Did you grow up in an “Ingredient Household”? Because I certainly did. 

The other night at family dinner with my cousins, we brought up the phrase that’s been making an appearance all over the internet (read: TikTok), and immediately all burst out into laughter because we just *knew.*

My aunt, slightly confused, prompted us with questions about what made an “Ingredient Household,” and “is that a bad thing”?

So what really is an ingredient household? Let me explain.

First of all – not a bad thing, nor is having a ready made/meal household either. Let me just be clear about that.

We’re all just doing the best we can with what we’ve got. I’m just a girl trying to survive on a budget and not die lol. 

I digress. An “ingredient household” is where creativity is born…or so I like to think. There are no pre-made meals in this house or typical packaged snacks in the pantry (think Goldfish or pop tarts), or pre-made meals in the freezer (Lean Cuisine, frozen burgers, etc).

If your friends ever came over after school, opened up the cupboards, and were like, “Where’s the food???” It was all there if you used your noodle. It’s just a different way people stock their kitchens and find ways to survive. 

We never had Teddy Grahams, chips, or Fruit Roll-Ups in the pantry — instead, it was things of flour, canned green beans, pasta sauces. Basically things you could potentially throw together to whip up a meal to feed the family.

But for those in-between meal snacks it was the Wild West and I was the one who had to herd the cattle, or wrangle the troops, or whatever fitting phrase goes with weird Wild West analogies and food. 

There’s some discourse I’ve heard (again, hello, thank you TikTok) that it very might well stem from parents who were constantly on diets and didn’t want to have the enemy (read: Rice Krispy Treats and easy to pop down the gullet items that would throw them off course)…which, to me, makes a lot of sense.

Instead, if you were hungry, you could scavenge and make something for yourself, and if you got creative enough, you might just wind up with a concoction of the following:

• A Handful of Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
• Carrots and Peanut Butter
• Dipping Apples in Peanut Butter and/or Yogurt
• Makeshift Nachos (tortilla chips with a handful of shredded cheese, melted in the microwave)
• Cinnamon and Sugar Butter Toast
• Peanut Butter on a Slice of Wheat Bread
• Peaches and Cottage Cheese
• Frozen Broccoli with Melted Cheese
• Plate of Kraft Singles, Turkey Deli Meat, and Saltines
• Tortilla with Butter
• A Bowl of Croutons
• A Handful of Almonds
• Quesadillas with Whatever Lunch Meat is Left
• Seaweed Paper Dipped in Soy Sauce
• Banana and Peanut Butter
• Handful of Raisins

I just turned 30 and my husband and I are settling into the home we bought last year and I can confidently say that we are somewhere in between an Ingredient Household and, “honey, I’m too tired to cook, let’s stock the fridge with a few Costco ready made options because it’s just not happening tonight meals.” 

There have been too many times where we’ve bought all the fresh ingredients and had a meal plan in place…only to realize it’s nearly 9pm and all we’ve had is a bowl of popcorn or leftover dino nuggets.

Now if only there were a term for those that “buy lots of fresh fruits and veggies (with good intentions) and then die in the fridge crisper” household…

What are your go-to snacks and meals with the varying items you have in stock?

Are you a member of an Ingredient Household or creator of your own culinary creative kingdom?

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