Food for thought.

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Well all, it is official. I have found a place to live, and will be moved in by the end of the month. But there is something missing. Something that every house needs before the occupant can truly call it home. 'What is it?', you may ask.

The answer is simple. A fully stocked refrigerator and pantry. But what exactly is considered fully stocked? That is what I am here to find out. I ask that you, my fellow SPer's, help me create the best shopping list imaginable.

Everything from apples to zucchini. Let us see if we cannot make a full list. Name one or more items that have not been listed already that you think should be included. If you feel the need to explain why it should be, than go right ahead.

The list as current (starting with my own paltry submissions, and edited to contain yours):

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Bread - whole wheat, white, whole meal

Dairy - milk (homogenized), cheese (cheddar, mozzarella, quark), butter, margarine, eggs, cream/fromage frais/creme fraich, goats cheese

Meat - hamburgers, chicken burgers, ground beef, bacon, joints for roasting, poulty breast, fresh fish (salmon, cod, whiting, hake, haddock)

Fruit & Veggies - potatoes, onions, garlic, carrots, runner beans, brocolli, tomatoes, zucchini, egg plant, apples, plums, blackberries, savoy cabbage, scallians (spring onions), lettuce (iceberg, romaine), peppers/capsicums (green, red, yellow, orange), bananas

Spices - Salt, pepper, paprika, oregano, onion powder, garlic flakes, curry powder, chilli powder/paste, mixed herbs, cumin seeds, rosemary, mint sauce, basil, parsely, cinnamon, thyme, sun dried tomatoes, chipotles in adobo, capers, corander seeds, bay leaves, parmegiana-reggiano, pesto sauce, other hot peppers or pepper sauces, bullion cubes (beef, chicken)

Cans/Tins/Jars - jam (raspberry, strawberry), peanut butter, mayonnaise, canned tomatoes, canned corn, canned pineapple, canned peaches, baked beans, kidney beans, soups (tomato, chicken noodle, mushroom), ethnic sauces (Italian, Chinese, Indian), tomato concentrate, tinned seafood (tuna, sardines, clams), canned broths (beef, chicken, vegetable)

Pasta - spaghetti, elbow, rice noodles, instant noodles, rice (jasmine, basmati, arborio), linguine, fusilli, farfalle, acini de pepe, orzo

Drinks - tea, coffee, fruit juice, squash, coke, lemonade, tonic, bitter lemon, flavoured waters

Spirits & Alcohol - wine (red, white, sparkling white, rose), beer, gin (sloe, damson, plain), vodka, whisky (single malt, blend), bourbon, ameretto, baileys, kahlua, tequila, triple sec, rum (dark, light), brandy, bitters, southern somfort, sherry (sweet), port

Condiments - barbecue sauce (mesquite), ketchup, mustard, salad dressing (Thai, Italian, French, Spanish), soy sauce, oyster sauce

Snacks - Doritos, popcorn

Other - flour, baking soda, sugar, crackers, oatmeal, oil (canola oil, extra virgin olive oil), vanilla, balsamic vinegar, dry breadcrumbs, brown sugar, honey, farina, polenta, oats

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Come on folks, don't let me forget anything.

[ September 05, 2005, 22:21: Message edited by: Jaguar ]

 

Fruit & Veg
Potatoes are a must, A bag of frozen oven chips if you don't have a deep-fat-fryer.
Onions
Garlic
Fresh Seasonal Fruit & Veg - Carrots, Runner Beans, Brocolli, Tomatoes, Courgettes (Zucchini?) Aubergine (Egg Plant?) Apples, Plums, Blackberries (Mmm Pie.)

Tinned/Jars/Spices
Tomatoes
Baked Beans (obvious British Staple)
Kidney Beans (For Chilli's)
Soups (Heinz Tomato)
Curry Powder/Paste/Powder
Chilli Powder
Mixed Herbs
Cumin seeds
Rosemary
Mint/mint sauce

Meat
Bacon,
Joints for Roasting,
Poulty breast for stir fry/curry.

Dairy
Butter
Eggs
Cream/Fromage Frais/Creme Fraich
Cheese - Lots of.
Milk one small Carton of UHT for emergency use.

Drinks
Tea, Coffee
Fruit Juice
Squash
Coke, Lemonade
Tonic, Bitter Lemon
Flavoured Waters
Wine - Red, White, Sparkling White, Rose
Beer
Spirits - Gin (Sloe, Damson & Plain), Vodka, Whisky (single malt & a blend for weird people that mix it), Bourbon (JD), Ameretto, Baileys, Kahlua, Tequila, Triple Sec, Rum (Dark & Light), Brandy, Bitters, Southern Comfort, Sherry (Sweet), Port - These form the basis of my Drinks Cabinet.

 

Savoy Cabbage - very versitile


Scallians (Spring Onions) essential for Chinese and Irish dishes

Goats cheese - if you like your cheese creamy

Flour and baking soda - for making your own bread products

Fresh salmon, cod, whiting, hake, haddock etc

Various jars of Italian, Chinese and Indian sauces (some ingredients cannot be purchased in Canada)

Lots of salad dressings - Thai, Italian, French, Spanish etc

Rice for Asian and European dishes

Coffee - Please don't say you use Foldgers or Maxwell house!

