Honeycrisp apples

For me, cooking is more than just a means to sustenance. It’s a mode of self-expression. It provides solace when I’m in need of comfort. It’s therapeutic. And there’s nothing more satisfying or fulfilling than making a home-cooked meal, from scratch.

In order for me to work magic in the kitchen, I need to have quality ingredients. That can take many forms, from fresh produce to spices to kitchen products like quality chicken stock. On this page, I’ll start off a list of “pantry musts”, which I feel no good cook should be without. I’ll post additions from time to time.

Top Five Kitchen Basics

Heirloom tomatoes, peppers and eggplant

Produce — Fresh vegetables, fruit and herbs. They form the backbone of most of your dishes. A sacrifice in quality and the difference in taste becomes noticeable.

Homemade chicken stock — There’s a reason why this is called ‘liquid gold’. A couple of quarts of chicken stock (preferably made from scratch — and that means chicken thighs, backs, necks and maybe some feet) is a rich medium that forms the foundation of many dishes, from soup to stews to risotto. This is one of the reasons why buying a whole chicken is economical. Roast a chicken for the first night; save the leftover meat for chicken salad, sandwiches and chicken pot pie; then, use the carcass for stock at the end of the week. Stock freezes beautifully in quart containers, ice cube trays or in ziplock storage bags and is perfect for those times when you want to a quick meal together without going through a lot of hassle.

Unsalted butter — The importance of unsalted butter cannot be overstated enough in my opinion. It’s frustrating when recipes aren’t specific, and commonly if a recipe calls for butter, it’s salted butter. Salt is used as a preservative in butter, but we’ve gotten so used to the taste that it’s no wonder most restaurants offer the salty version at their tables. If you’re serious about your cooking, though, you’ll want a measure of quality control. Unless I specify otherwise, all of the recipes on my blog call for unsalted butter.

Quality olive oil — You don’t necessarily need to have extra-virgin olive oil. A bottle of regular olive oil is sufficient, but you should at least expend some effort in getting a slightly above-average brand. Cooking with olive oil is like cooking with wine. Never use a wine or olive oil that doesn’t taste good to you. An inferior one will usually leave an unpleasant aftertaste. If you do a simple taste test and compare the “pure” to the “extra-virgin”, you’ll understand the difference.

Wine and/or beer — When used judiciously, wine and beer add depth of flavor to a dish when you most need it. The key however, is in using quality ingredients. There are far better choices than so-called “cooking sherry” or other liquids commonly billed as “cooking wine.” These are made of a thin, cheap base wine to which salt and food coloring have been added. A poor quality wine with sour or bitter flavors will only contribute those flavors to the dish. As I’ve said in a few posts, “if you wouldn’t drink it, don’t cook with it.”