GU's list of must have basic food supplies for your kitchen

[Glassunion]

I think that I have got it... After many years of keeping track of what I buy, what I've actually used and what I've thrown away in my kitchen, I have come up with a list. Hopefully this list can help you from making the same; sometimes expensive mistakes that I have made.

Keep in mind that my kitchen is stocked for 2 people, my wife and I. You may want to expand on what I have if you have more mouths to feed. We also cook about 5 to 7 days a week, so we go through our supplies regularly. I also tend to cook on the heart healthy side, so I shy away from saturated fats. My cholesterol is a tad high.

A wax pencil... I'll explain later.

Oils...
Having several different types of oils is essential in my opinion. Oils generally have a very long shelf life so I have no fears about buying in bulk to save a few bucks. None of my cooking oils have any saturated fat.
Olive oil - Great for cooking at medium to low heat.
Extra-Virgin olive oil - Great for making salad dressings(you can save a lot of $$$) and using in place of butter if you are watching you cholesterol.
Canola oil - I buy this stuff by the gallon. It is great for cooking at higher temperatures.
Peanut oil - This can be expensive, but it is worth it, especially if you love cooking Asian. Also works great for searing steaks indoors. Another higher temperature oil. I also use this for the waffle iron so I can stay away from butter.
Sesame oil - Another great high temp oil. This will impart a lot of flavor into your cooking.

Vinegars...
If you like baking or making your own dressings vinegars are a must have. These also have a long shelf life.
Red wine vinegar
Balsamic vinegar
White wine vinegar
White distilled vinegar - also doubles as a great Eco friendly cleaning product.
Apple cider vinegar

Booze...
I can say with all honesty, very few meals come out of my kitchen without the addition of alcohol. The French spent a thousand years working with alcohol in their kitchens. Who am I to argue? The shelf lives on these are long... In fact, you can will them to your grandchildren if you don't get around to using them.
Dry red wine - Great as a base for sauce for roasts and most red meat dishes.
Dry white wine - Great as a base for sauce for most poultry and fish dishes.
Port wine
Dry vermouth
Brandy or Cognac
Dry sherry
Rum
Fruit liqueurs - Great for desserts

Dried Herbs
I buy the dried herbs in small amounts. Even if kept dry and sealed, they will be fine to consume, however they lose their flavor so you will need to add more when cooking. If kept for too long(especially Thyme) they can become quite bitter. I do not buy spices in glass jars as I find it is cheaper to buy them in loose plastic containers. When I get home, I transfer them to these little generic and quite inexpensive spice jars. I then simply write the contents and date of purchase on the jar with the wax pencil. When the date starts to get close, I can then start making sure that I am using them more often.
Parsley
Oregano
Basil
Rosemary
Thyme
Rubbed sage
Marjoram
Cilantro
Bay leaves
Chives
Savory
Tarragon
Dill weed
Dill seed
Onion powder
Chopped onions
Garlic powder
Minced garlic

Spices
Buy whole spices when you can and grind them when you need them. This will keep their flavor for longer and they are usually cheaper. I do the same with the wax pencil. These however I have found last a whole lot longer than dried herbs. Some will last longer than others. I have some whole nutmeg from two Christmas' ago that is still good. Just keep an eye on them, and if you are unsure, give them a little taste.
Black peppercorns
Sea salt
Cinnamon sticks
Whole nutmeg
Whole cloves
Ground turmeric
Ground allspice
Ground mace
Mustard seeds
Ground mustard
Cayenne pepper
Celery seed
Caraway seeds
Fennel seeds
Ground ginger
Ground cumin
Ground chile peppers
Red chile flakes
Ground sweet paprika
Smoked paprika

Dry Goods
All-purpose flour
Wondra(or similar) fine sifted flour
Cake flour
Cornmeal
Sugar
Powdered sugar
Brown sugar
Baking soda
Baking powder
Yeast
Cornstarch
Unsweetened cocoa
Unsweetened chocolate
Oatmeal
Crackers
Panko Bread Crumbs
Pasta
Long grain rice
Brown rice
Wild rice
Couscous
Quinoa - I know there was a thread about a recipe for this a while back... I'll post how I cook mine when I have the chance.
Lentils - green and french

