The kitchen can often seem like a daunting place with so many recipes, pieces of equipment and ingredients around. It can be tricky to know where to begin and even if you have every kitchen gadget in the world, without basic, staple ingredients you will find cooking truly impossible. In this article I share some of my recommended and preferred ingredients to always stock in your fridge and cupboards. These will be used widely in many recipes and dishes and hopefully set you up for the start of a wonderful (and tasty) cooking experience.
1) OILS
Oils not only add flavour to dishes but can be used for a number of cooking purposes such as frying, sautéing and roasting. Check out my post on cooking tips to learn about different types of oils and when to use them.
2)VINEGARS
Vinegars are also very useful, not just to make sauces and salad dressings (for example, Balsamic Vinegar) but they can also be used for pickling and even as a cleaning product.
Oily hint: mix 3 parts extra-virgin olive oil with 1 part balsamic vinegar for a tasty bread dip!
3) ONIONS AND GARLIC
White, yellow and red onions are the varieties most commonly used in cooking. Yellow onions (usually the ones making your eyes water) are a wonderful base for many dishes and carry a sweeter taste when cooked than white onions. Red onions are great for salads, pickling, roasting, caramelising and widely used in Mediterranean and Mexican cuisine. Their flavour can also be brought out by soaking them in water.
4) GARLIC
Garlic is definitely a cooking essential! Aside from using it to create ciabatta garlic bread (my all time favourite side dish!) I put it in pretty much all my dishes and it adds a wonderful base flavour to dishes. Store in dark, dry locations.
5) WINES - Red and White
Wine is truly a hidden gem of cooking and is perfect for enhancing taste. It can be used as part of a marinade or to deglazing a pan and create a wonderful sauce. White wine is best when cooking with fish, while red wine is excellent for stews and red meats. (Beer can also be a great addition when oven-roasting chicken). The alcohol content will evaporate leaving behind a delicious dish and any extra can be poured into a cheeky glass to have with the meal!
6) SALT & PEPPER
Salt and Pepper are must haves when cooking! While salt is a seasoning and pepper is a spice, they are used together as the foundations of flavour for any meal.
7) PULSES AND GRAINS - Examples: Lentils, Quinoa, Rice, Oats, Couscous
Pulses and grains are very versatile ingredients that can bulk up dishes while adding healthy sources of protein, fibre and carbohydrates. There are many different kinds of each so be sure to get the ones that go with the dishes you wish to make. For example: Arborio rice is used for risottos and rice puddings while Basmati rice is best served with curries. Red lentils cook quickly, becoming very soft and can be used in soups while green lentils cook for longer time but remain firm and are the perfect salad addition.
8) BUTTER
Butter is a useful ingredient to have round for roasting, sautéing or frying. It can enhance flavours and is used in sauces and to make a roux. Butter also tends to be a key ingredient in a lot of baking and for those following a vegan lifestyle you can find vegan butters at most supermarkets.
9) CONDIMENTS - Examples: Mayonnaise, Ketchup, Mustard, BBQ Sauce
Not only do condiments make a great side when serving foods but they can also be used during the cooking process too! Dijon mustard is a fantastic addition to mac and cheese while BBQ sauce makes a wonderful companion to pulled pork!
10) SAUCES - Examples: Tomato Paste/Passata, Pesto, Coconut Milk, Teriyaki
Having ready made sauces makes life and cooking much simpler! Tomato pastes, tinned tomatoes and passata provide a base to make sauces for stews and pasta dishes. Coconut milk is perfect for Indian and Asian cuisine, while sauces like teriyaki make great additions to salads and stirfrys! And as for pesto, nothing is easier than cracking open a jar and using it in salads, pastas or as a spread for mozzarella grilled cheese toasties (trust me on this one!)
11) PASTA - Examples: Penne, Spaghetti, Lasagna Sheets
This one I feel is pretty self-explanatory (especially to all my carb lovers). Combined with one of the sauces above, pasta can be used to make a super quick and easy lunch or dinner. Or you can crack out your inner 'Masterchef' and make more elaborate meals like lasagna and cannelloni.
12) PROTEINS - Examples: Fish, Meats, Tofu
Whether you follow a pescatarian, vegan or meat-eaters diet it's always important to have good, fresh sources of protein available. These are the 'pièce de résistance' in any dish! More importantly, proteins are essential for hormone function, act as enzymes and ensure water is properly distributed across the body.
13) POTATOES - Examples: Baby, Sweet Potatoes, Salad, Yams
Like pulses and grains, potatoes make excellent side dishes and can also be used as a base to salads. They are very filling and there are many exciting ways to use them in cooking, for example, roasting, frying, baked! Store in cool, dry places.
14) EGGS
Packed with essential nutrients and proteins eggs are wonderful for everyday cooking and baking. They can be used as a glaze, cut into a salad and even scrambled into fried rice. In addition, they make many yummy breakfasts, such as; poached eggs, omelettes and eggs hollandaise.
15) STOCK CUBES - Vegetable, Beef and Chicken
Stock cubes are a great way of adding quick and easy flavours to dishes like stews, soups and sauces. But beware of the sodium content - keep tasting your dish to make sure the salt does not become overpowering!
16) BREAD AND BREADCRUMBS
Not only is it useful to have bread around for lunches, side dishes or to dip into a hot bowl of soup, but it can also be used to make breadcrumbs. Breadcrumbs are needed for topping pasta bakes, making meatballs and fishcakes and coating goods for deep-frying. Artisan breads can also be a wonderful pantry addition to create sharing platter with cold-cuts, spreads and maybe even a baked camembert, yum yum!
17) NUTS - Examples: Pine, Almond Flakes, Cashews, Walnuts
Nuts have incredible health benefits and are a great source of fat and protein. They also add a crunch and nutty taste to savoury and sweet dishes alike.
18) LEMONS AND LIMES
A squeeze of a lemon or lime into dishes can really strengthen the underlying flavours. Lemons really give an extra punch to fish dishes and both can be used to create salad dressings too! Lime and coconut is a great flavour combination in baking and cooking.
19) CANNED GOODS - Examples: Peas, Fruit, Chickpeas, Kidney Beans, Tuna
It's always useful to have canned items on hand for those moments when you seem to have nothing to cook with. Tuna, beans and chickpeas are filling sources of protein and can be used to make many meals such as stews or pasta salads.
20) CHEESE AND YOGHURT
You can never go wrong having dairy in the house! Plain yoghurt adds a creamy texture to dishes and can be put into curries, used as a side in meals like chilli-con-carne and even as part of marinades and salad dressings. Cheese (my weakness) is a fantastic food to cook with! There are many different types, each used for different cooking purposes. Mozzarella, Feta and Cheddar are mainly part of a Mediterranean diet and Indian cuisine often uses cheeses like paneer. Another type, Halloumi, is mostly used in vegan and vegetarian meals and tastes wonderful when grilled! Cheeses also form the basis of many comfort dishes (pizza, mac&cheese) and the perfect topping for pasta bakes! As with many foods these days, vegan and lactose-free substitutes can be found in most supermarkets.
Let me know your favourite of these items and hopefully you feel a little inspired in your next shopping trip!
Natasha x
Comments