The Top 20

Essential ingredients for a contemporary cook's kitchen

These flavourings will open the gateway to most recipes found in today’s cookbooks. Although they are non-perishable, some must be refrigerated after opening. Not included on this list are staples, such as rice noodles and couscous, and perishable ingredients such as fresh ginger and lemongrass, that I also consider essentials for home chefs. 

#1. Capers.
These little pickled buds have been found in pantries for years, but they have recently been enjoying a revival. Good tossed into salads or baked with fish. Adds saltiness and a crunchy texture.

#2. Cardamom pods, Cumin, Garam Masala, Ground Coriander 
These four spices are grouped because they’re often used together, but even used alone any one can add a smoky dimension to meat and vegetable dishes. 

#3. Chili oil. 
A reddish oil of Asian origin that lends heat, but also fragrant, savoury taste not available from other oils. Good in Asian-influenced meat and vegetable dishes. 

#4. Coconut milk or creamed coconut.
Lends a creamy texture and a nutty, faintly sweet taste to stews, cooked veggies and meats. The milk comes in cans and leftover milk can be frozen. Creamed coconut comes in a bar that can be grated into recipes and melts easily; it keeps in the fridge indefinitely

#5. Curry sauces or pastes.
Canned or jarred, prepared versions save time and allow you to avoid tracking down hard to find spices in recipes calling for from scratch curries. 

#6. Fish sauce.
A pungent staple in Thai recipes. The amber liquid lends a salty, fishy note to dishes that don’t have fish as an ingredient, yet would seem incomplete without the sauce.

#7. Hoisin Sauce. 
A thick brown, sweet and savoury sauce used in stir-fries, duck dishes, even with seafood. Close in flavour to oyster sauce, but with a unique sweetness. 

#8. Hot peppers such as jalapeno, Serrano, cascabel. 
Stock a jar of pickled ones as fallback to having fresh peppers on hand. The lightly pickled taste mellows if the peppers are used in cooked dishes such as baked fish, leaving just the heat of the pepper. 

#9. Hot chili sauce. 
Take your pick of Vietnamese or Caribbean hot sauces or pastes. These lend not just heat, but also flavour. Add to suit taste wherever hot sauce or traditional Tabasco is called for. 

#10. Mango chutney
A sweet Indian condiment that pairs naturally with savoury dishes. Works well on baked items such as chicken or in Chinese dishes, even in grilled cheese sandwiches. Can also be added to cold sauces. 

#11. Dried mushrooms. 
Varieties such as porcini or morel can be added to sauces, soups and stews, or reconstituted and used in stuffing’s.

#12. Mustards. 
Flavoured Dijon mustards such as green peppercorn and chipotle-lime can be brushed on meats before roasting or mixed into salad dressings. Plain Dijon should be a pantry staple.

#13. Oyster sauce.
A basic in Asian sauces and glazes, it has a unique fishy, buttery saltiness.

#14. Pine nuts.
Can be ground in pesto sauces for pasta, toasted and scattered into salads’ crushed and added to breading, or mixed into dips for texture. Keep frozen until needed.

#15. Pesto.
A thick paste of herbs and nuts that can be used as a pasta sauce or pizza topping, or brushed on grilled meats and seafood’s. The most common variety is basil pesto (basil, pine nuts, garlic, olive oil, and grated parmesan) but some pesto’s are made with other herbs and nuts such as parsley, cilantro, arugula and walnuts.

#16. Plum sauce.
Not just for dipping chicken nuggets, this can be added to sweeten other sauces such as those for chicken or pork stir-fries.

#17. Rice vinegar
A mild vinegar also known as rice wine vinegar. Makes an excellent base for salad dressings and marinades requiring low-acid taste. White, red wine and balsamic vinegar should also be pantry staples.

#18. Sun-dried tomatoes.
Sold either packed in oil or dried. Add to stews, salads, baked cheese dishes, or use as toppings for savoury pies.

#19. Nut and seed oils.
Sesame, walnut and pistachio are some varieties. Add a fragrant, rich note to salad dressing and dips. Also can be drizzled sparingly on soups for flavour. Other interesting oils to try might include truffle and garlic.

#20. Wasabi paste or powder.
Borrowed from Japanese cuisine, this horseradish can be used to flavour cream-based sauces for fish and pasta. Add to soups and baked dishes that would benefit from a horseradish kick.


Article from Canadian House & Home Magazine