Well I hope you all enjoyed my "spicy beginning", now on to my next cupboard oils and vinegars. This also contains tinned items and right at the top chocolate and biscuits. At least it being set so high up we don't automatically reach for the top shelf when hungry. Although things do tend to get forgotten! I have biscotti that has been opened since December :/.
Along with herbs and spices, oils and vinegars are pathways to flavour! Liven up salads with simple dressings, fry stuff, even cover your chips with (malt vinegar is still my favourite chip enhancer although onion vinegar does also have it's uses!). While you won't always be catapulted to a different country in the same way herbs and spices can, oils and vinegars are essential companions!
Shall we take a look? Brace yourself....
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Along with herbs and spices, oils and vinegars are pathways to flavour! Liven up salads with simple dressings, fry stuff, even cover your chips with (malt vinegar is still my favourite chip enhancer although onion vinegar does also have it's uses!). While you won't always be catapulted to a different country in the same way herbs and spices can, oils and vinegars are essential companions!
Shall we take a look? Brace yourself....
It's just as chaotic as the last place - but this is slightly messier. If you go for a shelf of oil and vinegar then I suggest lining the bottom with sugar paper - keeps cleaning down :) So lets try and see in a little closer.
This is years of cooking random recipes and phases, and we have enough here to sink a battleship - literally!
On the bottom shelf is the oils, vinegars, and a few "other bits". Middle shelf is tins and a random jar of thyme honey, dried mushrooms, gherkins... I won't bore you anymore. On the third shelf, chocolates and biscuits and some instant espresso - great for cooking but not for drinking (in my humble opinion).
So where to start? What would be a good grounding for oils and vinegar?
A good extra virgin olive oil (you can always ask this for a present as they can be expensive but you won't use it that often).
A mild olive oil - good for cooking and some light frying.
A veg/sunflower oil - for roasting and deeper frying. Olive oil has a low smoking point - eh?! - by that I mean it will smoke and burn your food in less time than other oils. Where are veg/sunflower oil has a high smoking point making it good for roasting potatoes/veg, meats, or deep frying.
We have several other verities of oils like chili and lemon. They are good to have and garlic oil can cut a few corners, but the top three are good starting points.
Next vinegar:
Malt vinegar is a must! Sorry you cannot have chips (chunky fries, game chips) without this, also this plus water and bicarbonate of soda gives you a natural limescale remover.
White and Red wine vinegar is good for dressings and cooking - it's not a total substitute for using wine, but mid-week it's not too bad.
Balsamic vinegar - it helps if you can get a good quality one as this paired with a bit of good EV olive oil and good bread, you will have an amazing starter!
We also have cider vinegar and fig vinegar, again great adds to the shelf but not essential. There is also a very old bottle of Raspberry Vinegar - used all of about 5 times. If you ever come across miniature bottles of flavoured vinegars pick them up. They won't take up that much space and gives you variety without going over board.
Finally the "other bits";
Soy sauce, Thai fish sauce are always good to have.
Tabasco - instant sour heat kick.
Worcestershire sauce - the secret mix of anchovy and other ingredients gives great savory flavours to stews and cheese on toast. Make everything taste "so British" ;)
The more you cook the more your shelf will groan with the weight of it all.
We also always have tins of tomato (watch this space for a tinned tomato comparison) and chickpeas. I don't eat chickpeas but the b/f loves them and often has them for lunch. Coconut milk can be useful too. As I say the more you cook, the more items you will want to have ready to hand.
I hope you have found this useful and thank you for sticking with it and me. Next time padding....
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