We've been clearing out the pantry

[conuly]

I urgently need to get new containers (jars! jars! more jars!) but I'm also wondering... what sort of staples do other people have? I know what I always have stocked no matter what (smoked paprika, smoked salt, fennel seeds...) but what about everybody else?

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Comments

Pantry

[moxie_man]

The squirrel in me is a minor food hoarder, but everything kept in stock is regularly rotated. My kitchen pantry is nearly as large as a small closet with two swing-out doors with shelves on the doors, another swing-out piece with shelves on both sides and then additional shelves inside. You can store a lot in this thing and I have including:
Assorted spices and baking ingredients--it would take too long to provide you a full inventory, but think things like what you'd need to throw together to bake cookies or brownies/cake from scratch or just about any spice to liven up your dinner creation.
A few cans of soup
Beans (canned and dry)
diced/stewed tomatoes
pasta
pancake mix
real maple syrup (to rotate into fridge when open one gets emptied)
oatmeal (both "instant" and regular)
cold cereal (wife was denied this as a child)
salad dressing (to rotate into fridge as ones in fridge get emptied)
A few jars of Raye's (Maine company) stone ground mustard (to rotate into the fridge as the one opened one gets emptied)
rice
tuna
oil (both veg and olive)
"Alpo" (what wife calls corned beef hash)
can or two of black olives
Gallon jug of molasses to fill smaller baking bottle of molasses as it gets used up.
Wife keeps what little booze she occasionally partakes in the bottom.

I'm sure there's a more than that, this is just a quick list off the top of my head as the pantry is on a different floor from the computer.

Re: Pantry

[conuly]

Does mustard need to go into the fridge? I don't put ours in the fridge.

[kengr]

I used to keep chicken, beef, and ham flavored TVP chunks, but I no longer have a source for them (a long gone store had them in the bulk bins, I can find them online, but only in small packages that cost as much as real meat!)

Rice, lentils, dried beans, oatmeal, barley, pasta. dried fruits of various sorts. A case or 3 of ramen

Canned:
beans, diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, spaghetti sauce, fruit, some veggies (mostly corn and green beans),chili, tuna, salmon

beef soup base, chicken soup base, ham soup base, onion flakes, chili powder, gran garlic, curry powder, salt, pepper

various cans of soup.

some of the above is build-up from food boxes.

[mommy]

The most distinctive thing I keep in my pantry is my collection of chile powders. There's the standard cracked red pepper, cayenne, smoked paprika, and sweet Hungarian paprika, but there's also the multiple heat levels of Hatch red and green chile powders, serrano powder, pasilla powder, and crushed ancho.

[cactuswatcher]

Pasta, diced tomatoes, fennel seed, oregano, chili powder (mild and hot), Chinese five spice, canned beans (pinto plus black or kidney beans), olive oil, canned soup (in case I fall ill), oatmeal, pancake mix, a couple packets of ramen.

[robby]

Dry beans and white rice last forever, and are good emergency food.

[conuly]

"Forever" is stretching it, but they do last a good long time.

[notasupervillain]

Cumin, salt, pepper, turmeric, dried ginger, rosemary, basil, chili flakes

[applenym]

garlic bulbs, ginger root, vanilla extract, maple syrup, ground cinnamon, kosher salt, and all the fixings for homemade chai (fennel seeds, cardamom pods, whole cloves, cinnamon stick, black peppercorns, bay leaves, and rooibos tea leaves)

[gatheringrivers]

A copious array of spices, including such oddities as Amchur, Galingal, and Cubeb.

Various flours in canning jars (bug proof, and less messy than bags), sugars of various types (cane, coconut, etc.) also in jars, Pretty much if it's shelf stable and came in a bag, it's going to go in a jar. Boxed stuff *usually* goes in jars as well, but it depends on the thing.

Canning jars also get spice overflow (I sometimes buy things in 1-pound bulk packs, and refill the spice jars from the overflow jars.)

There's some commercial canned things too - beans, commercial soups and the like.

I do have meat in jars! Properly pressure canned, of course.

