Sunday, January 25, 2009

Stocking your kitchen

I am a very picky eater (worse than a 5 year old). So when I found a recipe book called 4 Ingredient Dinners by Betty Crocker, I got very excited because this meant very bland, and easy foods. As I was sitting down to look through this, I found a list of foods to keep in your kitchen. Here, I share them with you, but first a bit of advice: don't go out and buy all of these! It's just a suggestions. If you don't like an item, don't buy it just because this says to. What I would suggest doing, is as you make a recipe buy the items, and if you like the recipe, keep the items in your kitchen! 
Produce:
Fruits:
Apples, pears, bananas, grapes
Citrus fruits (lemons, limes, oranges)
Vegetables:
Carrots
Celery
Onions
Potatoes
Ready-to-use salad mix
Tomatoes
In the Fridge:
Breads and Dough Products:
Pita breads
Ready-to-eat pizza crust
Ready-to-use garlic or cheese breads
Refrigerated doughs (biscuit, breadsticks)
Tortillas (corn, flour)
Condiments:
Chocolate syrup
Chopped garlic
Hummus
Prepared horseradish
Prepared pesto
Dairy:
Alfredo sauce
Butter or margarine
Cheese (grated, shredded, sliced)
Cream cheese
Eggs or egg substitutes
Milk
Sour cream
Yogurt (plain, flavored)
Meat, Poultry and Fish:
Bacon
Boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs
Deli meats (ham, salami)
Fresh or frozen fish steaks
Ground meat
Ready-to-cook seasoned mean and poultry products
Sausage (smoked, hot dogs, bratwurst)
In the Freezer:
Desserts and whipped topping
Dough (bread, pizza)
Fruits (blueberries, raspberries, strawberries)
Ice cream and frozen yogurt
Juice concentrate
Pizza
Ravioli (cheese- or beef-filled)
Vegetables (corn, green beans, any favorite combination)
Bakery:
Breads (sandwich bread, rolls, bagels, hamburger and hot dog buns)
Cookies
Prepared cake (angel food, pound)
Off the Shelf:
Baking Basics:
Bisquick baking mix
Cake mix
Canned frosting
Chips (semisweet chocolate, peanut butter)
Corn syrup
Dried fruit (cranberries, cherries, raisins)
Evaporated milk
Flour
Nuts (almonds, walnuts, pistachios)
Shredded coconut
Sugar (granulated, brown, powdered)
Canned Basics:
Beans (garbanzo, kidney, black, white northern, refried
Black olives
Broth (beef, chicken, vegetable)
Canned tuna and shrimp
Fruits (cranberry, pineapple, cocktail)
Green chilies
Mushrooms
Pasta, pizza sauces
Soups
Tomato products (sauce, paste, stewed, diced, seasoned)
Water chestnuts
Cereals and Snacks:
Bread crumbs
Cereals
Corn meal
Crackers
Croutons
Tortilla chips
Condiments and Sauces:
Asian (hoisin, peanut, duck, sweet-and-sour and stir-fry sauces)
Barbecue sauce
Chili
Cocktail sauce
Honey
Ice-cream toppings
Ketchup
Maple syrup
Mustards (Dijon, spicy brown, yellow)
Peanut butter
Pimentos
Preserves (jam, jelly, marmalade)
Salsa, pecante sauce
Soy sauce, teriyaki sauce 
Worcestershire sauce
Dressings, Oils and Vinegars:
Cooking spray
Marinades
Mayonnaise, salad dressing
Oils (vegetable, olive)
Salad dressings
Vinegars (balsamic, cider, white, red white)
Herbs, Spices and Dry Mixes:
Bacon flavor bits
Bouillon granules or cubes
Dried herbs (basil, chives, dill weed, fennel seed, mint, oregano, parsley flakes, rosemary, sage, tarragon, thyme)
Dry sauce mixes (cheese, gravy white)
Dry seasoning mixes (meat loaf, sloppy Joe, spaghetti)
Dry soup mixes
Herb or seasoning blends, regular or salt free (Italian seasoning, lemon, Cajun/Creole)
Instant unflavored gelatin
Pepper seasoning
Salad dressing mix
Salt
Sesame seeds
Spices (chili powder, cumin, curry powder, garlic and onion powder or salt, ground cinnamon, ground ginger, nutmet, paprika)
Pasta, Rice, Grains and Potatoes:
Couscous
Instant potatoes
Noodle and pasta mixes
Pasta (long, short and tube types)
Potato mixes
Rice (white, brown, long-grain and quick-cooking)
Rice mixes

3 comments:

  1. Oh I love this! I always have this problem.. sometimes when I go to the store I have "menu" ideas and know what to get, but I like to have a good pantry full of stuff for when I don't know what I'm doing but I need a variety.. but it's hard to know what to always have on hand.. I'm totally printing this out and starting to use it next trip to the store. I think stocking the pantry can also help with healthy eating, since you have good choices to go through, vs... ordering a pizza!

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  2. If the picture is your real pantry, I'm super jealous. I always try to make a list of things I need but end up getting there and I realized I generalize everything (Meat, fruit, cheese, cold cuts) and I end up forgetting things. Thanks. I'm making multiple copies for my weekly shopping list, and crossing off what I already have.

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  3. No, unfortunately this is not anything like my current or past pantry. In my current home, a condo I purchased nearly a year ago, I have a hall closet (that is also my linen closet and where I put my tools and light bulbs and such). In my hall closet I have mixing bowls and measuring cups and Tupperware. I just moved my food out of there a few weeks ago and into my two cabinets above my sink (I have two full sized, but shallow upper cabinets, one that is width wise small, and four that are height wise short. I moved half of my cups and other odds and ends into two of the short cabinets and kept some in the small cabinet where I also put my bowls. My plates on in a rack on the refrigerator, which I intend to put on a shelf over my stove, once I buy the shelf.
    It's a 560 sq foot apartment and everything is a tight squeeze, but I bought new furniture when I moved in and everything fits very nicely. (with plenty of storage at my parents)

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