit in my house.
I collect recipes and I can cook. I'm really good with desserts and baking. But when it comes down to cooking for myself, I suck @ it and I'm not afraid to admit it.

So can ya'll help a sistah out with some starter grocery lists. I'm sure I'm not the only one who will benefit.

[Tesha]

1. starting from scratch?

I don't know if I'd hate it or love it... imagine, starting over.

but here's a simple site to get started http://oldrecipebook.com/basicpantrylist.shtml

I guess the main question is - is this for a short while, or the long run - because some things will cost a bunch, but pay off if you keep them for a while.

:hi: welcome to your new kitchen!!!

[xultar]

4. FRAKKIN AWESOME!!!

[kestrel91316]

2. Salt, pepper, olive oil, cider vinegar. Bag of rice, bag of dry beans,

bag of flour, box of rolled oats. Produce as you like, but a bag of onions and bag of potatoes aea good start. Ground beef if you eat it.

[hobbit709]

20. Don't forget garlic and peppers.

[Inchworm]

3. 4 small pots

some dirt

and some oregano, thyme, and basil seeds. I was totally surprised how easy they were to grow and use. The flavor is incredible too.

Since you bake, I bet there may be good herbs to grow that suit you better :)

:hi:

[xultar]

5. Yeah I cannot wait to grow some herbs. Yum.

[kestrel91316]

14. If you grow nothing else, grow basil. Dried is worthless, and one should NEVER

pay for cut basil if one can cut it themselves fresh.

Inability to grow basil is the biggest tragedy of my north-facing balcony.

[elleng]

19. But I've found 'live' basil (and others) at grocery store recently!

So kept it 'alive' in water for a while, moving it into somewhat lightened areas. I agree about 'tragedy!'

[The empressof all]

6. This really is something that you do over time and is based on your taste

There's no reason to buy beans and rice right away if you aren't gonna use them. If I were you, I'd think in terms of what I like to eat. Do you eat Pasta.....When it's on sale buy and extra box or two. If you use Canned tomatoes get a few cans.

Spend some time sitting down with your grocery store ads and look and see what's on sale. Buy lost leaders in bulk. If chicken is on sale this week...buy two. One to cook now and one for the freezer.

Spend an hour sitting and thinking about what you want to eat that week and make a list. My weekly list usually includes things like Cereals (I eat hot cereal most every day), fresh veggies, fresh fruit, dairy and meat/fish/eggs. Pantry Staples I usually keep around are canned tomatoes, Rice, Pasta, and Barilla Pasta Sauce. I pick up things like canned corn and canned beans when they are on sale.

Give yourself some time to get to know your local markets. I buy most of my frozen food at Trader Joes as I like their products best and I think they have the best prices. You can usually find frozen peppers, blueberries, spinach, and Boca Burgers in my Fridge. It's what we like.

So think about what you like, look for what's on sale and buy an extra or two to put away. Soon you'll have more than enough.

One hint though....If you are cooking for just one or two...You'll save money buying spices in smaller quantities in your bulk food section. Spices really don't last forever and it's better to have them fresh. Bulk food sections are also great for staples like pasta, rice, oatmeal, nuts and trail mixes. Check them out. One of my local markets even has cookies in the bulk food bins which saves a ton of money and calories when I just need or want a few. Check it out!

[xultar]

7. I found this list too...

Now there are somethings that I wouldn't use for sure but it is a nice start.

Healthy Grocery List: Fresh Produce

Seasonal vegetables

Seasonal Fruits

Potatoes

Garlic

Onions

Avocado

Apples

Bananas

Oranges

Lemon

Lime

Fresh mini-baguettes

Sliced bread

Brown bread scones

Wholemeal croissants

Bagels

Brown bread
Healthy Grocery List: Fridge

Milk

Eggs

Butter

Cream

Cheese/soft and hard

Cooked deli meats

Fresh orange juice

Hummus

Tofu

Meat, deli meat

Fish
Healthy Grocery List: Freezer

Frozen sweetcorn kernels

Frozen peas

Chopped fresh ginger

Speciality breads, rolls, baguettes, foccacia, brown bread scones

Filleted chopped fish

Filleted chopped meat

Smoked salmon

Smoked mackerel

Fresh salmon, tuna and swordfish steaks

Sirloin steak

Leg of lamb

Butcher bought round steak minced

TVP (vegetarian mince)

