(last updated 10/July/2021)
There’s something magical about food.
The way ingredients are chosen because of their brightness and sweet smell. The way a knife is sharpened for that perfect cut. The way oil sizzles as it heats up. The way that perfect first bite makes you feel.
Yes, cooking can be broken down to it’s scientific aspects: temperature, molecules combining… Molecular gastronomy chefs do a fantastic -and impressive- work of this. But food is more than that.
Food brings out an almost animalistic side from us. Life-long friendships can start -or end- over a food disagreement. Share your version of a traditional recipe, and you can almost guarantee the comparisons to ‘momma’s way’ will come pouring in.
That’s because food is more than the measured combination of ingredients and following a step-by-step process.
Food is history, food is family, food is culture, food is friendship. Food is, almost, magic.
Basic ingredients
10 basic ingredients: 10 ingredient categories that will help you get started, and that form the basic building blocks of most cooking and baking.
- Salt (coming soon)
- Sweeteners (coming soon)
- Eggs
- Guide to egg alternatives: 13 alternatives, with tips on how to use them and where to buy.
- Oil (coming soon)
- Butter (coming soon)
- Flour
- Non-wheat flours: oat, coconut, rice, rye, spelt, buckwheat, chickpea, almond, cornmeal, teff, sorghum, quinoa. Tips and recipe roundup with 360+ sweet and savoury recipes.
- Milk
- Guide to plant-based milk alternatives: vegan-friendly alternatives with tips and nutritional information.
- Stock (coming soon)
- Onions:
- All about leeks: season, how to buy, store and use, alternatives, flavour combinations, and 50+ recipes
Recipes with basic ingredients
- Cake: basic muffins
- Pancakes: crepes, fluffy pancakes
- Breads: yeast bread (your basic everyday bread), yeast-free pretzels
- Flat breads
- Soupy things
- Pastry
- Biscuit-related things: fluffy sugar cookies, scones/biscuits, crackers
- Savoury sauces
- Sweet sauces: syrup
- Pasta
- Savoury eggy things
- Sweet eggy things
- Buttercream
- Onions
- Fancy butters
- Brine
- Yogurt
Beyond the basic ingredients
Customisable shopping list: an easy to use shopping list to push you further than the 10 basic ingredients can, divided by category that can be filled in with any ingredients you want (or have). I also have a full week of food on a budget that shows this list in use in real life.
- Fruits (coming soon)
- Vegetables:
- Celeriac: season, how to buy, store and use, alternatives, flavour combinations, and 50+ recipes
- Proteins
- Tofu: varieties, how to make it, how to use it, and soya-free alternatives.
- Starches
- Oats: varieties, how to use it, how to store, and lots of recipes (my own and links).
- Getting started with herbs and spices: tips on buying, storing and using.
- Acids (coming soon)
- Heat (coming soon)
- Umami (coming soon)
- Salty (coming soon)
- Creamy (coming soon)
- Crunchy (coming soon)
Useful tools and resources
Kitchen tools for beginner and intermediate homecooks: basic tools and gadgets that won’t break the bank, and will cover all your cooking needs.
Online tools to help you use your ingredients: a collection of websites with hints and tips to make the most of them.
How to make the most of recipes: tips, tricks, and ideas.
