Grocery fundamentals for a new apartment
 

I figured better to post this here than in Tilted Cooking.


I've finally made the move to TX and signed the lease on the new apartment. At some point next week when I check out of the temporary corporate suite, I've got to hit up the grocery store for the basics.

I've never lived in an apartment by myself, and one of my old roomates always seemed to have the basics of everything we needed, so I never really paid attention.

Can you help me come up with a list of "must have" grocery basics? From basic condiments to the obvious stuff I'm sure I'll be overlooking. Even recommendations on cheap cuts of meat that I can do a lot with (stir fries, etc) would be appreciated.

What I can think of thus far:

Olive oil
Butter
Salt/Pepper
Ketchup
Mustard
Mayo
Hot sauce
BBQ sauce


After that, I pretty much draw a blank. TFP, make my grocery list!

Bread, eggs, condiments, salt, pepper, other spices.

A lot of it depends on how much of a cook you are. I don't do elaborate meals, so having fresh garlic/paprika/whatever isn't a priority for me.

Don't worry about it too much. Do a shop to grab what you think you need. If you miss anything it'll become apparent in due course.

Load up on fruits and veggies. Also, it's probably pretty warm there, so you'll want to get a water filter or filtration pitcher and some ice trays.

Canned goods/recipe starters: tomatoes, beans, etc.
Lemon juice
Vinegar (Balsamic, rice, white)
Brown sugar
Peanut butter
Soy sauce
Maple syrup


It all depends on whether you make your stir fries from scratch.

We always have on hand:


Canned Goods
Italian seasoned stewed tomatoes
tomato paste
tomato puree
diced tomatoes
Muir Glen pizza sauce
black beans
kidney beans
white beans
broth (in an aseptic container)
tomato soup (in an aseptic container)
El Pato canned salsa
El Pato enchilada sauce

Dried Goods
Pasta in a shape
Egg noodles
Spaghetti
Calrose rice
Basmati or Jasmine rice

Boxed Food
Rice-a-Roni
Zatarain's black beans and rice
Zatarain's red beans and rice
Kraft Dinner
Quaker Corn Bran cereal
Instant oatmeal
Bisquick

In the Fridge
Cheddar cheese
Sour cream
salsa
eggs
butter
milk
half and half
beer
condiments (ketchup, bbq sauce, mayonnaise, salad dressings, various mustards)

Bread Products
Whole wheat bread
Tortillas

Real Basic Basics
Olive oil
Vegetable oil
Johnny's Seasoning Salt
cayenne pepper
black peppercorns (for the pepper mill)
sea salt

Fruits and Vegetables
Apples
Bananas
Celery
Carrots
Onion
Garlic
Potatoes

And I always keep a pack of fresh bay leaves in the fridge. Most fruits and veggies I buy at the farmer's market as things come into season, so what I have on hand varies. I have a lot more than what's listed here in my cupboards, but I bake a lot and have a whole cupboard just for baking stuff, which is another kettle of fish entirely.

Oh, and if you're looking to save money, buy in bulk when possible.

if you are new to cooking, you might wanna check out some of the cookbooks geared towards men and college students. they offer easy meals with basic ingredients so just browsing through stuff you like will give you a good idea of what you want to have on hand.

we don't eat a ton of meat in our house, but i usually look at sales to see what i want that week. it's not bad to have some ground something or other in the freezer, especially if you enjoy hamburger helper type meals. unless i come across a great sale, i mostly buy meat as i'll use it. i keep frozen ground turkey around because we like it better than ground beef or pork (healthier and cheaper).

if you aren't much of a cook, i really recommend the noodle and rice sides (knorr-lipton is a very good one and many stores offer a generic) that you can use add-ins to make a meal. i made use of these in college and they are still an easy dish when i don't have time to cook! top 3 favorites in my house are spanish rice with canned or frozen corn and salsa; butter and herb noodles with mushrooms, peas and tuna; cheese and brocolli with a can of chicken. i will also admit that even though i'm an adult who no longer has to eat ramen to survive, i really like roast beef ramen noodles with onions(cook noodles, drain, add seasoning and cooked onion).

we also eat a lot of pasta so i have several varieties on hand all the time along with a couple jars of sauce. if straight out of the jar sauce makes you cringe, you can doctor it up with spices and add-ins like mushrooms and tomatoes.

i also do a lot of bulk cooking and then freeze stuff to use later when i don't feel like cooking (or when i'm not home and my partner has to fend for himself). meatballs are a great freezer staple for me. a bit of bbq sauce and you can eat as is, put over noodles/rice, toss in a bun to make a sandwich or you can use sweet and sour sauce, add some veggies and put it over rice for a chinese flavor. you could make your own (cheaper and healthier) or buy them (costs a bit more and isn't as good for you, but it's easy).

if you have a farmer's market close that's the way to go for fruits and veggies. they are great for you and when they are in season, are good for the pocketbook too!

for me, the best way to learn what i needed was planning meals for a week and then shopping for it. i got out of the meal planning habit, but doing it did help me learn what we eat and how much i needed to have on hand.

onesnowyowl´s list is pretty comprehensive and matches my experience for living a healthyish lifestyle so +1 :)

Hi a bit off topic but can anyone tell me what half and half is? Never heard of it but maybe being form OZ it isnt sold here Thanx

It's half milk, half cream, and it's meant to go in coffee, but I often use it for other things, like making scrambled eggs and omelets.

