There is no doubt that it is always beneficial that you keep your kitchen well stocked with all the necessary important ingredients you can think of. In that way, you will not have to waste any time running around at the 11the hour when you find out you do not have a certain ingredient for a dish you are making. Read on to learn about the most essential cooking ingredients you should have in your kitchen at all times.
Rolled Oats and Nuts
Many cooking experts along with Ido Fishman agree that oats are one of the most essential cooking ingredients that you can have in your kitchen space. You may eat oats in morning, night or afternoon and you totally ought to! They are also very cheap you can buy them in large quantities without burning a hole in your wallet! Regardless of whether you want to make meatloaf, cookies or the standard oatmeal, you can always count on rolled oats to have your back and then some!
Apart from rolled oats, nuts are very beneficial for health of your heart and you could always do with this cooking ingredient in your kitchen. According to various studies, folks who consume a handful of nuts tend every day live much healthier and longer lives. Nuts are also very delectable and you can use them to turn any kind of recipe into pure nutty and crunchy deliciousness! How mouthwatering does that sound! As nuts are a slightly costly ingredient, it would be a good practice to chop them up into smaller pieces so that they last a long way.
Flour
Every household has this extremely versatile cooking ingredient in their home and for good reason! When you have flour available, you have a number of choices at your disposal as to what you can cook. That is because flour is used in almost every kind of food and you can use it for almost every recipe. In addition to baking, flour is also ideal for thickening any kind of sauces or liquids that you are using to cook with or as food coating food when you are frying something.
Ground meat
In case you were not aware already, ground meat happens to be the most adaptable and least costly when you talk about eating animals. Ground meat is perfect to have in your kitchen if you are feeling the mood for chili, tacos lasagna or burgers.
According to Ido Fishman, ground meat has the potential to make for the quintessential weekend dinner when you wish to eat something rather simple and appetizing at the same time! You may also switch up the flavor by making use of ground beef, pork or poultry or by opting for a different fat percentage. If you do not want to use all of it in a single go, you can also freeze it and use it anytime later on as per your convenience.
Rice Vinegar, Red Vine Vinegar and Cider Vinegar
If you usually do a fair bit of Asian cooking in your kitchen, then rice vinegar is a must have ingredient. It has a sweeter and lighter flavor compared to all the other vinegars. Keep in mind that there is a distinct difference between rice vinegar and seasoned rice vinegar but the former is just the same thing as rice wine vinegar. In case you did not know, seasoned rice vinegar features included sugar or salt and while it is more flavorful, we usually stick with a simple unseasoned rice vinegar except when a certain recipe indicates otherwise.
Moreover, red vine vinegar is another quality and useful ingredient to have. It is a great vinegar that is perfect for sauces, salad dressings and marinades. While there is white wine vinegar and sherry vinegar and champagne vinegar, red wine is most probably the most versatile vinegar according to Ido Fishman and you can use it for a variety of delicacies.
Finally, cider vinegar is the best ingredient for you if you make homemade pickles often. This vinegar boasts more character and flavor than white vinegar. In addition, it is also a preferred natural remedy for many and the medical experts recommend it as well. It is strongly advised that you ought to look for a quality unfiltered cider vinegar such as Bragg’s for the ideal health benefits and flavor.
Chocolate Chips and Baking Chocolate
What is truly fascinating about chocolate chips is that you will crave them the most only when you when you run out of them in your kitchen! The most common kinds of chocolate chips people usually have in their kitchen include chocolate chunks, mini chips, dark and semisweet. That said, as long as you have a simple semisweet chocolate chip bag in your kitchen, you are most likely safe lest there is an emergency of any sort!
Apart from chocolate chips, baking Chocolate is a very useful cooking ingredient as well that you can use for various things. Bear in mind that chocolate chips particularly are not meant for melting. While they do very well in a pinch, if you find yourself in certain situations where tempered or melted chocolate is needed (truffles, brownies and so forth), it is highly recommended that you have baking chocolate available. You can have this baking chocolate either in bar like form, or in simple to manage wafters/discs that can easily melt without any chopping needed.
A top-quality dark chocolate happens to be quite versatile. That said, if you have the available space, you can blend it with white chocolate as well to switch up the flavor of your dish.
Wrapping it Up
To summarize, most of the above-mentioned ingredient are very versatile and you may use them for anything. When your kitchen is well stocked with all of these important cooking ingredients, you will not have to bother yourself running to the grocery store from time to time to pick up something or the other. Several experts also agree that having a fully stocked kitchen is really the first step to becoming a top-class cook!