Ready-made puff and shortcrust pastry

Home-made puff and shortcrust pastry

Reday-made whole-wheat pizza base

Homemade pizza base

Frozen soft fruits /blueberries etc

Homecooked casseroles, pies, pizzas

Homecooked cakes, muffins, breads

Home-prepared nut burgers and hamburgers

Bagels
Healthy Grocery List: Larder
--------

TINNED

--------

Tinned chopped tomatoes

Tinned chickpeas

Tinned lentils

Tinned cannelini beans

Tinned flagellot beans

Tinned haricot beans

Tinned kidney beans

Tinned coconut milk

Tinned bamboo shoots

Tinned water chesnuts

Tinned bean salad

Tinned tuna

Tinned wild salmon

Tinned pineapple

---------------

GRAINS & PULSES

---------------

Muesli

Cereals

Rice (short grain, basmati, arborio)

Wheat noodles

Bulgar wheat

Pearl barley

Couscous

Spaghetti

Pasta Shells

Pasta Spirals

Multicoloured Pasta Ribbons

Wheat Noodles

Rice Noodles

Pulses

Lentils ( red, green, puy)

Yellow Split Peas

Green Split Peas

Soup Mix (pulses and barley)

-----------------------------

HERBS, SPICES AND FLAVOURINGS

-----------------------------

Pouring sea salt

Sea salt crystals

Marigold vegetable stock powder

Atlantic sea salt crystals

DRIED HERBS

Italian seasoning

Herbs de Provence

Mixed Herbs

Parsley

Chives

Basil

Oregano

Bay leaf

Marjoram

Thyme

Rosemary

Dill

Tarragon

SPICES

Coarse ground black pepper

Chilli powder

Chilli flakes

Cumin

Coriander

Ginger

Allspice

Cinnamon

Cajun seasoning

Jamaican seasoning

Curry powder

Cardamon seeds

-------------

SWEET THINGS

-------------

Halva

70% cocoa dark chocolate

Nut and honey bars

Honey Waffles

Biscuits

------------

DRINKS

------------

Organic apple/pear concentrate

CocoaLow Sodium Mineral Water

Fairtrade organic coffee

Fairtrade organic tea

Organic white tea

Aveda comfort tea

Camomile tea

-------------------

CONDIMENTS AND SAUCES

-------------------

Tomato puree

Soy sauce: dark and light

Chutneys

Capers

Pickled gherkin

Sachets of mustard, ketchup, dressings etc.

Harrissa sauce

Light tahini

Pesto

Tabasco

Bar-B-Q sauce

Worscester sauce

Passata

Pasta sauce

Mustard/Dijon, wholegrain

Vinegar: white wine, red wine, balsamic

-----------

BAKING

-----------

Self-raising flour

Wholemeal flour

Plain flour

Buckwheat flour

Raw cane sugar

Icing sugar

Baking powder

Vanilla extract

Coffee extract

-----------------

BREADS AND WRAPS

-----------------

Taco Shells

Corn and flour tortillas

Tortilla chips

Naan

Chapati

Pitta Pockets

Pizza Base

Paninni

Unbleached artisan baguettes

----------------------

CRACKERS/HEALTHY SNACKS

----------------------

Gillian McKeith real food bars

Dr Karg’s seeded crackers

Oatcakes

Crackers

Breadsticks

Sesame sticks

Pretzels

Bombay Mix

----------

SPREADS

----------

Molasses

Peanut butter

Chocolate spread

Apple puree

Almond butter

Maple syrup

Honey

Jam

---------------------

DRIED FRUIT AND NUTS

---------------------

Dried fruits

Dessicated coconut

Almond flakes

Whole almonds

Pecans

Walnuts

Cashews

Roasted and raw pistachios

Pumpkin seeds

Linseed

Flax seed

Dried fruit mix

Yogurt Raisins

--------

OILS

--------

Olive oil

Sunflower oil

Canola Oil

Sesame Oil

Udo’s Oil

--------------

DRIED MIXES

--------------

Falaffel mix

Sosmix (vegetarians)

-----------------

MISCELLANEOUS

-----------------

Olives (black and green)

Capers

Sundried tomatoes in olive oil

Miso Paste

Dried seaweed salad

[eleny]

8. One small tip

You're off to a great start with the suggestions. But I also try to keep a small box of powdered milk on hand. That way, if you run out you can have it to fall back on. I use it for making mashed potatoes from the box and for a cup of hot chocolate once in a blue moon. You get the idea. It's easy to run out of milk and then you have your backup in the pantry.

Good luck!

[xultar]

10. Ahh also oatmeal! I like milk in my tea but often so much of it goes wasted if i'm not

in an oatmeal or grits mood also. Great idea! I'm adding it to the list.

[hippywife]

9. That really all depends on

how you prefer to cook and how much you will be home to cook and eat. I prefer to cook most everything from scratch so my pantry items tend to be ingredients in the foods I cook, rather than cans and boxes of processed foods and prepared mixes.

