It’s highly, highly important to stock your kitchen with quality ingredients. That’s the ONLY way you’re going to consistently make quality food.

Produce: Now, I’m fairly lazy and never make lists and/or go to the grocery store. Every two weeks, I have a produce box delivered to my home from Pioneer Organics filled with organic, fresh produce that I then make up dinners with over the next few weeks. If you have anything like this available, do it. Do not hesitate – you’ll spend no more than you would at the grocery store, and have a guaranteed supply of fresh fruits and veggies in your home.

Meat: Nothing really beats free-range, injection free meats. I buy most of mine from Trader Joe’s or the meat market stand down in Pike Place Market. It’s good to stock up on meats while you happen to be near them, freeze ‘em, and use them until you need more.

Spices: Quality spices with rich flavors turn normal food into ZOMGSUSTENANCE!!! more than anything else. I highly, highly suggest buying from World Spice, who does sell on the internet if you can’t go there in person. It is their mission to find the best possible spice of each kind and I promise, PROMISE, it is worth it. (Worth it is relative to the time to go through their site and order. Their spices are considerably cheaper than those old bottled ones you get at the grocery store and far, far better.) Not only do they have the best spices, but they custom create blends, hand grind everything fresh, and ship it to you. So easy! Also, explore the salt selection and use them.

Cheeses: Cheese makes everything better. Buy fancy cheese, like English Cheddar with Carmelized Onions or Marscapone (which, by looking at my site, is fast becoming my favorite cheese). Experiment and find ones you really like. With a good cheese comes a distinct flavor, and you can use it sparingly in your cooking to far greater effect than piles of inferior cheese.

Oils and Vinegar: It’s important to keep a selection of vinegars, especially if you’re going to be making salad dressings. I have an orange champagne vinegar, for instance, that makes a lovely dressing mixed with olive oil and chinese red pepper. Rice vinegar is a good one to mix with pre-made sauces in order to make dressings as well. As far as oil is concerned, extra virgin olive oil is the best thing to saute with.

Water: It’s highly important to keep water around the kitchen. When anything on the stove is cooking too hot DO NOT add more oil, add water. It will rehydrate and cool the food.