[conuly]

Sad to say, jars aren't 100% secure against pantry moths, but they're a heck of a lot better (and, as you say, less messy) than bags.

(without looking)

[movingfinger]

Canned beans, many varieties
Canned tomatoes, different styles
Ready-to-eat pasta sauce (jars)
Canned and dried fruit
A few packets of jerky
Canned sardines
Canned tuna
Mayonnaise, mustard
Dried mushrooms
Ready-to-eat packaged soups, large and small portions
Ready-to-eat packaged broth, large and small portions
Olive oil, canola oil
Peanut butter
Jams and marmalade, honey, maple syrup
Shelf-stable milk
Shelf-stable almond milk
Shelf-stable coconut milk
Rice, polenta, pasta, oatmeal, crackers
Cat food (I try to keep a couple weeks' supply)
Nuts
Bottled water
Coffee, tea, tisanes, cocoa, drinking chocolate
Gelatin
Plastic ziplock bags
Foil
Spice drawer is full of stuff, of course!

The baking supplies are different:
Powdered buttermilk
Powdered baking milk (cannot be reconstituted)
Yeast, salt, soda, baking powder
10 lb all-purpose flour
10 lb sugar (white, brown)
Molasses
Chocolate chips
Bar chocolate
Baking mixes (cornbread, brownies, a couple of each)
(Out of powdered eggs)
Mochi mix


Not huge quantities of anything, but I should be able to go for a month at least without a supermarket. Out of canned veg, need to look into getting dehydrated, though canned foods can generally be eaten without heating if necessary and can be prepared with minimal water.

I use acrylic click-clacks rather than jars because jars break if they fall off the shelf.

[larryhammer]

The progressive to-do list is missing a very important idea: Daycare for all

THIS.

[conuly]

Daycare and a year's worth of parental leave (split however parents choose) with an additional four months medical leave for whoever gave birth (even if that's not either of the custodial parents, in case of adoption or the like). Frankly, I think we should split the difference here and have government pay the equivalent of minimum wage for 40 hours a week (regardless of whether or not the parents were employed 40 hours a week) and the jobs pick up the slack for the remainder of the pay.

Because nobody really wants to put their six week old in daycare, and childbirth requires recovery. (Plus, you want to establish a nursing relationship if you intend to breatfeed.)

pantry staples

[adrian_turtle]

Countertop
barley
peanut butter
rice
rolled oats
sugars
steel cut oats
(I currently have split peas and pasta, too. They aren't staples.)

Cabinet of large things:
Canned beans (chickpeas are absolutely staples, black beans might be. The small white beans are used rarely.)
Brown sugar
Cocoa powder
Cold cereal (definately a staple, and part of emergency supplies.)
Flour
Rye crisps (part of emergency supplies)
Soymilk (shelf-stable boxes, part of emergency supplies)
Tomatoes (small cans of puree and salsa are staples, larger cans of whole tomatoes are used less less often.)
Vegetable broth (shelf-stable boxes. Staples.)

Cabinet of small things
baking powder + baking soda
cinnamon + ginger + vanilla extract
cumin + smoked paprika + garlic powder
spice blends from Penzeys:
Hot Chocolate Mix
Singapore Seasoning (a curry powder with almost no cayenne)
Sunny Paris (based on shallots, chives, chervil, etc)
Tuscan Sunset (a variation of Italian seasoning, with fennel)
Zataar (sumac, etc)
Also ancho chili pepper, whole cloves oregano, mustard, peppercorns, thyme, turmeric.
(There are a bunch of spices in the cabinet I don't actually like.)

And tea. There must be tea. I'm not counting that as a pantry staple, because it goes with the teacups.

Re: pantry staples

[marahmarie]

With Tuscan Sunset, is the taste of the bell pepper fairly strong? I've been trying to think what seasoning I could buy that would incorporate its taste (this came up because of leftover homemade pizza the other night that I wanted to sprinkle with something that would taste like sweet bell pepper).