Speaking of which!

COFFEE

Preempted by

COFFEE MAKER/FILTERS

You people make me sick. I'm looking at you Snowy.

We actually have a reusable filter, and our coffee is a special purchase item, not something we buy at the grocery store--we buy it while we're down at the farmer's market on Saturdays. It's always on hand though. We prefer Honduran fair trade organic shade grown that's been locally roasted by an artisanal roaster.

Im with Sammy (aka pmf21) on this one. I do most of my food shopping on the day that Im going to eat it.

Jeez Snowy. Im impressed.

I live in a college town with a very established coffee culture. I live next door to a coffee shop. Yes, I could get my coffee there (it's from Portland Roasting, delicious stuff) but the place downtown roasts on the premises, and I've gotten to know the owners over the time we've been buying our coffee there. It's become part of our Saturday ritual, what can I say?

Flank steak is good for stir-fry and fajitas, and if you find it on sale, stock up and freeze the excess.

Thank you all for the suggestions!

Snowy, I may as well just print that out and take it with me.

Everything sounds great aside from the coffee. I'd rather like the soles of my own feet than drink coffee, even though everyone in my family drinks it like its going out of style.

I will say that I don't cook much, but I never really had the time or the need to. I need to get back to eating healthy again, and I've got a lot more time on my hands, so I'd like to learn some simple healthy recipes. I see a lot of salad and chicken in my future, though I would like to try some ceviche recipes, etc.

Since it is summer, take advantage of the salads. You can go any direction with them; leafy greens with tomatoes, red onions, balsamic vinegar and oil; leafy greens with drained pinto beans, left over chicken from a previous meal, black olives (if you like) and a more liquid salsa as the dressing (bonus for veggies in the salsa). Once winter comes, I go for heartier dishes that I can also freeze; chicken pot pie, lasagna, etc.

So for the grocery list:
condiments of choice
salsa
tortillas
soup of choice
canned tuna/chicken (takes a moment to get used to the canned chicken but works really well)
boxed dinners
frozen veggies (easy to add to any dish)

Good luck.

yeah canned tuna is on my list too - very useful
also, some spices and herbs like cumin, oregano, nutmeg, and rosemary.
I always have juice in my fridge also.
hmmm
chocolate is another staple for me heh.
A lemon (for juice and rind).
I also have flour, sugar, and baking powder
tinned corn
an avocado
ham
soy butter
soy cream
some yoghurts too...

and most of what Snowy said.

Ah yes and a bottle of wine!

Totally off topic - Snowy, where do you find the Corn bran cereal? It's my favorite and I can't find it anywhere!

i'd also add

some chicken breasts with no hormones, etc. because they're easy to toss in the freezer and pull out when you want to add them to anything
eye of round steaks (work well in stews, stir fry or for dinner, and they're relatively cheap),
popcorn
cheese
herbal teas
cous cous (five minutes and it's ready)
hoppin' john (canned tomatoes, black eyed peas and onions, yum!)
cornstarch for when stuff turns out too thin
sriracha sauce (which no kitchen is complete without)
sesame oil for cooking meats
some kind of italian or the like salad dressing for marinades, too
cooking spray (pure olive oil is the best or just buy a Misto for your olive oil)
tortillas or pitas for easy sammiches.

and pickles. you need pickles. :)

Defend it all you want but a real person (ie me, sammy, and girldetective) would have put "I would say coffee but I get mine outside of the whole grocery store experience; it is, however, still closest to my heart"

You let me down Snowy... Hard.

I'm so confused; why would the way I buy coffee be disappointing to you?

And Medusa, we get it at Fred Meyers (Kroger).

Buy big packs of chicken breast when it's on sale, split it into single servings and freeze all but one or two. Do the same with 93% lean chopmeat if you like beef, and buy steak when it's on sale and you want it in the next few days. Also get fresh peppers when they're on sale, chop them up, and freeze them. Everything else is better fresh, but those keep well frozen.

Grill, broil, or pan fry chicken or beef with various ingredients and you'll have a lot of options.

It's so hard to convey love/humor via text. I'll stop.