Serious Eats - seriouseats.com

salt, pepper, onions, garlic. canned tomatoes. chicken thighs. linguine.

i live with an italian roommate i can't help!

Coriander - either in the leaf form (cilantro) or in the seed form, powdered

http://z.about.com/d/thaifood/1/0/N/1/coriander.JPG

pimenton

greek yogurt

lots and lots of produce

goat cheese

cumin

vidalia onions

chocolate

onions, tomatoes.

There's always a salad afoot. These tend to me more interesting when fresh veggies are growing locally. Otherwise it may just be romaine.

Olive oil.

Other than good salt?

Garlic ends up in a lot of my savory dishes. I like to sneak in cumin and/or nutmeg with beef dishes, mustard, sage, and cinnamon with pork, and I've been known to throw the kitchen sink at chicken. Nutmeg is also nice in creamy pasta dishes.

I also use cardamom a lot as a "secret" ingredient in a lot of sweet dishes, particularly fruit-based ones. It plays well with vanilla and cinnamon. I've also use a sweet garam masala blend in cookies. It's exception, and no-one can pinpoint the flavor.

Sea Salt and Pepper

Definitely sea salt, freshly ground pepper, garlic whenever possible, olive oil, butter.

At the very top of the list (daily):
beef
rice
black pepper

Followed by (several meals per week):
shoyu
sesame
seaweed
shichimi togarashi
sriracha
baby spinach
sake
tomatoes
asparagus
shrimp
bay leaves
kidney beans
carrots
red potatoes
cumin
cardamom
anise
basil
mint
salmon
fish sauce

olive oil... it makes everything taste better.

Heck, they're all wonderful to someone! ;)

For me,
cinnamon
nutmeg
lemons
fresh-ground black pepper
fresh pasta
tomato paste

Sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
smoked paprika
cumin
cinnamon
oils - olive, sesame, grape seed
vinegars - rice, white, apple cider, red wine, champagne, pomegranate, balsamic
soy sauce
mirin
citrus - zest and juice
fresh garlic
fresh herbs
onions - Spanish, red, green
potatoes - red and sweet
spinach
carrots
tomatoes (fresh and tinned), cucumbers, bell peppers
brown rice, quinoa, kasha, mixed grains and dried beans
whole wheat flour
whole wheat pasta
soba noodles
sesame seeds
fresh ginger

vegetables
fruits
meats
fish & shellfish
legumes & nuts
grains
dairy
starches
condiments
spices
sweets

@Perky ~ LOL. That about covers it!

@izatryt - ;-D but I totally forgot everything at the liquor store, beer store and water. What else am I missing?

Amish butter

Wow, nobody mentioned what I'm about to mention?

Golden Rule of All Things Delicious: Bacon makes EVERYTHING taste better.

Just adding bacon automatically elevates your dish to a certain plane of awesomeness.

Garlic
Shallots
Carrots
Brown Rice
Chicken Breast
Ground Turkey
Cinnamon
And a holdover from learning to cook from my mom, who uses it in everything: Lawry's Seasoned Salt

oh whoops, trigger finger double post...

@susquehanna:
oh, well I guess we could be like Ruhlman and say the egg ;)

--bran cereal (for muffins, all the time)
--pepper (not for baking, obviously)
--lately, I've been adding flaxseeds to muffins and even on top of yogurt and cereal.
--canned pumpkin (pumpkin pancakes are a-MAZ-ing!!)

like megannesta, we go through ungodly amounts of olive oil in our apartment. I try to convince my husband to buy some cheaper stuff (for the recipes where you're not going to taste it anyways), but uh-huh, it's the expensive stuff we go through like it's candy.

the vast majority of dinners around here start with "fry chopped onion in oil, add garlic. . . "

we also go through rediculous amounts of mushrooms, tomatoes, olives, garlic, cardamom, cinnamon, salt. . . all that good stuff.

