What do you always have in your kitchen? When Nora Ephron wrote her famous list of things she’d miss and not miss, she said she’d miss butter, pie, bacon, waffles, and the concept of waffles. And it made me wonder what foods bring other people joy.
Curious, I texted cookbook author Dan Pelosi this morning, and his list was: “olive oil, rigatoni, castelvetrano olives, lemons, anchovies.” And our beloved Jenny Rosenstrach told me: “hummus, yogurt, cabbage, cottage cheese — and this time of year, Mallomars.”
Eric Kim and Adam Roberts
Then I asked my friend Adam of The Amateur Gourmet, and he said: “blueberries, bittersweet chocolate, Frantoia olive oil, anchovies, and Aleppo pepper for that fruity heat.”
Kate Baer, poet and mom of four, has “tortilla chips, feta, roadside fruit, frozen peas, and sourdough bread from my sister in law.”
Ali Slagle just wrote about Samin Nosrat’s 40 essential ingredients, which include Dijon mustard, chickpeas, basmati rice, bone-in chicken thighs, and red onions. And from Trader Joe’s? She stocks Taiwanese Green Onion Pancakes in the freezer. “Then I can — for breakfast or dinner — have a scrambled egg or two on a scallion pancake.”
Finally, I had to ask Freddie, my personal chef, and his list was: “apples, eggs, chicken stock, olive oil, and black pepper (in the mill, you have to grate it on the spot). Oh, and broccoli in the freezer, so I can sauté it with garlic and oil for my boys.”
What five things do you always have on hand? I’d love to hear. Our own list has stayed mostly the same: cheddar cheese, French yogurts, honeycrisp apples, Gotham Greens pesto, and cavatappi pasta. Plus, all the boxes of Cheerios for teenage boy breakfasts!
P.S. My favorite lunch, the best jarred tomato sauce, and what are your pet peeves? (I have a weird one.) Also, we asked this question three years ago and nine years ago! Have your answers changed?
