Kitchen Essentials

Paris is a present. What a gift it is to be able to look around and have my eye always settle on something beautiful. Everything, from the old European buildings to the café's with their daily menu written on a chalkboard and placed on the sidewalk outside, is stunning to look at. Store vendors at the boulangeries select each loaf of bread with care to present to customers as if performing a sacred rite (and it is almost sacred considering how good the bread is).

I could easily get carried away by the romanticism of it all, but in reality it seems like a great place to live. People care about enjoying their day-to-day experiences, which most certainly includes eating. It's an expensive place, but that's something one can expect in almost all big cities.

Overall, I love it here and am relishing the opportunity to start cooking new things for myself and to learn more about French food and French cuisine. As I mentioned in my "about me" section, I don't know if anyone is reading this blog - I hope someone besides me is enjoying it! And in case a reader happens to be someone new to cooking, I thought I'd provide a list of things which I consider to be handy items to have at all times, things which can help prepare a meal quickly and make it taste good.

Kitchen Essentials
Olive Oil (extra virgin or regular, extra virgin tastes better in salad dressings)
Butter
Salt (sea salt is tasty)
Pepper (try to get fresh peppercorns in a grinder)
Vinegar (your call on what kind, my personal favorite is white wine vinegar)
Onions/Shallots
Small Skillet
Large Skillet
Small Saucepan
Spatula

With this items you can easily make a good meal: buy a piece of chicken or met, sprinkle with salt & pepper, and cook on both sides until done. At the same time, put anything from potatoes to broccoli in boiling water and cook until done. Voilà, vous avez de la nourriture délicieuse!

Also, in addition to this list, which I see as a barebones minimum, you should add whatever you consider to be essential. For me, that includes a bottle of dijon mustard, whole wheat crackers, tomatoes, baby carrots, and chocolate. I'm sure everyone has their own version of this list.

So à bientôt, and stay tuned because I'll be cooking fish tonight and I'll keep you posted.