Renaissance Trophy Wife

I loved science experiments as a kid– getting to mix different substances together to create something completely new always fascinated me.  As an adult, I’m embracing my inner science nerd by using my kitchen as a lab.  With little time to eat, let alone cook, in grad school, I just recently started putting together the kitchen essentials, but better late than never, right?

My poor kitchen also suffers from the constraints of Bay Area apartments– it’s small and cozy, so no walk-in pantry and 6-burner Viking range for me!  That said, I think I’ve put together a pretty functional kitchen given the space constraints.

I’ll cover my kitchen essentials in 3 separate posts: pantry/fridge, small tools and miscellany, and pots/pans/appliances.  This isn’t meant to be a comprehensive list, but just a few of my favorite multipurpose items that have become go-to staples in our household.  Without further ado, here are some of the basics that can be found in my pantry and fridge:

Fresh/dried herbs and spices

This is the easiest, cheapest, and most nutritious way to liven up your cooking. With more seasoning, you can up the visual interest and cut way back on salt and oil without missing the flavor.  Some nice sea salt and a grind of fresh black pepper is a good starting point, but to make a gourmet savory statement, herbs are the way to go.  I add fresh basil to omelets, dill to salmon, oregano to turkey burgers, or cinnamon to a fruit parfait. And it’s the quickest way to make jarred tomato sauce taste quasi-homemade.

In my area, herbs are more expensive at most grocery stores so I try to pick up small quantities at health-food stores, where they are often fresher and less pricey.  If you use herbs in bulk (and I mean serious quantities), Costco has some high-quality offerings.  My favorite, however, is picking fresh herbs from your own plant.  I got a rosemary plant at Trader Joe’s for $8, and a basil plant for $3.  They smell great, look good, and taste delish.

My collection of oregano, thyme, marjoram, basil, garlic powder, dill, cinnamon, nutmeg, cayenne, paprika, red pepper flakes and cumin barely takes up half a drawer, but adds a global twist to whatever I’m making in a few short shakes.

What to watch out for: premade rubs that contain salt and msg. If you look at the ingredient list on many of them, you’ll see some very familiar names.  Buy the spices separately, save money, and eliminate unnecessary sodium.

Loooove my rosemary plant!

Olive oil

It’s a heart-healthy fat– substitute it in your cooking for canola oil and butter when possible.  One caveat: it has a lower smoke point than canola, so is less suited to deep frying and other high-temp methods.  However, it’s perfect for quick sautes and searing delicate pieces of fish.  You can also use a blend of canola/olive oil/butter to achieve higher temps without sacrificing as many fat calories.

Other ways to incorporate olive oil: start dinner off the Mediterranean way, with bread, olive oil, and vinegar; finish soups with a quick swirl of olive oil (plain or infused) on top; I’ve also made olive oil and herb pizza crust with great results.

Balsamic vinegar

Great for dips, marinades, salad dressings– and reduced, makes a great sauce for berries and ice cream.  It takes about a minute, and is so much more impressive than chocolate sauce in a squeeze bottle. (Nothing against chocolate sauce!)

Wine or alcohol

Buy something good that you’d drink, since cooking will cause evaporation of the alcohol and subsequent concentration of flavors– good stays good, bad gets worse.  A quick splash adds depth to just about anything; I’ll add wine to mushrooms before folding them into an omelet or using them in a sauce for chicken.  Beer-braised shrimp are super flavorful, and hard liquors such as tequila can be used in marinades with yummy results.

Tip: Stay away from anything labeled “cooking wine”, as these products typically have added salt and a far inferior flavor to regular wine.

Extracts- vanilla, lemon, almond, mint

These aren’t put to use every day, but extracts are great additions to consider if you do a lot of baking, esp in the holiday season– I’ve used mine in scones, crepes, cookies, and cakes.  Don’t forget you can also flavor sauces with lemon.  One of my favorites is a yogurt-based lemon and dill sauce that goes sooo well with salmon.

Crushed garlic, ginger, and horseradish

These items take quite a while to prepare for cooking, and I don’t use them in large enough quantities to purchase entire heads of garlic or big ginger roots.  Instead of using half, and composting the other half when it sprouts, I just buy these pre-crushed, jarred condiments and keep them in the fridge.  While you can’t beat the taste of fresh garlic, for someone with sub-Iron-Chef culinary skills, it’s a convenient, cheap, stand-in.  These shortcuts make it super easy to throw together a quick meal when you’re on the go, and they don’t take up much room at all.

It’s also an economic option: each small jar of garlic is about 9 ounces, or 51 teaspoons, or 100-150 garlic cloves. At under $2 at Trader Joe’s, it’s a deal in terms of convenience and price.

Yogurt

Plain nonfat or lowfat yogurt is a great base for marinades, dips, and spreads.  I use it frequently in baking, or layered with sliced fruit and topped with cinnamon and a drizzle of honey for a healthy but indulgent dessert.  Can you tell I love multipurpose things?

Eggs

Talk about the perfect protein!  Egg whites are relatively cheap compared to other animal sources of protein, and a hardboiled egg is reasonably easy to eat as a snack.  Breakfast for dinner is another favorite of mine– you can’t go wrong with a piping hot scramble.

Image by Cobalt123 on flickr

Laughing Cow cheese

Um, it’s cheese.  Nuff said.  I looooove gourmet cheeses of all sorts, but this lowly supermarket offering often gets overlooked. My favorite is the lowfat version.  At 35 calories a wedge, it’s a great alternative to cream cheese on bagels, or sliced cheese in wraps (just spread it on before you add all the fillings).  It’s portable, too.  What more could you want?

Sundried tomatoes

I have a huge jar of julienned tomatoes in my fridge.  Just a forkful of these flavorful babies is a great way to add a gourmet touch to wraps, salads, sandwiches, pasta…  and a cracker topped with Laughing Cow, some fresh basil, and sundried tomato is one of my favorite snacks.  I also use them minced + yogurt for a dip, or pureed into tomato sauce for an extra kick.  You’d be surprised how fast the jar needs replacing in our house!

Image by Jopling UK

Better Than Bouillon

My name’s not Martha Stewart, and I don’t make stock from scratch.  There, I said it.  That said, Better Than Bouillon is a lifesaver.  Instead of bouillon cubes, it’s a paste that you stir into water and use as stock.  The flavor of the chicken variety (organic, low-sodium!) is quite good– very chicken-y, appropriately seasoned, and not overpowering at all.  For vegetarians, they offer vegetarian chicken and beef flavors, plus mushroom and veggie bases, so you can get in on the goodness.  And one more thing: it reduces packaging waste, since I’m not buying quarts of stock, but rather a small 8-oz jar.

So what are your favorite kitchen essentials?