STAPLES
- Sugar, white and brown and confectioners
- Worcestershire sauce (its ancestor was Garum, from Apicius)
- Ketchup
- Coffee/Tea
- Olive oil, extra virgin, preferably green or novello
- oil for cooking, neutral like Canola
- Mayonnaise
- Salsa
- Marinades
- Sesame oil (roasted)
- Yeast
- Mushrooms (dried porcini)
- Oil spray for greasing pans
- Peanut butter
- Crackers, assorted
- Soy sauce
- BBQ Sauce (I like Stubbs)
Now Vinegars:
- Distilled white
- Apple cider, a must for cucumbers
- Balsamico, mechanically produced for everyday
- OK if you want to spend a fortune, get the balsamic aged syrup but only use it on fruit
- White wine and champagne vinegars
- Sherry vinegar from Jerez, Spain (remarkable flavor)
Please note that I don’t buy salsa in a jar. If my neighbors thought I did, I couldn’t live here any longer. Also marinades, like vinaigrettes, are made by hand and on the fly.
I prefer to buy yeast in industrial-sized boxes and share them with friends – always taking note of the perishable date. This way I don’t have to proof the yeast except for the first time.
Mushrooms are wonderful in a risotto. Take out a clean cooking paintbrush and clean every whole wonderful slice and brush it. Do not buy your cooking paintbrushes at Sur La Table, but at Home Depot or its equivalent! Do not let your spouse raid your kitchen drawer for paintbrushes or other paraphernalia!
This will be an interesting challenge to come up with recipes for you.
More on kitchen tools will follow.
Cooking with Dee 