(no subject)

[cherry]

It appears that prior to asking for recipe suggestions, I possibly should have asked for some idea of what basic things a person should have in her kitchen.

Right now, my supplies consist of:

• Three-year old flour
  
• Sugar
  
• Honey
  
• Olive oil
  
• Miracle Whip
  
• A RealLemon
  
• Salt
  
• Orange salt
  
• Two sticks of cinnamon
  

I have a cookie sheet of doom (let's just say food goes on tin foil on top of it), a frying pan, a pot (sans lid), and a larger pot (also sans lid, which is basically just used for stewing rhubarb). I think I'm good for cooking utensil-type things -- I have flippy things and scoopy things and stabby things, and it turns out that the weird hinged thing that's been kicking around for several moves is a garlic press.

You're all laughing at me, but -- there is no early way to divine its purpose by looking at it, people. I mean, seriously. There is absolutely nothing about a garlic press that screams "Use me to strain garlic through this mesh!" The thing looks like the bastard child of a stapler, a hole punch, and a microphone.

Also, apparently I own both a spatula. Who knew? There's also a large, scary, double-pronged stabby thing. I have absolutely no idea what it could conceivably be used for, but it can't be anything near as bad as I'm imagining. I don't think any of my friends are ninjas, and even if they were -- I really don't think they'd leave any sort of weapon within stumbling radius of me.


The point of which being: If anyone could suggest some kitchen essentials/essential spices, it would be greatly appreciated.


Seriously, people, I've had food poisoning twice in the last year. There is no way I could do worse things to myself than the universe is doing to me.

Comments

i'm just a-ramblin' though

[raucousraven.livejournal.com]

Hey no worries. I didn't know what a lemon zester looked like until this year (sharper kind of fork-type thing, apparently). Garlic presses can be handy for pasta and suchlike, good on ya.

Make sure you've got a good knife and a solid cutting board. A pot lid might also be useful, and if the fry pan isn't terribly nonstick, invest in another. (If the pot lid fits over the fry pan? BONUS.) If you intend to bake a lot, a whisk might be helpful; otherwise, the fork is just fine. My 9x13" pyrex dish has come in handy several times this year, for everything from baking to storage to mixing.

I can't suggest every-kitchen essentials, but my fridge always has free-range eggs, milk, cheese, peanut butter, spinach, and tofu, with miso soup base in the freezer. There is always salt, pepper, sugar, cinnamon and soy sauce in the cupboard.

The miso soup base is great if you can get it -- that plus tofu, with cilantro or green onion on top and spinach to the side, is a meal that takes ten minutes to make. I've also mixed the peanut butter (unsalted, just peanuts) with chili oil, warm water and soy sauce as a kind of dressing for all kinds of things, from tofu to spinach to chicken to noodles.

Hope that helps!

[http://users.livejournal.com/_bounce_/]

If you've got plates that will fit over the pots and stop the steam getting out, you shouldn't need lids but you may have to top the water up more often. A good chef's knife or a crappy one with a sharpener plus a chopping board are essential. Don't chop things on plates. :) Also, it sounds icky.

My absolute essentials are stock cubes (without msg), and precrushed garlic and ginger in jars, soy sauce and tomato sauce, which I believe you call ketchup. Oh, and brown onions. I always have those, no matter what else I've got.

Eggs, milk and cheese are always good because then you can do omlettes and scrambled eggs. Oh! And frozen spinach that's frozen into portions - you just defrost it, toss it into a pan with garlic and an onions and then add it to scrambled eggs.

As for spices - dried basil, generic italian herbs and a generic curry powder might be enough for now, till you get more in the habit of cooking.

And the stabby thing is used for serving meat.

