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By Harry Pagancoss

While you may prefer to eat out, learning a few tricks to cook at home or entertain friends will save you a lot of money. Living alone can be fun, but also comes with a lot of responsibilities. Let us focus on the fun part!

In order to be prepared, a well-stock pantry will help your new crib-chen get the job done. Most importantly, having these basic ingredients, spices and herbs is all you really need to prepare some basic dishes. We have all seen those spice and herb racks that look sort of nice on a countertop. In my opinion, they are no good for cooking. Maybe you have also seen those little herb pots which, if you're like some people I know, will end up dying without water. Poor plants, a moment of silence please!…The good thing is that there are easy ways to keep your crib-chen full of flavor and ready for action!

To help you, I will give you a list of 30 ingredients or items that you can purchase little by little and that will provide you with a basic, but well-stocked kitchen pantry. Having these will solve your needs for breakfast, lunch, dinner or when you have some friends over. I divided these 30 ingredients among three articles: herbs, spices and items. Make sure to find the rest of the articles of this series by following the links below.

Herbs

Herbs can be dried or fresh. Dried herbs last up to a year but loose their potency with time. Do not put them on the countertop and instead store them inside the cabinet or a dark place. When using dry herbs for cooking, crush them with your hands to release more flavor and aroma. Sometimes, having fresh herbs is better, sometimes it is not. If you buy fresh ones, cut their stems a little and place them in a cup of water, as if they were flowers. This will keep them alive and fresher. You can also place them, water cup and all, inside the refrigerator, to help keep them longer. As a general rule, I like to substitute 1 teaspoon of dried herbs for 1 tablespoon of fresh herbs, in case I need to.

Here is my basic list of herbs and ideas on how to use them:

Basil

fresh or dried, great for pasta dishes, to sprinkle on salads and to combine with Italian cheeses, with tomatoes or garlic

Bay leaves

dried, great for stews, beans...I know your mama uses them

Cilantro

fresh or dried, great for Mexican dishes, with rices, fresh salsas or to sprinkle over salad

Dill weed

fresh or dried, goes great with potato salad, fish or poultry, mix it with butter or cream cheese for your bagel, also goes great with my cucumber salad

Lavender

fresh or dried, aromatic flower that will give your desserts a very special touch, mix it with ice cream or use in flan or desserts with natilla

Mint

fresh or dried, use in salads or with fruit, excellent for pasta dishes (add it to your store-bought sauce), use fresh with desserts and cocktails; I like it with fresh mango

Italian Parsley

fresh, chop and add to pasta dishes, or mix with olive oil to make a dipping oil for breads

Rosemary

fresh or dried, add to roasted potatoes, butter or to season meats like lamb or pork chops

Sage

fresh or dried, rub the fresh leaves and add to salads, mix with olive oil for delicious dressings, combine with garlic or rosemary, season meats like pork or churrasco with it

Thyme

fresh or dried, remove the tiny leaves from the stem and use in stews or soups and picadillo

Was this useful? What is your favorite herb? Remember to write your comments below. Let me feel the love!

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Tags blogger Harry Pagancoss, cocina, crib-chen, essential herbs, Food

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