Inspired by conversations on the FOOD52 Hotline, we're sharing tips and tricks that make navigating all of our kitchens easier and more fun. Today, we're talking about the weekly grocery list.
Behind every great home cook is a well stocked pantry and a smartly packed fridge. Everything sitting in the fridge has a purpose, or ideally many. A novice sees a fridge full of disparate elements, while a great home cook sees a myriad of options -- a web of culinary possibility.
Consider the Lemon.
Lemons + olive oil = salad dressing. Lemons are great for stuffing into roast chicken. You can sprinkle the zest on pasta, on crostini, on just about anything that could use a little bright bitterness. Squeeze lemons in fizzy water. A spritz of lemon juice keeps cut avocados green. Thus, lemons deserve a place on your grocery list every single time.
Comparing Our Lists
When we first began, we thought this list would be straightforward: here's what you should buy every time you go to the grocery store. End of story. But after we all drew up our weekly 'must-buy' lists and put them side by side to compare, we realized it wasn't that simple. We buy what we buy every week for a variety of reasons -- most of them deeply connected to our history as home cooks, with a modicum of practicality thrown in for good measure. What did our mother always have in the fridge? What are our various dietary quirks? A favorite midnight nibble?
The Definitive Grocery List
So, we can't actually give you one simple master list. However, we can help you think about what your always-buy list might look like by giving you a slightly annotated glimpse of ours.
Across the board, there were a few items that everyone at Food52 HQ included in their list:
Onions
Butter and/or olive oil
Garlic
Salad greens, kale
Lemons
Bread
Eggs
Fresh herbs (parsley especially came up a lot)
Cheese (from parmesan to soft cheeses)
Here are things that appeared on more than one list, but not all:
Dried pasta
Canned tomatoes
Nuts/nut butters
Milk (soy or regular)
Fruit in season
Dried legumes and cereals
Avocados
So, we've shown ours. What's on your list? What do you buy every week?
Photos by Nicole Franzen
Written by: Miranda Rake
Popular on Food52
59 Comments
Lettuce and/or spinach
Whatever "tender" herb looks the freshest
Whatever fruit is on sale/in season
Some kind of root
Bacon or ham, whichever is on sale
Eggs
Champagne
Protein (could be fish, chicken, tempeh, tofu, or vegetarian or regular sausages)
Almond milk
Fresh herbs--usually at least 2, parsley, cilantro, basil or mint
Easy veggies-- something on season that cooks fast--such as zucchini, broccoli, snap pease, or green beans
Eggs
Some kind of bread-- tortillas, pita, a loaf, whatever
Hummus
Greek yogurt
Cheese (usually 2 kinds)
Lemons
Limes
Fruit
One meals worth of relatively healthy frozen food
Theo's dark chocolate bar
dried dates or figs
cucumber
club soda
jarred roasted red peppers
low sodium turkey
Essential Baking raisin pecan bread (this makes life worth living!)
Love to see real and quality foods in my fridge and on the counter.
Weekly, I buy milk, eggs, shredded cheese (generally swiss, mozzarella or cheddar), avocado, asparagus, onions, lemons, garlic, bananas, oranges, sweet potatoes, fresh parsley and one other "herb of the week". I buy fresh fish and meat twice during the week.
arugula or spinach or both, and often romaine hearts as well
whatever green I'm trying to find a way to like this week: lately it's been tuscan kale or dandelion or chinese greens
bananas
milled flax seed
lemons
apples
bananas
clementines or grapes
berries, often: blueberries or raspberries, as a rule
almond milk
greek yoghurt
eggs
good butter
double smoked bacon
fish or seafood of some sort (just 1 day's worth, even though I'm trying to eat fish twice weekly now)
vegetables: some permutation of zucchini, red or yellow peppers, grape tomatoes, cucumbers and often vegetables for making soup as well. That's usually either celery root or mushrooms.
herbs: generally italian parsley, thyme, green onions. Some times tarragon or basil.
carrots
celery
onions (I make a lot of soup. It's shocking what that does to one's onion usage!)
shallots
nuts: pistachios or cashews, mostly
chorizo or italian sausage
ground beef or some kind of poultry
dark (german) bread. Sweet & sour rye and such.
Weekly (but not every week) fresh, we get Greek yogurt, salad makings of all varieties, fresh veg of all varieties, apples, oranges, pears, tortillas, really good whole grain breads and sourdoughs... along with milk, eggs, poultry.
During the warm months of the year, we swear by naturally cured brats, flank steaks, and melons, along with copious limes and green onions... why do I use so many more green onions in the summer?
This was fun!
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