[ex-thissuga.livejournal.com]

First of all, go invest in some new flour, baby, because you shouldn't keep it that long. I always have lots and lots of spices, but then I do cook a lot; the ones I find myself using over and over again go thus:
- chili powder (because I like spicy foods)
- cumin (because it goes well with chili powder!)
- cinnamon
- thyme (either in leaves or powdered; thyme and lemon and pepper is nice)
- rosemary (like thyme)
- uh, I use others, but those all the time.

As for other staples, I'd also try to get yourself:
- basmati rice if you don't have any (the instructions on how to cook are on the package)
- balsamic vinegar (you can cook with olive oil and a little balsalmic and it's nice)
- bread crumbs (this all you have to do, they tell me, is take an old loaf of bread, grate it on the little part, and then save them, and you can make breaded stuff by putting a bit of flour on the meat, then dipping it in egg, then covering it with breadcrumbs and whatever you've mixed into the breadcrumbs for flavour)
- I use brown sugar a lot
- I freeze mushrooms, green/red peppers (blanched), and keep frozen peas on hand
- onions are good, but I haven't found a way to keep them, y'know, for a long time
- I like to always have a couple of cans of mushroom soup around to make mushroom soup and chicken/rice casserole
- lemons are good, so are limes; or the lemon/lime juice fake plastic container thingies

and for kitchen stuff, I would try to get yourself at least:
- one good cookie sheet (baker's secret brand are good for all baking stuff, and they're at canadian tires)
- one or two glass cooking dishes (9"x9" square at least, and you can roast lots of stuff in them)
- a couple of good glass mixing bowls
- a better pot. ;)

And if your frying pan isn't large (say 10"), maybe a new non-stick frying pan that size, too.

Of course, I have a fully outfitted kitchen, with a blender, mini-food processor, etc, so I'm fond of my kitchen essentials. ;)

Herbs and spices

[laurashapiro.livejournal.com]

Note: Dried herbs and spices should be kept away from heat and light. They store forever, but they do start to lose their whammy after about the first year.

Fresh herbs last up to two weeks in the fridge in plastic bags, if they are kept dry. You can also put them on the counter in a glass of water, as though they were cut flowers.

I would be lost without my:
Thyme
Oregano
Rosemary
Sage
Cayenne pepper
Red pepper flakes
Dill weed
Cinnamon
Cloves
Nutmeg

[dkphoenix.livejournal.com]

Apologies for the long and rambly nature, too many allergy pills this morning without enough caffeine.

The stabbity ninja-sai looking thing is likely a meat carving or BBQ fork.

Nthing the good knife and cutting board suggestion. I'd get one good chef's knife (5" to 6"), and one good paring/vegetable knife (3" to 4"), along with a lucite cutting board, because they're much easier to clean than wood. A good vegetable peeler comes in very handy as well, but make sure it's a good one. Dull and/or poorly designed vegetable peelers will raise your blood pressure. I'd also suggest a big plastic colander (dollar store), a cheese grater, a hand-held can opener (for when the electric one stops working), and a nice big (2 cups or larger) Pyrex measuring cup. The big pyrex measuring cup is fantastic for heating water in the microwave. A set of measuring spoons is a must-have, as well.

Staples depend on what kind of cooking you do. No point in buying a lot of flour if you never bake, but a small (like 1 lbs) bag comes in handy. Just don't keep it longer than a year or so, it goes stale even if it doesn't get buggy. Things that keep a long time, that I'd suggest:

Soy sauce
Cornstarch (savior of sauces that are too thin, small box lasts forever)
Instant Potato Flakes (savior of sauces that are too thin that you don't want to add cornstarch to)
Rice
dry pasta
Garlic powder (not salt)
Celery powder or Salt (adds a lot of flavor to a lot of dishes)
Italian seasoning blend (very versatile stuff)
chili powder
Bay leaves (keep these tightly sealed, they lose potency faster than most spices)
tomato paste (the tiny cans - watch for them to go on sale)
canned diced tomatoes (can be tossed in a multitude of soups, sauces, and casseroles, or drained and blotted for salads or sandwich toppings, invariably taste better than fresh when out of season)
cooking spray (Like Pam. It comes in extremely handy if you ever do bake. Some people use it for frying/sauteeing, but I personally prefer real oil there.)
"Cream of" (mushroom, celery, onion, etc.) soups make excellent bases for quickie pasta and risotto, or baked casseroles.
vegetable oil (small bottle if you seldom fry, regular sized bottle if you do plan on frying)

