Kitchen Terms Tips & Tools

I will periodically update this post as things come to mind. Just like everything else about my kitchen, working on this list is a rabbit hole and almost every time I'm in the kitchen I remember something else that should be here.....

Kitchen Terms Tips and Tools

Gravy -- Contains meat or meat stock. Tomato sauce that meats this criteria is called gravy

Sauce -- anything that doesn't meat the 'meat criteria' established for gravy.

Cup = c

Teaspoon = t

Tablespoon = T

Ounces = oz

Pounds = lb

Some of these may be new to you and others not so much. if you're like me, you subscribe to or at least read many food blogs, my primary 'food crack' as I refer to it is NY Times Cooking -- at the very least it provides tons of inspiration and in may cases offers combinations of ingredients that I would never have considered before. One of the things that makes me a bit crazy about NT Times Cooking is that there seems to be a level of pretense in some recipes that, in my opinion, are far more involved than they need to be. One of the fun things I do is prepare the recipe according to NYT instructions and then my way and conduct a taste test. 90% of the time, the only difference is the time and effort it took to make the recipe. When I take shortcuts in some of the recipes I share, I'll be sure to let you know, and when my experimental shortcuts failed, I'll make sure you know that as well.

Kitchen Terms Tips and Tools

• Cooking with mashed potatoes: Whether using mashed potatoes to make gnocchi or candy like Needhams or Irish potato candy, you should always bake the potatoes rather than boil them. The reason for this is to maintain the potato starch which is important to the texture of whatever you're using the mashes potatoes for.

• Parmesan and Romano Cheese Rinds: I'm a bit of a cheese snob and typically only purchase Italian Parmesan and Romano chunks and grate or shred them myself. I keep a Ziploc bag in my freezer to store the cheese rinds that are left after grating. Then when I'm looking for the cheese flavor, I cook the rinds in everything from Pasta Fagioli to Italian wedding soup. The rinds get all mushy and get fished out before serving, but in the meantime, they lend a wonderful cheese flavor to whatever you're cooking. I'm a bit over the top and keep separate bags for Parmesan and Romano since their flavors are so different.

• Bread Ends: Another freezer feeder, I keep them in a a bag throughout the year to use to make Thanksgiving stuffing.

• Butter: For years I always softened butter according to recipe instructions for cookies, pies and other goodies, then one year, I overdid it in the microwave and melted the butter for my Ruglach cookies. Guess, what, there was absolutely no difference in the look, taste or texture of the cookies. I have had similar success with other cookie recipes, but not with pie dough. I did learn that shredding ice cold butter directly into the flour on the largest side of a grater makes short work of cutting it in for pie crust.

• Store Brand or Name Brand: I am not adverse to store brands for most things since I do most of the 'doctoring' myself. There are a handful of things that I will only use a name brand. This is something I could write about for hours. My methodology is read the ingredients for processed things and stay away from artificial ingredients wherever possible. If your store brand product has the same ingredients in the same order on the label, buy the store brand, if not, consider the name brand.

• Buttermilk substitution: Buttermilk has a significant level of lactic acid which when mixed with baking soda creates a leavening agent to replace yeast in recipes. If you don;t have buttermilk on hand, it's easy to create from whole milk and either some lemon juice or vinegar. Mix 1c milk with EITHER 1T lemon juice OR 2T cider or white vinegar, give it a gentle stir and set aside for 10 minutes. You'll see it curdle a bit and then you have a buttermilk substitute.

Tools

The way I see it, there are two types of tools, the ones that go into your cooking and the ones cook with. The first group of 'tools' are the food staples I keep on hand, and the second group is the cookware, appliances, cutlery and other equipment that actually do the hard work, or at least make it easier.

Food Staples

If you're heading out to buy ALL of this because you've never cooked or eaten a thing in your adult life, plan on spending about $300 +/- depending on where you live. Please note that the brands shown here are a variety with no particular recommendation from me. I simply went to my grocers website and selected photos from there. Thanks Hannaford, this was much easier than emptying my cabinets and taking the photos myself.

