What do you have in your pantry at any one time?

[whitestripe]

I am just wondering what people keep in stock as a general rule, or how many of you dont have a stocked pantry and just buy as you need. And if you DO just buy as you need, what do you normally have in your pantry anyway?

[GrimJack]

We buy pasta when it is cheap; we keep beans and rice in the pantry; I bought one of those 'Costco' emergency buckets (the stuff will get you through REALLY, REALLY tough times but is not anything you would want to eat); lots of canned tomato products (for use with the pasta); various kinds of Asian instant soups; some bottled water. Some of the stuff needs to be rotated but most will last.

[disneysteve]

We eat most meals at home so we always have a fully stocked fridge, freezer and pantry. I couldn't begin to list everything that is in there.

[SacredFaerie]

Pasta, canned tomatoes, beans, potatoes.

[zakity]

rice
dried beans
cans of beans
cans of tomatoes
pasta
tvp
flour
sugar
baking powder

[PrincessPerky]

Originally Posted by disneysteve

We eat most meals at home so we always have a fully stocked fridge, freezer and pantry. I couldn't begin to list everything that is in there.

ditto

between spices, 'basics' (flour, sugar, ect) and beans, and...I could be here all day.

[simpleyme]

we also eat at home so I could not list whats in my pantry as too much to list
but my pantry always has at least a weeks worth of Simple meals
the stuff I could just open and feed folks quickly if I have a lazy day or got sick

cans of chilli, soups and lots of noodles a can of spam and tuna in case we were desperate for meat ;-)
mostly I cook from scratch

[My English Castle]

Us too--lots of things. Always some canned soup, pasta, tomatoes, cereal, rice, beans, rice and bean mixes, --all the baking crud, dried fruit, etc.

[PrincessPerky]

OK I have some time (nursing baby awaiting email, here at keyboard anyway)...let's just see how long this takes

Baking stuff:
whole wheat flour
Brown sugar
baking soda
Baking powder (in fridge)
salt
cinnamon
honey
maple syrup (in fridge)
Molasses
ground cloves
ginger
pumpkin
bittersweet chocolate
semi sweet chocolate
coco powder
non imitation vanilla extract (though I hear making it yourself is way better)
oatmeal
corn meal

Canned stuff:
kidney beans
black beans
Tomatoes
tomato sauce
tuna
salmon

Junk food:
tortilla chips
salsa
instant breakfast drink powder
cashews
peanuts
granola bars
slim jims
craisins (dried sweetened cranberries)
raisins
instant oatmeal

Spices:
chili powder
pepper
cumin
crushed red pepper
cyan pepper
garlic
parsley sage rosemary and thyme
tarragon
paprika
honey dijon mustard and spice brown (in fridge)
terryaki sauce
vinegar (two kinds)
plus others I can't recall right now....

usually in there but out today:
whole wheat pasta
brown rice
popcorn
Potatoes and onions (though not totally nonperishable)

Then there is the fridge/freezer/counter, technically perishable, but in general I do not buy for this weeks groceries, I buy to fill the supply, then we eat from that (IE ground meat can be used for a variety of dishes, spinach or green beans as well) Or Apples and Bananas we buy a bunch every week, so they are always here. So I consider that all as a part of a well stocked kitchen.

What do you know only took 30 minutes wish EL was that easy to put down...

[SacredFaerie]

I think some of you missed the question. I tend to cook most days but my earlier list is what's ALWAYS in my pantry. The rest of my fridge content and pantry can flux depending on what we want to eat or what's on sale.

[disneysteve]

Originally Posted by SacredFaerie

I think some of you missed the question. I tend to cook most days but my earlier list is what's ALWAYS in my pantry.

I understood the question. My list of what is ALWAYS in the pantry would be longer than Princess Perky's. We have a closet pantry and 4 cabinets in the kitchen plus 2 shelving units in the basement. Then there is the refrigerator/freezer in the kitchen and the freezer in the basement. Between all of that space, there is lots of food at all times. Some is perishable but most is not. And most are items that we always keep on hand. When we start to run low, we buy another package of it.

[SnoopyCool]

We have about a 3 month supply of food. I just canned more chicken. I can (put-up) food where I can.

Anyway, we have a lot of food - all of the basic staples such as flour, sugar, veggies, spices, salt, etc.

