Choosing A Good Recipe

It doesn’t matter that the recipe call for the freshest of herbs and vegetables, be vegetarian, or low-carb. What’s important is can I make it with what’s in the pantry and refrigerator right now? Is there time to put it together? And what will it take to get it on the table?

We use these filters every day when planning our meals, with or without a recipe in front of us. These same filters can and should be used to judge whether a recipe is worth printing off, tearing out of magazine, or copying from a friend. They’re absolutely essential when deciding on the purchase of that next new cookbook by that really perky chef.

At one time, I had quite a few cookbooks in my pantry that didn’t make the cut and therefore, I never opened them. I sat down one day on the floor and starting sifting. Most of my books were purchased before I had kids and called for too much labor & time in the kitchen. Others called for ingredients that I would only use in that one recipe. Some books had only one or two recipes I actually cooked, so I made copies. Then, I tossed the books in the yard-sale box. Now, I’m down to my very first cookbook, shown here, my good old Betty Crocker, two binders of collective works, and a few appliance manual cooking charts. (Yes, I keep appliance manuals for my bread maker, crock pot, pressure cooker, and microwave. On occasion, I go back and check proper cooking times for certain foods. Anyways, back to the topic.)

Of course, we are at different levels of experience. We have different tastes and lifestyles. There are times when using an unusual recipe, buying special ingredients and spending more time on a dish is educational and down right fun! But day after day, we get down to the basics and get busy with what we have and what we know. We start filtering all over again.

This leads me to thinking of another important factor in kitchen management; having pantry staples. Without a well stocked pantry of common ingredients standing by, it’s just plain frustrating getting any meal on the table.
Turn in tomorrow and we’ll talk PANTRY STAPLES, WHAT’S IN YOUR CUPBOARD? Be ready to share your favorite pantry staples & why you have them.