Your one stop shop for the cupboard love series:
Cupboard Love 1 - A spicy beginning
I understand that my blog is meant to be able comparing food stuffs and currently I haven't really done that yet. Don't worry I have several things planned for coming posts, but firstly I should probably talk about what helps make food taste amazing. Herbs and spices. Those little pots and jars will be your gateway to flavour and food enjoyment. Not to mention the oils and padding foods such as rice and pasta. Invest in those cupboard buddies and you could find yourself saving money in the long run. Investing does involve spending a bit of money each time you go shopping but believe me it will make all the difference when you have no money but have rice, oil, and a few herbs... This post is the first of three and I will go through each one with you.
I am not going to dictate to you what you should have, but show you what I have. Yep I have taken pictures of my cupboards to show you what I have lurking in there. Any inspiration I give will be truly unintended ;)
So today is my spice cupboard, I will go through some of the items that me and b/f use all the time.
Ta-dah!
Bit messy no? And the cupboards themselves were put in by people who clearly thought only those over 6f 5" would live in this flat. Not those of us who just about make 5f 6"..
Lots of over stretching and using the chairs to get to the stuff at the back.
Lets take a closer look: On the bottom shelf all the green lids are herbs and all the orange lids are spices. What's the difference? Herbs are leaves spices are seeds. We have been lucky enough that the b/f's parents went to Sri Lanka a few years a go a came back with a bag of spices for him and we still use them. It is very important that all herbs, spices and oils are kept out of the sunlight - direct or indirect. They will live longer and be better value for you. Of course the older the spice the weaker the flavour but it is expensive to continually buy new jars. Look after them and they will look after you and your food. On the middle shelf is a odd bits and pieces that could be life savers. Well all except the Marmite - YUCK YUCK YUCK! It maybe a good use of brewers yeast, but it is a love it or hate it product and I hate it. But it can be a cooking ingredient, there is a recipe for Marmite on spaghetti... o_Ó
Anyway lets get on with it, what do I have? Without list EVERYthing...
- Six different types of salt, salt for grinding and putting in water once it comes to the boil, to sprinkling over food. There are four small pots of flavoured salt, they are a nice to have and can add instant flavour to eggs or rice, stuck for present ideas - this could be a good choice.
- Four different types of mustard, wholegrain, dejon, English mustard powder and mustard seeds. We do love a bit of mustard, goes great on sandwiches, mash potato or in salad dressings.
- Two different types of peppercorns, black and pink. Black is always good in so many things, the pink ones are very floral and pretty to look at. We got those on a holiday to Crete a couple of years ago, again that would make a nice present.
- There is crushed chilies, ground Sri Lankan chilies, and hot chili powder.
- Smoked hot parika and smoked sweet paprika.
- There is palm sugar (both solid and wet), Greek spice mixes, Harissa spice mix, Bajan hot sauce and a spice grinder.
- Enough spices to make any number of Indian curry mixes and herbs that can have you in Italy one minute and France the next.
But are they all needed right now? If you were to start to build your herb and spice collection would you go for all of them? Hell no! I have Chinese five spice that I bought over six years ago and it has barely been touched. Yet we go through so much cumin that I went to my local Indian shop to buy 400gs worth!
Now this is just my personal opinion, but this is where I would suggest you start:
Think about what type of world cuisine you like to eat the most and start from there. Ok bit of a cop-out! Not sure what you like to cook?
I am very Mediterranean/UK centric and if I were to give a list of starter herbs it would be rosemary, thyme, mint, sage, dried chilies/flakes and basil. I would also have turmeric (adds great colour and subtle flavour to roast chicken), cumin and smoked hot paprika. With this would will be a great start to any spice cupboard. Of course the more you cook the more you will need, the more your cupboard will be a tangled mess of glass jars, filled with herbs and spices, and mixes of your own making (that is the most fun of all). There is nothing wrong with buying premixed herb/spice mixes, in fact they are a very good starting point. Get used to the flavours, find out what you like and don't like then pluck up the courage to make your own.
