The Pantry Staples I SPLURGE on (and the Ones I DON’T)
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- čas přidán 28. 05. 2024
- Giving you the chef's secrets for the 6 pantry items worth the splurge and which you DON'T need to spend extra money on. Use code LAGERSTROM50 to get 50% off your first Factor box at bit.ly/4001CNs
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CHAPTERS:
0:00 Intro
0:30 Pantry Items WORTH splurging on
8:39 No extra dinner dishes (ad)
9:37 Pantry staples worth the splurge (continued)
13:12 Pantry items that are NOT worth splurging on
#pantrystaples #pantrycooking #pantry
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Personally, from a Mediterranean country that is a big olive producer, the olive oil matters. But I agree that not every dish needs good olive oil. It depends on the dish a lot. I have two different bottles of olive oil, and whenever I cook I use the cheaper one for most things. When I'm cooking something that is heavy on the olive oil taste, i use the good one. I make pasta aglio e olio a lot because it's extremely tasty, fast, and easy to make and whenever I make it i use the good olive oil with good quality dry pasta and it makes a huge difference in the final dish.
Mediterranean fresh olive oil is just out of this world. I could just spoon it up every day. Meanwhile the store bought basic olive oils are super bitter, which I never realised before tasting the good stuff. Any recommendations of olive oil manufacturers if traveling in your area?
Agreed. Definitely have a high quality olive oil if used to blend up sauces or being drizzled at room temp on top of dishes, but if just coating a pan to fry some ingredients, use the cheap oil.
Why do people always preface their comments with things like "I'm Italian," or "I'm from a Mediterranean country" as if that gives them absolute credibility to speak on the topic. If you know about olive oil, then you know about olive oil. Just bc you're from a certain country doesn't mean you can cook lol.
@@fglend73 Because 99% of Americans have NO idea what even decent olive oil tastes like. I'm an American. I have actually been blessed enough to taste good olive oil. Its fruity, just like people say it is. Its not some crazy wine thing where you have to be a sommelier to taste it. Its there ant its fruity. Period. The EVOO you buy in the store is spoiled and rotten. The end. Supposedly California Ranch is supposed to have 'the best' store olive oil. That may be true, but its spoiled, and bitter by the time you put it in your mouth. The end.
Olive oil confuses me so much. There are so many brands, i don't understand the practical effect of virgin olive oil versus extra virgin oo, and so on.
I agree on the spices but I would add that it is even more important to use whole spices and not pre-ground ones. They keep a lot longer and you can really taste the difference from a freshly ground black pepper from the pre-grounded stuff.
Stale spices, whether cheap or expensive are sad. Dill especially has a short shelf life. Never buy in huge quantities and yes whole when possible. A whole nutmeg lasts WAY longer than powder.
@@nerfherder4284plus it's super ez to just use a microplane to grate it quickly without grinding the whole "nut".
@@nerfherder4284 When did Dill become a spice? Am I missing something in language here. I thought Dill was a herb.
Grocery store spices are also kind of a scam price-wise. Something like $8 gets you a 75g jar, meanwhile I can buy 100g for $4 at a bulk retailer. Not only that, they smell and taste better than the grocery store ones. Of course, getting something like that close to your home is a matter of luck, but any large city will have at least 1.
I buy my herbs & spices is bulk (usually around 1/2 to 1 pound). I then put them in vac packed bags with the name in black marker. Those 'larger' bags are stored in a 5 gallon pail, and small amounts are vac packed in smaller bags. I store those in a small basket in the cupboard. This isn't perfect. It seems I always have to remove 3/4 of the herbs & spices from the basket to find what I need! 🤣 But the benefit of having plenty of 'extra' really paid off during Covid when the bulk area of the store was closed off.
When others were forced to spend five plus dollars on those small bottles, I was still working with 3 to 8 dollar _per pound_ spices.
Brian, you can get 15 lb bags of good rice (I buy Japanese rice grown in California) for around $2/lb or less from either Asian supermarkets or even Amazon. 'Tamaki Gold' is my go-to when I can get it for a good price, but 'Nozomi" is really good too and usually cheaper. Where that bag you held up is over $4/lb and about the same.
And I grew up in Japan and am pickier about my rice than just about anything else.
Yeah, Calrose rice is a good deal! But I do use some jasmine rice too, Trader Joe's ones are solid and accessible.
Thanks for the tip!!
More than just brands (like Tamaki Gold), it is important to know that there are multiple varieties of rice (just like apples) and each has distinct characteristics. My family is partial to Koshihikari rice which is sold by multiple brands. Give some of them a try. They beat the pants off of Calrose... Local Japanese/Korean market will have a ton of options as does Amazon although locally in Southern California Amazon is a LOT more expensive than the Japanese stores
Jasmine is a good option but really rice is rice and unless you are making a rice dish anything really is ok as it basically a side dish.
@@lostboy8084 rice is absolutely not interchangeable like that lmao
Pro Tip: You can get a large jar of Better than Bullion at Costco for less than the grocery store, and it's actually an even better version. It's both organic AND reduced sodium, with about half as much salt as the regular version. Makes a huge difference, since it leaves room for other salt sources in the dish.
Just found that out and snatched one !
The problem with the better than bouillon is the dextrose they add. It is a huge problem for those with insulin resistance. I would buy it if it didn’t have any dextrose, or maltose, or dextrin added. 😔
@@sherireuther3047I agree...I HATE Better Than Bullion, for that same reason and don't understand the hype of the product. It leaves behind a sweet flavor to everything I add it to, gross.
Salt is good
Really almost all of the splurge items you can get at Costco for really good prices. Even the Goya ones are fresher than the grocery store because of how they are supplied. Same with chips
Agreed on spices, though it's worth noting that getting them from Asian, Arabic, Indian, or other such specialized markets often yields good quality, large quantity, and rock bottom prices. From my own experience at least, I can pick up a pound bag of spice or spice blend for the same cost or less that the little jar at the supermarket. Also those places are often locally owned so it's nice to support them IMO.
Supporting a local store is a great thought, keeps them around in the future when you need more. I prefer my spices to be organic, just so pesticides don't end up in rivers, but besides that they all seem to taste the same, although buying in bulk can lead to staleness if you don't use them quickly.
Yes this, if you live in a large enough city to have easy access to ethnic specialty markets they're a great place to get all kinds of top tier ingredients at lower prices than a regular grocery store.