Buying too many of an item can be a drawback. Rice, flour, pasta all tend to draw moths if not properly stored and flour will definitely be no good unless used regularly so you go through it. I bake a lot so I keep a good unbleached white all purpose, whole wheat, and bread flour at all times.

Same thing with fruits and veggies. Research how to best store them. Some things store better refrigerated, others in a basket at room temperature. Good ripe avocados do not last long at all for example so only buy them when you plan to use them with in a couple of days. Some fruits and veggies cannot be stored together because the gases they release cause the others to rot prematurely.

The freezer is easier as you can buy a variety of meats and store them in individual portions. And frozen veggies when fresh are out of season. It's a total waste of money to buy fresh vegetables that are grown elsewhere out of season. Just because you can have them, doesn't mean they are worth buying as the taste and quality are never usually what they should be. Like tomatoes, melons, or peaches in the winter time for just a few examples. Buying in season is the key to quality and only buying what you can consume within the coming week.

Keep a few kinds of cheeses that you enjoy in amounts you can use within a couple of weeks max.

I think the suggestion to sit down and think about the things you enjoy eating, gather the recipes for those meals, and do a weekly grocery trip based on that is a good one. Pretty soon you'll see your spice cabinet variety grow. Also the suggestion on vinegar is a good idea. I keep balsamic, apple cider, white, and rice vinegars stocked so I will have a choice depending on what I need it for.

Baking powder, baking soda, cocoa, real vanilla extract, cornstarch, butter, olive oil and another cooking oil such as canola are pretty much staple items, as well as dried fruits (apricots, raisins, cranberries, dates) granulated and brown sugars. Nuts should be stored in the freeze to keep them from going rancid.

I think anyone here will tell you that a well stocked kitchen is a process, and not something you can make happen overnight.


:hi:

[Warpy]

11. Not making it happen overnight is the best advice of all

especially for a beginner cook who will be experimenting and developing a set of recipes over a long period of time.

When I started out, I kept staples like flour, powdered milk, herbs and spices, and oils. I just bought the things I'd use for recipes that week. Yes, I suffered the curse of that half can of tomato paste more than once, but I learned which things to keep on hand over time.

[pengillian101]

12. the curse of that half can of tomato paste

Heh, haven't we all? I bought it in a tube once. Convenient, but spendy. Now, the leftover 1/2 can frozen in a zippy bag works good. Pressed out and flattened before freezing makes it easy to just break off a chunk.

:hi:

[Warpy]

15. I learned to cook in a series of kitchens in Boston tenements

and that means having a freezer big enough to hold a couple of ice cube trays and that's it.

Freezing leftover tomato paste came much later.

[pengillian101]

16. I also grew up with a tiny freezeer.

"Freezing leftover tomato paste came much later."

Indeed!

[hippywife]

17. I don't get caught with the half can of paste anymore.

I freeze it until I need it. I'm sure we all learned that one.

[Paper Roses]

30. Thanks for the freezing tip. Never knew I could freeze paste. n/t

[eridani]

37. I bought a huge Costco can of paste and froze about 30 containers of various sizes

Really cheap in bulk quantities.

[AwakeAtLast]

13. Try to buy all your dry goods when they're on sale

If you have or plan to get a freezer, buy all your meat when it is on sale. Cheese freezes, too.

Dill relish always comes in handy for me. I use it in tuna salad and make my own tartar sauce, plus it's good on a burger!

Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, and grill seasonings, garlic salt and onion powder get used a lot in my kitchen. So does tomato sauce, tomato paste and spaghetti sauce.

If you find the thread I started about having to live frugally, there are some great tips there that can help in this situation, too.

Good luck!

:hi:

[xultar]

23. What about freezing bread. My mom bought me some cranberry nut bread

from the farmers market.

I put it in my freezer but I'm dreading it because I dislike bread that has been frozen.

Does bread change after it has been frozen?

[AwakeAtLast]

27. Depends on the bread

I have some Aunt Millies that holds up really well in the freezer. I am not sure about quick breads, sorry. :shrug:

[wildflower]

35. I do this all the time with quick breads

I thaw them in the refrigerator, then put them on the counter for half a day or so to come to room temp. They've come out fine so far. But I imagine if they're in there for years and get frost on them, they would lose some taste.

[elleng]

18. Once settled, keep a grocery list!

I've done so ever since I've been on my own in apartments. As soon as something is very close to being used up, as in one serving/use, it goes on list. (Roommates, however, don't always maintain this 'rule!)

