The store cupboard
Kitchen essentials
We have aimed to use only widely available ingredients on this site, ones that you should be able to get at your corner shop or local supermarket. We assume you don’t want to expend energy on shopping around so our recipes are made from easy-to-get ingredients. In most cases I’ve also suggested variations or replacements for ingredients if you can’t pick them up nearby.
Below are the ingredients I always have in the house.
Carbohydrates5
- Rice
- Risotto Rice (Arborio or Carnaroli)
- Pasta
- Couscous
- Noodles
Fats3
- Olive oil
- Sunflower or Vegetable oil
- Butter
Dairy5
- Eggs
- Milk
- Cheddar cheese
- Parmesan
- Yoghurt
Tins2
- Tinned Tomato
- Tinned Tuna
Fresh Fruit and Vegetables9
- Garlic
- Fresh Ginger
- Onion
- Lettuce
- Fresh tomatoes
- Lemon
- Apple
- Basil
- Banana
Herbs and Spices6
- Salt
- Black pepper
- Ground Cumin
- Coriander Seed
- Cinnamon
- Vegetable Stock (cube or powder)
Baking7
- Flour (plain)
- Caster Sugar
- Brown Sugar
- Icing Sugar
- Cocoa
- Baking powder
- Bicarbonate of Soda
Sauces and Pickles7
- Olives
- Mustard
- White Wine Vinegar
- Balsamic or Spanish Sherry Vinegar
- Chilli Sauce
- Capers
- Soy Sauce
Other6
- Muesli
- Tea
- Jam
- Fresh coffee
- Marmite
- Peanut Butter
These are just ideas - experiment with new ingredients, explore your local area and find new things to replace the suggested ingredients.
The kit in use
Equipment
Our recipes are based on cooking in a very basic kitchen with basic equipment. Here’s a list of everything you’ll need:
- 2 saucepans with lids
- Non-stick frying pan
- Casserole dishi.e. any kind of oven proof dish that can also be used to cook on the hob
- Colander
- Oven proof dishe.g. a rectangular ceramic dish you would use to cook fish pie in
- Flat roasting tin
- Potato peeler
- Grater
- Sieve
- 2 Mixing bowls
- Cake tin (square or round)
- 1 lb Loaf tinthe sort of thing used to bake a loaf of bread
- 2 Tupperwares
- Cutlery, plates, bowls, cups and glasses