Here are some time-saving tricks that I've learned over the years:
I buy peeled garlic cloves in BULK and mince them ALL up in my food processor. I store them in plastic bags and spread it out thinly. Then I store them in my freezer and I can break off pieces when I need it. Often I'll break off big pieces and keep it stored in a separate plastic container in my fridge for easy access. I think I had close to 10 plastic bags of garlic last month and I've used most of them up. Minced garlic is used a lot in Korean cooking, so stock up!
Meats: As soon as I bring home my meat products from the market, I saran wrap single size portions of them. Whether it's pork for kimchi jji-gae or beef for gooks they all get saran wrapped for easy use. Whenever I need them, I pop it into the microwave and blast it for 15 seconds on EACH SIDE. This defrosts it perfectly for immediate use.
Red pepper powder: Red pepper powder gets stale after a while so it's best to keep the bag stored in your freezer for maximum freshness. Then I store a good amount in those TWIST-LOCK containers and keep it in my refrigerator door for easy access. I had a BIG accident once where it dropped out of normal tupperware and the lid fell off and made a mess on my kitchen floor. Red pepper all over your kitchen floor is not fun.
I also keep a small amount on my spice rack for even EASIER access. It's all about speed when you have a toddler vying for your attention.
Green onions (scallions): I wash and chop 2 bunches each week and keep it in an airtight container in my fridge. You can even freeze it, but I tend to use it all in the week anyhow, so it's fine in the fridge. Plus, my freezer space is VERY limited.
I also peel and saran wrap my ginger (I used to put a bunch in ziploc bags but quickly realized that they got freezer burn). I saw this on Rachel Ray once and it's AWESOME! You can keep the ginger forever and when you need it, all you have to do it grate off however much you need.
I'm sure you have all seen these little tea bags filled with dashima and anchovies on my blog numerous times by now. I fill up a BUNCH of them whenever I have time and then store them all in ziploc bags in my freezer. I make sure to clean out the anchovies beforehand, but this last time my wonderful MIL brought me TWO big ziploc bags of anchovies that SHE personally cleaned out herself! So I probably don't have to worry about cleaning anchovies for the next year. =)
Gook Ganjang - If you can see on the bottom it says "Traditional Korean Soy Sauce (for soup)" and that's the best description of it. It's basically a light soy sauce that is used to flavor broth. You should most definitely buy a Korean brand because it is very different from other 'light' soy sauces that might be out there.
Sesame oil - I just buy whatever is on sale.
Dwen jang - aka soy bean paste is used for a lot of different types of soups. I bought this particular brand looking for a change from my other usual brand that I didn't see at the store. Haitai always makes pretty good products, so you can't really go wrong with them.
Gochu jang - aka red pepper paste (on this blog) - aka hot bean paste is exactly that. It's paste made from red peppers and I prefer the one made by Haitai.
Rice wine or cooking wine - I'm currently using this, but tend to buy whatever is the cheapest because they all taste the same to me.
Corn Syrup
Soy Sauce
Red pepper oil
Fish Sauce - There are a lot of Korean brands of fish sauce, but personally I like using the Vietnamese Three Crabs brand.
Gga-nari fish sauce
Red pepper powder - My MIL brought us this from Korea.
Honey Powder
Dried Shrimp
Miyuk - dried seaweed (plant?) whatever...
Shrimp Jut - Salted Shrimp
Tempura powder (on the left) and Panko crumbs (on the right).
