Tinned beans
Beans aren’t just Beans, and they aren’t just bland, tasteless things. Beans provide fibre and protein, taste and texture, added into a soup before blending; they are a cost-effective way of providing a huge hit of extra nutrition. Particularly when trying your hand at cooking international cuisines, many a world recipe will include some form of Bean. You’ll find that most countries/cuisines have a specific Bean, Kidney beans in Caribbean cooking, Black beans in Mexican, Pinto for Brazil and Chickpeas for North Africa and the Middle East.
Cold pressed Oil
Cold pressing Oil means there is no heat involved in the process of extracting the oil. Having 2 Oils in your cupboard really is a must, a good quality oil for frying, in our case it is Welsh Rapeseed Oil as a preference. Then you will require a high-quality Extra Virgin Olive Oil, whilst this can be quite expensive to buy it should mainly be used for dressing grilled Vegetables, Salads or Meats after cooking, use it sparingly and it will last.
White wine vinegar
There are so many types of Vinegar it was hard to just pick one, but we have to go with the versatility of White Wine Vinegar, relatively inexpensive in comparison to Champagne or Sherry Vinegar, works well with providing acidity at the base of Chicken, Fish or Vegetable dishes and has a light enough taste to take the place of Lemon in Mayonnaise or Vinaigrette
Soy sauce
Like Miso Paste this is really essential in Asian cooking, and surprisingly Caribbean cooking. Soy or its Gluten Free alternative Tamari provides a deep savoury taste through its high salt content. There are good low sodium Soy Sauces out there too, just remember you shouldn’t need extra salt in your cooking if you are using this!
Tinned Toms
Tinned Tomatoes are cost-effective and hassle-free, great for Curries, Pasta Sauces, Stews, Pizza. With 1 Onion, a few spices, a can of Tomatoes and a can of Cannellini Beans you can make homemade baked beans in a few minutes!
If you found this blog useful, be sure to check out our Top 5 Fridge Essentials too!