Indian and Turkish teas for relaxing at night

 

The standards for me:

Sugar - baking, sweetener for drinks
Butter - sticks or spreadable
White bread
Crackers - salted tops
Oatmeal - quick oats for fast cooking
Oil - olive, corn, veggie
Doritos - they keep hubby off my back
Lettuce - iceberg for sandwiches and romaine for salads
Popcorn - snacking

Spice:
Oregano
Basil
Parsely
Cinnamin
Thyme
Baking powder
Vanilla


That's all from me. I had a hard time coming up with things others hadn't posted yet!

 

Whole meal bread. Real butter. Real veggies. Real meat -- no supermarket stuff. Perhaps some quark. Garlic flavoured quark isn't bad. Some jam that doesn't taste like instant jelly. Lots of mineral water, especially for coffee brewing.

Herbs depend on what you want, need or like. Myself, sometimes I will only tolerate salt, sometimes I need all sorts. There's a lot of this stuff in the kitchen.

 

If you like salads purchase some Extra Virgin Olive oil and Balsamic Vinegar.

Only use Olive oil (or lard) for cooking.

 

Rice noodles and instant noodles and rice, to go with your short list of pasta.

No mayonnaise?

Depending on how you prepare your vegetables, you might want some veggie dip.

Cans - pasta/meat (good substitute meal if you're too lazy or tired to cook, or the power goes out), corn, pineapple, peaches.

 

Hehe. What about noodles, tomato concentrate, olive oil and herbs for some pasta experimenting?

 

Before I add them to the list, what is 'quark', and what is 'whole meal bread'?

 

Aren't quarks those hypothetical sub-atomic thingies?

EDIT: Here we go. This is from Webster's:

[ August 25, 2005, 23:01: Message edited by: Felinoid ]

 

Whole meal is black bread as opposed to white, but not the real black bread which is actually black and bitter and has a different name. Quark is not in the dictionary but I'm sure I've seen it in English, too, as a dairy product. Dang. White cheese won't explain it, I guess.

 

Thanks. I was sure it was the right word. But dictionary.cambridge.org didn't have it for whatever reason.

The stuff is really good with veggies and/or herbs. It's also great with honey or fruit jam. Or in pancakes. There are several kinds of cakes based on it, too. Pretty much universal.

 

Bag the "regular olive oil" and use canola for general cooking.

Skip frozen fish, except for shrimp, in favor of buying it fresh ON THE DAY YOU PLAN TO EAT IT. Tins of tuna, sardines, and clams are also good to have on hand.

Buy produce fresh, no more than one week in advance (with the exception of root veggies and hard squashes, which will keep longer). The only canned produce worth eating are corn, tomatoes, and pineapple, IMO, and the only frozen veggies worth keeping around are peas and lima beans.

Buy ginger fresh and store it in the fridge in a small jar, covered over with white wine, sake, rice vinegar, sherry, or some such. Grate as needed.

Herbs and condiments: Pesto sauce, sun dried tomatoes, chipotles in adobo, other hot peppers or pepper sauces, capers, corander seeds, bay leaves, Parmegiana-Reggiano (plus a grater)

You'll need long pastas like spaghetti and linguine, short pastas like fusilli or farfalle, and tiny pastas like acini de pepe or orzo (for soup, of course).

Other staples: CANNED BROTHS (beef, chicken, vegetable), dry breadcrumbs, brown sugar, honey, farina, polenta, oats

Have you given any thought to tools? You need a chef's knife and a paring knife at a minimum, plus a plastic cutting board. A 2-qt saucepan with lid, a 4-qt saucepan with lid, a 10" nonstick skillet, and a broiler pan. When it comes to gadgets, the most crucial things in my kitchen are my spring-loaded tongs and a digital probe thermometer.

 

Well, my grandmother (a former caterer) has been preparing me to move out with christmas gifts for years, so I have most of what you mentioned for tools.

Except a cutting board. I just realized I don't have a cutting board.

Hmmm. This list is getting long. I wonder if I can even get all of these items in one place. I may have to hit several stores.

 

Hmmm....dissregared all entries so far. All you *really* need a piece of paper that has all the numbers for the nearest Pizza Hut, Chineese Food 'Palace', or any other places that do home deliveries.

At some point, you won't even need the piece of paper...the numbers will be on your speed dial.

 

One for Bread
One for Veg
One for Fish
One for Meat
One for Garlic/Onions

Or get a couple of glass ones which you can't scratch. They're easier to clean & you won't get cross contamination of bacteria/taste.

 

You must be joking Kitrax, cooking is one of life's greatest pleasures.

 

Pint glasses. Essential for computer addicts who can't be bothered to get up regularly to top up their glass

 

Instead of canned broth, get Cubes. They're smaller and you can mix to tast.