[larryhammer]

Non-fridge/freezer things always kept in stock:

- small pastas, long thin pastas, souping noodles, lo mein-ing noodles, ramen
- white basmati and brown rice
- quinoa
- chicken bullion
- evaporated milk
- dried and canned beans (especially lentils)
- peanuts, sunflower seeds, golden raisins
- teas (black, green, mint)
- matzoh meal, all-purpose flour, sugar
- bay leaves, thyme, rosemary, oregano, basil, cinnamon, paprika, habanero powder, salt, back pepper (other spices are less urgent)
- garlic
- onions
- a few winter squash
- various yams (especially Japanese/Korean white sweets)
- cooking oils (canola, olive, toasted sesame)
- mirin
- soy sauce
- oatmeal (rolled and steel cut), granola, a less-sugared cold cereal
- apples, oranges, bananas

Fridge and freeze stocking is a whole 'nother list.

[kareina]

a variety of grains for cooking with including rice (usually several different varieties), oats, barely, quinoa, millet, teff, plus cous cous and a few store-bought pastas for emergencies (normally I just make my own pasta dough from flour and eggs).

Lots of types of flour for baking with including: wheat, all of the above grains, plus rye, and a few other gluten free flours (for when friends who need gluten free come to visit)

Several rolled grains for mixing into muesli, including: oats, rye, spelt, quinoa

lots of nuts and seeds, including: almonds, walnuts, peanuts, cashews, pistachios, sunflower seeds, flax seeds, pumpkin seeds

a variety of sugars for baking (these tend to last a very long time, as even when baking deserts I tend to use way less sugar than such recipes typically call for), including white sugar, brown sugar, powdered sugar, and honey

canned (in actual metal cans): artichoke, corn, bamboo shoots, water chestnuts

canned (in cardboard boxes): crushed tomatoes, a variety of beans

canned (in glass jars): tomato sauce, tomato paste, potatoes (for emergencies)

dried (store bought): raisins, cranberries, blueberries, mango, figs, dates

dried (home grown): nettles, black currants, red currants

Frozen:

home baked bread rolls, naan, Swedish oven pancake (so that I am never more than 30 seconds away from hot fresh bread, but am not tempted to eat too much at once)

a variety of home-baked cake, cookies, or bars (ready to serve for "Fika" if anyone drops by, or to nibble on myself now and then if there isn't any company)

Store bought frozen raspberries, blue berries, cherries, mango, etc. ready to add to my muesli for breakfast or bake with, or just eat as is. Also home-grown black currants, red currants, and strawberries, plus lingon berries from David's parent's property

Store bought frozen veg ready to toss into a soup pot at a moment's notice

individual serving sized frozen things ready to take to work for lunches, including things like spaghetti sauce, green (spinach etc.) sauce (yay for silicon muffin cups for freezing them), pasties, lasagne, Swedish oven pancake, and home made soup

frozen moose and reindeer for those rare occasions it seems like a good idea to cook with meat

spare butter and cream for cooking and baking

In the fridge I pretty much always have:

home made jam (with little to no sugar, depending on the berry, so I don't make much at once to keep it from going bad before I eat it), butter, cheese, apples, oranges, pears, potatoes, carrots, yoghurt, eggs, peanut butter and tahini (both for baking), rennet (for cheese making)

we also have a variety of herbal teas and black tea and instant coffee for guests, a couple of types of cooking oil for when my dairy-intolerant friend visits, and a very well stocked spice cabinet.

[baronessekat]

My spice cupboard always has granulated garlic, onion powder, poultry seasoning, some Italian seasoning blend and Penzy's Tzardust. I also almost always have some kind of hot sauce (either straight up tobasco or - since I'm from Buffalo, NY - Frank's Hot Sauce)

My food pantry always has several boxes of pasta (the 10 for $10 sales are a downfall for me), at least two cans/boxes of chicken stock, bags of rice and a couple cans of diced tomatoes and cans of tuna.

[zesty_pinto]

My Korean background requires me by law to have something with heat (red pepper flakes, cayenne pepper, etc), sesame oil, soy sauce, garlic, and salt.

In general, I also add cumin, coriander, honey, syrup (because I live in VT that's why), coconut milk powder, chili oil, oyster sauce, olive oil, oregano, basil/thyme, vinegar, ketchup, mustard, sriracha/gochujang. I can usually make a bunch of different things with that list of stuff.