@@chriswhinery925winco has bulk spices although I can’t vouch for the age. But they seem to go through them quickly so they are probably fresh. Winco is everywhere!
Yup, the local Indian supermarket is my destination for spices! (and yes, I am aware that many people in more rural areas might not have access to spices other than in the basic supermarket).
@@magicalmystery1964 No Winco in Central Florida . . .
Bravo! I love this! I hated that you always mention "Better Than Bouillon" it had been my secret for years. The Ham Base in over cooked country green beans is a game changer! Also incredible in red beans and rice. I had my friends 80-year-old grandmother back me in a corner and demanded that I tell her my secret flavor in my green beans. 2 or 3 years later she became very ill, and I stopped by her home and dropped off a jar of the BTB ham base. I cracked the jar and she got a little on her finger, licked it and looked me in the eye and called me a horrible cheater LOL. Then she got better and beats me to every single function with my own green bean! It's been a complete pleasure watching your channel grow!
All grandmothers have their own dirty little secrets in recipes lol. They just don’t like being beaten at their own game.
@@mknewlan67 this is so true lol my grandmother's was good quality vinegar
I love BTB and have used nothing else since I discovered it. However, there are so many vegetarians in my family that I use their vegetarian base one but for anything (ie beans & greens) that need that smokey flavor you get with good ham, I use sweet smoked paprika
Somehow at Market Basket in the US it's like less than $5 too. Best deal going
BTB's mushroom base is one of my favorites, totally underrated.
Largley agree. Things I would add: A good tomato paste is, in my opinion, an absolute must in the kitchen. Buy a big jar of a really good tomato paste when on sale, and freeze it in cubes. Super handy to have at hand, and you don't need to feel like it's going to spoil in the can because you didn't use it up fast enough.
great idea
What brand do you recommend?
I love the European style tomato paste in a toothpaste tube ones! They make using however much you want so easy, and just put on the cap and stick it back in the fridge.
Yes but it’s in a metal container opened to the air- makes me think metal oxidizes @@janetsbrick
no, tomato powder beats paste
pro tip: learning how to cook better is going to make WAAAAAYYYYYYYY more of a difference than boujie ingredients
yeaaaah buddy. If you gave a competent cook some cheap ingredients, they would make a better dish than an amateur cook with expensive ass ingredients.
I love the shout out to Ethan’s channel and the tomato video. Your channels complement each other and help those of us looking for high quality food information.
Best two food channels by far
I watched that video when it came out and started buying better tomatoes, too. It was a super helpful video! We hardly ever eat canned tomatoes so the price difference is not that big for us, thankfully. But I do think they make a difference.
Yes!!!
Ethan's content needs more shoutout, so does Bryan to be honest
We need an Ethan + Brian collab video! Or entire series.
Costco usually carries BTB in a much larger jar and similar in price to grocery store. I love it because it's cheaper than chicken broth and I don't have leftover cans that I eventually have to throw away. Stuff seems to last forever in the fridge.
They also have quality Olive Oil and Wines that won't break the bank.
I thought $10 seemed like a lot (if he’s buying the 8oz jars). I pay around $5 at Target or the grocery store. But I’ll have to check the prices at Costco…thanks.
I’m a bean freak and was thrilled when Camillia beans started showing up in Publix here in St Pete, FL. And while I’m on the topic of beans, everybody please adopt the practice of brining your beans I learned from Cooks Illustrated. 1 gallon of water with 3 T of pickling salt (no iodine and dissolves in room temperature water easily) per pound of beans for 6 to 8 hours. Preseasons the beans and allows them to cook more evenly.
Camilla beans are unavailable here, but Hurst has been a good replacement for red beans & rice dishes.
I genuinely appreciate the actual different advice here. Every food youtuber seems to always say the exact same things as if reading off of a script about how you MUST always use the best wines and the best olive oils. To only ever use the super high end spices because "everything else is dust!". It caused me to spend a lot of extra money when I first started until I realized it really didn't matter as much.
I also appreciate how you aren't pretentious about your cooking. That's gotten to be exhausting across the food youtubers.
omg the 'everything else is dust' comment is SO true ! i hear it all the time but never really believed it. great to hear from brian on this!!
yes! he's not pretentious, but is also highly trained and doesn't need to shout about it. whereas a lot of "food youtubers" have barely worked in a kitchen
I especially like it because it makes his recommendations of where you should spend much more authoritative.
I agree for most spices but specifically for paprika it can make a big difference to use the real imported stuff- for something where you're using a teasooon or less it doesn't matter, but for goulash when I'm dumping in a half cup you really notice the cheap stuff. Often times on cheap brands the ingredients will list "silicon dioxide" (literally sand) added for declumping, and at Hungarian-food quantities it feels noticeably gritty in your mouth
thanks for saying this! Maybe since I was raised by a Hungarian mother, I was personally shocked to hear normal paprika is fine for everyday usage. But also, after the whole internet was talking about how paprika was bell peppers, you won't get that in an imported paprika.
Totally agree. I make chicken paprikash all the time and the imported Hungarian sweet paprika can't be beat
I came here to say that I disagree slightly on spice mainly around paprika for one. I bought Amazon basic paprika and threw it away. It smelled bad and had zero taste. Authentic Hungarian paprika is miles better.
Hungarian paprika is actually distinct from something like Spanish paprika. Typically, i've noticed Hungarian paprika to have a higher capsaicin level while being a bit earthier.
TBH I've never found myself disappointed in the cheap crappy $1/lb grocery store beans. They always taste great when I cook them in stuff like sausage fat and (good san marzano) tomato sauce. Maybe I'm missing out though, and there's a bean world I have not discovered yet.
It's not necessarily the taste that significantly improves in my experience, but the cheap beans have tons of blowouts and worse texture in general relative to pricier stuff.
I buy my beans from the bulk bins at my local food co-op. They're pretty good, not too expensive, and you don't have to worry about shipping ...
Since most beans at my co-op were grown locally, I could probably get info about harvest dates, pesticide use, and a background on the famers.
I think there are bean freaks out there. And I’m afraid of them.
Hey Brian, just wanted to leave my personal opinions at 4:43 regarding the red boat fish sauce..
