In a recent survey over at No Recipes a few people mentioned that they’d love to hear more about some of the more unusual ingredients I cook with. While I’ve tried to provide a primer the first time I use an ingredient, I realize some readers may have tuned in after I first posted about an ingredient.

Moreover, my philosophy on cooking is that if you know some basic techniques, have a bit of creativity, and understand the nature of the ingredients you use, you shouldn’t need a recipe to create a delicious meal. That’s why I’ve created this blog. While you could always just look up exotic ingredients in a dictionary, they won’t tell you where you can find it, how to pick the best ones, or what you can do with it. That’s just some of the info I want to share with you about the ingredients in my kitchen.

If you have a mystery ingredient that you want to know more about, write us at ingredients at norecipes . com and our crack-team of researchers will get on it to find you the answers you need.