Haha : store cupboard "essentials"

[BlingLoving]

The Times today has an extract from "Cooking for Real Life" with a list of store cupboard essentials (list pasted below). I laughed hysterically:

Edmond Fallot Dijon mustard
Olive and sunflower oil mix
Navarrico chickpeas
Al Wadi Tahini
Blanched almonds
Fish 4 Ever anchovies
Orlando Tomate Frito
Gari (Japanese pickled ginger)
Hanayuki panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
Melotti carnaroli risotto rice
Pitta bread

I do wonder if these people live in the real world. Even Jamie O's store cupboard essential list is insanely long and complex. My essential store cupboard list list looks like this:

Dried pasta
Rice
Couscous
Baked beans
Tinned cannelini beans
tinned tomatoe
selection of dried herbs
garlic cloves
onions (they last forever practically so I consider them store cupboard)
Chorizo (lasts forever in the fridge) or frankfurters in the freezer that don't really need defrosting
Jar mayonnaise
Lemons
And then I always have a selection of frozen vegetables in the freezer.
Olive oil
Balsamic vinegar

This is the stuff that I could go on on holiday for two weeks and come back knowing I could whip up a decent meal. We also always have eggs around but that's fresh food as it's got a distinct use by date.

What's in your "Essential cupboard" items?

I agree with them not living in the real world. Even though I do have a few of their "essential" list in my cupboard and am I am a keen cook with a (usually) full store cupboard, I think that you have the right idea-knowing I have the basics for a decent variety of meals in the house at all times is what constitutes a well stocked kitchen to me. Some items I always have in are:

Henderson's relish
Tinned tomatoes
Tomato puree
Tinned beans/sweetcorn
Good sized spice rack and a number of pots of fresh herbs.
Sea salt/black peppercorns
Good selection of cheeses (not strictly "cupboard" but they keep well!)
Nice jam/honey
Flour
Several types of sugar
Good quality stock pots.
Veg oxo cubes
Onions, garlic and fresh chillis.
Olive oil
Flavoured oils (dill, garlic and basil at the moment)
Lemon Juice
Creme fraiche (again not cupboard but I use it in EVERYTHING so always have it in)
Couple of different types of rice and pasta.
Oats
Marmite
Tomato ketchup
Wasabi paste
Soy sauce
Jars of olives
Cous-cous
Cuppa soup

And some tinned soup for when I really cannot be bothered! Sure there's more stuff that I have forgotten.

Bling maybe people just eat different things? I have all but one of the items from your first list in my cupboards. I have tins of chopped tomatoes instead of the frito. And obviously different brands too.

Out of your list, I don't have baked beans, tinned cannelini bean, dried herbs, chorizo or mayonnaise.

Oh and no frankfurters either. We don't need baked beans, sausages or bacons.

I mean we don't eat them.

Yy to chorizo forever in fridge. Though I consider eggs part of that category too. My storecupboard looks like yours op. I also have a couple of just add water soda bread mixes in as well. Fresh bread inhalf an hour.

OneLittleBabyTerror: you are clearly more sophisticated than I am!

Daddy: Actually, I'd agree with most of yours - I always have them as well. Except wasabie paste and the cheese because DH isn't really big on lots of diary. I do keep plain yoghurt and mini tubs of philadelphia to turn into easy sauces for me and DS mostly, although DH will agree to a small amount of diary in that form. And I generally don't bother with flavoured oils because I don't have space so I just smack fresh/dried herbs in when I need to. And I'd add tinned tuna. Very useful to have lying around.

daddypig, what's a good quality stock pot? Always searching for one

Bling I still maintain we just eat different things! I don't have a whole array of vinegars or oils either. It's just sunflower and extra virgin olive oil in this house. I smack crushed garlic in my oil to 'flavour' them, just just a large blob of butter. Nothing tastes better than a lot of butter .

And I have many tins of tuna too. DD won't eat cream cheese pasta for some reason (it's supposedly a fave amongst young children)? I have frozen mini muffin sized pesto in the freezer instead.

