Thanks for so many good responses (so far
)
I agree that is depends some on the type of cooking, but I was speaking more in general. I hadn't thought of the mortal & pestle so that is a good idea. There were lots of good ideas and yeah, it adds up fast but it is an investment and I'll get more out of this than another expensive pair of shoes. LOL
I am converting part of a room off my kitchen into a pantry as my kitchen is a bit small so I wanted to make sure I have some good things in there that I will need regularly.
Any more ideas would be fabulous. Thanks again.