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On Mon, 28 Feb 2005 18:40:22 -0800, wrote
(in article >):

> My question is this: How does anyone know how to have the right ingredients
> at home, or do all the good cooks go to the store at least 3 times a day?

What we do:

1) Make some of our standard favorites most nights of the week -- we
know what's in them, so we keep that stuff stocked. Example: We love
spaghetti, so we always have the pasta in the cupboard and some sauce
either in the freezer or the cupboard. We use TVP for the protein
source for the spaghetti, and that's something we always keep on
hand.

2) Plan ahead when we try something new. If I'm making a new
recipe, I read the recipe as I prepare my shopping list. Sometimes
it's not an ingredient I lack, but a pan or utensil that I can buy or
borrow (or skip the recipe if I don't have the necessary stuff at
hand).

3) Read the labels of prepared mixes to see what's required to make
them (though we don't use many prepared foods).

serene