Kitchen Cupboard Staples – here are 12 useful ingredients to keep in your kitchen cupboard.

Here are some of the kitchen cupboard staples I always keep in stock. This isn’t an exhaustive list, or we’d be here all day, and I’d be like the best from the east coming back with ”…and another thing!” and we don’t want that!

If I suggest a particular brand that I’m fond of, please know other brands out there do similar things, so feel free to experiment and see what you like best, as we all have different palates and what tastes amazing to me may not taste amazing to you!

Kitchen Cupboard Staples: Olive Oil and Extra Virgin Olive Oil

I tend to have a bottle of the extra virgin olive oil, which is great for salads, roasting vegetables and for drizzling over your dinner to add healthy fats to your meal.

I also have a bottle of standard olive oil that is a blend of extra virgin and refined olive oils, which I find is best for cooking.

I buy olive oil in glass bottles on the advice of a nutritionist friend. As you’ll see as we go along,  I am not a huge fan of things in plastic!

If you like spraying olive oil in your pan, you can get sprays of just olive oil (with no added gubbins),  or you can get a spray container and add your own olive oil. 

Toasted Sesame Oil

This slightly sweet, nutty-flavoured oil is great if you like stir-fries or making Chinese-inspired food. It can also be added to egg fried rice to give it a little extra zing. If you’re not into that kind of thing, you may not need it, but I find I like the way it adds a subtle depth of flavour.

Be aware that some people are allergic to sesame seeds so please do check if you’re cooking for other people.

Tomato Puree

Tomato puree is a great kitchen cupboard staple as it adds a lovely, deep tomato flavour to a dish without adding a lot of acidity or altering the texture in any way.

Watch out as some tomato purees are double or even triple concentrated so you may need to adjust the amount you use when a recipe calls for tomato puree to reflect this. 

I use the ones that come in a tube as they keep really well. If using a tinned tomato puree,you will need to decant it into a different bowl or dish once opened, and use it quickly. 

Tomato Passata

Tomato passata is made from sieved tomatoes, so it has a smooth consistency. It can be used in place of chopped tomatoes and is great for adding to soups, stews, casseroles and chilli. 

I prefer the ones in the glass jars.

There are some that come preloaded with peppers, basil, oregano or garlic and onion. The flavoured ones can be useful if you want some kind of quick sauce for meatballs. 

Yeast Extract

Even if you don’t like yeast extract on its own, it makes a great addition to tomato-based dishes. Just add half a teaspoonful and mix well. It also tastes wonderful, lightly scraped over crumpets and topped with cheddar cheese and grilled until hot and bubbly! 

Soy Sauce

There are two main kinds of soy sauce light and dark. Light soy sauce adds a umami flavour and so is best used for marinades and as a seasoning.

Dark soy sauce has a slightly sweeter flavour, a thicker texture and a darker colour. If you were to buy just one type of soy sauce, go for the light version, as that is more versatile and has a deeper flavour impact.

It is worth checking out the ingredients of soy sauce, the cheaper supermarket versions often have additional things added to them to make them cheaper.

Worcestershire Sauce and/ or Henderson’s Relish.

Now the two things are slightly different, but they do similar jobs in that they add a little zing to tomato-based dishes, and add extra flavour to things like shepherds pie, casseroles, and cheese on toast. Personally, I prefer Henderson’s Relish as it’s not quite as sharp a flavour, but experiment and see what you prefer. 

Honey | Hot Honey | Maple Syrup

Now you could argue these are three things but they’re all so wonderful it was hard to pick between them! I love having runny honey as it’s great on natural yoghurt and granola for breakfast, is fabulous on toast, and works wonderfully mixed with a little wholegrain mustard and used as a glaze for sausages or pork chops.

It is also useful for adding to marinades to add a little sweetness

Hot Honey is a newish thing which combines the sweetness of honey with the heat of chilli. I have tried two types, the ordinary hot honey and the scotch bonnet version and actually prefer the scotch bonnet version although you don’t need a lot of it.

Maple syrup is great on pancakes and with bacon. Try to buy the proper maple syrup rather than a maple-flavoured one (which is just glorified golden syrup!)

Balsamic Vinegar

This dark vinegar adds a deep flavour to marinades and is also fabulous drizzled on strawberries. Great for adding a little gentle sharpness to a dish. Again not something you need to use much of, but handy to have in! Also can be used in a salad dressing.

Coconut Milk

Having a tin or two of this in your kitchen cupboard is handy for making soups and curries. This can help give a creamy consistency and bring down the heat of a curry or soup. I prefer the full-fat ones, but you can use reduced-fat ones if you prefer.

It’s worth noting that coconut milk in cans tends to separate into two parts, the white solid bit and the syrupy-watery bit. It is normal, and will all go back together perfectly once it is heated through so don’t panic! Some brands don’t separate and that’s fine too!

Spicy Italian Seasoning

This is a super pre-blended mix of herbs and spices made by Schwartz. For me, it gives the perfect balance of heat, flavour, herby goodness and makes the perfect addition to spaghetti bolognese, lasagne, chilli, and tomato-based dishes.

I have yet to come across another brand that blends it so well together,but there probably are other brands doing the same thing. This is my personal preference and you could potentially blend your own similar blend~by adding a few chilli flakes to Italian seasoning. No one is paying me to say this, I just stumbled across it one day and have been hooked ever since!

Celery Salt

Celery Salt is my absolute go to secret ingredient that lifts any gravy-based dish, and most soups. Just a little sprinkle makes all the difference!

Be aware that celery is a known allergen so please avoid using this if you’re not sure of the allergy status of the people you’re cooking for.

Further Reading

You may like to read my article on essential ingredients for baking

https://www.mamacoopskitchen.co.uk/essential-ingredients-for-baking/

Or this one about how to declutter and organise your kitchen https://www.mamacoopskitchen.co.uk/how-to-declutter-and-organise-your-kitchen/

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