I would say that the red boat is like a finishing salt or a sesame oil
You only wanna use it when it’s raw/not heated up too much
So like in your dipping sauce or dressing
When cooking you want more of just the umami flavor and it’s more cost effective to use a regular brand
The ones we usually use are a brand with flying lion, 3 crabs, or squid
I would say comparatively to a good fish sauce the red boat is 10-20% better for 4x the cost
THANKS! I have the 3 🦀🦀🦀 brand & was about to toss it! I guess it's the same as The $$$ vs $ Olive Oil.
I recently started using Better than Bouillon and was amazed at how good it is. Although I am shocked at the price you quoted; $10-12 a jar? It's around $5 in my neck of the woods and even the Organic is no more than $7 or 8, but often goes on sale for less. I'm intrigued by the idea of fresh beans, but the price is shocking. Groceries are already killing us right now, so this is the wrong time to start upgrading ingredients unfortunately. But I'll keep these tips in mind for when/if life becomes more affordable. I used to buy really good vinegar but wasn't going through it fast enough. I threw away quite a bit of expensive vinegar so I just don't buy it anymore.
Think of it this way: Better Than Boullion makes the transition to having a lot of soups easier. Also: the way to cook flour and retain the most calories is to boil it. Make a small amount of very thick dough. Literally just some water and flour. Then take off chunks about half the size of a golf ball, flatten them, and boil them in water. They're ready to eat when they float up to the top.
Yeah, I just checked, and Walmart's price for BTB is $4.29. Why anyone would spend $10 for one of those is beyond me. Where does he live, NYC? San Fran?
If he’s in NY, for that price he’s probably shopping at Whole Foods. I’m in NY, I don’t shop WF, and I’ve seen that stuff at stores for $5-$6 tops. And I won’t buy it unless it’s on sale
Edit: I’m in the comments, usually, as I’m watching and he did mention shopping at Whole Foods, way more expensive than my local Food Bazaar.
@@In.the.darkness_there_is_light its funny I used to live in NY and outside of the city food is super cheap its actually cheaper up in NY than where I live in South Carolina food is weirdly expensive here especially since wages are like half of what you get paid in NY but yeah sounds like WFs to me because even here its rarely more than $6
"When life becomes more affordable" don't hold your breath.
I agree with you on the generic spices, but something your channel taught me is the difference between the authentic spices for certain dishes. For example, I made your Butter Chicken recipe the first time with generic US chili powder, then two weeks later with Kashmiri chili powder and the taste difference was substantial. Ditto for Ancho and Chipotle chili powders when required.
I feel the same way. Mexican oregano is more floral and less sharp. Same for true Mexican cinnamon. For paprika, I try to get the Hungarian brand - I’m part Hungarian and notice the difference in my cooking.
Kashmiri chili powder is more color than heat, not because of a quality issue, that chili is inherently for color.
When you started talking about olive oil I gasped a bit - Sacrilege! - then I continued to listen. Due to a lesson from _America's_ _Test_ _Kitchen_ I started purchasing California Olive Ranch brand. They have a style they call 'Everyday' and it's a perfect workhorse for every day use. As you qualified, good enough to eat raw, but not crazy expensive as to be wasting money by cooking. Plus, the better quality than the store brand is noticeable.
I buy the California Olive ranch too, they have one that is made from 100% California olives, that I hope is in fact olive oil and not a blend.
Olive oil needn't be super expensive or fancy, but make sure to do a bit of research to make sure that what you're buying is actually 100% olive oil.
California olive oil is superior to imported. I use COR as well and I have been very satisfied. Also, you can often buy a liter of it at Sam's club for like $12...
@@jasonkeith2832 Second this, Olive oil is one of the most fraudulent food products out there
Lol funny enough I use a Trader Joe’s one as my work horse and the California as my finishing oil
I'm disabled and on food stamps so the difference in price with beans and rice does make a bank-breaking difference, for me. 😅 That said, one of my few "splurges" is a good aged balsamic-- that stuff goes nicely with just about everything, and a little goes a long way. Absolutely worth it. And generally agree about the rest of everything else!
Seriously, as someone who grew up super poor, the idea of spending that much on beans in insane to me. I guess it really just shows how wide the gap is in what people consider "a lot of money."
@@TakumiJoyconBoyz agreed. $7 is egregious for what's usually named one of the cheapest protein sources out there. I can get a 4lb bag of chicken legs for a little over half that.
Just found this channel and gotta say I don't care for this bougie shit lol. $8 beans and calling bouillon cubes 'not food'... seriously? 😂
Agreed. At a time when food prices are higher than they have been in decades and people are struggling, making a recommendation for a gourmet version of a basic money saving ingredient is kind of out of touch.
@@nollypollyIt's such a joke when people see lists of things they don't recognize and assume it's harmful when its just preservatives and chemical names. You wouldn't say sodium chloride is harmful, its just salt.
It’s probably important to note that different types of rice (short grain, jasmine, basmati) have different use cases. If you are making South Asian curries, basmati goes well, donburis work much better when you are using koshihikari short grain rice and a Singapore-style Hainanese chicken rice dish or Cantonese stir fry would be best with Thai Hom Mali jasmine rice. And of course risottos will call for Arborio rice. That’s the long way of saying that recipes are developed for the type of rice which is available in the region. Ps, have you tried Vietnamese grilled meats on broken rice? I do agree that rice quality does matter but more important is using the right rice for the right dish. Hint: I have all of the types I mentioned above except broken rice. P/s the “Megachef” brand of fish sauce is actually pretty decent too.
My single favorite ingredient by far is good parm, so if I splurge on anything, I splurge on the pretty expensive giant wedges of it from Costco. Kinda a pantry item because those ~$18 wedges will keep in your fridge indefinitely until opened.
Just bought that parm from Costco and it is so good!
Greetings from Jacksonville Florida USA. LOL. I do the same thing. I grate and store some of it in a jar, and wrap the rest.
Cheese in general I would say is worth it
I have a hard time remembering them and throw half away because of mold everytime. Maybe the key is to spend so much on this that I won't forget that it's in the fridge. :)
@@hogue3666 cheese does freeze very well fyi, also do u know when it’s in block form still u can just cut the mold off and use the rest?
I think dried chili flakes are one of the easiest and most rewarding self-made spices someone can do in my opinion. I had so much fun experimenting with different dried chilis and honing in desired my flavor and spice profile. I go with primarily Thai chilis and some Smokier Mexican chilis and find the “sweetness” and smokiness with the heat make a dang fine chili flake for any dish.
