Top 5 Store Cupboard Staples And How To Use Them
Here at Biona we love making cooking easy, and in our opinion keeping your kitchen well stocked with basic ingredients is the key to creating simple and delicious meals.
Cooking doesn't have to be complicated, basic and affordable ingredients can go a long way. Below we've picked our top 5 cupboard staples that are perfect for keeping to hand as well as some delicious recipe inspiration for how to use them in your every-day cooking.
Top 5 Store Cupboard Staples
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Tinned tomatoes – one of the most versatile ingredients you can keep in your kitchen. Use in pasta sauces, veggie chillies, curries, stews, and soups.
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Tinned beans & pulses – cooked already, they are not only quick and easy to use but also perfect for adding to veggie dishes to increase protein and fibre content.
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Dried herbs & spices – the easiest way to add flavour to all your meals, as well as being relatively cheap with a long shelf life, they are a kitchen must have. Cumin and coriander are a great base for curries, whilst paprika and oregano can add delicious flavour to bean chillies. We also love adding rosemary to home baked potato chips.
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Rice – this nutritious, and fibre packed grain can be used in so many dishes: risotto’s, soups, stir fries, pilafs, rice pudding, burritos, the list goes on…
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Peanut Butter – can go further than just spreading on your toast. Use it in sauces, curries, or as a binding ingredient in vegan baking.
Quick and easy store cupboard recipes:
Pea pesto pasta with sundried tomatoes
Almond butter roasted banana bread
How to transform your meals with store cupboard staples:
- Salt & Pepper – salt is an essential ingredient to enhance the flavour of your cooking, not to make it salty, a little goes a long way in the case of salt. Pepper is just as important and adds a gentle heat to your meals. Season at the end of a meal, so you don’t lose the flavour.
- Lemon juice - the acidity of lemon juice can bring out the flavour in lots of dishes. Risottos, curries, and stews. It is also great added to marinades, dressings, and sauces. A true staple and ours conveniently come in glass bottles.
- Oil - cooking with a fat source is also a great way to add flavour. Especially when cooking with spices, frying them in a little oil can go a long way. When cooking down onions, cooking them in oil also transforms them as they slowly start to caramelise.
- Soy/tamari sauce – add a umami depth to your favourite dishes. Stir fries, Thai curries and even Bolognese sauces and salad dressings. Balsamic Vinegar is also a great alternative to adding depth to rich sauces.
