Just curious what you regard as "staples"

[Karen]

I get recipes emailed to me from various sources, and I have noticed they often call for thing they regard as a staple, but I never have on hand. Today's was buttermilk. And any place I see to make buttermilk requires you have some to start with, so why refer to it as a staple one would have on hand?

I have flour, sugar, butter, usually eggs and milk on hand - those I consider staples. Various flours (corn, whole wheat, etc.,} rice, pasta ...

How about you?

[kaycountrygal]

I agree with what you listed plus for me I think of a loaf of bread and saltine crackers as a staple and also bananas and oatmeal because we eat so much of them. Oh, Let's not forget the pets. With me, dog food (2 different kinds) are a staple as the little girls eat one kind and Annie eats another.
In the non-food category, paper towels and toilet paper are a must have. I should buy stock in those companies LOL.

[smokey the elder]

To me staples are the basic needs for a disaster plan: foods that don't need a lot of water to cook; canned stuff, etc.

Cooking staples include milk, eggs, flour, sugar, bread. Notice some of these are perishable!

This is on my mind since we're in our third tropical storm in less than two years.:confused:

[pomtzu]

Baking staples: flour, white and brown sugar, vanilla, baking soda and baking powder, salt (optional), eggs, milk, vegetable oil or canned Crisco.

Household staples: toilet paper, paper towels, laundry and dish detergent.

I don't consider any of these as "emergency" staples - just things that I think most everyone has around the house all the time.

Buttermilk??????? - definitely not a staple in this household. I could count on one hand and have fingers left over, if counting the number of times I have ever used buttermilk for anything. :p

[kittycats_delight]

staples in our house have changed drastically since I had surgery. Staples here would be eggs, milk, cheese, cold cuts, tuna, butter (not margarine), yogurt, COFFEE (biggest one), fructose (don't use sugar at all) and there is always (ALWAYS) a variety of meats in the freezer. Also for me a staple would be my multivitamins and iron...it is mandatory that I have them everyday so they are always in the house and a supplement to my everyday foods.

[cassiesmom]

When I saw this topic, the first thing I thought of was cat food :) And a gallon of purchased drinking water - because my tap water tastes terrible.

Things I usually have on hand - a box of cereal and a quart of milk; cottage cheese and some sort of canned fruit; a box of pasta; eggs, butter, sugar, flour, tea bags; bread and peanut butter. You're getting the theme here, very quick meals I can just throw together. In winter I generally have a few cans of soup in the house too. Couple of bananas or apples, because it's just me I only buy enough fresh fruit for the next couple of days. If my dad buys a cantaloupe, strawberries or a wedge of watermelon, when he cuts it up he will set aside a little of it for me. I like to buy that stuff off the supermarket salad bar. It's more expensive that way but I can get just the amount I need.

[Catty1]

Post-surgery staples....

Anyway, for me it's bread of some kind, unsweetened soy drink, fruit and veggies. If I had to survive, the soy protein powder I use in my smoothies would hold me, I hope.