Spending extra bucks to get nice pepper flakes has made a huge difference for me. Flat Iron Chili Co has some amazing products. Dark and Stormy chili flakes are insanely better than normal red pepper flakes
Flat Iron Chili flakes are incredible. Definitely worth the extra price!
If you’re cooking paprikash or goulash, the quality of the paprika is hugely important since it’s a dominant flavor in the dish. I’m part Hungarian so probably biased, but after trying various sweet paprikas in the store for years I think you really need to splurge on some good Hungarian paprika. It’s not wildly expensive.
Ages ago I had a Spanish paprika and it was the best paprika I had had (before that it was the flavorless 10 year old jars in most 90s America kitchens. I wish i could find it again!
Thanks for this one. I completely agree with all of your recommendations. I'd add one more to the list, although with caveats and that's high quality dried pasta. I eat a LOT of pasta, I've worked in Italian restaurants for years and years, and there's a difference between the fast-dried yellow grocery store stuff and the bronze die cut artisan, slow dried noodles.
Agreed, good pasta is worth it. Gotta have the bronze die cut stuff 👍🏻
Yes! This^^ Other pantry items I splurge on are high quality oils for my salads. Hazelnut, walnut, pistachio, and good olive oils.
bronze die cut is the way.
Aldi has bronze die cut pasta.
Do you have any brand recommendations?
Here's my ultimate spice hack - if you travel to foreign countries like anywhere in the middle east or Armenia, buy your spices in BULK then FREEZE THEM!!
I just came back from Lebanon where I brought 50 pounds of paprika, oregano, sumac, chili peppers, and tons of other farm sourced goodies for less than $1 for 2 pounds of each spice whereas in the US for 1 pound of Paprika you'd pay anywhere between $20-50/pound
Did you just ship them back or bring them in through customs? I'm genuinely curious 🤔
@@Right_beside_U Yes, TSA never has had a problem with it - as long as its not cheese or meat!
my parents were always really frugal (not necessarily in a bad way), and I grew up eating the basics, but since being on my own and realizing I can easily spend my own money on the good pasta brands, the nice balsamic vinegar, the fresh fish rather than frozen, and the good brands of ice cream, my quality of cooking and my desire to learn more types of cuisine and dishes has skyrocketed. It really does make a difference if you want to enjoy food to a deeper degree. My favorite switch of ingredient to a better quality one was definitely the flour I was using to make bread, etc. Took my focaccia to the next level. Also using fresh herbs.
Tooootally agree on the olive oil. My girlfriend asked me why I have two kinds of olive oil and said "one for cooking, one for tasting". She looked at me like I had three heads, so I went out and got a baguette and had her taste whole foods store brand next to my La Tourangelle EVOO and she got it. One for cooking, one for tasting.
A tip for cooking rice at home: one teaspoon of mirin and one teaspoon of vegetable oil, added before cooking. While the rice is done, mix it loose and put the cover back, let it seat for 15 mins.
Learned that by working at a Taiwanese BBQ restaurant.
This method will let your rice not stick like clump, and with additional hint of flavor.
One teaspoon of oil and mirin per how many standard rice cooker cups?
@@tigeristtora2033 about 3 to 4 standard rice cooker cups.(200~220ml)
@@user-hz3te6cd2j thank you! I'll definitely try this!
Fuckin gangster comment here. Appreciate it
You change vegetable oil with vinegar, that's sushi/sushi rice.
I am surprised you didn't mention soy sauce. We use a premium Japanese soy sauce in the restaurant I work in, over 80 dollars a bottle, my god that thing is worth every cent (I use it for staff food when my chef isn't looking, he can always tell by the smell :)).
What’s the name of it?
Oh yes, totally agree!
@@kingBing101 kinari koicuchi
Agreed! High quality soy sauce is as precious as high quality balsamic!!! 😋🍶🍣
@@iliaslerias7374 the 1.8L bottle, I hope
Brian could you please make this a series? How about also doing a video featuring aromatics, vegetables, pasta, etc...
I'm going to thank you for suggesting using Better Than Bullion - not just in this video but frequently prior. It's upped my game on pretty much anything that calls for broth or stock. Totally worth it.
Good to know why my dried beans always cook inconsistently - however, I get dried to save money. If the dried beans that are actually good cost way more, I’ll probably just get the cans
I was wondering why canned beans were always more consistent than my dried ones.
He literally says in one of his other videos to use canned instead of dried because they're cooked sooner after harvesting and will be better.
Dried beans are a staple in brazilian culinary. But since we eat it almost everyday, it is almost always fresh at the supermarkets. We soak it overnight to avoid the "bloating effect", then throw away the water and cook it in a pressure cooker. Hope I helped you!
@vistaoalry4883: _If the dried beans that are actually good cost way more, I’ll probably just get the cans_ You have NO idea what you'd be missing out on. This is *exactly* why you should get the highest quality dried beans for the same price as canned. Try a few once at least once in our lifetime. For a few extra dollars you get a far better life experience and support family farms.
Totally agree on decent tinned tomatoes. I used cheap ones for years and recently switched to a more decent brand (Mutti) and honestly despite my scepticism they are SO much better
Yeah, cheap tomato paste is kinda gross when you taste them side by side.
Ethan chlebowski did a video comparing different canned tomatoes. A lot of the cheap ones use calcium carbonate as a preservative and it makes them taste worse. Oh lol as I'm writing this Brian is saying the exact same thing.... lol
Totally Agree. Cento is really good too - either the San Marzano from Italy or the ones from the USA. They are ripe, packed in tomato puree, and don't have crappy additives.
@@stellaz2595 yes indeed but you have to be a bit wary of some US brands that are San marzano "style". Those are just romas that don't have as good of flavor or consistency. Cento is my go to as well.
@@stryker0ae No he didn't say the same thing
He said the calcium carbonate covers up bad tastes
As someone who has frequently been told “These are the best beans I’ve ever tasted” I can’t tell you how much it excites me to know that I was getting those reactions with grocery store bulk beans. Either from
The bins or from large bags “great value” equivalents, I have always felt beans were fantastic, so I’m really looking forward to having 300% better beans.
What are your bean secrets? I never manage to make beans taste very good
@Gothfield: Did you try Rancho Gordo? And how do you cook your beans?
@Gothfield: Did you try Rancho Gordo? And how do you cook your beans?
Start with a good rinse, make sure there are no stones or shriveled beans. Add 3 cups beans to 8 cups water and then bring to a boil with a onion chopped in half and 4 cloves of garlic, you can add hamhocks, trotters, or pork jowls if you eat meat at this point too. No salt yet.
