Composition with various spices on white background
Have you ever thought about the ingredients that you mostly use in your recipes? Well, ingredients can vary depending on our food habits. Besides, there are some ingredients that are most versatile in use. If you stock them in your refrigerator, you will always be able to diversify your cooking menu.
- Eggs
This is the cheapest source of protein that you can add to almost all food menus. One large size egg is good enough to give you 78 calories. Not only are eggs an excellent ingredient for recipes, but they are good enough on their own. A poached egg or an omelet is by far the most common breakfast item across the globe.
Eggs fit in all everyday dishes- dessert, salad dressings, quick skillet meals, fast food, or as a main dish. Other than cooking versatility, eggs have a long shelf life in refrigerators. You can keep this all-purpose item for four to five weeks in your fridge.
- Butter
Whether it is pan-frying or baking, butter always hits the list first. Every 100 grams of butter have 717 calories to offer. Butters also has 80% butterfat and proteins from milk and cream. Even if you are poor at cooking, just add some butter on a saucepan and fry any frozen foods. It is that easy when you have butter in your refrigerator.
The best kind of butter recipe is always mouthwatering. You can try different flavored butter recipes like lemon and herb-flavored butter, walnut and blue cheese-flavored butter, roasted garlic butter, and many more. Importantly, butter lasts more than six months in the refrigerator.
- Milk
Milk itself is a masterpiece of all food items; it also makes a good ingredient for different recipes. You will get everything other than vitamin C in Milk. A glass of milk contains 42 calories and is a good substitute for your regular meals.
As an ingredient, milk can be used for a casserole, baking, mashed potatoes, soups, sauce, and the list is quite long. It is the core item of every dessert you try in your kitchen. Talking about shelf life, milk lasts almost 7 days in refrigerators.
- Lemons
You hardly find a chef running without lemons in his kitchen. The key to all citrus action in your recipes is lemons. Not only lemon adds flavor, but it is also used to decorate dishes after cooking. In terms of calories, 100g of lemons have only 29 calories, but they are rich in antioxidants.
Whether you are cooking seafood, shrimp pasta, or hot ramen, it is always incomplete without a squeeze of lemon. Most chefs believe lemon fragrance has a psychological impact on food attention. If you can adequately store lemons in refrigerators, then they will stay fresh for two to three weeks.
- Chicken Stock
It is one of our common misconceptions that chicken broth is only for chicken soup. But, in reality, that is not true at all. You can add chicken stock to any items like pasta, salad, meats, or side dishes for added taste and flavor.
One cup of chicken broth provides 38 calories. If you store it correctly in your fridge, then it will last 3 to 4 days. Other than your regular dishes, if you add chicken stock to your pet food, you will find a positive change in his food habit.
- Yogurt
It is one of the high calories and protein-dense ingredients that can bring changes to your savory dishes. Every 100g of yogurt contains 59 calories. It is also useful to improve your digestion capacities and alleviate irritable bowel syndrome.
Making the best creamy marinara sauce, smearing it on fish or fluff of waffles, it is all possible with yogurt. You can also add it to veggie dishes or fresh salad to get a creamy filling for stuffed vegetables. Yogurt, in general, stays fresh for a week after opening if you store it in the refrigerator.
- Soy Sauce
Soy sauce has two main variants- light and dark. The light soy sauce is used to flavor your dishes. It can be anything like meat, chicken, fish, or salad. It is also common for salad dressing and meat marination ingredients. The darker ones are used to add colors to dishes like pasta or noodles and also used as a tasty dipping sauce.
Soy sauce contains 53 calories per 100g servings. Other than that, soy sauce stays fresh up to 2 years in refrigerators.
- Mayonnaise
The traditional mixture of oil, egg yolk, and vinegar works as excellent taste enhancers. The creamy condiment is perfect for dips, salad dressings, and spreading in burgers and sandwiches. Other than that, you can add mustard or other spice for more flavor.
Mayonnaise is rich in calories. Every 100 grams of mayonnaise contains 680 calories. Also, they are high in fats and cholesterol. You can store mayonnaise for at least 3 months in your refrigerator.
- Parmesan Cheese
Whether you’re an Italian food lover or not, parmesan cheese is key to creating several mouthwatering recipes. Be it cheesy lasagna, creamy soup, or salad, as a taste enhancer, parmesan cheese will never disappoint you. Even if you add it to any roasted veggie like potatoes or cauliflower, the ordinary item becomes super special.
They also offer good amounts of calories. Only 100g will provide 431 calories to your diet. Parmesan cheese stays fresh for 4 to 5 days in the refrigerator. But, if it is shredded, then it can last up to 6 months.
- Hummus
Hummus is a famous dip made of blended chickpeas, lemon juice, garlic, and tahini. You can use it as pasta sauce, tomato filling, salad mixture, tofu scramble, or with a vegan omelet. There are more ways to enjoy this traditional Middle-East food.
Hummus is also good in terms of calories. 166 calories are what it offers per 100g servings. You can store hummus fresh in refrigerators for 4 to 5 days.
- Fruits and Veggies
Your refrigerator feels empty without fruits and vegetables. Whatever recipes you try, these form the basis of many dishes. Some items like tomatoes, paprika, zucchini, mushrooms are all common to the most delicious recipes. Also, try to store necessary fruits like orange, apple, and pomegranate in your refrigerator.
Final Verdict
If you have some versatile ingredients, it is possible to try a wide range of recipes. Yes, there are ingredients of specific use. But, keeping the versatile option in the refrigerator opens more options for you. Try the list; you won’t regret it.