11 Ingredients You Should Always Have In Your Kitchen

With everything being projected onto us by commercials, advertisements, sales papers and bulging grocery store shelves, it can be confusing to know what's actually best to eat. However, with these ingredients always on hand, you can be confident that whatever you choose to eat will be great for you and your family.

Flour

Flour has countless uses, from thickening sauces to making doughs, pastas, and pastries. With a virtually infinite shelf life, flour is a must-have for every kitchen.

Olive Oil

Olive oil is the healthiest choice for oils and fats, and actually offers a number of health benefits. Olive oil is also great for sauteeing, grilling, making vinaigrettes, marinating, and even adding texture to doughs and breads.

Yeast

Yeast is a great natural ingredient for those who love to bake breads, pizzas, and other rising doughs. The first three ingredients – flour, olive oil, and yeast – combined with a little water could make dough for countless dishes.

Lemons

Lemons are not only great as a food additive, but they also have a number of practical uses – from household cleaning to fighting illnesses. And of course, with a little sugar, fresh lemons can make refreshing, healthy lemonade!

Fresh Herbs

Most (if not all) fresh herbs have medicinal properties in addition to adding flavor to any food. They’re generally inexpensive and can often be grown indoors.

Rice

Rice is also a versatile food. It is not only an extremely flexible side dish; rice can be used to absorb water from electronics, such as cell phones, often stopping and sometimes reversing water damage.

Stock Or Broth

The only difference between stock and broth is whether or not there’s meat in the mix (broth is made with meat; stock with just bones). However, both are extremely simple to make and add wonderful flavor to anything you’d use water to make (rice, pasta, etc.). Simply keeping your vegetable and meat trimmings as you cook and then simmering them with water and a few other ingredients can maintain a constant supply of stock or broth.

Garlic

Garlic is a wonderful flavor enhancer and works great with many foods. Garlic also helps to increase longevity, fight illness, and reduce blood pressure, among many other health benefits.

Potatoes

Potatoes are extremely versatile, most often known for fries and chips, although they can be cooked nearly any way you could imagine. There are over 100 varieties of potatoes sold in the U.S., and around 4,000 known varieties in existence!

Flavored Vinegar

Flavored vinegar and oil make great vinaigrettes for salads and vegetables as well as flavorful marinades for meats.

Fruits And Veggies

Eating and snacking on fresh fruits and vegetables has significant health benefits, preventing most illnesses and even reversing such severe diseases as diabetes. A diet rich in fruits and vegetables also improves mental abilities and overall mood and boosts longevity.