You reminded me that I also should replenish my supply of three buck chuck since that makes for a really cheap cooking wine.

[crystalpyramid]

Does coconut milk reconstitute less stale-tasting than cow's milk? I didn't realize there was a powdered form.

[used_songs]

Cumin, garam masala, Penzey's Italian spice blend, Penzey's red black pepper, Penzey's Mural of Flavor, Emeril's essence (homemade from the recipe that's posted online and made with smoked paprika), pasta, sauce, canned soups, dried legumes of all kind, vegetarian broth, potatoes, rice, couscous, quinoa, olive oil, canned veg (tomatoes, hominy, refried beans, black eyed peas), ramen, soba noodles, miso soup packets, peanut butter, sugar, coffee, tea, hot mustard, brown mustard, jarred salsa for emergencies, chips, chalupa shells ... this seems like a lot of food.

[felinejumper]

Unrelated to staples of my pantry (uh, 2 different brands of all purpose flour, I suppose? Since I bake) but: that Decolonizing Science in South Africa article is just WOW an amazing thing to read, very very very much my interest, thank you so much for it.

[conuly]

:)

[deird1]

I always have flour, sugar, salt, rice, pasta, tinned tomatoes, tinned beans, lots of herbs, lots of spices, oils, vinegars, coconut cream, cicken stock, tinned soup, yeast, milk, capsicum, mushrooms, carrots, butter, bread, sausages, peas, corn, apples, tinned pineapple, cheese, ham, salami, greek yoghurt, mayonnaise, ketchup, and eggs. ALWAYS.

[acelightning]

There's no way I can list the things I keep on hand. But Penzey's Spices sells empty jars of various sizes. I just ordered some more Penzey's Pepper (one of my staple spices), and in order to not have a bunch of little jars cluttering up my kitchen, I bought a large jar with a shaker top which will hold the contents of a large bag of ground pepper. I've bought a lot of jars from Penzey's, but of course I buy a lot of spices from them :-)

[conuly]

Empty spice jars?

[pwcorgigirl]

Canned diced tomatoes, tomato paste and tomato sauce. Lentils, rice, pasta. Canned beans seasoned for chili. Peanut butter, jelly and jam, olives, mustard, catsup, balsamic and apple cider vinegar. Canned soup and juice-packed fruit. Raisins and nuts. Oatmeal, cold cereal, coffee and tea. Canned sardines and mackerel.

Baking spices, flour, granulated, brown and powdered sugar, baking cocoa, peanut butter powder, vanilla and lemon extract, baking powder, baking soda, packets of yeast. Savory herbs and spices, kosher and regular salt, poppy seeds, sesame seeds.

And then dog and cat food and chewies and treats, which is bought a couple of month's worth at a time.

[conuly]

Peanut butter... powder?

[marahmarie]

Like a few others, there's no way I could list all that I keep on hand because a) it's too much and b) most of it rotates; what's on hand depends on affordability, availability, how much I or we liked it last time around and how much shelf space is currently available. So I'll list essentials first - things I'd sell my left hand before letting them run out:

--garlic powder
--salt (iodized and kosher)
--black peppercorn grinder
--curry powder (Badia makes a less hot one that I like)
--oil (veg or canola)
--sugar (I could maybe live without this but no one I've lived with can)
--flour (all-purpose)
--vinegar (any; I keep white, balsamic, wine and other vinegars on hand but any will do, in a pinch)
--cornstarch
--bouillon cubes (beef, chicken)
--French onion soup packets (I'll go mad if this isn't on-hand at all times. That said, I almost never use it)
--canned vegetables (I won't touch them. But the Zombie Apocalypse that's coming requires they be there)
--ramen (don't touch it either but when it runs out, I buy more)
--rice (usually jasmine; usually 3 pounds or so)
--canned beans (namely black bean, white and kidney)

Not absolutely essential but will keep on-hand as I can:

