What are your kitchen staples?

[SoonerTexan]

Just curious to see what people keep on hand--I always find it interesting to see what unique foods/ingredients different people use as part of their regular cooking

[SoonerTexan]

Mine:

Fridge:
Greek-Style Yogurt--so creamy and delicious (even when it's nonfat)
Capers
Lemon Juice
Kalamata olives when I can afford them
Turkey bacon

Pantry:
Salt-free blends from the Savory Spice Shop
Balsamic Vinegar
Chai tea latte mix
Coconut oil
Stevia sweetener--all the other stuff gives me headaches
Protein bars

[DCJenn]

I have every condiment known to human kind- mustards, jams, relishes, sauces, vinegars, oils. Literally the entire door of my fridge is full of crazy condiments- rosewater, sherry vinegar, walnut oil, anchovy paste, dessicated coconut, habenero jam, etc.

The pantry always has pasta, rice and cous cous. A couple of cans of different kinds of beans and always some diced tomatos.

The freezer- more rice, hash browns, french fries, veggies and TONS of frozen fruit.

Jenn

[v-girl]

This is great! I need to start cooking real food more often. I will be making a list off everyone else's!

[Vishenka69]

I also load up on various:
- condiments (several different types of oils/vinegars, dijon mustard, anchovy paste, tomato paste in tube, various jams/spreads, mayo, soy & teriyaki sauces, asian marinades, etc.).
- cans, there's always black beans, chickpeas, corn, sweet peas, plain tomato sauce, several types of tomatoes (diced, whole, pressed, sliced, etc.), tuna, chicken, sometimes salmon/crab/shrimp.
- grains (brown & white rice, several different pastas, cous-cous).
- spices (lots of premixed and single dried spices).
- baking stuff (all purpose & whole wheat flour, baking soda, baking powder, white/brown/powdered sugar, variety of Girardelli chocolate chips & cocoa powder, vanilla & almond extract, cinnamon, cream of tartar).
- random (bread & panko crumbs, chicken stock, potatoes, garlic, yellow & red onions, shallots).

It's a big list but my pantry is actually pretty small (more apt size than house size), so each thing is available in small quantity and is replenished often.

[Amiens]

Fridge: Red Bell Peppers, Cucumbers, Cilantro, Italian Parsley, Ginger Root

Pantry: all sorts of beans- garbanzo, black, pinto, kidney, cannellini; Whole grain Tortillas; olive oil; balsamic vinegar; fresh garlic

Freezer: chicken, beef, and as of late- a couple of homemade freezer chicken pot pies, and homemade freezer cinnamon rolls

[ladymoreta]

- Lots of different spices
- Herb garden (thyme, parsley, rosemary, sage, basil, and mint)
- Spaghetti and spaghetti sauce
- Bag/precut lettuce
- Frozen peas and corn
- Canned soup
- Frozen skillet dinner (like Bertolli)
- Milk
- Breakfast bars

I've never been the type of cook who can create meals on the fly. I always have to follow a recipe, even for scrambled eggs(!), so I don't keep a lot of ingredients on hand. Our standby meals are spaghetti, soup, or skillet dinners. I also eat soup for lunch pretty much every day, so we keep a lot of that.

[Meenah]

Like Jenn, every spice and condiment imagineable.
Beans
Pasta
Rice
canned tomatoes, diced, whole, & pureed
chicken stock/broth
frozen vegetables
frozen shrimp

I always have frozen chicken breasts,I use the Rachel Ray tip I have posted before. I'll find it and repost it.