Once boiling, reduce to a simmer and cover for 2 hours, stirring occasionally. After two hours the liquid should have started turning brown, it is at this point you need to carefully monitor the beans, checking every 10 mins or so and stirring until you have a nice thickened bean liquor that coats the back of a spoon. Depending on the bean this could be another 30 mins up to another 2 hours.
Once your bean liquor is fully developed to a thin brown gravy, at this point add whatever spices you prefer ( I use cumin, mace, black pepper, salt, Worcestershire sauce, and msg) and let simmer for another 10 mins before serving with corn bread or warm tortillas.
My kids would typically complain when they are some stew that had "tomato" in it and I always thought it was just them complaining because they could see the chunky tomatoes. After watching Ethan video about tomato sauce I decided to try one of his recommdations. One day I made a pasta or stew with said can of tomatoes and the kids love it! I realized that the reason they didn't like it before was because of the texture of the tomato chunks where it was treated with calcium citrate and makes the tomato unnaturally hard. Never buying diced tomatos or any canned tomatoes treated with calcium citrate.
Penzy’s cinnamon, man. It’s worth it.
I think the old adage about don’t use wine you wouldn’t drink, was during a time where a thing called “cooking wine” was regularly sold and discussed. It was just some low grade wine with lots of salt in it. No one would drink that.
Penzys Vietnamese Cinnamon is the only cinnamon I keep in the house. It is the best!!!
Buying a giant ass jar of Better than Boullion from Costco has been an absolute GANE CHANGER for my Weeknight meals
AGREE!
It’s definitely cheaper than paying 8.99 for a small jar
Does it cost that much now?
@@ruthallen1159 the small jars are $5 in my area.
For me something I splurge on is good quality branded FLOUR! I bake a lot of goods and I only eat homemade bread. The day I switched to the better flour everything I baked tasted much better and the quality of the gluten in the dough improved a lot 👏
I used to buy store brand, but then I realized what a difference good flour makes (I bake pretty frequently), and King Arthur is my go to! The gluten just develops so much better!
@@divinelyengineered same!! King Arthur is the best hahaha
Totally agree about vinegar. I make my own red wine vinegar from left over red wine that's no longer fresh enough to drink. One bottle of wine diluted 10% with water in a gallon glass jug with a cup of unpasteurized vinegar starter left lightly covered for a couple of months will yield a delicious vinegar after you adjust the acidity with water and bottle it up.
Good to see you list Red Boat fish sauce. I use two brands. Red Boat when there's very few ingredients (which allows me to taste the sauce), and Three Crabs when the sauce gets lost in many ingredients (like Kimchi).
If you can't find Red Boat, buy something with at least 2% protein. (thats an indication as to an 'early' pressing... Red Boat is a 'first' pressing at 4%)
Another thing to note about fish sauce for anyone who isn't too familiar with the ingredient. Most people think it lasts forever. It doesn't. Watch the video, see when Brian pours some of it into a dish? It's dark but still clear, you can see through it all the way to the bottom of the dish. If the fish sauce gets cloudy to where you can't see through it anymore, it's old, throw it out. It does last for a while in the fridge though so you can count on getting at least a year out of it, but I wouldn't buy more at one time than I expect to use in about one year.
@@chriswhinery925 Interesting! I haven't seen that yet. I always keep mine refrigerated. I just looked at my bottles. There's a few salt crystals that formed in the bottom of both bottles, but both are still clear, with a nice uniform mahogany color.
The Red Boat is under a year old, with an expiration date of 12/24. I'm pretty sure the Three Crabs is much older, but the year on the expiration date is rubbed off.
Do you recall what brand you noticed that with?
@@oregonpatriot1570 It's just a general rule that I've heard from Asian chefs, nothing brand specific. Considering how fish sauce is made though, with the liquid being pressed out of salted fish, I would surmise that cheaper, less "pure" fish sauces from later pressings would probably not last as long as more expensive "first press" fish sauces due to having more crap floating around in them to start with.
@@chriswhinery925 I'll bet you're right. The majority of fish sauce brands are poor quality. Again.... Check the percentage of protein. I won't buy anything less than 2%. Red Boat is 4%.
I've really grown accustomed to using it. One of the strangest things is mixed in before I scramble eggs. About a 1/2 teaspoon per 3 eggs adds a lot of flavor.
I think it’s worth it to spend more on good butter. I’m not going to use it every time but for some dishes, nothing beats a good butter! ❤
Well to be fair, this video is about *pantry* items (although I agree with you).
Butter is important
I get cheaper butter for baking (either Costco brand, challenge or Land o lakes) and Kerrygold for my butter dish. I can’t justify spending twice as much to put it in cookies. But for spreading on my toast? Definitely!
@@magicalmystery1964 I hear you. My rule is: if it's "butter forward" (such as a pound cake, Scottish shortbread, or even an herbed compound butter for a steak), I use the "good stuff." If butter isn't a key flavor, I use the regular brands.
ESPECIALLY in baking …
It's Very difficult to splurge on anything on a very fixed budget which, these days, is very hard to do. I buy my spices from a co-op or the local Amish shops because they are fresher than the $1 ones from the dollar store. Rice and beans are a staple that I would splurge on if I was able. I grow my own tomatoes and process them myself. I do, however, buy a mid level olive oil as the cheaper ones have a funky flavor.
I agree 100%, I love fish sauce, it was a game changer since I started using it in my cooking, I cook traditional foods using fish sauce instead of salt and it elevates the umami in the dish to a whole new level, looking forward to buy that good quality fish sauce, for now I use the squid brand, I guess it does the job
Spices I think I'm 50/50 on. Most of the time, 'generic' spices from asian/indian stores are more than good enough (and are cheaper/fresher than supermarket ones!), but certain spices I've noticed a difference. Good paprika is a major one, it's a night and day difference - the cheap stuff is just red powder in comparison.
I think it also depends on the application - how many spices are being used in the dish? Are they the main focus or an undernote? Curry/chile powder can afford to use generic spices, given there are so many flavours already. If you want a spice focused dessert to have a bit more complexity, it could be worth sourcing something a bit more special.
Yeah, paprika is one we never skimp out on. It's a major player in most of our dishes. The good stuff completely elevates it. The cheap stuff is almost plasticy
Once you've experienced a very high quality olive oil I think you're much more likely to appreciate its use as a finishing flavour enhancer. If anything its underrated as an ingredient to splurge on, but a workhorse cheaper olive oil and a high quality finishing oil should be split into separate categories.
