Daily Prompt (Feb 9, 2014): What’s the one item in your kitchen you can’t possibly cook without? A spice, your grandma’s measuring cup, instant ramen — what’s your magic ingredient, and why? Photographers, artists, poets: show us KITCHEN.
You can’t expect the crazy baking monster like me to give up on even a cooking daily prompt, right? I figured if nothing else ever went with my blog, this one would.
Now, I started thinking about what is the one item in my kitchen that I can’t possibly cook without. I rewind back to all my cooking and everything I’ve made. Other than a trusty knife to cut everything, one item that can be used for every cooking process has to be wooden chopsticks.
Its especially useful to make noodles. Its great because you can use it to boil vegetables in water or flip stuff in a frying pan. Instead of using 10 million utensils and having to clean all of it afterwards, usually, chopsticks can get the job done quickly. Plus, they can pick up finer objects like rice or peas or whatnot. To me, they are the best cooking utensil that also can serve as your utensil for your meal afterwards if you so wish (and if you didn’t pick up raw meat with it).
I’m not a crazy cooking master or anything. My boyfriend usually takes care of it. Since he’s done it more, he’s better at it than I am. With his new schedule, I’ve been taking care of feeding myself a lot more frequently. If its anything I’ve learned from cooking, spices are quite essential to help improve the taste. One of my favorite ones that can replace most herbs in recipes when you don’t have it is Herbes de Provence.
I’ve realized through making a lot of western foods that spices are quite important. Modifying one spice could change the overall taste of the meal. In many cases, I’ve found that Herbes de Provence has a good taste the compliments well with a lot of foods. I believe I frequently use it in sauces as well when I don’t have thyme or whatnot. The discovery of spices just got miles more exciting after trying this out, at least to me 🙂
As for baking, well, I don’t have anything I need to have but I always love to keep a jar of this type of peanut butter just made from peanuts and none of that fake stuff.
Whether its for whatever cookies or something else that I bake, even if I don’t make some with peanut butter, I can grab a spoon and give myself a happy boost 🙂 Also, two of my favorite ingredients to use/make/eat is rhubarb.
I have a massive obsession over this and another one is this white fluffy things called marshmallows. They just melt on my tongue. Honestly, these ones are also in phases just as rhubarb is with seasons. Its just delicious and awesome 🙂
All this food is making me so hungry and craving some baking.
What ingredients or utensils are essential to you?
Tranquil Dreams 
Ah, marshmallows – Boo also thinks there an essential ingredient. With peanut butter and nutella, of course! 😉 I like almond butter slathered on apples, myself.
A really good friend of mine has a bread maker that she uses daily. Sometimes she makes bread with Herbs de Provence. Not my favorite, but it’s kind of interesting depending on what you’re serving it with.
Great topic for a post! Loved your pictures. I’m going to have to try chop sticks as a cooking implement now!
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Thanks Butterfly! 🙂
I can’t eat nutella anymore sadly. That stuff was good 🙂 Thats probably my boyfriend’s essential. I’ve tried almond butter before and its quite delicious. I’ve been thinking of incorporating it into baking actually.
I never thought about making bread with Herbs of Provence. I’m not exactly sure it’d taste good because its a pretty strong mix. With cooking, it brings out the flavor of the veggie or meat but with baking, it might be tad much. Maybe I’ll give that a shot.
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It wasn’t my fav, but my friend and her bf like it. About the nutella, you’re not missing much – it’s SOOOO sweet. Pretty much poison. 😛
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Haha! Well, I liked it until my body refuses chocolate in general….And my tolerance of extreme sweetness is less than it used to be.
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Absolutely right about making sure the peanut butter is just peanuts. Peanut butter has one ingredient — peanuts. Optionally salt, but that’s unnecessary. Anything else and it’s not peanut butter, in my opinion; it’s peanut-flavored spread.
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Mine doesn’t even have salt. I realized that have just pure peanuts gives it a very nice natural taste 🙂
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Mine generally doesn’t have salt either; doesn’t need it. I don’t mind when it does, though.
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