The One Non-negotiable Food Item In Your Kitchen

[HungryC]

Wow--just one? Of course I always have butter and accept no substitutes. But my kitchen is never without onions, garlic, and a stash of smoked meat (tasso, ham, andouille, bacon, etc). I find it hard to cook anything savory without those items.

[judiu]

Butter and Hellman's mayonnaise - no other brands allowed

+1, along with fresh ground pepper and nutmeg. Gotta have my garlic and onions, too!

[Beebs]

EVOO.

Running out of EVOO induces a panic attack and dropping everything to madly dash to the store to restock. I can do without butter for an (very short) amount of time, but not EVOO.

[kayb]

If I only get one, it would be butter. If I get to make a list, it would include eggs from my own flock, hamburger only from my farmer friend, tomatoes and sweet corn from my own garden, fresh garlic and (hanging head in shame) Diet Coke. (Or Diet Pepsi--in my world, the term 'Coke' means a soft drink. As in: 'I am going to the QuikMart, want a Coke?' 'Yeah, get me a Mountain Dew.')

Ditto Diet Coke. Not Coke Zero, not caffiene-free Diet Coke, not any variety of flavored Diet Coke, and most assuredly not Diet Pepsi. Diet Coke.

[MomOfLittleFoodies]

Kikkoman Soy Sauce, import or domestic are both fine, but it has to be Kikkoman.

[Shel_B]

Butter - good quality, such as Kerrygold unsalted. And pepper.

[Susie Q]

Butter

Whole Milk

Lemons - I have 2 trees Meyer and regular. If I cook somewhere else... lemons go with me.

Kosher Salt - Diamond Crystal

Fresh Pork

Mayo - Best Foods ONLY

Fish Sauce - 3 Crabs

Srircha Sauce

Basmati Rice

Fresh Ground Pepper

Garlic

Onions

Ginger - fresh, powdered, and crystallized

Caravale Sweet Chili Sauce

Couscous

Fresh Fruit - There has to be some sort of fresh fruit in the house.

Who can have just one. It would be like trying to choose which child to save.

I just picked some of the things that I always keep back-ups of in the pantry and freezer, or are always in the grocery cart each time I check out.

Edited January 5, 2012 by Susie Q (log)

[dcarch]

Water.

dcarch

[Brown Hornet]

Real parmigiano-reggiano cheese. Every domestic "parmesan" I've tried is an abomination.

[OnigiriFB]

Rice. Fish sauce. Siracha.

[jrshaul]

Whiskey and/or rum. Both as an ingredient and to dull the pain of eating a botched recipe.