[mommyof4]

We keep a well supplied pantry, usally with the basics- vegetables, canned fruit, ketchup, cereal bought on sale, flour, sugar, soups, spagehetti, chili makings, etc.

I usually keep the freezer well stocked with frozen foods, such as meat bought on sale, etc.

We always have lots of eggs on hand, too, thanks to our chickens.

[mom-from-missouri]

I buy in bulk, so I have all that PP listed and more. I have a deepfreeze in the garage, one in the basement and 2 full refrigerators also. We could probably eat for 90 days or more, but would run out of fresh milk. My chickens and ducks lay daily, so they are always replenishing my egg supply.
There is a picture of my basement stock up pantry on my blog below.

[Caoineag]

My pantry is all the basic baking stuff (yeast, flour, unsweetened cocoa, molasses, etc, so yes I mean all the basic baking stuff), dried beans (used to be canned but am trying to convert over), pasta of all shapes, all types of spices, all types of grains (I am missing quinoa, but I have couscous and the more common types), canned tomatoes and a variety of nuts and dried fruits.

Used to keep Better Than Buillon but recently figured out how to make stock cheap, easy and fairly quickly so no more of that.

The more basic ingredients in the house the better. Keeps me from eating out as much or spending a fortune when I want to make a particular dish.

[mommyof4]

Originally Posted by mom-from-missouri

I buy in bulk, so I have all that PP listed and more. I have a deepfreeze in the garage, one in the basement and 2 full refrigerators also. We could probably eat for 90 days or more, but would run out of fresh milk. My chickens and ducks lay daily, so they are always replenishing my egg supply.
There is a picture of my basement stock up pantry on my blog below.

Do you eat your duck eggs? I find them to be a yolky, but if I do use them, I use them to bake with.

[NeedaDollar]

Sugar
Pasta Noodles
Pasta Sauce
Rice
Cookie or muffin mix
Salt/season all
Brown Sugar
Coffee (instant)

[Judi Dial]

Lets see:
baking items (flours, sugars, levening) liquid sugars (syrups), canned goods, pasta, jams, canned prefab foods, canned veggies, seasonings, extra personal care items (tp, toothpaste,etc.), light bulbs, furnace/water filters, onions, potatoes, fruit, dried beans and grains (rice, lentils, etc.), drinking water and household water. We also buy our soap in bulk so I have large quantities of laundry, dish soap, and multipurpose spray concentrates.

[whitestripe]

thanks everyone for all your replies! :-)
the reason i was asking is because as some of you know, DF and I are in the process of buying a house. Currently the hosue we rent is about 5 minutes to the shops, or two minutes walk to the convenience store. I always try to have a pretty good stocked pantry, but I want to be REALLY organised when we move, because it's not really anywhere near any shops. So i guess I was just fishing for ideas as I am at a loss to what else I could stock in our pantry. This is what I usually have:
pasta, rice, risotto rice, rice noodles, wheat noodles, 2 minute noodles (DF's quick lunch), lasagne sheets, rice papers, canneloni tubes, nori sheets, tinned beans, dried beans, tinned tomatoes, passata, tomato paste, tea, espresso coffee, herbal tea, raw sugar, soy sauce, tomato sauce, bbq sauce, chilli sauce, plain flour, bi carb soda, juice, mineral water, ginger beer, coke (for DF's rum mixers), tuna, rice crackers, tinned fruit, oven baked muesli bars, oats, desicated coconut, dried fruit, tinned coconut milk, honey, cocoa, peanut butter, hazelnut spread, jam, tahini, plus ALL the herbs and spices you can possibly imagine. well. not ALL. but lots.

so yeah i don't know. sometimes even with ALL that in the pantry i still feel like there's not enough. any suggestions??? :S

[disneysteve]

Originally Posted by whitestripe

sometimes even with ALL that in the pantry i still feel like there's not enough. any suggestions??? :S

Make a list of 10 or 12 common meals that you like to make and make sure you always keep the ingredients around for those meals. We have lots of things in the panty that get used very rarely when we make a particular item, like a jar of molasses which might get used less than once each year. Other things, like breakfast cereal, get used every day. In between things, like soy sauce, get used every few weeks.

What matters is if you have what you need when you need it.