High-Quality Sea Salt Makes All the Difference
You might think salt is just salt, but professional chefs know better. Maldon salt makes a great addition to any dish and helps round out all the flavors of a baked good, especially on chocolate chip cookies. Any salt without additives will do, but chefs are Maldon fans, especially if it’s smoked. Use kosher or sea salt for everyday cooking, and keep an optional, nicer salt for finishing dishes, like Maldon sea salt.
The difference becomes obvious when you taste food seasoned with premium salt. Maldon sea salt has a clean taste and a nice, flaky texture that adds depth to every dish. Salt enhances the natural flavors of everything you’re cooking and should be added throughout cooking to give flavors time to build.
Coconut Milk Transforms Ordinary Dishes
Here’s something that might surprise you – canned fish and coconut milk are the two stars that seem to appear most often in chef recommendations. Canned coconut milk is incredibly versatile – you can use it for breakfast smoothies with frozen fruit or make a quick lunchtime soup by simmering with Thai red curry paste. The creamy richness adds depth to both sweet and savory dishes without overwhelming other flavors.
Coconut milk is great for flavoring soups, making sauces and desserts, and goes great with curry. Professional chefs recommend using full-fat coconut milk because the higher fat content contributes to ultra-moist, flaky texture. Any coconut milk works, as long as coconut is the only ingredient – Native Forest Organic is a go-to choice.
Olive Oil Beyond Basic Cooking
Olive oil is an absolute essential in the pantry. But smart cooks know you need more than one type. Use an oil with a high smoke-point, like avocado oil or pure olive oil, as your all-purpose oil, and keep an extra-virgin olive oil for dipping and for drizzling over finished dishes. This dual approach gives you versatility for both cooking and finishing touches.
Professional chefs understand that different oils serve different purposes. Oils are often the most used pantry essential, with many recipes starting with heating oil, so keep one high smoke-point oil as your all-purpose oil. Think of olive oil as your flavor enhancer, not just your cooking medium.
Canned Fish for Instant Protein and Flavor
Don’t overlook the humble can of fish sitting on your shelf. Canned anchovies are great for sauces, vinaigrettes, butter compounds and more. These little powerhouses pack serious umami punch that can transform simple dishes into restaurant-quality meals. Even if you think you don’t like anchovies, they dissolve completely when cooked and just add incredible depth.
Since fish is protein-packed, vegetarians can substitute canned beans, but sardines plus tomato sauce plus toast equals a peasant Italian dinner. Professional chefs love canned fish because it’s shelf-stable, affordable, and adds complexity that fresh ingredients sometimes can’t match.
Good Vinegar Opens Flavor Possibilities
Rice wine vinegar, typically associated with Asian-style dishes, livens up homemade salad dressings, aioli, stir-fry, as a marinade for grilled veggies and meats, and is perfect for pickling cucumbers, radishes, and cabbage. White balsamic vinegar is a quick fix for sautéing mushrooms, asparagus, or any vegetable.
Vinegar might seem like an afterthought, but professional cooks know it’s essential for balancing flavors. Rice vinegar can be substituted for any vinegar in salad dressing and gives a delicate, fresh taste. The acidity cuts through rich dishes and brightens everything it touches.
Honey Beyond Sweetening
Honey is a versatile pantry staple that can replace added sugar, be mixed with yogurt, sweeten tea, or make a unique dessert – top mild ricotta cheese with honey and toasted nuts for a quick and elegant dessert. Honey is great for tossing fresh berries and melon with chopped mint, and it’s excellent in sweet marinades for meats.
Professional bakers know honey can make a fantastic addition to cakes because it gives a more nuanced sweetness compared to granulated sugar. The complex flavor profile of good honey adds layers that regular sugar simply cannot provide.
Quality Tomatoes in a Can
Canned Italian plum tomatoes are a great item to keep on hand – when fresh tomatoes are out of season or you have a tight budget, they’re versatile for marinara and other sauces, soups and entrée items. Some chefs discovered high-quality canned tomatoes after visiting places like Pizzeria Bianco in Arizona.
Not all canned tomatoes are created equal. Professional chefs use them in pizza sauce, mixing with Calabrian chilis, basil, garlic, and olive oil, or in pasta sauce recipes. The key is finding brands that taste like actual tomatoes, not metallic mush.
Dried Beans and Legumes for Substance
Beans are a staple in pantries around the world – a pot of beans can be used throughout the week: baked into a gratin, mixed with vinaigrette for a bean salad, or added to pasta. Dried or canned, legumes are a healthy, versatile and inexpensive vegetarian protein to have around.
Professional cooks appreciate beans because they’re incredibly forgiving and improve with time. Legumes work in soups, enchiladas, burritos, tacos, and salads for easy vegetarian meals, plus chickpeas with tahini, lemon, garlic and olive oil make basic hummus. They’re your backup plan when the fridge is empty.
Rice for Every Occasion
Professional chefs recommend three varieties of rice: arborio for risotto that slowly absorbs liquid creating creamy texture, long-grain brown rice that’s nutty and flavorful, and basmati rice for aromatic pairing with almost anything. Each type serves different culinary purposes and cooking methods.
Whole grain rice can be made in one large batch and heated up for meals throughout the week. Smart cooks know that rice is more than just a side dish – it’s a canvas for flavors and a way to stretch ingredients further while keeping meals satisfying.
Spice Pastes and Ethnic Bases
Ethnic bases and sauces can easily be turned into quick, flavorful dinners just by adding your choice of proteins and veggies – stock Indian curry bases, Italian pasta sauces, Japanese miso pastes or curry sauces, Latin enchilada sauces. Green curry paste is great for making sauces, soups, marinades and adding a spicy kick.
These concentrated flavor bombs save time and deliver authentic taste. Thai curry paste with coconut milk, stock and veggies makes rich veggie curry, while Indian curry base with chicken and frozen veggies beats Indian take-out. Professional chefs use these as shortcuts to complex flavors without spending hours building base flavors from scratch.
