I need some must-haves for every kitchen cabinet...?

Question

I am a newlywed and I love to cook (especially baking). My favorite is soul food and italian food. I am in the process of stocking my fridge and cabinets because I will be able to cook for my family daily. What are some basic items that I abosolutely should buy?

Answer 1

Equipment
A 4 sided box grater
A rotary cheese grater which can also be used for chocolate
Buy your hard cheeses in chunks -grate as needed On a cost per pound basis it's actually cheaper than the ersatz junk that k-r-a-f-t makes.
Find a good Italian grocery store buy all your olives, cheeses, tomatoes & oils there.
A spices only electric coffee grinder ,
< $ 15.00
A mortar & pestle
Avoid buying ground spices bc they lose their potency quickly
Buy whole , lightly toast ,grind to order
The same thing goes for herbs buy only what you will use in about 6-8 weeks max
Get a rectangular baking stone w/a minimum thickness of 5/8 "
Circular ones are useless bc you can't make bread on them
buy a pizza peel -wood works
Buy a manual pasta machine < $ 20.00
Good for pasta Great for cannolis
Food
Olive oil :EV for cold uses ,Pure for heat
Olives: Do not buy black olives . Black olives are for white people who don't like real olives, Buy the big greens , the nicoise ,the Greek kalamatas & if you're in NYC the Greek velous
Sicilian oil cured are most definetly an aquired taste
Dry pasta in all shapes & sizes
Rice;long grain & arborio
Saffron
Get a lemon zester bc rissoto is impossible to make w/o one
bread, AP, pastry & cake flour
Get a nutmeg grater
Buy your yeast in 1lb packages
capers
anchovies
Cans of whole imported ripe tomatoes
Tomato paste
Buy bases that must be refrigerated never ever buy bullion cubes
Never buy cooking wine
Buy high alcohol non woody whites for cooking i.e Sauvignon blancs or white french burgundy's
For reds the perfect wines are actual blends A $10.00 Cote du Rhone will work better than a $ 15.00 American cabernet
A bottle of Marsala
Kosher salt

Answer 2

I'm sorry, I can't give you many ideas for the soul food. But for the Italian, some must keep on hands are:
1. Oversized cans/boxes of plum tomatos for most times, 1-2 cans of pre-chopped tomatos (S&W are the best) for times when you're in a major hurry.
2. Contadina tomato paste (italian flavored)
3. 1-2 heads of garlic, 1-2 sweet onions (e.g. Walla Wallas or Mauis). You can also get the tube of pre-chopped garlic - it doesn't taste quite as good, but if you're in a hurry, it's good to have on hand.
4. Dried basil, oregano, rosemary, parsley and thyme - get Morton and Bassett if you can afford it; its the best. Black peppercorns and a good grinder. A good quality sea salt.
5. Italian sausages - sweet and spicy. These save well in the freezer, and you can pull them out on almost a moment's notice to make a nice meaty pasta sauce
6. Variety of dried pastas (e.g. fettucine, spaghetti, angel hair, the fat noodles, ziti, manicotti etc.) or - you can actually freeze the packages of fresh, which makes them taste more like dried but saves a ton of cooking time if you're in a hurry. I'm also ashamed to admit that I've gotten REALLY fond of the new Bertolli frozen wide noodles with sauce that you just throw into a non-stick pan with some olive oil and cook for a few minutes -when you take the lid off, they are perfection! Those noodles plus grilled italian sausages and steamed/sauteed baby spinach with lemon make a GREAT dinner.
7. 1-2 bottles of nice moderately priced red wine for sauces.
8. Red wine vinegar and a nice medium priced Balsamic vinegar. Virgin olive oil.
9. Quick cooking polenta - the other just takes too darn long.
10. Try to plant some basil, rosemary and oregano in your yard (or in pots) - if you can, fresh is almost always better than dried.
11. 1-2 cans of anchovies
12. 1-2 cans of black olives

You now have the basic background makings for a number of italian dinners. Enjoy!

Answer 3

Spices:

garlic powder
oregano
basil
rosemary
dill
cumin
salt
pepper
cinnamon
chili powder
bay leaves
nutmeg
ginger
cloves
cayenne pepper

Baking:
baking soda
baking powder
sugar, white & brown
four
cornmeal
vanilla extract
food coloring
chocolate chips
Bisquick (for pancakes, biscuits, dumplings, shortbread, etc)

Staples:
pasta
dried beans
rice, white, basmati or brown
crackers
spaghetti sauce
canned veggies
canned tomatoes, sauce and paste
canned fruit
tuna, if you like it

Get a couple of cookbooks and read through them. My favorites are the ones that churches and clubs do for fundraising.

Answer 4

For baking:
flour
sugar
salt
margarine or butter--I also have shortening but that's for pastry crust
baking powder
baking soda
extracts like vanilla, almond, maple, or other flavors that you like
yeast--if you bake your own bread
chocolate chips/raisins/craisins/stuff like that
spices like cinnamon, ginger, mace, nutmeg, allspice
evaporated milk

For cooking meals
-Spaghetti sauce (or sauce fixings if you like to make your own)
-Spices like Italian seasoning, basil, oregano, garlic (or fresh garlic if you prefer!), cilantro (best fresh!), parsley, dill, Montreal steak spice (fabulous on chicken, pork, steak)
-a variety of pasta
-meats which you can pop in the freezer...hamburger, pork chops, steak, chicken breasts or drumsticks
-some canned vegetables
-some canned fruits

I like to have a couple month's food supply on hand...because you just never know if there' s going to be some disaster which can disrupt the ability to go to the store (act of terrorism or natural disaster...think Hurricane Katrina). I try to keep my freezer stocked with vegetables because I like frozen vegies better than canned. But I do have some canned on hand for "just in case". Canned fruits too. Also keep EGGS on hand! They are very important in baking and cooking. My family of four goes through two dozen eggs in a week easy. If you would prefer to keep egg substitute onhand, there are kinds that save longer. Also powdered milk (while it is horrible to drink) is wonderful for cooking. It's a little cheaper than fresh milk and we put powdered milk into things like pancakes and bread.

Good luck and good cooking.

Answer 5

AP flour, bread flour, self-rising flour
White and brown sugar
Garlic powder/minced jarred garlic (both)
Dried pastas
Rices
Canned veggies/frozen veggies
Dried/canned beans
Grits/cornmeal
Milk/half and half/or cream
Butter and eggs
Oregano, basil, onion powder, paprika, chili powder, cumin, bay leaves, curry powder, cayenne
Frozen veggies
Chicken/beef base
Dill, thyme, sage, marjoram
Cheeses (they keep well shredded in the freezer)
Bacon

Uh, that's all my basics I can think of right now.

Answer 6

Spice variety
a good colander
sharp knives

Answer 7

salt
pepper
Morton's Nature's Seasoning
oregano
basil
pasta
rice
flour
sugar
baking powder
brown sugar
Baker's Joy
a good first cold pressed olive oil
corn or canola oil
butter (not margerine)

Answer 8

chicken bullion, beef bullion, paprika,allspice,oregano,bay leaf, sea salt, pepper,garlic,parsley and chilli powder.

Answer 9

vodka
tequila
rum
triple sec