@@myopiczeal He is using an average at best olive oil that is likely cut with cheaper oils to reduce price. Which for medium heat cooking as he primarily uses it is fine, however I personally use it substantively more often than he is implying and you absolutely will see a huge difference with raw applications.
Yes he makes the distinction, however he still seems to conclude that artisan olive oils are a waste of money or highly inappropriate for most people, I just totally disagree. I personally think he just hasn't explored artisan olive oils properly or done proper broad comparisons and therefore doesn't care.
@@jeanlucbergman479 Same here, olive oil for cooking and for consuming as is should not be even mentioned in the same sentence. No comparison.
Along with getting premium rice at any Asian grocery store, it never hurts to have a half decent rice cooker (especially a zojirushi) as it will totally up your rice game and make everything much more uniform. They can also be used for other foods. My wife loves slow cooking chashu in our rice cooker.
I will have to argue this. I have been making perfect rice on my stovetop for 25 years. The keys are knowing time and water to rice ratio which most people get wrong. Most cook for too long with too much water.
@@magicalmystery1964 Agree. I threw away my rice cooker and exclusively cook my rice on the stove top.
If I ate rice every day, or even every second day, I might buy a rice cooker. The cheapest zojirushi rice cooker I see on Amazon España is over 300 Euros. The title of this video is Splurge, so I think not.
@@dac3563 it is so easy! I never could justify buying a gadget to use for one purpose. I would prefer to learn and perfect the technique, not buy a gadget to do it for me
If you don't have a rice cooker (I don't), the Instant Pot does a good job. I also sometimes bake my rice (add boiling water, cover, and bake).
Sobeys Compliements beans in canada are under a year old in my experience. I know because I used them to garden my own bean plants and they spouted and grew into a mature plant. Beans won't sprout if they are 2 years old-
A good 'freshness' test is to put some soaked beans in plastic bag with wet paper towel in a warm spot and see if it grows in a week
That isn't necessarily so. People in the southwest have found batches of beans sealed in ollas that are hundreds of years old, and at least some of them sprouted.
@@troystallard6895 ...and occasionally a 6 toed dog is born ....who gives a f*ck
I agree, I've never ever had a problem cooking 'cheap" beans - navy, great northern, pinto, turtle, kidney - no issues. I *may* try some of the "premium" beans to see if i can discern any significant difference but I'm happy with the cheap stuff.
The thing that he did not mention about spices is that grinding your own spices is a huge difference from pre-ground spices and that includes chili powder, cumin, coriander. There is so much more flavor in freshly ground spices, it is much more potent, and there is more depth and brightness, depending on the spice. And you usually want to bloom them before adding them to everything else. Also, fresh herbs oregano, basil, thyme, rosemaryetc. are leagues better than dried, especially basil.
Thanks for the honesty! Loved it
I'm Half spanish and half french and I agree with the olive oil and the wine.
But not with paprika I assume? 😄 I lived in Spain for two years before I realized that picante and dulce were terribly, terribly different.
@@Norrie_S At first i was not ok with Bri's argument with paprika and stuff. But then i thought about Spanish paprika (Pimenton, nyora etc) and remembered that they doesnt cost much over there, it's like normal to have quality spices for low cost. I recently discovered Hungarian Paprika and it's wow ! Spicy one is very spicy and the sweet one have a very nice and strong pepper flavour. I recommend if you can get it at reasonable price !
Love this one - These broader, more general advice videos are fantastic! I've been wanting to impart this type of information to my family and you gave me a great video to link them, that isn't just stuff I've repeated!
This was educational, thank you! I like hearing the WHY behind every decision. It helps us make better decisions on our own!
I LOVE that you say to splurge on beans & rice. I've been loving Rancho Gordo beans for a number of years, and I excited to try the premium rice. Everything else is fantastic too. Thank you so much!
On the don't bother splurging train, I recommend you buy a bottle of cheap vanilla for things like chocolate chip cookies, chocolate cake and other such complex deserts and save the delicate artisanal vanilla for simpler dishes where its flavors would get covered up. I actually made a batch of my favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe with both expensive extracted vanilla and cheap "imitation" vanilla and I couldn't tell a difference between the vanilla that was $2 and the vanilla that was $20. The main component of "imitation" vanilla and extracted vanilla is the same, vanillin. The extracted stuff will have some other minor compounds present in the vanilla bean, but the vanilla flavor comes basically entirely from vanillin. Using fancy vanilla in dishes with simple flavor profiles where that delicacy can really stand out makes sense, but to me, using it in a dark, rich chocolate cake with a ton of chocolate and maybe some coffee in it just doesn't. I can't notice the delicate flavors of the fancy stuff and the cheap stuff packs plenty of vanilla flavor for applications like that.
The Market Pantry imitation vanilla from Target goes hard. Huge bottle and it's like $0.99!
I recently started using vanilla bean paste in my baking where the vanilla flavor is important. 1 tsp equals about a tablespoon of extract so even though it's more expensive you don't use as much.
Imitation vanilla tastes like imitation vanilla and is not worth putting in anything I would eat.
Better yet... buy a vanilla bean and a bottle of cheap vodka, split the bean and drop in the bottle. Best vanilla ever!!
@@MaryStilwell and yet blind taste tests from major publications all show that imitation vanilla works great in most baked goods . And I know firsthand because for years I refused to give it a try and when I finally did, I realized all those people were right.
My big splurges are for things like humanely raised meat and fair trade chocolate, tea, coffee, and bananas. Essentially, I try to reduce suffering where possible, and if I can do that by spending a little more money, then I do so. It does mean that I eat less meat (the humanely raised stuff is naturally more expensive), but I think it's worth it.
I am with you. We only buy grass-fed pasture raised meat and eggs. That means eating less meat and it's the right trade-off. In every other country I've lived in, people spent more on good food and did not expect to be able to buy a $1 burger. The expectation of being able to buy cheap food is unique to this country. We have the idea that everything should be manufactured/farmed and produced cheaper and cheaper. This results in tremendous harm to the animals, to ourselves and to the environment.
The eggs are very important because they are or should be a staple in our diet. Good eggs are an almost perfect food for us. Eggs from hens that are free to wander in a pasture are much healthier. I can't link studies as the comment will be automatically deleted but a quick google will pull them up.