My personal experience is that powdered broth/soup base (in the little foil envelopes or shaker cans) is more versatile than the cubes, because you can fine-tune the amount, or sprinkle it on top of plain rice or pasta, ramen-style.

Breadcrumbs do come in handy for lots of dishes, and it's very easy to make your own. Just take the remnants of a loaf of bread that's gone stale (but hasn't molded yet), arrange the slices on a cookie sheet (this can take from 30 mins to 2 hours, depending on how stale the bread is), and dry them out in a very low (250F or so) oven until they feel hard. Then put the slices in a big ziploc bag and crush them with a rolling pin, can of beans, or other heavy object, and store in the freezer in a fresh ziploc bag - the first one will have lots of tiny holes in it from the crumb crushing process. If you cut the crusts off the bread before drying it out, you'll have fancy Japanese style Panco breadcrumbs. The same method can be used to make your own croutons, just cut or tear the bread into cubes and toss with a little melted butter or olive oil and garlic powder and/or parmesan cheese before drying them out. (Homemade croutons won't keep as long frozen as breadcrumbs - which last well over a year in the freezer - because of the oil.)

Personally, I'd invest in pot lids (or pots with lids). They make things come to a boil much faster. One of my very, very favorite kitchen gadgets ever is a microwave rice cooker I found at Walmart for $7. It consists of a white plastic pot with 2 lids, a measuring beaker, and a paddle for stirring and scooping out the rice. It makes perfect rice in 11 minutes, and is super-easy to clean.

Frozen vegetables are always, always better than canned, except for beans, tomatoes, mushrooms, and black olives. Beware canned mixed vegetables. Especially beware canned spinach.

[nute.livejournal.com]

My absolute kitchen necessities:

1) Wood and plastic cutting boards. If you only have one, get a plastic one with a juice groove around the edge, and wash it a LOT.

2) Good knives. If you only have one, get a chef's knife or a santoku knife.

3) Spices: I tend to use the following the most -

• Kosher salt/sea salt
  
• Black pepper
  
• Cayenne pepper
  
• Madras curry powder
  
• Minced onion
  
• Lemon pepper
  
• Cinnamon
  
• Spanish paprika
  
• Cilantro
  
• Oregano
  
• Parsley flakes
  
• Allspice
  

4) Dry staples - I got some neat clear plastic bins with locking tops for flour, granulated sugar, and both light/dark brown sugar. Just ensure that there is nothing wet in whatever cabinet you store them in - do NOT store them under the sink or in the fridge. Condensation will make them clump up and get rock-hard.

5) Utility equipment - I lack a stand-up mixer, but I have a really awesome blender and a multipurpose food processor that do a good job. I recommend getting a blender with nice hefty blades that you can use for blending liquids and solids. Preferably one you can disassemble to clean.

Re: Herbs and spices

[http://users.livejournal.com/_bounce_/]

You can (although it does effect the flavour slightly) chop fresh herbs and then wrap them very tightly in cling wrap and freeze them. It works remarkably well and you've got fresh chopped herbs on hand if you want them.

[http://users.livejournal.com/_bounce_/]

I recycle all my used jars, yoghurt tubs with good seals and icecream containers for dry goods and spices and all that, myself. *grins* It's cheaper and they work just as well. You just have to lable them and you have to do that anyway for sugar and salt.