Glass jars are much better for storing the herbs and spices, but buying cardboard boxes are cheaper with more in them. I personally prefer storing them in glass as they go absorb the oils as quickly, but it is your choice. But if you end up buying larger bags you could store them in clean jam jars or something similar. To try and get rid of the smell of the previous contents, you could try using milk and leave it in there for a little while. Or bicarbonate of soda and water. Either or give the glass jar a good wash out and leave to dry fully. I don't think cumin with a hint of strawberry jam would be a winning taste combination. But the most important thing is to keep them out of sunlight.
So get out there and discover the world of herbs and spices. There is also an argument between ground and whole spices - I'll go into that in a later post :)
Enjoy
Cupboard Love 2 - Return to Oils
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....
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....
Cupboard Love 3 - This time it's pasta (in 3D)
You may by now have noticed a couple of things with this series of blogs, one I like to blog with some intent to inspire (but hopefully not preach) and the other is the rather film-like titles I have given them.To say I'm a film buff would be a bit much, but they are (at times) a big part of my life and can add a bit of fun to life. But I can't say that I am a true film buff. I write like this as I want people to enjoy cooking and have something of a message to give, but also to keep things light hearted :)
So we come to the end of the series, with all things padding being at the heart of it. Now before I post the next picture I must warn you - it is the worse looking of all the cupboards. Ready.... get ya 3D specs on.....
Oh the humanity.... how on earth can I find anything in that mess? - For the most I do have to lug everything out to find anything. In fact I ended up buy more cous cous than I needed because I couldn't find any in there.
I would normally post a slightly close up version on there too, but you know what... I'm a little embarrassed to do so. While I hope you get something out of this, please don't let things get this messy... please.
Trust me when I say there are several types of pasta, rice and other grains. Along with some noodles I think. The second and third shelves are for baking items. There is also coffee in there too, again we go for beans that we grind ourselves. I don't mind instant ... humm I feel a comparison coming on ;)
So what would I suggest for the new cook?
Some form of tubed pasta for meaty/veggy sauces penne is a classic.
Some long pasta, spaghetti, linguine or tagliatelle - for sauces like pesto or carbonara.
An easy cook and a basmati rice will cover you for most events - although you will find the most styles you cook the more that will grow.
Also something like cous cous - not a grain, nor anything really natural, it cooks in less than 10 minutes, a quick fry off in oil, add lemon, chili and some concentrated stock and you are away!
Other grains to look out for are pearl barley or the likes. Takes longer to cook, but are packed full of goodies and can pad out soups a treat.
There are lentils too, I have an issue with them as I find them too floury in texture. But they are a must for anyone who is strapped for cash as they are cheap, and full of protein. They take flavours well, and I should really learn to love them. But it's the texture....
Any of these cooked in quantity with some herbie oil and mushrooms and you have yourself a decent cheap set of lunches for the week.
Can't be bothered to do much for dinner? Cook rice, warm up oil with chili and garlic, add salt and pepper to taste - done in less than 20 minutes.
As for the next two shelves, I have all but jam sugar in there, plain flour, bicarbonate of soda, cream of tartar and baking powder. Vanilla extract (a good but expensive), coco and a few other bits and pieces for baking.
I love a bit of baking and will always have flour and sugar in the house/flat. A good way to tell if your flour is old, gently bang the bag on the surface, or gently squeezing the bag. If it smells dusty then it is old and shouldn't be used for cooking, the cakes won't be nice and you will struggle to make decent pastry.
You can even make your own vanilla extract, brandy and old vanilla pods. Yep that's it! Place your used vanilla pods in a jar with some bandy, once it changes colour to a dark brown you are ready to go :)
I hope these Cupboard love blogs have given you an insight into what I have in my flat, and if you are new to cooking what sorts of things are useful for your cupboard/s.
Cooking doesn't have to be expensive, but it should always be fun and inventive.
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