I always have milk, eggs, cheese, butter, fresh fruit, garlic, olive oil, canned tomatoes.

My husband has to have prosciutto, coffee, dried fruit, nuts, rib eyes.

edited to add chocolate to husband's list.

• broth
• canned tomatoes (various types)
• mayonnaise
• canned beans (kidney, garbanzo, etc.)
• raw carrots

I'm replying without looking at the others. The obvious, I think. Milk, bread, butter and eggs.

Beyond that? Apples, bananas pears and usually strawbs.

Plain yogurt, and frozen fruit and spinach for smoothies. Frozen OJ (for smoothies).

Peanut butter, Special K, Cheerios, Club crackers, Graham crackers.

Rice pilaf, ramen noodles, broths.

Added: fresh Broccoli, fresh lettuce, lemons, cheddar cheese.

There are many more things I always have but here's a few

• salad vegies (lettuces, peppers, carrots, cukes...)
• buttermilk
• Santa Cruz Dark Roasted Peanut Butter
• heavy cream
• eggs
• dark chocolate

• EVOO

• Kerrygold

• 2% Milk

• dried pasta

• canned beans

Seems like we all have canned tomatoes LOL. I do also. I usually have homemade (frozen) pasta sauce, but last year's tomato crop was not good, so am out. Hoping this year will be better. Must have eggs and milk (milk mainly for the Mr. or cooking). Corn meal, buttermilk for cornbread. I usually have yogurt and granola on hand also. PB and mayo for the Mr. also. Flaxseed wraps (new to me) and almonds/dried cranberry mix for salads. And yes, Funky, I always have canned tuna on hand.

Marlene, I was going to say, you have way more will power than me if you can have all that chocolate in the house. I have to just not buy the stuff, or buy only enough for one serving. I make Mr. TM hide the halloween candy. Sad, but true. :(

milk, eggs, coffee, butter

Carrots, apples, pears, broccoli, salad fixings, tuna, canned salmon.

Salted and unsalted butter, coffee, both instant and drip, milk, eggs, bread, onion, bananas, and we DO keep large bars of dark chocolate!

Mtn, I had some Special K this morning and I've gotten to where I can't stand it anymore. It turns into a soggy mess.

My favorite cereal, other than a local granola that is sinfully rich with nuts, is Cascadian Farm Multigrain Squares. But no one else likes it. So in Q-hoarding mode, I bought the cereals we all like ... Special K, Cheerios and Rice Krispies. Seemed logical to stick with what was popular.

You gotta learn to wolf it down maybe?

Interesting. I wonder how much variation there is from person to person on "the basics." My "basics" include flour, rice, sugar, butter, eggs, milk, onions, a neutral oil and olive oil. I've increased the quantity of yeast after almost running out.

• apples and some other fruit
• veggies - it varies
• tomato sauce
• chicken stock
• homemade cat food for the litte princesses

DH's pantry has several kinds of soda pop, chocolate candy, cookies, nuts and canned salmon.

Butter

chicken stock/broth

eggs

olive oil

canned tomatoes

a couple of different pastas

wine

coffee

There are way more than 5 things that I always have.

My "pantry" for the non-refrigerated goods.

other than the basics....

Jasmine rice

cream of chicken soup

coffee

tea (for making ice tea)

Potatoes

In the Fridge:

Butter

milk

eggs

chicken stock

creamer

Fiber One Original Cereal

Dried Pasta, usually small shells and linguini

Canned Garbanzo Beans

Canned Tuna

Plain Greek Yogurt

Butter

Mustard

Olive Oil

Lemons

Salad Greens

Cheese Assortment

Fridge: Olives, seltzer, provolone cheese, bagels, cream cheese

pantry: several kinds of flour, ghiradell chocolate chips, panko,new hope mills pancake mix.

milk

all kinds of cheese

butter

many types of salad greens

diet pepsi LOL

butter

milk, half and half

eggs

cheeses

oils

usual condiments

cereals

rice, pastas

stocks

since quarantine: frozen vegetables!