Hens that eat grass and bugs and spend time in the field in the sun are healthier, what they eat goes into their eggs. Industrially mass produced eggs come from hens that are forced to live in a small area. They are not given access to sun and grass and are packed in so much that they live in their own feces. The hens are fed antibiotics to address the diseases they get from living in these conditions. They are not fed their natural diet, instead being fed the cheapest GMO crops raised on exhausted land. Then we eat these eggs and wonder why our health suffers. We abuse the animals, treat them horribly and then we are surprised when we get sick from the food they produce.
Spending money on humanely raised meat, eggs and dairy products is one of the most important things we can do.
Likewise, coffee, chocolate and other products. We should try to reduce suffering rather than contributing to it. The world is full of pain and misery that we could address if we weren't so selfish. An ethical person tries where possible to ensure that her dollars do not support industries and products that perpetuate suffering.
I try to shop at smaller stores, at businesses owned by people who feel the same way. It's not perfect and there is more I could and should be doing.
I took the time to write a longer comment because I wanted to affirm what you were saying.
Learn so much from you and so happy you’re back ❤
Great advice! Thank you, Brian!
Dont buy rice or spices anywhere but asian or specialty stores. Brian - you live in the STL area so go shop at Pan Asia!!! So much selection in the asian stores for rice and you can exactly what you need, including high quality brands. The spices at the asian stores are fresher and you get way more for less cost. I grew up in a Lebanese household where olive oil is used like water. Costco brand is best for cooking to price ration and Litani is the best olive oil you can buy when not adding heat.
Finally someone said it on the wine. That’s what i always use cheap box wine. It’s also way more economical due to the fact you can use it for awhile especially with the box wines that have the spout. I can use it for months to cook with.
Useful video, Bry. Thank you.
Thanks. Rancho Gordo is now my go-to for all beans. I just made the Snowcap ones and they were amazing. Love your show, I've made several of your recipes and copied down many more, with link to video, for future use.
My food co-op sells bulk spices, so I refill my spice jars for a fraction of the cost of a fresh bottle. Love it!
So much more affordable then buying the glass jarred spices in superstores
the problem I have is that it’s a toss up if the register person knows how to calculate the price! I’ve really been charged some ridiculous prices, although sometimes it’s quite a steal.
Thank you for your take on spices. I was always curious about the differences between say McCormick or Spice Islands and some organic, gourmet spice 10 times the price. I will stick with Spice Islands and McCormick. I am one of the lucky ones. I have 10 mason jars of chicken stock in my freezer. Every time I get a rotisserie chicken at Costco (usually every two weeks) I make about 12-16 cups of stock. So I always have that flavor bomb on hand. Those chickens are the best $4.99 I spend on groceries. I am an advocate of ‘good cooks waste nothing’ and I wish more channels would instruct home cooks in how to get the most out of what you buy. Especially as we are staring the mother of all economic depressions right in the face at this time in our history.
I swear costco carries this entire country on its back with those chickens
I feel very validated to see many of these pantry items on my shelf already. Thanks Brian.
Hey!! I literally just made my pantry Staples list less than an hour ago and then I found this video! Thank you so very much, Bri!
Another good one! Here's my thoughts on a few of the items.
1. Fish sauce: You should compare the country of origin when buying fish sauce. The Red Boat brand (which I have used many times) is from Vietnam, where something like Squid (which I also use regularly) is from Thailand. They have different flavors, and you might consider testing out how they impact the dish differently.
2. Can't agree more with the Better than Bouillon. I use it all the time. Pro tip: depending on the dish, use it to cook your rice. Fried rice with the rice cooked in the the bouillon chicken stock is next level.
3. My boss recently gifted me a very high quality balsamic vinegar - life changing. Seriously, it makes such a huge difference. There is a browned cabbage recipe from Helen Rennie that uses balsamic vinegar. I thought it was good, but then I used the nice stuff and realized it's actually amazing.
Thanks Brian! Love seeing all your recipes and thoughts!
I hadn't thought about using BTB in rice. That's a really neat idea. Do you think that would work with a rice cooker, or primarily when cooking on the stove?
@@jasmeralia Both! I do it in the rice cooker all the time.
@@davidnrushton thanks!
Funny enough I buy more "expensive spices" (read: Penzey's and sometimes Thrive Market) only because I can get refill packs rather than buying the same glass/plastic bottles over and over again.
100% agree on everything else.
I prefer the P brand for some of my staples, as they are blends that you just can’t get out of supermarket spices. Adobo blend for Cumin, Arizona blend for chili powder. Also the toasted onion powder, Chicago steak (salt pepper). All elevate your cooking.
This was another terrific video! I agree with most everything. I would add two things. First, when you buy rice, go to a reputable Asian market and look for "new crop" rice. My best friend is Vietnamese-American and she turned me on to "new crop" rice. "New crop" is rice that was recently harvested. Like beans, fresh rice is better! Second, when shopping for beans, go to markets whose customers eat a lot of beans. If you have a good sized Indian/Pakistani market or a large Mexican/Hispanic market where you live, you can find nice, fresh and high quality beans. I buy pinto and black beans from a hispanic market and I buy garbanzo, kidney and red lentils (chana dal, rajma, masoor dal) from an Indian market. And the prices are better than Rancho Gordo. My local Indian markets have a great selection of beans, even organic! And they are impeccable, clean shiny beans. And if you cook with basmati rice, you should also buy that in an Indian or Pakistani market. The really good basmati costs more and you will probably have to buy a big sack of it, but what a difference!. I recently bought some really high quality basmati and the harvest date was printed right on the bag! The taste and fragrance was superior.
Great video, Brian. More like this!
I never really thought about dried beans, but you’re right - they sometimes seem under and overcooked at the same time. I’ll definitely seek out some premium beans for a try. Lundberg rice is great and their resealable pouches keep the pantry clean.
All my life I thought it was my fault how poorly my dry beans would cook. I’m so excited to have learned this.. after restocking on Walmart beans lol
@@jaxondial3356 Dude, do yourself a favor and don't buy Walmart anything! LOL! I've always had the same issue cooking dry beans and feeling very disappointed with the quality, which is why I just use canned. It's good to know that it wasn't my fault all along!
