Conference turris::cooks

    flour, sugar, brown sugar, eggs, butter, salt, chocolate chips, baking powder,
    baking soda, vanilla, walnuts.
    
    Nearly essential: mint chocolate chips and Reese's peanut butter chips,
    milk, orange juice.

    Coffee and milk.  The day wouldn't get started w/out it.

    Oil, vinegar, salt, sugar, flour, coffee, milk, eggs, mayo, margarine,
    rice, pasta, garlic/onions/parsley, potatoes and beans...
    
    those are my staples, I can do a lot of dishes with just the above...

There is a grocery lists topic somewhere in this notes file.  You could 
probably find what you are looking for there.

Karen

    Happy shopper chocolate milk - the best
    
    Lots of wine - 
    
    Cheers
    Dust Th'ippy
    

in the freezer:

	real whole wheat flour
	real whole kernel corn meal
	real whole rye flour

in the pantry:

	dried chicken soup base (no msg) that I can buy at Cosentinos - it
		comes in 16 oz. canisters and is wonderful for quick broth
		based soups like Italian Wedding Soup.

	dried beef soup base (see above)

	canned, diced tomatoes.

	dried mushrooms of varied varieties

	dried pastas of various shapes

	full range of dried herbs and REAL vanilla; whole peppercorns, salt

	super-fine and regular sugar; dark brown sugar

	dried yeast packets

	sweetened condensed milk

	key lime juice; bottled

	good quality dark chocolate (bittersweet preferred)

	canned red kidney beans - light salt; canned white beans - light salt;
    
	dried, seasoned (Italian) bread crumbs

	first cold-pressed olive oil (very fruity)

	light olive oil (very little flavor)

	balsamic vinegar (best you can buy - from Modena)

	red wine vinegar; white wine vinegar

	canola oil

	arrowroot and cornstarch

	baking powder; baking soda

	plain white flour (unbleached)

	dried onions    

	cream of wheat; steel-cut oats (Irish oatmeal); oatmeal; wheat hearts
		cereal --- these all are good in breads

	canned, flaked ham; canned chicken breast meat

	winter baking supply of nuts (used before spring)

    What you need depends entirely on your household constituency and your
    tastes.  My household is me, my husband, a baby, a dog (dog food not
    listed below), and assorted guests.  My husband drinks the skim milk,
    baby drinks whole, and coffee is for guests, for example.
    
    I do some baking, but not a lot.  I do a lot of cooking from scratch,
    and avoid artificial ingredients and manufactured foods, with few
    exceptions.  We eat home a lot and don't eat much sugar or salt.  I
    don't do fancy gourmet cooking; my style is good basic food.
    
    Developing a staples list was very helpful for me; good luck to you.
    By grouping it in categories its easier to think of what you'd like.
    
    These are foods I always have in the house (thank God we can afford to
    do it).  I buy fruit, vegetables, meat, special cheeses, and
    ingredients for certain dishes, on an as-needed basis, and depending on
    what's fresh, available, and on sale.
    
    BEVERAGES:
    
    Instant coffee                               Seltzer
    Ground coffee for perking                    Diet soda
     (in freezer)                                Nestle Quick chocolate mix
    Several herbal teas                          Whole milk for baby
    Packets of artificial sweetener              Skim milk
    Honey                                        Apple juice
                                                 Tomato juice
    BAKING:
    
    Unbleached flour                     Baking powder
    Whole wheat flour (in freezer)       Baking soda
    White sugar                          Corn meal
    Dark brown sugar                     Hydrogenated vegetable shortening
    Raisins                              Margarine  (keep in freezer)
    Dry yeast                            Pam spray (a necessity) 
    
    SPICES and SEASONINGS:
    
    Cinnamon	                         Parsley
    Nutmeg                               Other herbal spices you like
    Vanilla extract                      McIllhenny Tabasco sauce
    Black pepper (whole, in grinder)     Paprika
    Sea salt                             Capers (in jar, for schnitzel)
    Soy sauce   
    
    GRAINS AND STARCH:
    
    Buckwheat groats                     Italian spaghetti
    Brown rice                           Other Italian pasta, eg elbows
    Oatmeal                              Egg noodles
    Breakfast cereal
    
    NUTS (all unsalted, not roasted, stored in freezer):
    
    Walnuts                              Shredded coconut
    Pecans                               Whole sesame seeds (not frozen)
    Cashews                                 from health food store
    Slivered almonds
    