Oh! you should be able to pick up containers and mixing bowls, extra utensils and all that at op shops/thrift stores. People donate that stuff all the time. I got my dinner set there and most of my pots and pans before the current lot there. Just give them a good wash in hot water before using them. :)

[http://users.livejournal.com/_bounce_/]

PS. Don't get second hand chopping boards. You should be able to pick up el cheapo ones from a $2 shop instead.

You know the whole 'don't chop vegies on one you've chopped meat on' thing, right? Wash it between them or use a second one. :)

Re: Herbs and spices

[laurashapiro.livejournal.com]

I've heard! But never tried it. I should experiment with parsley; I buy a bunch for one recipe, use a handful, and the rest goes slimy in the crisper. Freezing would help matters.

Re: Herbs and spices

[http://users.livejournal.com/_bounce_/]

It works really well. :)

[pixelarious.livejournal.com]

I'm gonna refer you to 101 Cookbook's Setting Up Your First Kitchen (http://www.101cookbooks.com/archives/letter-setting-up-your-first-kitchen-recipe.html) page. www.101cookbooks.com is a food blog, and the woman who writes it got a letter from someone setting up her first kitchen. Rather than just offer her own suggestions, she opened the response to all the commenters, so there are a LOT. And many v good suggestions. So I'd recommend checking her out (and throwing away that flour).

[nisie.livejournal.com]

You need at least 2 cutting boards, one dedicated to chicken. Plastic is better. Cast Iron pan, seasoned, a couple of different pots as well. Don't waste too much money at this time- go to Goodwill or Salvation Army and look for things that look solid and have tops. Make sure you have measuring spoons and cups. I'd recommend a food thermonter if you eat meat.

Next step, get a good cookbook. I recommend Fanny Farmer as a basic one that isn't too expensive, or cooking for dummies. Find some food that sounds good, and follow the directions.

Re: i'm just a-ramblin' though

[cherryice.livejournal.com]

Oh, goodness, I just googled lemon zester pictures, and all I can seem to think is: That won't connect properly to my USB port...

My last bottle of soy sauce ended up all over the carpet, and has yet to be replaced. In my fridge, I usually have 17 or so kinds of fruit and veggies, eggs, milk, cottage cheese, and some sort of cheese.

Mmmm, miso. I'll have to take a look around for that. The makeshift dressing sounds rather amazingly tasty -- I'll have to try it out. Thanks!

[cherryice.livejournal.com]

I have a cutting board. It just kind of ended up melted into a burner and one point, and isn't, um, terribly stable.

Stock is a good idea. As is ginger and curry powder. I really need to learn how to make curry, because I have been craving it for weeks.

(I think I am going to continue to pretend that the stabby thing is for missions of espionage, m'kay? It makes me feel dangerous and awesome.)

[http://users.livejournal.com/_bounce_/]

Hee! Then it's an espionage thing.

If you're going to make curry you'll probably need cumin, cardomon, coriander, turmeric and garam masala as well. Or just use curry powder since it's so much easier. Curry is just psicy stew, really, so it's quite simple.

Also, get a pack of three or so chopping boards from the dollar store. That one sounds less than useful. :) That way you can have one dedicated to meat because despite the fact that I will chop vegies on a board that's had meat on it, if I'm planning on cooking them lots, like for as long as the meat, it's really bad practice to do that. :)

[cherryice.livejournal.com]

Hrm. I do rather like my food to have some kick to it. (I guess I also have extra hot hot sauce.) Your listing is interesting and neat.

May I ask how freezing mushrooms affects their texture?

Also, you're totally right: Some sort of cooking dish is probably a good idea.

Re: Herbs and spices

[cherryice.livejournal.com]

So, what you're saying is that raiding the spice rack in the abandoned black mold house on our farm is probably a bad idea?

I'm now a little a-feared of buying spices, if they are only awesome for the first year. But slightly old spices are, I assume, better than no spices at all.

Re: Herbs and spices

[cherryice.livejournal.com]

Hrm. Good to know...

