[Guest Post] What Should You Keep Stocked in Your Kitchen and Pantry by Michelle Rebecca

What Should You Keep Stocked in Your Kitchen and Pantry?

If you've decided that you want to cook more often, one of the first things you need to do is properly stock your kitchen and pantry. While you'll buy fresh ingredients on a regular basis, there are plenty of things that you can and should keep on hand.

As you begin cooking more, you'll find that it's invaluable to always have the essentials within reach. Not only will it prevent you from needing to run out to buy a single ingredient that you don't have, but it will allow you to whip up something tasty even if you have very little time to plan in advance.

Essential Oils

Every kitchen needs at least one bottle of quality extra virgin olive oil. Over time, you'll probably amass multiple bottles from places like California, Spain, Italy and France. Since the flavor of your oil will impact your cooking, avoid the temptation to pick up the cheapest bottle you can find. High-quality bottles will have delicate fruity notes that disappear with heat, making them best suited to salad dressing and finishing dishes.

Canola oil is the other item in this category that you'll definitely want to have within reach. An added benefit of cooking with this specific oil is studies have found that it may help reduce the risk of heart disease by lowering inflammation and blood pressure.

Vinegar

The two main types of vinegar are red and white wine. You can technically get by with stocking just one in your kitchen. But just like it doesn't really make sense to attempt dangerous repairs on your own when you can just call a local Lancaster AC repair company, it's definitely worth having both types of vinegar in your kitchen.

The main reason you won't regret stocking up on both options is because they have such different uses. Red wine vinegar is generally used for dishes that feature red meat, while white wine vinegar is best for anything that involves poultry or fish.

Bottles and Cans

In addition to oil and vinegar, other bottled items you should add to your kitchen are Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce and Dijon mustard. While stocked bottled items are pretty standard, when it comes to canned goods, there are those who initially turn their nose up at the thought.

Although there are plenty of canned items that are low in quality, any experienced chef knows that certain canned goods are crucial for a wide range of dishes. The ones you'll want to have in your pantry are chickpeas, canned tomatoes and kidney beans. And if you don't already have some, it's also worth picking up a few cans of tuna.

Now that you know exactly what you need in your kitchen and pantry, you can stock up and begin enjoying everything that cooking on a regular basis has to offer!

Michelle is an aspiring writer with a passion for blogging. She enjoys writing about a vast variety of topics and loves that blogging gives her the opportunity to publicly voice her thoughts and share advice with an unlimited audience.