Anonymous wrote:Not uncommon, but might be regional: Old Bay and hot sauce — usually Crystal.
I will carry tiny containers in my purse if I suspect that the food on offer might be “seasoned “ solely with salt and pepper.

They make an Old Bay hot sauce now, and that’s what I came here to post 😜

I use capers a lot. Not sure how many folks consider that a staple.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I had to Google what a shallot even was

If something calls for a shallot you can just use red onion and garlic as a sub.

What? No. Shallots are more mild than onions. Red onion and garlic are both stronger than white/yellow onion and definitely stronger than shallots. I’d sub a yellow onion first

Marmite. Always, and many extra jars.

Anonymous wrote:I had to Google what a shallot even was

If something calls for a shallot you can just use red onion and garlic as a sub.

curry paste
red lentils
rice noodles
korean barbque (bulgogi) sauce

I had to Google what a shallot even was

Bottarga.

I don’t think I would consider anything from the produce aisle to be staples. We meal plan for the week and buy what we need.

One thing that’s pretty uncommon I always have is pasties. We buy a bunch at once from The Perfect Pasty in Vienna and keep them in our deep freezer for random nights we’re running late or don’t feel like cooking.

Fish sauce

Not uncommon, but might be regional: Old Bay and hot sauce — usually Crystal.
I will carry tiny containers in my purse if I suspect that the food on offer might be “seasoned “ solely with salt and pepper.

Pickled watermelon rinds, homemade orgeat

It’s hard to know what others will think is unusual. I like to always have hearty grains on hand - farro, barley, etc. Is that atypical? Not sure.

I also love canned/jarred peppers of all sorts which can go in anything. And dried peppers. And miso paste.

We do always have shallots, but I’d say buttermilk.

Just for fun/curiosity: Recently, a friend asked what I was making for dinner. When I told her, she said it sounded good and asked for the recipe, so I sent it. It's a pasta dish I make regularly, and for me, doesn't require any "special" ingredients. She however was surprised that it called for shallots, saying she never keeps them and would have to buy them just for this dish. Shallots are a staple in my house. Do you keep anything in your kitchen/pantry that you'd assume is standard, but has surprised others?