When you have a few hours to roam through the sparkling-clean, thoughtfully-stocked aisles of a superior grocery store, shopping (and cooking) (and life) can feel like a transcendent experience.
Too bad that never happens. Most of us are rushing in after work, trying to beat people to the 9 Items or Less line and grabbing the same things we always do. Every time.
And perhaps you've noticed a phenomenon: When your grocery shopping gets stuck in a rut, so does your cooking.
So we've developed a plan. The Epicurious Escape Plan is a 5-step process that you can implement immediately. It starts with what you always do: Grab some salad greens. Stock up on the proteins you like. Can't live without Cinnamon Toast Crunch? A. I don't blame you. B. I'd never try to stop you.
But there are five departments (or, in some cases, departments-within-departments) where you should pick out something you haven't cooked with in awhile (or ever). This is where you start changing up your usual picks for new ingredients that will inform your cooking all week long. In other words: This is how you get out of your rut.
citrus
It starts with stepping away from the lemons. Because here's a secret: Plenty of cuisines thrive on limes instead. After a week of limes, move to oranges. Then start daydreaming about how your salad dressings, marinades—even your sparkling water—might take off if you use grapefruit, or a Meyer lemon, or preserved lemons. (After you've rotated through the entire citrus section, you can go back to lemons—for a week.)
herbs
A place to exhibit restraint. Instead of grabbing a bunch of parsley for Monday and a handful of thyme for Friday, choose just one herb and stick with it the entire week. "You'll be forced to explore all the possibilities of that one herb," says Epi's Food Editor, Rhoda Boone (who suggested this insanity in the first place). "Plus, none of it will go to waste."
alliums
You need an allium around to cook down for sweetness, toss raw in a salad, roast alongside a chicken, and about 100 other things you do in the kitchen every week. But what if this week you put down the yellow onion and pick up a few shallots instead? What if, next week, you go really crazy and choose green onions? (Your food will be fabulously garnished, I know that.)
dairy
Don't try to deny it: You're grabbing the same carton of yogurt, the same box of almond milk, week after week after week. This week, stop yourself, and pick up a different dairy instead. Ricotta instead of yogurt (it works just as well in the morning, trust). Maybe buttermilk for your salad dressings and marinades. Got goat's milk? Of course you don't. But think about the fascinating ways you could add that tang to your cooking if you did.
bulk
Another spot to resist temptation. "This is the place to chip away at your rice addiction," Rhoda says. And she's so right—barley, quinoa, and a host of other grains can do everything that rice can do. And if you're really committed to exploring, you'll try these grains in the morning.
