Kitchen Chemistry

Once of my favorite things to do in my kitchen is make up batches of spices and mixes.  I Like to start from the basics and batch it up.  I hear a lot of people say they don't have the time to cook, or they don't know how to cook.  I know very few of my friends that I can sit down and talk about where to get the best deal on Artisan flours.  I only have one friend that actually cooks organic.  I do have to cut some slack for my generation, we worked full time from high school or college, raised kids, continued education, some how managed to keep the family in clean clothes and go to sports practice, dance lessons and church.  Kuddos to my friends who have been living in hyper drive for 30 years!  

I did those things too but I have loved to cook since  I was a teenager.  Now that I am not living in hyper drive, I try to take full advantage of keeping and using a well stocked kitchen.  No one in my Family complains about this...

I buy bulk spices from Amazon,  San Fancisco Herb company, Atlantic Spice and my Local meat market  (Arnolds').

I love to make up batches of rubs for cooking.  Good Cooking is also Good Chemistry and knowing what works with what.  Fats and Acids are a must to bring out the flavors of food, spice enhance and amplify them. I work with what I know my family loves.   

The cost of purchasing mixes in spice shops is prohibitive to me, I can buy a pound of the excellent fresh dries basil for less than 20.00 - that will last me a year (kept in the freezer).  it is 6.99 for 2oz in the shops.


Today I made large batches of mixes for Chicken, Pork and Beef : The will go into roasts, stews, soups, sautes and marinades.  These mixes are a go-to  basic.


The base for all these mixes is parsley



I re use oil and vinegar bottles,  some day I will pick up a stainless funnel, but until then this 20 year old chipped cracked and stained one does the trick.







These will last me a month or so.


The basics for my cooking:


The Mixes, Parsley, Balsamic powder, Basil, Chive, Pink Sea Salt, Chopped Onion, Powdered Onion.  In the cabinet above the rest of my spices.

And because I have new Bride coming here in two months:


"How am I ever going to remember what is what"??  I caved in and labeled on oneside...

If your interested in the particulars, let me know...

Thanks for stopping by!
Ginny M

Comments

Anne said…
Fascinating! We grow fresh herbs but I confess to not really knowing what to do with them. We eat mainly chicken and white fish and pulses. Sometimes a little minced beef or pork as a treat. Any tips? I love the way you are so organised and know what to do, cooking is not my strong point but I love to have a go and experiment! Bravo you!

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