--honey
--oregano (leaves, rubbed)
--basil (leaves)
--chili powder (make my own these days)
--either a pre-made poultry seasoning or the components thereof (dried thyme, sage, rosemary leaves)
--All The Flours
--All The Vinegars
--All The Sugars (w/emphasis on brown and confectioner's)
--All The Tomatoes (canned paste, crushed, whole, sauces, jarred flavors, etc.)
--All The Pastas (except spaghetti, spaghetti rigati and dittalini, which are not favorites; elbows are pretty much non-negotiable (for cold salads))
--baking soda
--baking powder
--yeast (packets, jars that stay in fridge)

Right now providence has allowed for tons of organic chia seeds, flax seeds, turmeric powder, and other foodstuffs we don't normally keep on-hand. I'm enjoying them immensely. But as you know (I think you've seen at least one picture; actually it's public, back from when we had the storm) my spice rack's a sprawling three-shelf monstrosity loaded with not All, but quite a few spices (many more than I can list here without going downstairs to take an actual inventory).

All of the bigger hits are replenished as needed and/or as we can. Some of them I'll use up and never want again, because it was something new to try but not all that great.

Oh! And right now we have tons (well, at least 30 pounds) of various types of rice and at least a few pounds of dried beans, but that was providence as well; normally I keep just a few pounds of rice and only buy dried beans as needed, say if there's a chili recipe that calls for them coming up.

[shy_magpie]

boosting that link on sexist jokes, also appreciate the article on daycare!

[conuly]

:)

I'm glad you liked them.

[mtbc]

I may have some random common herbs like sage, cilantro, parsley, certainly something spicier like cayenne or curry powder or paste or whatever, but mandatory ones for me include garlic and turmeric; I'm also partial to ginger. I usually have some olive and canola oil in stock. Also, lemon juice, dark soy sauce, malt vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, that kind of thing. I like mustards, at the least Colman's English and some French (though Colman's variety became hard to get).

[fred_mouse]

I'm pretty obsessive about keeping certain things in stock, and I buy a lot in bulk, so I have it stashed across four spaces in the house. Grouping it:

- two plastic tubs where we always have gluten free pasta, white rice, muesli/grain ingredients for muesli (I make my own because there are no good gf versions that aren't full of sugar). Usually corn chips.
- pantry - UHT milk, soy milk, weetbix, brown and white rice, red lentils, chickpeas. Herbs/spices - cinnamon, nutmeg, 'Italian herbs', salt, black pepper, turmeric, pre-mix curry powder, ginger, 'Morrocan spice', several I'm forgetting. White sugar, at least one 'brown' sugar variant (currently panera, light brown, dark brown). Flour - buckwheat, potato starch, tapioca, rice, sorghum, cornstarch, polenta (at least fine, usually dusting as well), gram dahl.
- back up cupboard - tomato passata (jars) (everything else is overflow from other areas)
- fridge/freezer - multiple types of pickle, one version of chutney, tahini, at least one jam, cheese, bread
- other - almonds, peanuts, sunflower seeds, at least one dried fruit option, sesame seeds, xanthan gum, sodium bicarbonate, cream of tartar. These are all in tall thin jars, and the current one has a label on the lid, so I can use the lids to generate shopping lists.

[conuly]

So what's your recipe for muesli?

[crystalpyramid]

The big bins are Japanese-style short-grain rice and vital wheat gluten. (The first because we do go through 40-lb bags of it. The second because we don't really and bought one several years ago.) There's ramen on top of one cupboard and tea on top of another. Dry Western pasta, white flour, rice flour (again bc we use it rarely and never use it up), corn meal, sugar. A cabinet of spices (including Gold Star chili packets), a shelf of mostly dry beans with a handful of grains, a cupboard with canned beans and diced tomatoes. Somen, soba, dry mushrooms. Olive oil, various vinegars, baking soda and baking powder and brown sugar and powdered sugar.

[conuly]

The big bins are Japanese-style short-grain rice and vital wheat gluten. (The first because we do go through 40-lb bags of it. The second because we don't really and bought one several years ago.)

*nods*

The latter is how we ended up with so much fennel. It's not that we don't use fennel, just....