I had to laugh when I read this column by Mark Bittman (author of How to Cook Everything). I laughed because most of the changes he advises are changes I've come to slowly over the past two or three years, and I wondered if I'd have gotten to where I am, or my pantry is, sooner had I read this a few years ago.
Probably not. And that's why it might be futile to link to his advice: it seems that humans have to learn everything the hard way and take their own paths to their eventual destination. Nonetheless, I hope you'll read the article and take some of his admonishments to heart. It really will improve your cooking.
I won't lie to you: I don't live by all of the "rules" Bittman lays down. He says to throw out canned stock, but I do use it from time to time (organic only, of course). He has no use for dried basil, while I use it plentifully (others before him have said that dried basil is useless, but I don't find that to be true; naturally, I'd prefer fresh, but I can definitely taste basil even when it's the dried variety that goes into my spaghetti sauce). I'm also not going to stock up on anchovies (I don't like them) or fish sauce.
On the other hand, I couldn't agree more when he encourages the use of dried beans instead of canned, homemade salad dressing instead of the bottled variety, and homemade bread crumbs and croutons instead of packaged. And I haven't used bottled lemon juice in ages--it's quick and easy to cut a lemon in half and squeeze it through your fingers to filter out the seeds, so why bother with the inferior stuff?
So take a look and see whether your pantry needs an overhaul. I guarantee that making even a few of the changes Bittman recommends will make a difference in the taste of your (already fabulous I'm sure!) home-cooked meals.
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