Starter Kitchen Part II: Dry Goods & Spices

I have been especially stingy here in my basic Spices, Herbs & Flavorings list. I found that if I tried to squeeze my stalwart standby thyme onto the list, it wanted to drag a bunch of friends along. I can't have that.

Also, you may find my spice prices unreasonably low. This is because I buy lots of my spices in bags from local brands in Latino or Asian markets. They're a lot cheaper that way, and they stay fresh just fine so long as I transfer them into old spice jars. (The only problem is that I often forget to clearly label the jars with their new contents!)

Prepared Dry Goods--around $14

• Sandwich bread. Unless you eat it quickly, keep it in the freezer and toast frozen slices when you want them. $4 for a loaf.
  
• Dried pasta. I feel set so long as I've got one long pasta like vermicelli or angel-hair, and one short one like penne or radiatore. $4 for two pounds.
  
• Rice. Good with everything. $2 for a pound.
  
• Breakfast cereal. Your choice. $4 for a box.
  

Spices, Herbs & Flavorings--about $12

• Salt. Back in college, I went with basic table salt all the way, and it was fine.  $1 for a canister.
  
• Black pepper. You want it fresh-ground. If you don't have a grinder, you can buy peppercorns in a grinder for just a couple of bucks. $3.

• Red pepper flakes. I'm often surprised at how much flavor I can get out of a little salt, pepper, and crumbled red pepper. $1.
• Ground cinnamon. $3.
• Vanilla extract. $4.

Extended List--about $16*

• Dried thyme. $2.
• Curry powder. $3.
• Cumin. $1.
  
• Nutmeg. You want it whole, for sure. $3.
• Dried rosemary. $1.
• Dried oregano. $1.
• Powdered ginger. $1.
• Sea salt. Now that I am fancy and have an income, I tend to use La Baleine sea salt, which I think makes everything a little more delicious. $5, but you can subtract a dollar because you no longer need to buy regular table salt, unless you use it for killing slugs.
  

*See note at the entry for sea salt.

Go to Starter Kitchen Part III: Perishables.