Whether you’ve just made the transition from school to work, or have been grinding away at the office for years, it goes without saying that young professionals today are busy multi-taskers. When it comes to making meals, keeping recipes as simple as possible is key, so is having the right foundation ingredients. To help you plan ahead, Hazelview Properties has put together this list of 14 ingredients every young professional should have in their kitchen. Keep them on hand so that you can whip up whatever you like, without having to put too much thought into the grocery list.
Flour
Flour is the base for so much of what we eat today -- breads, muffins, cakes, fritters, beer-battered delights and more. This glutinous staple has been a standby for hundreds, if not thousands of years, and for good reason.
Salt
This one speaks for itself. Salt goes well on just about any dish, and bumps up the bland ones. Just be careful you don’t overdo it — too much sodium can be detrimental to your diet. Foodies will love the many varieties of specialty salt now available in premium grocery stores like Whole Foods — they make a great finishing touch on your dish. If you’re health conscious, try some pink Himalayan salt — it contains all the minerals your body needs to thrive.
Pepper
Salt’s spicy counterpart, pepper, will amp up any savoury dish to its full potential. For added freshness, arm your spice arsenal with a pepper mill and a stocked supply of peppercorns. Foodies will love experimenting with different varieties of pepper like pink and red peppercorns which taste subtly different. Health conscious people should try it with turmeric, a powerful anti-inflammatory spice that becomes much more absorbable when paired with pepper.
Tomato paste
Though it's not delicious on its own, this canned treasure plays a big role in many dishes - like tomato sauce, chili, curry, shepherd’s pie and stew. Check out these great ideas for what to do with leftover tomato paste.
Lemon
You can’t go wrong with having a lemon handy at all times. Dressings, juices, soups and salads all incorporate this wonderful, tart fruit. Not to mention lemon water — which, according to many, is great for digestive health.
Ginger
Ginger plays a starring and supporting role in many classic dishes. Curries, soups and sauces all incorporate this invigorating spice. Fresh ginger and hot water makes a great digestion enhancing tea. Be sure to keep this one in your kitchen, it's available at grocery stores in either fresh root or powder-form.
Sugar
From sweets like pies, cakes and cookies, to more savoury dishes like baked ham, sugared sirloins, or eggplant parmesan, this granulated cane product comes in handy more often than you’d think.
Garlic
An age-old flavour-booster, key ingredient in many recipes and wellness aide, garlic is essentially, a miracle food. Check out some great uses for it here.
Onion
This layered vegetable has many uses, but is primarily used to infuse a distinct, delicious savoury flavour into anything from sandwiches and salads, to pastas and wraps.
Vinegar
This thin, acidic liquid will come in handy more often than not. Whether you have malt vinegar, apple cider vinegar, rice vinegar, white vinegar, balsamic vinegar, red wine vinegar or anything in between — from vinaigrettes to cleaning solutions, this ingredient is a must-have for your cupboard. Check out some of its many household uses here.
Olive oil
A frying pan staple, this wholesome oil will come in handy in many instances. And remember, even though it's fattening, it’s good fat!
Pasta
Cheap, quick and easy to make — a box or two of pasta should always be in your cupboard. You never know when Uncle Tony might stop by for some spaghetti.
Soy sauce
Like vinegar, soy sauce plays a major role in many dishes, especially Asian dishes. It offers an umami-packed saltiness and can add a lot of depth of flavour to your recipes. Check out some great recipes for this food staple here.
Parmesan
Who doesn’t love cheese? Shaved parmesan is what makes a Caesar salad so delicious, and the secret ingredient that adds rich flavour to countless pasta sauces. We prefer buying good quality parmesan in block form and grating it fresh but powdered parmesan will kick up just about any savoury dish too if you’re on a budget. Be sure to keep this exquisite cheese in your fridge at all times.
We hope you use this list to stock up on food items that will come in handy over and over again.
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