Essential Kitchen Ingredients

Bish Muir	Use-it-all Cookbook

There are a number of ingredients which come up time and again in cooking, and they form the backbone of your recipes. They are there to provide flavour and substance, and as long as you keep these vital ingredients stocked up at all times, you will be able to create something - however basic

Much of the list below will store well, so you can afford to buy a reasonable quantity without fear of it going off or getting stale, provided it is stored correctly. This is a perfect example of where storage containers and clips can be so useful for storing opened food and half-empty packets.

For the store cupboard:

• Baked beans - a very good source of protein and great for an instant meal.
• Eggs - whether it’s Spanish omelettes, simple cakes or just scrambled egg on toast, it’s always good to have half a dozen eggs in the house. Free range eggs definitely taste better and have beautiful deep orange yolks that add colour to your cooking.
• Flour - essential for sauces, e.g. cheese sauce for macaroni cheese, and for baking.
• Herbs and spices - as well as a few fresh herbs if you have room, the following dried herbs are very useful: basil, oregano, rosemary, tarragon, mint, parsley, thyme, marjoram and mixed herbs. Useful spices include ground ginger, ground coriander, nutmeg, chilli powder and curry powder.
• Lemon juice - a bottle of lemon juice is always useful to have as it can jazz up puddings, sauces and stir fries.
• Nuts - an assortment of nuts can be added to cakes, stir fries and salads and are a very good source of protein. Stored in a sealed bag or container, they will last for months.
• Rice or pasta - rice or pasta dishes, using leftover meat, vegetables and cheese, are easy to rustle up, and both of these staples store very well.
• Oils - whilst a good vegetable or sunflower oil is essential for frying food, olive oil, although more expensive, is delicious for salad dressings. Sesame oil is fantastic for stir fries as it has a rich, nutty taste.
• Onions and garlic - store these in a dry, cool place and they will last for several weeks. These are essential for any casserole or sauce, and will add taste to just about anything.
• Ready-made sauces - always good to have in the cupboard for adding to leftover meat or vegetables.
• Seasoning - sugar, salt, pepper and mustard.
• Soy sauce - great for adding to stir fries.
• Stock cubes - you can make your own stock from meat or chicken carcasses, but stock cubes are quick and easy to use, and are great for making simple soups.
• Tinned tomatoes - these are one of the basic ingredients for pasta sauces and soups and will obviously store for months.
• Tinned pulses - chickpeas and lentils add substance to soups and stews.
• Tins of tuna - fabulous with a baked potato and mayonnaise, for spicing up a salad or adding to a pasta sauce.
• Tins of soup - either for a quick meal of to add to casseroles eg adding chicken and mushroom soup to leftover cooked chicken to make a chicken casserole.
• Tomato puree - always good to add to bolognaise or shepherd’s/cottage pie to give it a tomato taste. Also great in tomato soup or stews and casseroles.
• Vinegar - useful for making salad dressings and for making pickles or chutney. Also, a very environmentally friendly loo cleaner!
• Worcestershire sauce - delicious with beef dishes such as cottage pie and bolognaise.

If it helps, keep a list of these items on the wall or by the door so that when you run out you can make a note to replace them next time you go shopping.

For the fridge

• Butter or margarine - features in so many leftover recipes as it forms the basis to any sauce or cake mix.
• Crème fraiche or fromage frais - stir into pasta sauces for a creamy taste. Also great on fruit puddings and pies.
• Cheese - a good hunk of mature cheddar adds taste and substance to many dishes. Keep the cheese wrapped up in cling film or greaseproof paper to avoid it drying out. If you get a bit of mould on the edges, just cut it off - it won’t affect the rest of the cheese.
• Houmous - great for dipping sliced up lonely raw vegetables or pitta bread into.
• Mayonnaise - always keep a jar in the fridge. It lasts for ages and goes with chicken, potatoes, tuna and just about anything that fits inside a sandwich!
• Milk - even if you don’t have it on your cereal or in tea and coffee, it is essential for making white sauces or many puddings.
• Pastry - ready-made short crust or puff pastry. If you don’t want to use it immediately, store it in the freezer and bring it out in good time so that it thaws properly before being used.
• Pesto - lasts for ages in the fridge and is delicious with pasta or plopped on top of a risotto or salad.
• Tarramasalata - like houmous it provides a delicious snack with sliced up raw vegetables.

Yogurt - can be added to many sauces or just poured over fruit or sweet puddings. Natural yogurt can be a substitute for cream in many dishes eg curries and casseroles

Bish Muir is author of The Use-it-all Cookbook, published by Green Books.

It can be purchased from Amazon and other sources.

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Essential Kitchen Equipment

Essential Kitchen Ingredients

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