Taste 'N Swear

recipes and easy cooking with Tates 'N Gravy

Tate’s Basics

  • Look, There’s a few things you should always have in your kitchen. Even if you’re cooking once a week, you’ll be happy to have them. Most of these items can be used in multiple recipes, so if you like being able to switch up the menu without having to go to the store, have this shit on hand.

    The spice

    Do you realize what people used to go through for some damn flavor?

    I have what some people would consider far too many spices. These people can’t cook. So go find your grocery list, a pen, and sit the fuck down. If you don’t have the following spices, add them to your list. Don’t bitch about the cost of spices. They last forever and are worth it.

    • Garlic Powder
    • Onion Powder
    • Chili Powder
    • Cumin
    • Italian Seasoning
    • Cayenne
    • Mustad Powder
    • Coriander
    • Bay Leaf
    • Rosemary
    • Thyme
    • Paprika
    • Cream of Tartar
    • Ginger

    The bread and butter

    A few more things to make sure to have in the fridge and cupboard. Lucky for everyone, most of these items are pretty cheap to have on hand.

  • Half and Half
  • Heavy Whipping Cream
  • REAL butter at room temperature
  • Plain Breadcrumbs (you don’t want to make your own, just don’t)
  • Noodles- spaghetti, egg
  • Broth- chicken, beef
  • White Rice (get some decent shit like Basmati or Jasmine)
  • Tomato Sauce (no, not spaghetti sauce)
  • Flour
  • Sugar-brown, white and powdered
  • Garlic Cloves
  • Onions
  • Cheese (I shouldn’t have to say this)

Some basic tools

Don’t expect success if you walk into the kitchen with fucking plasticware. Open a new tab in your window and order a few things. You deserve it.

  • Some decent knives. I don’t mean go spend a shitload on some ceramic bullshit, but get yourself a nice chef, a slicing, a Santoku and don’t forget a carving knife. They are the ones I use most often. Fuck paring knives; the amount I see people use them for anything and everything is scary. That is how we cut ourselves. That is a hot mess no-no #1. Don’t fucking cut yourself. Use appropriate tools.
  • Mixing bowls! Some times we really need to keep our wets and our drys separate, until we are ready. This is seriously freaking important. Also, it’s how I keep my shit together and organized while cooking.
  • Cutting boards. If your are chopping onions or prepping chicken on a dinner plate, you are wrong.
  • A whisk. Stop trying to blend shit with a fork. Just buy a damn whisk.
  • More than one set of measuring cups and spoons. There are liquid and solid measuring cups. Get them both.