Dairy

Don't knock the Velveeta! If you read the ingredients, there is nothing

artificial or that doesn't show up in other non-processed cheeses. While I wouldn't make a sandwich out of it or serve it on a charcuterie, it does have it's place in my kitchen and it should in yours as well. While I'm not hooked on organic food pedigrees 'Portlandia-style', I do purchase organic 1/2 &1/2., milk, and cream when I can as they have a much longer shelf life.

Dairy and baking must-haves

• Eggs

• Butter

• Milk

• Heavy or Whipping Cream

• Half & Half

• Cheese:

  • Parmesan

  • Romano

  • Cheddar

  • Swiss

  • Velveeta

Baking Essentials

• Flour

• Baking Soda

• Baking Powder

• Brown Sugar

• Granulated Sugar

• Corn Starch

• Yeast

• Bisquick

Canned Tomatoes

Tomato products and soup and stock staples

So many dishes either depend on or are just better with tomatoes. Out of season, particularly, I am a big fan of these varieties of canned . Unless you can find Compari tomatoes, if you are not in the US sunbelt or Tuscany, winter tomatoes are just not nice. As for the V8 or tomato juice of your choice, think of it in the same way you would beef, chicken, of vegetable stock.

• Diced Tomatoes

• Crushed Tomatoes

• Tomato Paste

• Tomato Juice V8 is my go-to

Broth & Stock

• Beef Broth/Stock

• Chicken Broth/Stock

• Vegetable Broth/Stock

• Jarred Soup Bases in assorted flavors (beef, Chicken, Fish, Roasted Garlic, Vegetable)

Canned Goods

These proteins are always good to have on hand when you're in a pinch and need a quick healthy meal.

• White Tuna

• Kidney Beans

• Chickpeas

• Black Beans

Rice & Pasta

I generally keep Arborio rice and jasmine and as far as pasta, fettuccine, rigatoni, linguini, rigatoni, elbows, and something tiny like orzo, or ditalini. Couscous, quinoa, and farro are also some starches I try to keep on hand.

• Rice

• Assorted Pasta

Condiments & Sauces

This may seem excessive, but trust me when I tell you it will save you tons of money in the long run because all of the following ingredients can come together in varying combinations to create countless varieties of salad dressings, sauces, marinades, aioli, and more. all while giving you control over the quality and purity of ingredients and the intensity of your flavor levels. I can assure you that Korean BBQ sauce with your own home ingredients will taste better, be better for you, and cost less than buying some processed brand.

Staples for your fridge and pantry

• Soy Sauce

• Tamari

• Sriracha

• Tabasco

• Catsup

• Chili-crisp

• Mayonnaise

• Molasses

• Liquid Smoke

• Gravy master

• Horseradish

• Dijon Mustard

• Yellow Mustard

• Sweet Relish

• Worcestershire Sauce

• Lemon and Lime Juice

Oils & Vinegars

• Olive Oil

• Sesame Oil

• Coconut Oil

• Canola Oil

• Vinegar:

  • Rice Vinegar

  • Cider Vinegar

  • Balsamic Vinegar

  • White Balsamic Vinegar

  • Red Wine Vinegar

Cooking Wine

Cooking wines and spirits

• Dry Red / White decent boxed wine

• Port

• Sherry

Dried Herbs & Spices

• Salt

• Pepper

• Garlic Powder

• Onion Powder

• Basil

• Oregano

Must have herbs and spices

• Parsley

• Rosemary

• Dill

• Cumin

• Cinnamon

• Clove

• Curry

• Ginger

• Nutmeg

• Crushes red b]pepper

• Chili Powder

• Paprika

I will get part II of Kitchen Terms Tips & Tools to talk about the tools that you cook with in another post sometime soon.