For all you tweeters out there, be sure to follow

FixMyRecipe.com research indicates that many chefs recommend starting with a clean slate. Just clean out your pantry; throw everything away. While that might be the best way, it's not the most practical for most of us, especially in today's economy.

If you can't afford to start with a clean-slate pantry, try the Fix My Recipe method for updating your spice cupboard:

Remove everything in your spice cabinet & mark the caps of your spices with a star. At least now you will know which spices you started with, & you can start changing out old with new, a few items at a time. Buy the ones on sale first, and you will save money, too!

You should be rotating your pantry items regularly, so be sure to mark your pantry items with the date they were added to your pantry.

Here is a partial list of herbs, spices and flavorings that belong in every well-stocked kitchen. Check this site again soon for lists of items you'll need for baking and everyday cooking!

Allspice (Ground)
Balsamic Vinegar
Barbecue Sauce
Bay Leaves (Dried)
Cardamom (Whole and Ground)
Chili Sauce
Cinnamon (Ground and Sticks)
Citrus Vinegar
Cooking Wine or Cooking Sherry
Cumin (Ground)
Curry (Ground)
Extracts (Almond, Lemon, Maple, Orange, Vanilla)
Garlic (Fresh and Ground for Emergencies)
Ginger (Whole and Ground)
Mustard (Ground)
Nutmeg (Ground and Fresh)
Onions (Flakes for Emergencies)
Oregano (Dried)
Packages of Salad Dressing Mix
Packages of Dried Onion Soup Mix (Or Other Flavors)
Parsley (Fresh and Dried for Emergencies)
Pepper (Whole Peppercorns, Black, White and Red)
Pumpkin Pie Spice (Ground)
Red Wine Vinegar
Rice Wine Vinegar
Rosemary (Fresh and Bottled)
Sage (Fresh and Dried)
Salt (Sea and Iodized)
Sesame Oil
Soup for Sauces (Cream of Chicken, Mushroom, Celery and Cheese)
Soy Sauce
Steak Sauce
Sweet Basil (Fresh and Dried)
Sweet and Sour Sauce
Tabasco or Other Hot Sauce
Teriyaki Sauce
Thyme (Fresh and Bottled)