[cherryice.livejournal.com]

Oooh, I do have a can opener! How else would I get into my ready-to-microwave soups? *G* I've never actually known anyone who owned an electric one, though.

I do actually own a cutting board. It's just that it ended up a little melted to a burner. *cough* It's a bit unstable now.

I think the chances of my baking are extremely remote, but I do happen to have part of a loaf of multigrain break that's gone stale. Hrm. (I am also so very not enamored of canned veggies. Way too salty for my tastes, save for beans and tomatoes. I can't actually make myself eat canned mushrooms -- I find them vaguely nauseating.)


Thank you for all of the suggestions -- this has all been very informative!

[cherryice.livejournal.com]

Common opinion seems to be that the cutting board I melted into a burner (and is, as such, rather unstable) should be replaced. I have not, to this point, actually dealt with raw meat other than fish, so it might not be as important for me to have two.

Thank you for all the tips.

(Is it terribly embarassing that I don't own pepper? It's not one of those things where I didn't put it on the list, because I thought everyone would assume I hate it -- I honestly don't own it. I am assuming peppercorns with a grinder is better, or is there an appreciable difference?)

[cherryice.livejournal.com]

Oh, neat. I shall have to do some browsing over there, thanks.

No one wants me to hang onto the flour. It's like a part of my family after all this time.

[cherryice.livejournal.com]

Hrm. I sense a trip to Value Village in my future. Measuring spoons are kind of something I should have, aren't they?

I think I am going to have to try to find a good cookbook, yes. I have a few actually, bought on whims and because they were called things like "The Cookless Cookbook" and "Four Ingredient Cookbook" and either I get over the passing fancy, or I try something and it's awful.

Thank you for the advice.

[dkphoenix.livejournal.com]

Peppercorns with a grinder will give you a lot more flavor, and the peppercorns will last longer than already ground, but they're harder to measure (not that it really matters, most recipes call for pepper "to taste") and the texture isn't as good in some soups and sauces. I usually have both. You could always get a very small tin of ground, and then peppercorns and a grinder, or get a tin, and then wait to invest in a grinder later.

[dkphoenix.livejournal.com]

I know a lot of people with broken electric can openers. ;-) Personally, I have one I got as a wedding gift sitting in the box on a shelf.

Canned veggies, when you must use them, are usually better rinsed to get the canning brine off. You don't want to do that with tomatoes, but it works great for mushrooms. I use the top of the can to squish out all the liquid, rinse them off, and then squish the water out again if I'm going to sautee them. But, it's canned mushrooms or nothing here, and I love mushrooms, sooo...

Re: Herbs and spices

[laurashapiro.livejournal.com]

Well, they don't become 100% whammy-free until two or three years later, so you could keep them around and continue using them. I admit that I do. It's just that they're at their best within that first year.

Don't let it keep you from buying them! They are indispensible. They make everything taste better!

[ex-thissuga.livejournal.com]

re: freezing mushrooms: let's just say I wouldn't eat them raw afterwards, but they're great for cooking/stir fry/etc afterwards. you just wash and freeze'em and you always have some on hand to flavour stuff.

as for the cooking pan - uh, yes. *G* And seriously, don't buy a cheap one, get at least a decent one. it doesn't have to cost a million dollars, but don't go to a dollar store. it's not worth it. Baker's Secret, seriously, is a really good brand.

Re: i'm just a-ramblin' though

[raucousraven.livejournal.com]

Just made the peanut dressing tonight (put it over cold noodles and veg and tofu) and realised I forgot the most important ingredient: garlic! One fat raw clove, if you're not having company or if everyone's eating the same; otherwise, you can tame the garlic by boiling it a little first or using a smaller clove. Use that garlic press and use it well. Makes a huge difference.

[spuffyduds.livejournal.com]

Um, nothing useful to suggest, but I can vouch that if you are trying to entertain a small child, putting playdough through a garlic press produces really convincing hair for a clay person.