One of my favorite staples is Saco powdered buttermilk. Great for biscuits and pancakes. I also stock up on evaporated milk. It comes in handy when DH finishes off the milk just as I'm needing some for a recipe. I make homemade pizza often, so I buy bags of shredded Mozzarella when it's on sale and keep them in the freezer(along with lots of those little bags of sliced pepperoni). My all-purpose baking stash(in addition to said buttermilk)consists of bread flour, wheat germ, flax seed, walnuts, oatmeal and bulk baking yeast which is much cheaper than the packaged stuff. I usually get it at the local co-op/health food store.
Hope this gives you an idea or two.

Staples in my baking cabinet: cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, vanilla extract, vinegar (white and cider), Bisquick (reduced fat variety), Saco powdered buttermilk, pancake syrup, spices, Karo, pancake mix, baking dye, cupcake liner papers, olive oil, canola oil, and oatmeal. (I'm doing this from memory.)

Staples in my refrigerator: catsup, mustard, mayo, Miracle Whip, pickles, salad dressings (ranch, Italian), sour cream, margarine, butter, sandwich cheese, deli meats, coconut, powdered milk (I refrigerate it), and a box of wine.

Staples in other cabinets: pasta, rice, quick mixes (for the daughter), canned vegetables and fruits, soups (including cream of blank Healthy Request variety), 2 liter bottles of sodas, iced tea mix, cereals, bottles of wine, extra bottles of juice, bags of sugar, boxes of brownie and cake mixes (I rarely bake completely from scratch).

In the freezer: chocolate and butterscotch chips, butter and margarine, pastas, vegetables, meat and poultry. Also flour, corn meal, yeast, and pudding mixes.

I'm on vacation at a hotel, so this was all from memory - not looking and may have forgotten a LOT!

DonnaR/CA

Now that I have a bigger, better organized pantry, I recently made a list of pantry staples that I try to keep on hand. Your own list of staples will vary with your taste and style of cooking, but this list may help:

Pantry inventory:

soups  tomato, chicken noodle, cr. mushroom, cr. celery, cr. chicken, beef broth, chicken broth, dried onion soup mix

vegetables  mushrooms, corn, creamed corn, green chilies, black beans, garbanzo beans, pork Ân beans, pintos, kidney beans, dried beans, split peas, lentils, canned pumpkin

tomato products  large sauce, small sauce, diced, stewed, crushed, paste, Rotel tomatoes

fruit  small mandarin oranges, pineapple, crushed pineapple, apricots, applesauce, dried fruits

sauces/condiments  yellow mustard, Dijon mustard, catsup, Worcestershire sauce, fish sauce, taco sauce,
BBQ sauce, soy sauce, hot sauce, pasta sauce

oils/vinegars  canola or safflower oil, olive oil, red wine vinegar, rice vinegar, flavored vinegar (Orange Muscat), balsamic vinegar, cider vinegar

wines/spirits  red wine, vermouth, sherry, brandy, Irish whiskey

baking  a-p flour, self-rising flour, cake flour, other flour (whole wheat and soy), sugar, brown sugar, 10X sugar, honey, molasses, cornstarch, cocoa, baking chocolate, graham cracker crumbs, seasoned bread crumbs, panko, potato flakes, Kosher salt, dried milk, evaporated milk, sweetened condensed milk

grains  oatmeal, cream of wheat, brown rice, white rice, barley, couscous, tapioca, quinoa

pasta  spaghetti, linguine, bowtie, mini penne, mini twists, elbows, orzo, egg noodles

mixes  Ranch dip, taco, enchilada sauce, Knorr salad dressing

fish/seafood  tuna, salmon, smoked salmon, sardines, clams

staples  cereal, saltine crackers, pretzels, canned dog food, dog kibble, Brita water filters, paper towels, pickled salad cubes, olives, tea and tea bags, coffee, onions, potatoes, stuffing

These are pantry items and the list does not include spices or refrigerated items.

Canned Staples: Beans, usually black and red and chick peas; chicken broth, sardines, tuna, anchovies, Italian tomatoes, Libby's pumpkin. Imagine soups: No-Chicken Broth, tomato, butternut squash, portobello mushroom; Olive Oil, Balsamic Vinegar, white cider vinegar,regular red wine vinegar, red wine. Spices: Paprika, thyme, rosemary, oregano,cumin, cardemon and coriander - seeds and powdered; curry powder that I mix myself at a local shop (I have to avoid nutmeg)

Fridge: a quart each of 1% & 2% milk, fat free plain yogurt, a few 6oz cups of strawberry yogurt, 2% cottage cheese, fresh berries, eggs (at least 6 hard boiled) OJ,grape juice, jarred borsht (in summer)roasted beets, butter, ketchup, relish, olives, reduced fat mayo, several jars of preserves, white wine

Coffee in the freezer- caf and decaf, various tea bags and loose Earl Grey and of course all the regular baking supplies including a small glass bottle of real maple syrup, no opaque containers that you can't see the mold forming in.

I keep several types of bread in the freezer. I don't bake my own.- There are plenty of good breads on the market that I like and no shortage of bakeries in Brooklyn.

I have pots of herbs on my deck that I use most of the time but I couldn't live without many jarred spices in the closet.

Of course there is always a variety of cheeses too. No pre-shredded or grated ones though, they dry out too quickly.

Well, that was from memory and I am sure I omitted things I would not want to live without. But you get the idea.

From Wally World I buy rice, coffee, and cashews. I most always check the bulk beef for any 5lb round roasts marked for last day sale. Not food but related I buy most of my wax paper, tinfoil, plastic wrap, and parchment paper. Laundry products are also in my basket. Most of my bottled condiments are Walmart... I like their basalmic vinegar!

They do not do well for me on canned tomatoes or beans as they only have small cans. Local grocer has 6lb cans of kidney beans and Red Gold tomatoes and per pound they beat the Walmart price. The large cans make excellent 100 yard targets for rifle practice. Most of my .38 Special and 30-06 ammo from Walmart. They don't carry .308 Norma Magnum rounds! Walmart does an excellent job with dried legumes! Bakery items are yucky.

: )
lyra