Kitchen Ingredients
Coming home to a well-stocked kitchen at the end of a very tiring day is one of the most exhilarating things in life nowadays. In actuality, it is much easier for you to prepare meals and dishes when all of the ingredients are present.
While there are different kinds of ingredients that are very much available in the market today, there are those simple and basic kinds that you would most probably need on a daily basis. It is not quite difficult to tell what these are actually.
However, there are cases that you would be so confused on which ingredients to store in your kitchen. Nevertheless, this quick guide will enable you to learn and identify which ingredients you must indeed never forget.
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Basic Ingredients Every Kitchen Should Have
Primarily, all you need to do is to determine the basic ingredients. Note that these basic kinds are the most useful and most common ingredients that are usually present in all dishes and meals.
The Essentials
If you are to ask what are the essentials in preparing and cooking meals, know that these ingredients are most of the time considered to be the primary ingredients. Oils and condiments are actually the essentials in this case.
Oils such as canola, palmn shortening and extra virgin types are usually the most common kinds of oil. Although there are quite numerous debates and discussion on what specific kind of oil to use and store in your kitchen, oil in general is very much important and must always be present in your kitchen.
As for the condiments, the usual ones that you may need to store in your kitchen are ketchup, mayonnaise, vinegar, soy sauce, and Worcestershire sauce. Seasonings such as butter, ricotta cheese, feta cheese, salt, pepper, herbs, and other spices are also considered to be part of the essentials.
The most common herbs and spices are ginger, bay leaf, tarragon, sage, cayenne, and paprika. Garlic and onions are also recommended as they are very much present in almost all meals in the recent times.
The Bases
Base ingredients (eg. chicken base) are usually the ones you partner with your main courses and dishes. These are the pasta and rice or quinoa. Now, storing base ingredients vary depending on your location. There are apparently countries and regions that are largely dependent on pasta alone. Similarly, there are areas as well globally that are much more dependent on rice or grains.
Either way, these base ingredients are largely essential for your daily preparation and cooking of meals and dishes.
Veggies and Fruits
Some of the most important ingredients that you must not forget to store are vegetables and fruits. Whether you are preparing for meals or simply looking for something to much on, these are very much important. You may opt to store both fresh or canned veggies like canned corn, fennels and fennel seeds, beans and fruits.
Aside from completing your basic needs in terms of kitchen ingredients, veggies and fruits are very beneficial to your health.
Basic Baking Ingredients
If you are looking forward to a more complete and well-stocked kitchen, baking ingredients are actually the most apparent ingredients that will complete your whole set. You will be surprised to know that there are actually only a few things you need to store in order for you to start your baking activities.
Although there are other additional ingredients you may need to produce a good baked meal and stuff, it will largely depend on your experience in totality. As you increase your experience in baking, you’ll know for sure which ingredients will suit your taste and products. Nevertheless, here the basic ones:
Flour
There are actually different kinds of flour today:
- Whole Wheat vs. White
- Bleached vs. Unbleached
- All-Purpose Flour
- Bread Flour
- Pastry Flour
- Cake Flour
- Spelt
- Rye
- Buckwheat
- Barley
- Rice
- Oat
- Amaranth
- Nut Flours
- Dough Flours
The type of flour you may need to store will largely depend on the type of product you desire to produce. While there are a lot to choose from, the most common and widely used flour for baking is the all purpose type.
Sugar and Salt
Aside from flour, another basic building block of baking is sugar. However, it is important for you to choose the best type of sugar when you are about to bake. Accordingly, table sugar will do just fine in terms of storage for your baking needs.
Salt on the other hand is as important as sugar. Alongside the fact that adding salt adds taste and flavor to the product, it also slows the rising time which enables to taste and flavor to develop naturally.
Leaveners
Leaveners are very much important in baking. These ingredients are mainly the ones that cause the rising of the baked goods due to certain chemical reaction. The most basic leaveners are baking powder, baking soda, yeast.
Dairy
There are normally three ingredients that are considered to be under the dairy category. The first one is unsalted butter which apparently is the default type of butter that is usually used in baking. The second ingredient is the milk which plays a very important role in baking as this gives the moisture in the batter.The third ingredient is the large egg which actually the ones responsible for holding and binding the mixture efficiently.
Cooking Ingredients
Normally, the common cooking ingredients are the ones included in the most basic ingredients that every kitchen must have. It is essential for you to note that if you possess all the basic ingredients, it will not be difficult for you to prepare and cook any meal as long as you have the main ingredients – meats, veggies, fruits, and add ons.
Meat
Meats are largely important in cooking and preparing meals as they are usually the subject of a certain course or dish. Correspondingly, there are actually five kinds of meats in general:
- Pork Meats
- Beef Meats
- Lamb Meats
- Chicken Meats
- Fish Meats
Every part and piece of these meats can apparently enable you to cook any dish. Alongside this, know that every part of these has its own distinct features, taste, and flavor. Furthermore, there are as well specific and distinct types of cooking process for each and every part.
Vegetables and Fruits
As for vegetables and fruits, these ingredients are normally used and utilized not only for additional flavors and taste but also they can be main subjects of certain course and dish as well. By and large, there are different kinds of meals that largely focus alone on veggies and fruits.
Usually, meals that focus on vegetables and fruits are significantly utilized and consumed by many health conscious and enthusiasts in the recent times.
Additional Ingredients
Aside from the meats, vegetables, and fruits – additional ingredients that are usually unclassified are the mushrooms, olives, nuts, jellies, beans, beets and swede. It is important for you to note that there are a lot more additional ingredients aside from the given above.
Now, when you have all the basic ingredients in your kitchen alongside the main ingredients – meats, veggies, fruits, and add-ons – you could easily execute an efficient preparation and cooking of your meals and dishes.
BBQ Ingredients
Whether you are looking forward to the summer or just want to enjoy the flavorful tastes of barbeque-sauced dishes, you may need to store your kitchen with the right and essential BBQ ingredients. While others may find it convenient to purchase ready-made or ready-mixed barbeque sauces in different markets, nothing beats efficiently your very own home-made bbq sauce.
Aside from the fact that you can effectively save costs and expenses when you make your own barbeque sauce, your kitchen activities and experience can efficiently appear very reliable to everyone if you know how to make your own barbeque sauce.
The very first and important thing you have to note aside from the procedure itself is the procurement and possession of the right ingredients for your barbeque sauce and dish. Hence, here is the list of the most essential ingredients you need to produce your own bbq sauce and flavor:
Essential Seasonings
Seasonings are very much important in making a barbeque-sauced or barbeque dish. Salt, paprika, pepper, onion, cumin, garlic and head of garlic halved are the ones you need to focus on for this kind of dish and flavor.
Prepared Stocks and Broths
Prepared stocks and
broths are apparently the bases for any barbeque sauce and dish injections. Usually, pork and beef stocks are the most common and recommendable ones.Condiments and Spices
As for the condiments to add and enhance the overall flavor of your barbeque injections, the most used ones are the mayonnaise, dijon mustard substitute, soy sauce, and Worcestershire sauce.
Sugar and Salt
Sugar is not only used for baking purposes. Any chef and cook or a usual food enthusiast knows that sugar plays a huge role in different kinds of dishes and sauces. Accordingly, in making barbeque sauces and injections, brown sugar is the most recommendable type.The same is true for salts.
However, table salts are not the recommendable type or kind in making barbeque sauces and dishes. The two kinds of salts that are usually utilized for the smoky-type of flavor in any barbeque are the Kosher salt and flake sea salt.