As soon as you’ve got the cooking bug & enthusiastic ideas pumping in your brain, you need to get cracking & cooking towards that good tasting food that is quick as possible to create.

To do that you will need plenty of practice & of course ingredients! That means you need to go shopping again! The pure pleasure I achieve from food shopping doesn’t even make me feel guilty, as food is a basic human need.

But I’ll be honest I do always budget when it comes to food, not only is food pricey these days but when pushing a trolley, one can get pretty carried away. So to start filling up those pantry cupboards with good basic ingredients, we need to have an ingredients list (e.g. spices, herbs, oils…) the fridge with fresh healthy produce (dairy, cheese, fresh fruits & vegetables…) & the freezer too (poultry, meat, fish etc.).

It’s also good to keep in mind that there is nothing bad about frozen vegetables, fruits, tinned tomatoes, tinned tuna…Ideally, we would all be better off if we always ate organic, fresh vegetables at the peak of ripeness, when their nutrient levels are highest. That may be possible during harvest season if you grow your own vegetable garden.

The advantage of frozen fruits and vegetables is they are quick to access while cooking, affordable & just as superior as the freshest nutritionally. However not as much for canned stuff as the canning process tends to result in nutrient loss. (The exceptions include tomatoes and pumpkin.) When buying frozen fruits and vegetables, steer away from those than have been chopped, peeled or crushed; they will generally be less nutritious.

So basically go buy whatever you need, remember to check the best before date & it will all sit happily in your pantry & freezer for months. The truth is having these basic ingredients will allow you to do much more exciting things with your food. As well as it will be a quick & easy cooking operation in the kitchen.

Basic kitchen Ingredients List:

Baking

• Baking Powder
• Baking Soda

Chocolate

• Cocoa powder
• Bitter-sweet chocolate chips
• Milk chocolate chips
• White chocolate chips
• Cocoa powder

Flours

• All-purpose flour
• Gluten-free flour
• Whole-wheat flour
• Semolina
• Baking powder
• Corn flour
• Tartaric acid
• Bicarbonate of soda
• Self-rising flour
• Dried yeast

Sugars

• White sugar
• Brown sugar
• Castor sugar
• Icing sugar
• Vanilla essence

Sweeteners (natural)

• Honey
• Maple syrup
• Molasses

Oils

• Coconut oil
• Cooking spray
• Olive oil
• Sesame oil
• Vegetable oil

Nuts

• Almonds (sliced)
• Cashews
• Peanuts
• Pecans
• Walnuts
• Pistachio’s

Dried Fruits

• Apricots
• Raisins
• Prunes
• Raisins

Condiments, Sauces & Liquids

• Barbecue Sauce
• Chili Sauce
• Vegetable stock
• Ketchup
• Dijon Mustard
• Peanut butter
• Soy Sauce (low-sodium)
• Tabasco
• Mayonnaise

Vinegars

• Balsamic vinegar
• Cider vinegar
• Rice vinegar
• Worcestershire sauce
• White vinegar
• Brown vinegar

Spices, Seasonings & Herbs

• Bay leaves (dry)
• Black peppercorns (for grinding)
• Chili powder
• Crushed red pepper
• Curry powder
• Dried basil
• Dried oregano
• Dried rosemary
• Dried thyme
• Garlic powder
• Ground all-spice
• Ground cinnamon
• Ground cumin
• Ground ginger
• Ground nutmeg
• Paprika (regular & smoked)
• Cayenne pepper
• BBQ spice
• Lemon pepper
• Salt

Tinned Foods for the Pantry Cupboards

• Cannellini beans
• Kidney beans
• Chickpeas
• Diced green chillies
• Roasted red bell peppers
• Tomatoes
• Diced tomatoes
• Sun-dried tomatoes (oil packed)
• Tomato paste
• Tomato sauce
• Tuna
• Coconut milk

Vegetables and Herbs (fresh)

• Basil
• Bell peppers (various colours)
• Carrots
• Cilantro
• Garlic
• Ginger
• Lettuce
• Lemons
• Limes
• Mint
• Onions
• Green onion
• Red onion
• Yellow or White onion
• Parsley
• Potatoes
• Russet
• Sweet Potatoes
• Spinach
• Tomatoes

Grains and Pasta

• Bread Crumbs
• Couscous
• Rice
• Basmati
• Brown
• Jasmine
• Pasta (spaghetti, macaroni, shells)
• Lasagne sheets
• Tortillas (flour and corn)
• Oats
• Mix seeds

Meats (store frozen)

Beef

• Ground beef
• Various steak cuts

Poultry

• Chicken breast (boneless/skinless)
• Chicken thighs/wings/drumsticks

Seafood

• Fish Fillets (salmon, sole, hake tuna or tilapia)
• Prawns (peeled and deveined)

Basic Frozen Foods

• Peas
• Sweetcorn
• French beans
• Short crust pastry
• Phyllo pastry
• Puff pastry

Refrigerated Miscellaneous

• Butter
• Cheeses (Cheddar, Feta, Parmesan, Cream cheese, Gouda, Halloumi…etc.)
• Eggs large
• Milk (full cream, low fat)
• Sour Cream
• Whipping Cream
• Yogurt (Greek or low-fat)

Organized ingredients is a must! You can even do it yourself, I am a huge fan of DIY projects constantly checking out YouTube videos for new hacks to make my life easier. For me a well ordered, hygienically clean & efficient kitchen storage is a must. One of my favourite is the glass jars & chalkboard stickers. Be creative the kitchen is your playground!

 

Chef Tasneem Saith