Kitchen - Cooking Tip of the Month

What you should keep in your kitchen at all times

The following is a list of items I keep in the kitchen at all times. I find if I have some vegetables and fish, chicken or meat, I can pretty much create delicious amazing meals by having the following on hand:

Oils/Butter

For cooking:
Extra Virgin Olive Oil, average quality
Grapeseed Oil, good for high heat cooking and leaves no flavor from the oil
Butter unsalted. I like Plugra, a European style butter, or raw

To use without heating, like in salads:
Extra Virgin Olive Oil, high quality
Walnut Oil, great for salads and high in Omega 3's
Hazelnut Oil, adds a nutty flavor

Vinegar

Balsamic plain and fig
Apple Cider
Champagne

Condiments/Spices

Dijon Mustard, regular and whole grain
Sun Dried Tomatoes in oil
Roasted Red Bell Peppers in a jar
Pesto, keeps great in the freezer
Canned diced tomato, tomato paste
Tamari Sauce, wheat free
Salsa, roasted, med to hot
Celtic Salt (Good salt is a must. To order go to Celtic Sea Salt)
Peppercorns
Cayenne Pepper
Cumin
Sesame Seeds
Herbs de Provence

Nuts (Other than the roasted, I store mine in the freezer to keep them fresh)

Pine Nuts
Almonds both raw and roasted
Pecans
Walnuts

Cheese (If you use it)

Parmesan Reggiano
Goat Cheese log rolled in peppercorns, herbs de provence, or rosemary
Marinated Goat Cheese (If you have trouble finding good goat cheese in your area, you can order through Haystack at http://www.haystackgoatcheese.com)

Sweetners

Honey
Maple Syrup
Agave Nectar

Miscellaneous

Chicken Broth
Sherry *
Lemons
Dried Cranberries, Dried Cherries, Yellow Raisins
Assorted jams for salad dressing/meat sauces: apricot, raspberry, fig
Bread Crumbs
Onions, both red and yellow
Shallots
Garlic
Polenta
Basmati Rice

* I prefer a good quality sherry rather than what you can purchase in the grocery store. My favorite is Hartley & Gibson's, Amontillado Sherry