    CANNED AND BOTTLED GOODS:
    
    Tomatoes in puree                    Canned chicken broth (low salt)
    Tomato paste                         Canned beef broth
    Apple sauce (unsugared)              Cream of mushroom soup         
    Pureed baby vegs in little jars      Low-salt cream of tomato soup       
    Ketchup                              Tuna in water, no salt added   
    Low-fat mayonnaise                   Italian-style tomato sauce 
    Mustard                              Spicy salsa
    Pineapple chunks                     Bread crumbs
    Peanut butter (unsalted)
    Smucker's all-fruit jam
    
    SNACKS AND CRACKERS:
    
    Whole grain crackers                 Rice cakes (good for baby)
    Bread sticks                         Graham Crackers (sometimes)
    Apple sauce in single-serving
      containers
    
    OIL AND VINEGAR:
    
    Olive oil                             Apple cider vinegar
    Plain oil - eg. soy, safflower, etc.  White vinegar
    Sesame oil                            Red wine vinegar
                                          Balsamic vinegar
    OTHER DAIRY:
    
    Whipped butter in tub                Parmesan cheese (grate in food
    Plain yogurt (sometimes)               processor at home)
    Cream cheese (sometimes)             Cheddar cheese
    
    PRODUCE:
    
    Onions                               Bananas
    Chopped garlic in little jar         Potatoes
    Fresh fruit in season                Salad vegetables
    Fresh vegetables in season           Frozen vegetables, fruit to fill in
    
    MEAT and FISH:
    
    Low-fat ground beef
    Skinless, boneless chicken breasts (Get on sale and  freeze them)
    Lamb, beef, veal, fresh fish, or whatever's good and reasonable
    
    BREAD:
    
    Wholewhat bread
    Rye bread
    French bread (sometimes)
    
    NON-FOODS for KITCHEN:
    
    Paper towels                        Plastic wrap
    Everyday paper napkins              Sandwich bags
    "Company" paper napkins             Aluminum foil
    Culinary string for trussing birds  Wax paper
    Culinary gauze                      Dish detergent (to use in sink)
    Spray bottle of all-purpose cleaner Dishwasher detergent
    Sponges                             Softscrub (brand) cleanser
    
    Laura

  I kind of agree with the sort of stuff in the list in .6. The
  easy-to-get stuff I don't worry about, because I know I can get it any
  day at any supermarket or convenience store. It's the hard-to-find
  stuff that I make sure not to run out of. Try getting saffron (or
  balsamic vinegar) on Tuesday when Idylwilde's closed. If you run out
  of that on a Monday night, you could be in BIG trouble.

         In my kitchen, I have to keep these stocked:
    
         Crushed Red Pepper
         Cumin
         Cardamom
         Worcestershire Sauce
         Cayenne Pepper
         Whole Peppercorns
         Some variety of pasta
         Tomato Sauce
         Garlic
         Onions
         Broccoli

    >> It's the hard-to-find
    >> stuff that I make sure not to run out of. Try getting saffron (or
    >> balsamic vinegar) on Tuesday when Idylwilde's closed. If you run out
    >> of that on a Monday night, you could be in BIG trouble.

	Not that BIG.  Go to the Elegant Farmer in Chelmsford instead.

	8-)

    Keep an extra container of 'rare' ingredients, and train everyone in
    the household who cooks to write things on the grocery list as they use
    them up.  That way, you don't suddenly find that you are out of
    something in the middle of a recipe.
    
    It even works for un-rare things like laundry detergent - but you have
    to maintain discipline, or laziness takes over and the item doesn't end
    up on the grocery list anyhow, necessitating a "quick" grocery run at
    some inconvenient time...
    
    /Charlotte (whose household is out of milk...shopping day was supposed
    to be Thursday!)

    RE:  .7
    
    I forgot to put eggs on the staples list.  I put it on my shopping list
    under "dairy" because that's where the stores keep it.
    
    Also add tofu under produce.
    
    Good point in the previous reply - we also stock Worcestershire sauce,
    and A-1 Sauce as well.
    
    Laura

    I also forgot to put plain gelatin on my list.  I use it for making
    desserts (instead of raw, whipped egg whites), and for making homemade
    "jello" mold, using fruit juices.  For kids, you can mix gelatin with
    Juicy Juice or other highly sweet natural fruit juices.
    
    Laura

    Chocolate
    Beer