I'd personally add cheese to the "splurge" list. Could just be me, but I've always found cheap and store-brand cheeses to REALLY lack in flavor (my local store's mozz has absolutely ZERO flavor) and sometimes be super waxy or have a terrible mouthfeel. Also always get block cheese. You get more for the dollar meaning it's also easier to get better quality, you can control the shred/slice size, and it actually melts properly. Especially parm, imo. I don't hate the pre-grated stuff, it has its place, but fresh just tastes SO much better and doesn't leave that off-putting grit in your food.
Also pasta. Good pasta is miles above the super cheap stuff and, honestly, its not even that much of a splurge compared to the others on this list.
Super agree with the spices. The only time I splurge on them is if you need a very specific flavor profile (even chili powder has different variations) or a specific, uncommon spice.
I was waiting for your take on vanilla!
Oh my God, everytime I watch you, you teach me something very valuable! I love to cook. Love to learn. Thank you so much!
GF got some Rancho Gordo beans a couple years ago. I scoffed at their price, thinking it's another green washed food marketed to the crunchy crowd. Then I ate their cranberry beans (yeah, the ones at 1:55) and I could not stop eating them. The flavor and texture was just amazing. I still buy canned beans a lot because I'm lazy, but the good ones are legitimately better.
I've personally found store brand (food lion) dried cranberry beans to be amazing. I think they just need a little extra time and broth - and maybe a half teaspoon of baking soda.
@@wyattlewis4069 What's the purpose of the baking soda?
I agree with splurging on high quality fish sauce, I just can't stomach the cheap ones. The cooking wine. I don't even buy boxed wine. I get cheap rice wine in the Chinese grocery, the stuff is undrinkable but it works fabulously anytime a recipe calls for wine ( except for Boeuf Bourguignon and Coq au Vin) and does not make the dish taste Asian.
life saver, recently i have been cooking at home and love the variety and have even thought to get trained just to enjoy food with the family more.. this helps a lot!
Great concept for the video! Please make more like these super informative!
The one thing I can say is for spices, fresh roasted and ground spices that you can find abroad are incredibly worth it! I bought some while visiting Madagascar, and they're some of the most flavorful spices I've had.
Even better suggestion: buy whole spices for cheap at “ethnic” markets, store them in optimal conditions, and grind them yourself. Way better flavor than store bought spices, and cheaper too (not up front though)
This was a great video, very helpful indeed! Loved the brief shout-out to Ethan, too. You both are incredible at what you do and extremely informative. Helps me show off to my fiancée when I use what you've taught me, so thanks a ton lol
Love watching you!
I follow Brian, too. Quality means everything.
I completely agree, especially on the beans and bouillon! My uncle and fellow home chef turned me onto the rancho gordo beans about four years ago and they’re all I use now. I will definitely look for the fish sauce you recommend the next time a recipe calls for it!
Thanks for watching. Glad we agree on RG
Thanks for the tip about fish sauce! A while back my wife had bought some fish sauce for a recipe not realizing we already had some at home. The one that was already open was the Three Crabs one you showed. Since that’s what was open I’ve been using that and never thought about looking at the ingredients. The one that’s been sitting there unopened is the Red Boat one you showed. Guess what just got replaced 😀
"$3 is the ceiling for spices" would be an absolutely wild sentiment 500 years ago
Thank you for the great tips Brian. Keep them coming. 😊. 🏴
It took me 18 months to get in the Rancho Gordo bean club - worth every penny!
I mostly agree with your recommendations but I really do love Penzey’s spices. They are very good quality. And while a specialty store like Kalustyan’s in NYC isn’t premium, they do have a wall of chile powder that is kind blowing and diverse. For fancy and complex Indian dishes, I roast and grind whole spices and I personally find that extra effort almost always worth it.
Brian seems a little, but sound like such a pretentious Karen.
Glad to know I already had my rice brands dialed in 👍
Olive oil though!!! Man, I do use a “workhorse” bottle to cook with but absolutely have a few small batch, fresh pressed olive oils for salads and breads. Makes an eye opening difference in my opinion.
Thank you for the great info.
Hopefully you can do more segments like this, really was curious on more products like flour, pastas, etc.
I’ve said it before, but Bri it’s always so cool to see you shout out your fellow ‘YouTubists!’
Thank you for all this information. Much of it I would not have thought twice about. Hunting for premium beans and rice today.
I use alot of those ingredients in my kitchen as well. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks for this video! This is very useful information for home cooks. Any other tips like this is very appreciated. 👍
I think olive oil is worth splurging on. You don't have to spend an insane amount, but you need to make sure it's cold-pressed and made with 100% olives. And that alone comes at a cost. Also, good dried oregano is soo much better than most of the cheap oregano you buy at the stores...If you can't taste the difference, it's probably because you haven't tried the good one yet ;)
I've actually found that the Kirkland brand Olive Oil is pretty good. I don't break the bank and still get higher quality
@@davidathay5793 Haven't tried the Kirkland one, yet, but I can attest that the Trader Joes brand "Extra Virgin" is trash quality. It opens crayon-y and gets worse, fast. I find that anything with the California seals on it and extra virgin is great. I can Wok-fry (highest heat) without burning the oil just fine, at usually about 10 bucks for half a liter.
"its not that bad" proceeds to say insanely high prices
Thank you, I needed this! I've been expanding my palate when it comes to Asian food, I absolutely love it. I LOVE fish sauce, oyster sauce, Pad Thai, anything with peanut sauce, and most noodles and rice. Thank you for the tips, Brian! Btw..Better Than Buillon is the BOMB!!!
thank you, thank you for this video!
I will absolutely second your recommendation for Camellia red beans Brian. My dad was born in New Orleans, and like many people from the crescent city he always swore by Camellia red beans for red beans and rice. Having grown up eating them, and having tried both canned and dry red beans from other brands, I have to say that nothing has ever really compared to Camellia for getting a nice thick creamy red beans and rice gravy.
The thing I splurge on that wasn't in the video is dairy. Generally speaking, I think that dairy products reflect the money you spent on them, with the few exceptions being certain DOP products (where a domestic alternative made the same way is just as good). Milk, cheese, yogurt, and ice cream all are noticeably better when you pay more, at least to a point.
Wow this is awesome!!! I've read some cookbooks regarding staples but I'm really looking forward to your recommendations, and why you recommend them!
Edit: Awesome shout-out to Ethan! I enjoy his content a lot as well. I think your philosophy is very similar to that of our household: spend the most money on the things you eat the most. Great recommendations and surprising list at the end regarding things not worth splurging on!