Ingredients you always have...

[Margaret Pilgrim]

I keep rice flour in a shaker....

Brilliant!

[patrickamory]

My problem is mustards. I have about 14 of them.

Also:

mustard oil

sesame oil

various flours

tons of different dals

molasses

You could send that to me and it would all be gone by the end of the month.... I can't believe you don't use molasses!

I did use molasses recently for something but for the life of me, I can't recall what it was. I don't bake, so that's part of the reason for the list above.

[Mjx]

I currently have aging tins of hominy, chestnut puree and green peppercorns as well as three different kinds of rice flour (two asian flours for I can't remember what and a ground rice for shortbread, which I have made exactly once in the past two years). . . . . .

I use rice flour for every flour application in which gluten structure is not important (frying, kneading dough, velveting, thickening sauces, roux, etc.), as well as a replacement for potato or corn starch/flour; it also makes for pasta with a great texture (extruded forms, and gnocchi, at any rate). I actually go through it really fast!

For MJX, I've been making a sort-of salsa verde with anchovies to top parmesan chicken from Nigel Slater's Real Fast Food for a while now and it's delicious on anything hot and green as well. Inspired by that I now make a butter with anchovies, parsely, lemon and capers in it and keep it in the freezer in little disks. Excellent over grilled meats or fish, plain boiled potatoes or green vegetables, AND it uses up the whiskery little things before they go off.

. . . .

Unfortunately, my boyfriend dislikes recognizable anchovies, although he does appreciate than in tiny quantities, they add a lot. Which means that unless I want to eat every bit of something that has noticeable anchovies, I use an average of an anchovy a week (at most).

Or anchovies in olive oil. They seem to last "forever", for better or for worse.

Those are the ones I get, but surely it can't be okay to keep them in the refrigerator for over a year, once they're opened? Then again, I'm not sure why not. The ones I currently have list a salt content of 43%, and I always refill the space up to the rim of the jar with fresh salt.

[Trev]

fresh ginger and fresh garlic (even though my wife is allergic to it). I use both rarely, but still, often enough to keep a little on hand. Problem is they go bad eventually and I forget to buy more, then panic when I need them.

[conifer]

Black cardamoms. Any suggestions?

[Shalmanese]

They're excellent with other whole spices in a rice pilaf.

[Toliver]

Paprika ... I have two or three kinds on hand, but rarely use them. Can't say that I never use the stuff.

Some possible ideas for you in here:

Paprika - Confessions of an Addict (click)

[andiesenji]

Black cardamoms. Any suggestions?

I put them into a skillet with hot oil and a cinnamon stick, star anise and cook it until the flavor is infused into the oil.

I then add mustard seeds and/or chiles, onion and garlic and cook until the flavors have blended, strain out the solids and use this oil to cook vegetables, hardy greens, such as chard, sliced potatoes, rice or ???

I'm not sure if I saw it on this forum but I recall a mention of liquor infused with black cardamom.

[patrickamory]

I love black cardamom. The scent is so deeply smoky and nutty.

Amazing for flavoring oil before frying onions for Indian dishes.

You can shell them and grind the seeds as part of a garam masala.

There are umpteen Indian recipes calling for them. Also, substitute for green cardmoms for a deeper, richer flavor (less subtle and elegant, perhaps) - sub one black for three greens, depending on freshness.

[teapot]

Black cardamoms. Any suggestions?

I too have black cardamoms that I haven't really known what to do with. So I looked it up -- here's what wikipedia says:

Black cardamom pods can be used in soups, chowders, casseroles, and marinades for smoky flavor, much in the way bacon is used.

In India and Pakistan, black cardamom seeds are often an important component of the Indo-Pakistani spice mixture garam masala. Black cardamom is also commonly used in savory dal and rice dishes. It is an ingredient in traditional spiced tea (chai).

In China, the pods are used for long-braised meat dishes, particularly in the cuisine of the central-western province of Sichuan.

The pods are also often used in Vietnam, where they are called thảo quả and used as an ingredient in the broth for the noodle soup called phở.

Black cardamom is often erroneously[2] described as an inferior substitute for green cardamom by those who[who?] are unfamiliar with the spice. Although the flavor differs from the smaller green cardamom, black cardamom is sometimes used by large-scale commercial bakers because of its cheapness.[citation needed]

[Panaderia Canadiense]

Chai. I'd consider black cardamoms to be absolutely essential to a perfect cup of strong, spicy chai. Other than that, they're quite good in marinades for things you'll later either grill over charcoal or smoke.