I cook because I enjoy cooking, so my “rules” are mainly about what makes sense and what makes life easier.
Mise en place is a French term that basically means “get all your stuff together”. Okay, not literally but that’s the point. Before you do anything else, get every ingredient and cooking utensil you will need together and in arms reach. You should also have all of your ingredients prepared as well (measured, peeled, chopped, sliced, etc), which is why the cooking shows have all of those fancy little bowls. As you do some recipes multiple times, you’ll learn you can do some of your chopping, etc while something else is browning or coming to a boil.
Staples: There are some things I always have on hand, for even the most basic recipes. Fresh garlic, onions, a variety of seasonings, olive oil and canola oil, hot sauce, vinegar(s), lemon juice and/or lime juice, beer and wine. I’m sure I’ll think of more . . .
Garlic: I love garlic, and I always use fresh garlic that I mince or press; we always have one or two heads of garlic on hand. Run away from the minced garlic in the icky oil that they sell; it lacks garlic flavor and adds bitterness to a recipe (I will obviously use garlic powder when I’m making spice blends). For a few recipes, sliced garlic will work but for most recipes you will want to mince it. You can use a garlic press, which does a great job of mincing but they are kind of a pain to clean and some presses work better than others. When I mince garlic I start by smashing the clove with the flat of my knife; this makes it easy to remove the paper and easier to mince the clove. Click here to view a garlic mincing video from America’s Test Kitchen. I also sprinkle some salt on the garlic after I smash it, so that it won’t stick to the knife as much.
Spice Blends: I mix a lot of my own seasonings. Partly because it’s fun, partly because I can adjust how they taste over time, and partly because we have a number of Amish groceries in the area that sell bulk spices. Some that I use a lot of, like seasoned salt and Creole seasoning, I will make 2-4 quarts at a time and store it in the freezer. You can find seasoning recipes here:
There are two seasonings that I prefer to buy and don’t even try to make.
- Oriental Five Spice, because the ingredients are a little harder to get and I don’t go through that much of it.
- Cavenders Greek Seasoning – Cavenders is so perfectly balanced and savory that I don’t even want to try. I like it particularly on pork and poultry, but I’ve also used it on beef and on fish.
Fresh cracked pepper: Get yourself a good pepper mill and use it. Pepper tastes so much better when it is freshly cracked or ground. If you get a good one, you can mill a teaspoon of cracked pepper with just a few twists. The Unicorn Magnum is my favorite, and while pricey it is easy to adjust, quick, and it lasts forever.
Wine & Beer: In addition to being a pleasant beverage to go with your meal, wine and beer are useful cooking ingredients. I use it to deglaze pans, to make marinades and sauces, or simply to add moisture to a dish with more flavor than water. While I generally like bolder wines and beer with beef and lighter wines and beer with poultry and fish, there are no hard and fast rules. The wine most typically kept in our house comes in a box, so you know what kind of wine snobs we are (not).
Fresh! Summer is awesome for scratch cooking; between our garden and the farmers market we have fresh, raw, flavorful ingredients for all kinds of dishes. The supply gets a little more limited in the spring and fall, but choose your recipes accordingly. In the winter, I depend on what we can or freeze or what I can get at the grocery store.
Fresh herbs are also easy to grow and they can add a lot of flavor to your dishes. I like to at least have chives, basil, cilantro and Italian flat parsley. My AeroGarden allows me to grow fresh herbs year ’round.
Meat: I am a carnivore, and I don’t believe in limiting my meat intake. I love to shop a good meat counter. In the Midwest, Fareway stores rank high on my list because they have quality meat, they’ll cut it the way you want them to, and they run great sales. When they run a good sale I’ll stock up on items such as chuck roasts, beef shoulder tenders, ribeye steaks, pork shoulder steaks, pork loins, Italian sausage, chicken breasts, chicken hindquarters, and whole chickens. We always have plenty of meat options to choose from in our freezer.
I work in the beef industry and I really love beef, but I have to tip my hat to pork shoulder steaks. They are full of flavor, they can take a wide variety of seasonings and marinades, they seem to get more tender the longer you cook them, and they are very affordable.
Store brands: Since I have no sponsors or advertisers, I can tell you I won’t pay extra for name brands. I haven’t noticed a quality difference in the store brands and you’ll typically save 30-40%. So why pay more?
Luxury Ingredients: That’s how I look at them anyhow. There are some ingredients that I won’t pay extra for – I’m sure they would contribute more flavor to the recipe but not enough to offset the added cost for those of us that live in the boonies. Some examples are fancy imported olive oils, fancy boutique sausages or cheeses, pine nuts for pesto, shallots instead of onions, and imported Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese. If money is no object, these ingredients are great (and for some dinner parties I will splurge). But mostly I work with what I have at hand.
Organic/All Natural/non-GMOs: I think organic foods are good (even great!) but no better. As someone that works in the food industry and understands the science of both growing and processing food, I believe people pay a hefty premium for something with no real health benefit. It is what the cool kids are doing so there is a lot or peer pressure about using organic foods (particularly from TV chefs). There are at least two large peer reviewed, multi year studies done by respected institutions that documented no difference in health or lifespan for people that ate organic diets.
Fresh? you bet! Local? Great! I love farmer’s markets and I will pay a premium for fresh and local, but not for organic. Most of the time what we grow in our garden would qualify as organic, but that’s just happenstance and not on purpose. If bugs are going after my tomatoes I’m going to spray ‘em.
If you can afford organic and you prefer organic, buy it! – I’m a firm believer in the free market. But I view organic foods as a luxury item and if finances are tight (as it is for so many families) save your money. I really believe we have the safest food supply in the world. If you want to be healthier, get some exercise, control your intakes of starches and sugars and eat plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables. You can avoid a lot of preservatives without buying organic – just skip the convenience foods. And don’t be afraid of real meat with real protein and real fat – it’s perfectly natural for you.