Canned mackerel

Canned sardines

Canned olives

Chips fried in olive oil

Evaporated milk

Oatmeal

apples

real butter

unsweetened iced tea

kalamata olives

I think of pantry as sustainable for months. Canned tomatoes with green chili’s, canned mushrooms, chicken/ beef stock, rice and pasta and beans

Pantry staples include three types of King Arthur Flour ( AP, self raising, bread), canned San Marzano tomatoes, Arborio rice, Goya garbanzo and canellinii beans, steel cut oats, dried fruits (strawberries, blueberries, apricots, raisins, currants,), shelf stable whole milk, saltine crackers, peanut butter and almond butter.

Refrigerated staples include wine, prosecco for my mother‘s daily 5 pm drink, triple strength tomato paste in a squeeze tube, eggs, buttermilk, heavy cream, half and half, ricotta, sour cream, Creme fraiche, parmesan, marscapone, mozzarella,, Boursin, garlic, shallots, butter, romaine lettuce, kale and other veg, apples and berries.

“Countertop” staples are campari tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, bananas and my hydroponic herb garden.

I can rattle off almost everything we have in pantry and fridge bc I buy almost the same stuff all the time. We don’t really buy prepared foods any longer. Our beloved housekeeper / cook who retired five years ago (and died last year) was replaced with a person who is a Terrible, Awful, No Good cook. I had to relearn to cook all over again.

Today I spoke to SIL in Alabama to ask if other visiting SIL and fam in town for MIL‘s graveside service needed. anything food wise that hadn’t been provided by friends and relatives. She said they needed a little something for tomorrows breakfast and within two hours I had baked a batch of cinnamon scones (Paul Hollywood) and one of sausage and sage biscuits (NYT) for DH to take down to them today. Five years ago I would have flipped out! Today I sent a nice basket packed with those breads individually wrapped in parchment paper. It didn’t even occur to me to try to go somewhere to buy stuff to send. I have finally become Suzy Homemaker at age 63!

In the fridge:

Milk (2%)

Bread

Butter

Diet Pepsi

Apples

In the pantry:

Progresso Minestrone Soup

Campbells Cream of Mushroom Soup

Crunchy peanut butter

Rice (various kinds) and pasta

Canned tuna

I have tons of everything and always have a well stocked refrig and pantry but of the unusual or fun that I eat everyday:

smoked sardines

Ghiradelli salted caramel squares

green lentils

asparagus

hard cider

I decided to distill my list down to the 5 things I always buy to stock a vacation place, as these must be the essence of what I consider essential. I do have to cheat and make a me list and a husband list.

Me: blueberries, Greek yogurt, steel cut oats, Lipton tea, almond butter

Him: milk, Cheerios, coffee, bananas, some type of cracker (wheat thins usually)

Hmmm, interesting question:

almond milk

eggs

frozen fruit for our daily smoothies

plain as vanilla Greek yogurt

Smart Balance, in place of butter

almond flour

nuts: walnuts, almonds, piñon , pecans

bananas

coffee & tea!!!

In Fridge:

Organic Milk

Half and Half

Washed Vegs and Fruit

Eggs

Blocks of Medium Cheddar Cheese (I shred myself one at a time)

Bottled Water

In Pantry:

Canned Whole Green Beans (cooked with bacon grease, only kind my family likes)

Cereal (for DS)

Creamy Peanut Butter

Sardines (Various flavors for DH)

Garbanzo Beans

I've enjoyed the responses! Yes, I really didn't even mention basics, but I guess we all consider different things as basic. Flour, sugar, rice, pasta, PB, milk, eggs, coffee, tea etc.

Localeater, we all have more than 5 things, I just picked a number. As you can see, many of us didn't stick to that.

KSWL, too funny Suzy Homemaker! I have always enjoyed cooking, but even more so now that I do not work and have more time for it. We do not buy many prepared items either. PS there are tomatoes on my kitchen windowsill right now!

