What I use

I posted earlier about my choice in chocolate.  Yes, I love chocolate.  I have a passion for selecting ingredients that work well and taste best.  As a result, I have become rather picky in my choices.

I like unsalted butter.  I figure if a recipe needs salt, I can add it myself.  Land O Lakes is my usual go-to brand.  I never keep more than a pound in the freezer because I like fresh butter better.  The same goes for eggs.  Never more than a dozen grade AA large eggs in the refrigerator.  Fresh finishes first for me.  I usually buy cage-free organic eggs, but freshness is more important to me.

Even with milk, fresh means more to me than available.  On a typical week, I go through between a quart and a half gallon.  I would rather walk to the store (a couple blocks away) twice a week then use milk over a week old.

Baking powder:  For this, I look for aluminum-free.  Rumford if I can find it; Argo if I cannot.  Arm & Hammer is my baking soda of choice.

Flour, you ask?  Nothing but the best will do for me.  King Arthur brand, unbleached flours are my only choice.  They work well and are consistent from bag to bag.  Remember to measure flour by weight and never by volume.

Spices?  The smaller the container, the better for most spices.  Whole is better than ground, whenever available.  I can grind my own, and the flavor is stronger when freshly ground.  I used to use Morton's kosher salt, but have switched over to Diamond brand.  There is a difference.  Make something which requires more than a pinch of salt and you will see the level of saltiness yourself.  I switched only because converting recipes to Diamond brand is easier, not because it is better.  I still use Morton's for scouring my cast iron pans.  For scouring, Morton is clearly better.  It has to do with the shape of the crystals.

Sugar?  I haven't found a reason to prefer one brand over another yet.  I buy C&H brand because it is convenient.

Beef?  Yes, I love meat.  Grass-fed organic beef is my first choice.  If it has to have any grain-fed, then I will settle for grain-finished.  Given a choice between purely grain-fed and non-organic beef, I choose lamb.  Okay, lamb is my first choice before any beef, followed by ostrich.  Beef is third on my list, followed closely by pork and chicken/turkey.  When it comes to poultry, I hate the stuff that comes prepackaged in a solution.

I like my rice to have flavor.  Consequently, I love basmati rice.  Jasmine and Arborio are good too.  I avoid any "instant" or quick cooking rices as they tend to lack flavor.  Sorry Uncle Ben's and Mahatma: you don't make the cut for me.

As you can see, my trend is towards fresh and flavorful with as few added chemicals/ingredients as possible.  I want to add my own salt and chemicals.