I know grocery shopping costs a ton, but there are a few items that if you always keep in stock, you can cook pretty much anything. Now, don't feel like I'm telling you to go buy all these things at once...it takes time to build up the pantry. Anyways, here it goes.
Meat Products:
-if it's just you or a huge family, always keep at least one meat product in the house at all times. If you're living alone (like me) you can buy chicken breasts in six packs and keep them in the freezer. Maybe even splurge for something a little pricier now and again. If you have a huge family (shout out to Jenny and Rachel Ray) you can always buy chicken thighs and legs in those bags. They are CHEAP. Now, I'm a big fan of not putting anything gross in your body (i.e. i like natural, organic and non-hormone injected meats) so if you buy these bags of cheap chicken, keep in mind that they're probably not all-naturally fed (therefore cheap).
-IF YOU'RE A VEGETARIAN you should always keep mushrooms in the house. Don't like mushrooms? Sucks to be you. You can't really reduce beans in a pan and get the same effect for a sauce like you do with mushrooms. However, you can get some oil/brown bits in a pan after searing tofou, tempeh or seitan. No matter what meat or meat substitute, you can ALWAYS whip up a great meal with the other items you should ALWAYS keep in your pantry.
Spices:
- salt and pepper are obvious (sea salt and fresh cracked); but what else do you need to make a fabulous meal? The answer? Any and EVERYthing. Don't be afraid of spice. Experiment often. I would suggested always keeping some cayenne on hand. It can add a little or a lot of spice to ANYTHING. You can even put it on fruit. I, for example, sprinkled some over peaches cooked with chicken. Made a spicy and heavenly meal.
-red pepper flake. i know i just said cayeene but this is a different kind of heat.
-Cumin. It's smoky. Try it. It is in every dry rub known to mankind.
-garlic. fresh or cut up in the jar. the garlic powder is lame unless used in a dry rub or maybe in hamburger or meatloaf.
-Cinnamon. Now, I've heard if you're Asian you might not like this one, but the rest of you have no excuse. It doesn't JUST have to go in sweet things. I personally love me some butternut or acorn squash baked in the oven with some cinnamon.
-old bay. yuuuuuummmmmm goes on all things seafood. marinade your cocktail shrimp in a little sprite, lemon and lime juices and old bay before eating. takes the fishy bite out of them.
Others:
-for fruits and veggies, always keep a variety on hand. they're good to snack on or as a whole meal to be on the healthy side. DON'T BE AFRAID TO COOK FRUIT. it can be very delicious. roasted plums are quite good and pears poached in white wine are also fabulous. having a burger? grill some pineapple. you can thank me later.
-always keep some cheese in the house. you can crumble it over fruit for an appetizer or dessert.
-always keep some kind of green. you can either make a salad or cooked it up for a quick supper or side-dish. some of my favorites are mustard greens, kale and collards. Simply sautee with some salt, butter and red pepper flake: salty, spicy and good for you too.
-always keep some chicken/beef/veggie stock on hand to add to dishes or help you make sauces out of pan drippings. i prefer organic. or you can make it yourself. just throw the meat and its bones in a stock pot with some water and aromatics (big word! like carrots, celery, herbs etc).
-flour, bread crumbs and eggs. you can always dip a meat in flour, then egg then bread crumbs to make it crispy and delicious. flour is always used to make roux (ALONG WITH BUTTER! YOU NEED BUTTER! GET OVER IT!) and eggs can be scrambled together with anything to make a meal: tomatoes, peppers, cheese, hot sauce, artichokes, etc...
Some utensils:
You can make almost anything with just one fry pan, one medium sized sauce pan and a long wooden spoon. The spoon is heat resistant. The fry pan can be used for almost anything and the medium-sized sauce pan isn't just for sauces- it's for single servings of pasta, tea, anything where you need boiling water and more. All you need. Unless you like pancakes and omlettes; then you may need a spatula.
Well, I think that was it for the starter kit. Good luck cookin'!
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