Canned/Bottled Stuffs
Whole or diced tomatoes - Get it in a bottle.
Tomato paste - Get it in a bottle.
Tomato sauce - Get it in a bottle.
Crushed tomatoes - Get it in a bottle
All of my tomatoes, I try very hard to get in jars as opposed to cans. Tomatoes are quite acidic, and can eat away at the cans that they are in. They then start to take on the flavor of the can. IMHO, if I can taste the can, it cannot be good for me.
Chicken/Beef/Vegetable and Seafood broth and stock - If you get close to the expiration date, just move them to the freezer they will last at least a year from my experience. If you can make your own(savin $$$), just freeze it and it will last up to 6 months.
Worcestershire sauce
Soy sauce - I buy this buy the gallon as well
Dijon mustard
Anchovies
Anchovy paste
Evaporated milk
Sweetened condensed milk
Peanut butter
Capers
Corn syrup
Maple syrup - I have a selection of 4 grades of maple syrup(Fancy, Light, Medium and Dark Amber). They can be used for everything from pancakes, sauces, glazes, etc... One single type of syrup is not good for all of that.
Honey
Pure vanilla
Almond flavoring
Hot sauces

I know that all of this seems like a lot. But, I spread out my purchases and wait for sales. I keep a shopping list on my fridge so when I use the last of something, I know to pick it up the next time I go to the store. But, if you ever sit down and dust off that old cookbook, or see something that looks great on TV you can be pretty confident that you will have the basics to make it. Not only that, with what I have listed above, you can make your own salad dressings, gravys, sauces, etc... saving yourself a lot of money in the long run.

As for perishables, I only shop a week in advance and buy what is in season. Mrs. Union(a nutritionist) insures that 75% of what we buy is fruits and veggies.

[flamin lib]

1. Ha! I'm only missing three or four of your items!

And two of those because of an inquisitive toddler and glass jars . . . note to self: no glass containers lower than 4' . . .

[Glassunion]

2. Is it safe to assume this is yours?

:)

[flamin lib]

3. In fact, I've seen that child in my kitchen but chocolate flavored . . . nt

[Glassunion]

4. Imagine if the two bumped into each other...

That would be one really tasty mess!

[Callalily]

5. Very comprehensive list.

And I would suspect, many of us are in agreement with you.

[trud]

6. oils, celery salt, jams, jellies, etc.

I keep oils in the fridge once they are opened.

Celery salt, jams, and jellies, regular pepper, orange and lemon flavoring, rose water.

Campbell's tomato soup, Pea soup Andersen's soup.

Relish, ketchup, pickles, Ingelhoffer honey mustard, piccalilli.

Hellman's aka Best Foods mayonnaise, as good as homemade.

[Glassunion]

7. The rose water. I have not experimented with it yet.

What do you use it in?

[trud]

8. baklava, puddings n/t

[Retrograde]

9. Pretty close to mine

I keep all-purpose unbleached, whole wheat, and bread flours on hand. I'm starting to experiment with other flours, and have smaller amounts of oat flour, garbanzo flour, and chestnut flour as well. And masa harina for when I'm ambitious enough to make tortillas and the like.

I mainly use olive oil: the stuff you get in gallon cans for cooking, and localish (well, at least they're from California) high-quality ones for salads. Canola oil for frying, and roasted sesame oil for flavorings.

Plain old white vinegar is also good for perking up greens that are getting weary looking. I also keep rice vinegar and/or mirin on hand for salad dressings.

Since a lot of my cooking is Mexican or Indian influenced I have several varieties of dried chiles, cumin seed, coriander seed and garam masala. The legume collection currently consists of garbanzos, black beans, red beans, kidney beans, pinto beans, borlotti beans (home grown), red lentils, black lentils, and yellow split peas.

[gkhouston]

10. Vital wheat gluten would be a good thing to have on hand if you're

planning on baking loaves with little or no white flour. If you have a Costco membership (or a friend does), that's the cheapest place to get yeast.

[Lugnut]

11. My inventory isn't much different than yours.

When you like to cook you need ingredients. Thankfully, I have cabinet and pantry space plus an upright freezer and an extra refrigerator for storing my stuff.

[NJCher]

12. very helpful list

thank you for posting it.


Cher