Olive oil (both pure and virgin)
parsley
garlic
onions
wine
brandy
pancetta

I think those are absolutely a crucial start to any savory dish I make. I love how many people have chocolate listed. Chocolate in my house usually doesn't make it to a recipe since it disappears far before I can think of what to do with it.

As far as foods, I use a lot of tomatoes, mushrooms, beans and lentils, rice, nuts, and eggs. I don't eat much meat due to the price and high heat/ cooking smell issue.

I just realised I have written a book here, rather than listing just a few important ingredients, BUT I can't choose only a few, as I need them all, SO...nobody has to read this, I guess I was just having too much fun! Feel free to ignore this, I promise my feelings won't be hurt.

I have sort of 'amalgamated' the pantry/kitchen staples lists from Martha Stewart and Rachael Ray. At least the majority of my staples are the same ones on their lists. (Simply proving that 'good cooks think alike'?)...LOL!

I love herbs and spices, so I have a huge collection, some grown in pots in the kitchen, some purchased from the farmer's market and TONS of bottled spices, herbs and other seasonings such as vanilla beans and home-made extracts. I will use up most of them before they get too old, and if they do, it's usually no 'biggie', as I will only HAVE to replace a few of these items each month. I do, however, constantly check their 'potency' and freshness. I also always have things like sun-dried tomatoes, a variety of olives and a variety of seeds and nuts as well; these also must be used in a 'timely' manner.

My refrigerator always has eggs and cheeses and other dairy products such as yoghurt, milk and cream, as well as my weekly delivery from my CSA programme, and my freezer contains part of these deliveries, which I save and freeze for 'out of season' use, as well as meats, seafoods, etc. that I stock up on when on sale. I also often cook in large batches to freeze the extras so that I can 'heat and serve' a good meal. Oh, and I also freeze homemade stocks and soups.

All of this means I am always able to make a tasty meal out of things such as pastas, dried or canned legumes, rice(s), and other grains and/or whatever else happens to be in my kitchen at the time, especially as I always have plenty of different oils, vinegars and 'sauces' (like soya sauce, worcestershire, nam pla or other fish sauce), and of course, fresh lemons, limes and other citrus as well as fresh garlic, shallots and onions. Just by changing the herbs and spices (and maybe meats, cheeses and seafoods) used in a basic recipe, you can visit a different country each time. My freezer will often provide an even quicker meal along with the addition of a quickly prepared salad.

I think if one loves to cook, and loves good foods, it is imperative to have a well-stocked larder. It needn't all be purchased at one go, rather a new 'homesteader' can buy the initial shelf-stable ingredients over the space of a year or so, then simply replace or add to as needed. There are a lot of great on-line sites that can help you set up your pantry step-by-step. Once done, as long as you have the basics in kitchen equipment, a quick and easy but delicious meal is ALWAYS right there in your kitchen.

I keep a master list of staples on my computer, then I print a dozen copies at a time, keeping one on my fridge, then I just mark what I will need as I use it up. This makes shopping quick and easy as well. When I discover a new product I like, I add that to the master list on my computer.

For wedding gifts, I aways make up as large a gift basket as I can afford using many of these 'staples'. I have yet to see an unhappy bride or groom when getting these baskets, as they are things they won't have to budget for, and they will usually get plenty of kitchen equipment from others as gifts. I often include a great cookbook as well, which one I choose depends on their skill levels and food preferences. If they are 'out and out' foodies I may also give them a subscription to Gourmet or Bon Appetite, or if they are just learning about good food, I might gift them with a subscription to Rachael Ray.

There is no reason, if people use a basic kitchen/pantry list, that anyone ever has to settle for greasy 'fast food' from Mickey D's, even when time and energy is limited. I can always have a tasty, healthy meal on the table in as little as 15-20 minutes, and with little 'clean-up' needed afterwards.

non-fat dry milk; grade B maple syrup; Neilson Massey tatitian vanilla