Bumblebeez, I will take some of that salted caramel. There are not many items that I eat every single day.

Mountain, that is funny about all the cereal. I don't know that I've ever tasted special K. There is rarely a box of cereal to be found in this house. Oatmeal, yes.

PS - I never put apples in the fridge but keep coffee in the freezer. Coffee is usually only made here when we have guests. I do, however, have my morning cuppa cappa. Guess I should have added that as a basic! LOL

Have a great day!!

I think cereal is mostly a kid thing. ANd they will eat it any time of day. ALthough I seem to recall reading once that 20% of adults have cereal for dinner 1x a week!?

Funny about cereal. I've never liked cold cereal for breakfast, but every couple of years, I'll get a yen for raisin bran and bananas for dinner.

Refrgerator:

butter,

half and half,

whole milk,

eggs,

Parmesan, Comté, Feta,

box of salad greens

Pantry:

almonds, walnuts,

jarred pesto,

anchovies, sardines, tuna

dried canellinis,

tube of extra strength tomato paste

Counter:

apples,

oranges,

bananas,

tomatoes,

shallots

And Petit Beurre, Rich Tea and Hobnob cookies

Ahem, I was trying to follow the 5-item rule but now I see that I needn’t have limited my list but OMG how did I omit coffee? That is #1 on my everyday menu!

Also. When DD was first sent home from college, I believe it was early March but could have been 72 months ago because I have no sense of time, I bought pop tarts for fun. We have pop tarts maybe once every 2 years? Well, today I was rearranging a cabinet and found the last remaining, oh so shiny wrapped duo of pop tarts. Guess what I had for lunch? Don’t judge.

I love the Pop Tart confession, Sue!

So many, many things I could list! Must have tinned tomatoes, chickpeas, shallots, onions, fresh garlic. Off the top of my head. But so many other things, too. I can't live without coffee. Or tea. Cheeses of all stripes. A vast assortment of vinegars (I probably have about 10). Jalapeños--fresh, canned, pickled. Hot sauces galore (probably 5-8 kinds). Sigh. No wonder my pantry and fridge are bursting at the seams.

Coffee

Milk

Half and half

Butter

Eggs

Plus lots more...

My list is would be fairly long. Things others may not think are essential but I always keep on hand include.

spinach, my favorite green

sriracha sauce,

boursin cheese

smoked salmon

garlic stuffed olives

Biscoff cookies

,

I do not know how I forgot coffee either, Sue! Except for us it is a refrigerator staple, Douwe Egbert coffee concentrate that comes to us on dry ice. Cold filtered and the smoothest coffee ever. It comes in a two liter bladder meant for use in a commercial machine. We snip off an end of the plastic and use a funnel to fill squeeze bottles that are kept refrigerated. It seems like a lot of trouble for coffee but it is so good I’ve stopped drinking any other kind.

I tried to keep it to five in each category, added a category and still failed ;-) Coffee, tea, sugar, flour, rice, oil, vinegar, balsamic, pepper, fleur de sel, canned tomatoes, the list is endless, and I don't even have that much pantry space and yet ...Oh, and a chocolate bar, or two, must have those too.

Mtn, one of my favorite cereals is Special K with dried strawberries. Perfect if you don't have any fruit on hand. I always put a whole banana in my cereal but was out until yesterday. I'm allergic to bananas unless I eat them with another food. Weird, I know.

Soy sauce

Toasted sesame oil

Tahini

Capers

Anchovies

That's five, and so I will stop.

Here are things that I have more than five of:

Dried beans (garbanzo, pinto, black, lentil, split pea, navy, Lima, etc.)

Cheese (Cheddar, Parmesan, Mozzarella, Provolone, Swiss, Jarlsberg, Asiago, Romano, Cotija, etc.)

Vinegar: Coconut, white wine, white Balsamic, aged Balsamic (more than 12 years), red wine, black Japanese, rice wine, etc.