Stand by food here is stir fried rice, omelette and tomato pasta. (Definitely not very sophisticated).

Oh and sesame oil. Have you tried that in a salad dressing? I also drizzle them very very generously on stir fried rice.

areyou I use the Knorr ones-but always buy them when they are on offer. I think they are really nice!

Yes to tinned tuna! And how does your flavoured oil turn out Bling? Would actually like to make my own but never sure how long it needs to infuse/whether it needs any time at all. I only bought the stuff on a whim from the Good Food Show and have mainly used it for dipping. The dill one in particular is lovely.

I may have overstated flavouring my own ... I meant I slap oil in something, add flavouring and use immediately!

Wine.

I agree with babyterror - we probably just cook different things. Among the usual we always have:

3 different types of soya sauce
10 different types of flour
Nori
Miso
Chinese rice wine
Mirin
Sesame oil
Ginger (I hyperventilate if we run out of ginger)
White and black sesame seeds
3 different types of chilli sauce
packet tofu

Good point Portofino

Clearly I need to cook more asian food!

I now feel very very very very common.
My storecupboard essentials is extraordinarily basic:
tinned tomatoes
pasta
rice
noodles
tinned sweetcorn
a couple of emergency bolognese/pasta bake sauces
baked beans
baked beans with little sausages in
tomato puree
variety of herbs, most-used are thyme, oregano, mixed herbs
tinned pineapple/mandarins
lasagne sheets
salt pepper vinegar oil
flour, sugar, caster sugar, baking powder, other baking bits and bobs
jam, honey, golden syrup eaten straight from the tin on rough days
cereal
stock cubes
lemon juice
worcester sauce
tins of tomato or chicken soup
pot noodles

meals around here aren't particularly creative...

That list has actually reminded me that I need more Panko!

That list is fab

I thought storcupboard essentials were things like eggs, cooking oil, flour, baked beans. Now I know better

The things people always have in stock that aren't what most people would call staples are really interesting though. I always have hot horseradish sauce, vacuum packed beetroot and tins of sardines Also have piles of random stuff that we don't use much, which I could list to sound exciting but it would be a lie!

It goes without saying that one must have tins of sardines (and tuna and mackerel). I always have instant noodles of some description as well.

"It goes without saying that one must have tins of sardines"

and

But what type of sardines? I like mine with skin and bone. Tomato sauce is good, sunflower oil is OK, don't really get on with olive oil. Fried onions + tinned sardines in tomato sauce = very very good lunch indeed. And has anyone tried Hugh Fernley-Thingummy's sardine omelette?

I like the ones in oil, the ones in tomato do not appeal at all.

Filleted or whole are fine by me.

I like to have them with toast, a few cherry tomatoes and salad cream

I will read that Hugh FS thing later, looks good!

Do you ever have fresh ones? I sometimes get fresh ones, super-yum!

Yes, fresh ones are nice too. (But not store-cupboard ingredient, essential or otherwise. Stay on topic now! ) And report back when you've tried the sardine omelette. Not sure if I should unleash that on the kids but looks like a good candidate for quick-dinner-after-swimming.

Have now checked out the omlette, yum!

Apols for veering away from store-cupboard, was remiss of me

Have you actually cooked it and eaten it? >

I have baking standards like plain and SR flour, sugar, eggs, chocolate, yeast, eggs, various types of dried fruit and so on. Then I have cooking standards like oil, chopped tinned tomatoes, tomato puree, chick peas and various types of beans (I panic if I have less than four or five tins of each!). I also have various tins of fish like tuna and sardines, sweetcorn, some baked beans or tinned spaghetti. I always have plenty of "cooking cheese" in the fridge, lots of pasta, rice, cous cous, polenta, lentils.

On a weekly basis I pretty much just buy milk, fruit and veg and the odd meat item like some mince or turkey steaks or something - my cupboards keep me going for a long time until I have to do a giant shop and stock up.