Things I Am Thankful For - Kitchen

The main thing associated with November here in the US is Thanksgiving - a time to recognize all the things we are thankful for in our lives (like a nice climate - take that, Canada!). Well, as I was cooking today I couldn't help but notice a few things in my kitchen that I readily take for granted. I figured I would share these with you guys because they are things that I feel everyone needs in their home.

1) Wax Paper
With so many uses and applications it's a small wonder that more people don't use wax paper. Not only is it useful to keep things from sticking while preparing them, it can be used to keep things from getting very messy indeed. Need to knead a particularly sticky bit of dough? Try wax paper. Icing cookies with a less than skilled hand? Try wax paper. With it's ability to prevent just about any mess from getting out of hand, the only sad thing is that starlets like Lindsay Lohan and Britney Spears didn't discover it sooner! Y'know, because they're a mess...

2) Minced Garlic
Now I realize many garlic purists are likely wanting to nail me to the wall for saying this (and possibly literally, garlic puritans are some crazy people...), but I believe a jar of minced garlic is something that every household needs. It's amazingly simple to use, inexpensive and keeps for a very long time. Mine fits nicely in the top shelf of the door of my refrigerator and I use it for so many things. Garlic mashed potatoes are undoubtedly one of my all-time favorites since they're good by themself but usable in so many other situations.

3) Instant Rice
With the winter season upon us, my crockpot is certainly getting a fair bit of usage in making nice soups and stews... but I'm not exactly the most consistent of cooks. Most of the things I make are made with a knowledge of what goes well together and an understanding of how to fix things if they don't end up exactly the way I like. (Afterall, isn't this what Alton Brown advocates in Good Eats? Not a knowledge of recipes, but a general understanding of how food behaves?). Well, sometimes my soups/stews end up a bit more watery than I would like... and instant rice is remarkably helpful with this. Simply add a small amount to the soup until it is the consistency you like. No need to wait for flour to cook off, no need to even make a roux. With instant rice, you can have a watery soup fixed in mere minutes (okay... in the temp of a crockpot, 10-15 minutes realistically. Still, something has to be said for the benefit of throwing rice in and walking away!).

4) Instant Mashed Potatoes
Anyone who makes Instant Mashed Potatoes as Mashed Potatoes deserves to be shot. Mashed Potatoes are entirely too simple to make, so you should make them right. However, Instant Mashed Potatoes are very useful in thickening gravies, just like the rice above helps thicken broths. I particularly like to use instant mashed potatoes with homemade brown gravy and cream of mushroom soup to produce an amazingly thick and rich gravy that is PERFECT for Shepherd's Pie (not traditional, I know... but I firmly embrace my ability to take foods and make them my own). I also like to use them to make Salisbury Steak, and I've even tried them in meatloaves. :)

5) Cajun Seasoning
Not everything you cook has to be Cajun, per se. A good cajun seasoning is basically salt, peppers, garlic powder, onion powder, chili powder and a few other things depending on the mix. This stuff is exceptional and can help make even the blandest of foods have a little life to them. A small sprinkling won't necessarily register as Cajun cooking, but merely create a bit of intrigue. There is next to nothing you can't use this on if the desired end-result is nice and savory.