We're gearing up for the Kitchen Cure's third week when we'll be talking a lot about ingredients. Those who are participating (wow, almost 700 of you!) cleaned out the fridge and pantry during Week 1.
The pantry/fridge-cleaning exercise shows which ingredients we keep for vanity (I love Japanese packaging,) to feel exotic (who else found rose-scented water and saffron?) or because it seemed like a good idea at the time (two-for-one deals on something you rarely use.) It also sheds a lot of light on which ingredients we keep in constant rotation.
Even if you're not participating in the Cure, you are probably well-aware of what ingredients you use most.
It's hard to answer the question of what one ingredient is essential in any kitchen. I have a handful that are neck-in-neck: olive oil, butter, chicken stock, onions, black pepper and sea salt. Those things alone don't make a meal, but they help make whatever is in season taste delicious.
Leave us your list of essential ingredients, we might just surprise each other.
(Image via flickr member Robert S. Donovan licensed for use under Creative Commons.)
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it's funny, because my nori and my rose water get plenty of use, but the single frozen pizza we bought when we moved it was there for a full 10 months before we got hungry, cooked it and then realized we hate frozen pizza and tossed it.
I am crippled without onion. Onion of ANY assortment! I know that isn't very exotic, but I honestly love them! Any color, variety..carmelized, sauteed, raw..it's an essential in our home.
olive oil, onion, garlic, pasta, some kind of frozen veg. with these, i can make a meal.
I'd be lost without my Herbes de Provence (if you would have told me a few years ago that my can't-love-without ingredient would be that fussy I would have laughed at you).
Seriously though, whole peppercorns and my pepper mill make life bearable. Olive oil, a potato and some good cheese. Frozen broccoli and canned tomatoes. An onion and some garlic.
I think I could life a happy life with just these ingredients.
your list plus garlic, for the basics.
expanded territory would include flour, eggs, red pepper flakes, ginger, soy sauce, lemon/lime juice, pasta, rice... fresh herbs in the summer (basil!)
yup garlic
and frozen peas, salad greens, eggs, milk, rice and lentils
garlic, rosemary, red pepper flakes, butter. That is all.
Luke
The New Urban Sharecropper
http://newurbansharecroppers.blogspot.com
http://producejigsaw.blogspot.com
Onion, garlic, assortment of whole wheat pastas, olive oil, salt and pepper, brown rice, chicken broth
Really, I would be sad not to have my entire spice collection, they all pretty frequently get used (even the saffron!)
black pepper, garlic, Tabasco, rolled oats, white rice
mustard powder
garlic
onions
sour cream
dill
salt
Brown rice, broccoli, onions, garlic, tamari, butter, and lentils. Eggs and oatmeal should probably be on the list, too.
Garlic (a must have even on a deserted island)
Butter
Onion
Fresh Herbs
Olive oil
Milk
Chicken
Pepper
Onion powder
Crushed Black Pepper
garlic, olive oil, soy sauce, salt and pepper.
Garlic, olive oil, butter, pasta, kosher salt, eggs, crushed red pepper flakes.
Olive oil, tamari, sea salt, garlic.
I can't quibble with any of the above but noone has mentioned cheese yet. If I had to choose only one it would be parmesan, hands down.
Garlic (1-2 heads a week), black pepper (we go through a pound every other month), onions (2-3 whole ones a week) and thyme.
Eggs, flour, salt.
Any other specific ingredient I could live without (though yeast would be nice). I waffled on whether I truly needed flour--e.g. maybe I can make due w/ rice, corn, or other grain--but I think I do.
red pepper flakes, garlic, onions, brown rice or quinoa (it's a toss up), olive oil and a good vinegar for the savory stuff. flour, sugar, eggs, butter for the baking stuff.
Olive oil, eggs, salt, pepper. And do "leftovers" count as an ingredient?
http://www.abreadaday.com
Olive oil, garlic, onions, most of my spices...BACON!
These are the things I always always always have in the kitchen, and let me easily whip up a last-minute meal:
Fridge: eggs, butter, milk, parmesan, carrots, flat-leaf parsley
Freezer: diced pancetta, frozen peas
Pantry: pasta, olive oil, arborio rice, garlic, shallots, peppercorns and rock salt in grinding mills
Oh my, indeed I found 2 bottles of rosewater and a small jar of saffron! Looking forward to next week!
I absolutely agree about onions. I also freak out if I don't have at least one can of tomato sauce and one can of white beans. Must-haves for quick dinners. Soy sauce and some kind of rice are also required.
Olive oil
onions
garlic - (also includes garlic salt and garlic pepper, which i love to use on almost everything)
cilantro
basmati rice
I agree with yours plus the onions, garlic, parmesan, and olive oil others metioned. I would also like to add Hungarian paprika (lots of eastern euopean fare at my house), bay leaf, cilantro, and wine vinegar (of any kind).
garlic
cumin
thyme
Canned tomatoes, olive oil, garlic, onions, rice, crushed red pepper, basil, and black pepper; rice and pasta; mushrooms, frozen veggies; chickpeas.
Flour, eggs, butter, sugar.
SALT.
I can't believe how much just a little pinch just brigthens any flavour, from a cauliflower soup to a pear tart !
Then comes cheese, olive oil and pasta.
I pretty much can't do without garlic, olive oil, and onions. Can't do without black pepper, paprika, oregano, or cilantro. Rice, pasta, flour, and eggs... Geez, I need lots. Oh! And wine, both red and white for cooking!
Oh! Two I forgot to mention, vinegar and lemons!
Water.
I know it seems kindof obvious, but think about it for a second.
It is both an ingredient and a tool in every meal any of us makes. I live near a great lake so I am privileged to have a seemingly infinite supply of clean, sweet water at my fingertips.
I find that well water changes the flavors of pastas and breads, even meatloaf. Tap water in Barcelona tastes like hell, so we cooked with bottled. Or consider a New York City bagel or pizza crust – my mom swears it’s the reservoir water that gives it that mmm yeah quality.
I use it as the foundation for soups and sauces, to deglaze pans, steam foods, boil pasta, cook rice. I wash my hands, tools and ingredients with it. It is in the cup of tea I drink while I am cooking.
I cannot cook without it.
I'm surprised to see that only one person has mentioned wine. It's a must in my kitchen, both for the cooking and for the cook. If I don't have a glass of wine in my hand, I can tell you that my heart certainly isn't in whatever I'm cooking and the product will be nothing more than mediocre.
Every single one of my meals seems to start with onion, garlic, and rice. I could easily survive on a deserted island with those three things.
Moving into the realm of the beyond, I'd add orange to the citrus-lovers, boxed wine and bottled wine (for the cooking and the service, respectfully), condensed mushroom soup (good for soups, gravies, and etc), cream, milk, and plain yogurt (which serves as a sub for many things).
Of course, seasonal fruits and veggies and the items needed to make white cake. Yes.
Smoked salt. I just CAN'T use plain anymore (except for non-savory baking). I start to get the shakes when it gets low...