[xultar]

25. I have this issue that I never know what I want so I usually screw up. But now

I'm going to do exactly as you say once things get stocked. Then I'll always have variety because I won't be out of the basics.

[elleng]

28. Find a handy place to keep list, like on fridge, w. pencil.

You´ll have variety AND you won´t say óh damn´as often as otherwise!

[tigereye]

38. ya know, sometimes it's nice to go to a nice market often if you have one

nearby, have a plan for dinner that day (say meat or fish and whatever veggie or starch-type thing you like), and just get what you need for that or the next day's dinner, and then you will already have some of those staples people mentioned above (spices, flour, sugar, other condiments, pasta, sauces, etc.) Kind of like the Europeans do (or did...)


I seem to remember that you traveled a lot, right?, I remember your posting from various airport lounges and such, Xultar. Nice to see you!

:hi:

[Lars39]

21. Make out menus for meals and snacks.

Create your grocery list from the recipes you've chosen, even down to the condiments and beverages. As your weekly plan of recipes changes somewhat, you'll be gradually getting a stockpile of things that you will use. No two pantries and freezers are stocked just alike. :)

A side benefit of shopping with a fine-tuned list is that there are no emergency trips to the store for a missing ingredient.

[hippywife]

24. Well...

fewer emergency trips the the store, anyway. :rofl:

[Lars39]

33. lol

We were looking at houses recently and found one we really liked...until I realized we would have been about 20 minutes from the nearest grocery. Shot that down.:D

[japple]

22. Buy herbs and spices in small quantities until you gauge how

fast you will use them. At some health/natural foods stores or high-end groceries, you can buy herbs and spices by weight, as well as buying them online. I like Penzey's, esp. their chili powder, black pepper, and curry powder. You can buy all different sizes. http://www.penzeys.com/

Lots of ethnic stores sell herbs and spices a whole lot cheaper than grocery stores, and it's usually fresher.

[xultar]

26. Thanks bookmarking.

[sandnsea]

29. I open the sales ads

figure out what's cheapest, and make a list from there.

Flour, sugar, salt, pepper, oil, baking soda, baking powder, rice, potatoes, egg noodles, spaghetti noodles, tomato sauce, paste, canned tomatoes, vinegar, chicken broth, onions, celery, carrots, garlic.

That'll get you going without breaking the bank.

[Paper Roses]

31. The best tip anyone can give you is to do this slowly.

If you try to buy everything you think you might need, you will buy too much.

My daughter did the "stock the pantry" thing after college and bought all kinds of stuff she thought she would need. Never used half of it.

Staples are obvious, and for spices, someone on this board suggested ethnic grocery stores for small fresh packages of dried spices. What a difference!

The bottles and cans of many regular grocery spices may sit in their and your shelves forever.
I have a Price-Rite near me that has a huge section of spices. All wonderfully packaged in small quantities. Cheap too. Actually, this store is pretty good on prices for staples too.

[Jazzgirl]

32. That is excellent advice on going to ethnic stores for spices.

I go to the International Market to get small amounts (or large amounts I use a lot) of spices. The prices are phenomenal and I have always found the quality very high. Don't buy too much though. I do get guilty of that occasionally.

[wildeyed]

34. I do a lot of soups and pasta dishes.

I have accrued a number of recipes that I like over the years and try to keep the staples for them in the house. Another great trick, anytime you make soup or stew, make double and freeze half. That way you always have a meal or two "in the bank". Also nice if you have a friend who gets sick or has a crisis and needs a little extra love. You can grab the meal out of the freezer and drop it by.

Because I am so busy with work and kids, I try to make a meal plan at the beginning of the week. I sit down with the grocery sales, look at what I have in the house and think about what sounds yummy/realistic for the week. I type a meal for each day into my calendar and make a grocery list. Each day, I look at what is on the plan. No need to think and I always have the ingredients.

Also, crock pots rock. Tons of fast/easy/nutritious stuff you can cook in one of those babies!

[NNN0LHI]

36. I have just about concluded cooking for one person is more expensive than eating out

Plus when I go to the diner I always sit on the stools up front so I can catch the latest town gossip from the owner and waitresses. Who's zooming who, etc. while getting my meal. Plus I am on a first name basis with the cooks and they really take care of me. They know what I do and don't like and prepare everything just how I like it.

Occasionally find some interesting conversation there too. The computer is not enough. Got to get out of the house and actually interact with people once in a while or I would go nuts.

I don't like eating all my meals out. Just my main one of the day whether it is lunch or dinner it doesn't matter. I like to eat my heaviest meal of the day early in the day. Usually before 1:00 PM. Then something small later.

Good luck.

:hi:

Don