The stuff to always have on hand.
Items to have handy in the pantry, produce drawer and the refrigerator so you can work a little magic at meal time.
Sour Cream
Sour Cream is a necessity for many things. great substitute for milk giving dishes an added zip and zing. An example: Instead of milk add 3-4 tablespoons to box Mac and Cheese. It comes out creamy and has a better taste.
Garlic
One the most used items in the kitchen. Jar of chopped, power and fresh are all a must.
Bacon
No matter what you are making, adding bacon ALWAYS makes it better. Buy on package strictly for dishes. Make small packages of three slices and freeze them. In 99% of all recipes all you need is three slices. I do got into more detail about bacon just scroll down.
.
BACON
Before you yell at me about the price, I am not talking about having it every day for breakfast.
Watch any cooking competition show and the chef that is not confident about how their dish will turn out always adds bacon. Why? Because bacon makes everything better! What started as a pork by-product being salt cured to preserve it and mostly eaten by the poor, bacon has become one of the most expensive meats on the shelf. Bacon is one of those ‘Extra’ ingredients that can be added to a dish to knock it out of the park. Appetizers, Sides, Main Course and even Dessert (bacon can be candied) can turn from ordinary to masterpiece with the simple addition of this humble smoked meat. And on top of everything, it freezes nicely.
“Every morning, I wake up, and I smoke a cigarette. And then I eat five strips of bacon. And for lunch, I eat a bacon sandwich. And for a midday snack? A whole plate of Bacon! I usually drink my dinner.”
~ Grandpa Gustafson, 'Grumpier Old Men'
Now the tips.
I suggest that you buy two packs of bacon next time funds will allow. First, a regular pack with nice uniform slices in a row. These are the pieces that you will be using for wrapping. From Rumaki (bacon wrapped water chestnuts) to even Hot Dogs, 1000’s of things can be wrapped. Next get yourself a pack of “End and Pieces”. These are generally about half the price and this is what to use to make Bacon Bits as it were. Break down the packages into 4-5 smaller bags and pop them in the freezer.
So the next time a recipe calls for bacon, you have a frozen, pre-measured amount waiting to be thawed out. Even if you're cooking and think “Oh, bacon would make this taste great”, grab a pack and go for it. You may have just come up with a new way to prepare an old favorite.
We need your consent to load the translations
We use a third-party service to translate the website content that may collect data about your activity. Please review the details in the privacy policy and accept the service to view the translations.