No matter how planned your day is with respect to food, there are times when people face hunger attacks in odd hours of the day (and the night!). The refrigerator is like a saviour but you cannot trust on the luck always. In such situations, following pantry items will act like a blessing, so keep them handy at all times!
- Olive oil
May it be a salad, or simply a veggie mix, olive oil will always be used for a healthy meal, either while cooking or for sprinkling on the prepared dish. Whatever you cook, it can and should be added in small quantity to make your dish savoury and smooth. Extra virgin should be preferred for better flavouring.
- Honey
Buy once, use whenever. It has the benefit of a long shelf life and is used in wide variety of dishes from desserts, confectionery to salads and shakes. Also acts as a good replacement for sugar.
- Chocolates
Does not matter whether you have a sweet tooth or not, chocolate will satisfy your cravings for sure. It was soldier’s buddy during world wars. So when you are feeling down (emotionally or mentally) and need something fulfilling, rely on chocolates. Eat as is, or use in the shakes and desserts or cookies.
Image Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chocolate#/media/File:ChocolateA.jpg
- Onion, garlic and potato
I call them 3 musketeers of the kitchen. You cannot die if you have them. Eat potatoes right after cooking them with onion and garlic, or use the mixture as filling in bread rolls, hash browns, cutlets, patties and the possibilities could be endless.
- Vinegar
Apart from adding flavour in the food, it does help in opening up the blood vessels for proper blood flow. Depending upon the purpose (noodles, salads etc.), the kind of vinegar differs. It could be white, balsamic, red, cider or sherry.
- Oats, vermicelli, quinoa, pasta
These are the major ingredients of any fulfilling dish. Doesn’t matter if your taste buds crave for something spicy or milky, these ingredients can be partnered with milk as well as spices.
Image Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rolled_oats#/media/File:Rolled_oats.jpg
- Baking powder or baking soda
If you are a confectionery lover, you can’t make it without a baking powder. Let the items go fluffy.
- Fresh herbs and flavourings
Any dish needs some flavouring for the taste. Basil, thyme, oregano, chilli flakes are easy to find and good to have. In the end, whatever you make, just garnish it with fresh herbs like parsley, celery, mint leaves etc. Add a touch of freshness in your meals which might seem to be incomplete without them.