Spices: Cinnamon, nutmeg, cumin, sumac, coriander, mustard, galangal, fennel, garam masala, etc.

Dried herbs: oregano, marjoram, thyme, bay leaf, basil, Kaffir lime leaves

Our pantry is pretty full. Tea bags, rice, canned tomatoes, canned and dry beans, rice, oatmeal, shelf stable almond milk, olives, green Chile’s, tuna, canned hash, boxed broth, canned corn,. since the Covid outbreak I have purchased some canned Annies organic stuff...I don’t even know why

A few of you have mentioned pop tart confessions, does the flavor come into the equation?

My two DS’s occasionally get pop tarts, and so those pretty, silver packages have called to me too. But DS1 gets ‘brown‘ flavors; s’mores, cinnamon, chocolate. These are no temptation. DS2 gets the pretty pink ones, so I begin to hear the siren song of frosted strawberry, raspberry or cherry. Only pink, not even blueberry, that’s purple. Lol

Coffee

Coffee creamer

Smooth and crunchy peanut butter

Boar’s Head turkey

San Pellegrino sparking water

Funny about poptarts-- every once in a while I think they sound good. Then I eat one and think blah, why?!!?

However, I have continued to get the regular deliveries from amazon for items I keep stocked in our office snack cabinet. I had to turn them off -- all except the one for Biscoff cookies. These are dangerous for me but I love dipping them in my coffee.

Early on in Q, I kept Tate's ginger zinger cookies in the house-- thankfully they haven't been available. I could be less than grown up around them!

If any of these items run out I will make a special trip to the store to get them.

Cheerios - regular and multi grain mixed together

Sliced roasted almonds

coffee

half & half

Ranch dressing

I'm not sure if my kids have had Pop Tarts or if for some reason they don't like them. (how can that be) But I don't have an excuse to buy them. I always see them at TJs for some reason and I wonder if someone makes a "good" Pop Tart. Must be pink. Because you have to have fruit at breakfast.

Ugh, I cringe when I think about the garbage food, including pop tarts, that I purchased for my kids when they were little. I can't remember if I was clueless about nutrition or trying to be the fun Mom or hypnotized by the convenience. Probably a combination of all three. I wised up when they were in mid-elementary.

I can recommend the "good" pop tart at the Iron Rooster in Annapolis, MD. Once or twice a year we'll get a wild hair to go there, very early, about a 45 minute drive from us. They don't call them pop tarts ("roo-start" or something like that), made fresh every day, and the filling varies. I prefer the cinnamon, but they offer various fruit fillings, too. They are light, flaky, buttery, eaten with a fork and knife, and must be shared (in my opinion). Heavenly.

Kkay, that almost sounds like a fried pie. We have two produce markets near us. One we rarely go to as it is not as near, and we just don't go to the area where it is located often. BUT, the wife of the husband/wife owner team, makes delicious fried apple and peach pies. We love the peach. To get one warm is heaven! The other little market gets the pies from an Amish community and I have tried a strawberry one this spring. I had to mush out much of the filling but other than that it was tasty. They also have a fruit and cream cheese combo in the pies, but I have not even let myself look at those. LOL

Fresh herbs (usually at least rosemary, thyme and sage) I use them for meats and marinades / sauces. a bag of peeled garlic, cut up lemon for my water, diced onion (you can see I don't like to do a lot of prep work when cooking) and eggs. More than 5 but always have half and half, almond milk, assorted cheeses that I can grate and snack on, grapes, fresh cut fruit and off the bone sliced turkey. I pretty much only shop at Whole Foods, love that their delivery time slots have reopened.

Amy's Soups.

Onions.

Butter.

Asian seasonings and sauces.

Canned beans, especially black beans.

Green veggies of some sort.

Dried mushrooms.

Various teas.

Coffee.

Wine/Rum.

Melt-able cheeses.

Eggs but they come from my backyard layers every day.

OMG Roadtrip!! Anapolis is such a lovely town, too.

I must try this Pop Tart! Who is with me?