What's in Our Kitchen? 8 Must-Have Ingredients We Always Have on Hand

You know that feeling when you open your fridge at 5pm and think: Okay, what am I actually making tonight?

We’ve all been there. That's why today we're each sharing our top eight essential ingredients and the recipes that go with them. These kitchen essentials live in our pantry, fridge, or freezer at all times, no matter what. They’re the real workhorses that pull double and triple duty across breakfast, dinner, weeknight meals, and entertaining.

By the end of this episode, you'll:

1. Discover why a simple jar of whole grain dijon belongs in every fridge, and how it transforms everything from egg salad to a creamy pan sauce for salmon
2. Learn how two humble ingredients — shelf-stable milk and yogurt — unlock a surprising range of recipes, from a stack of perfect pancakes to a gorgeous 4-ingredient yogurt cake
3. Find out why hoisin deserves a permanent spot in the pantry, and how it can become the star of a weeknight noodle dish that will become your new go-to

Press play now for inspo on how to stock your kitchen and make home cooking feel a whole lot easier!

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Links:

Yogurt for…

Green Goddess dressing from Love & Lemons

4 Ingredient Yogurt Cake by Dels Cooking Twist

And for ranch dressing, yogurt bowls, to make labneh, and more

Shelf Stable Milk…

Marcella Hazan’s bolognese sauce from NYT Cooking (unlocked)

Sonya’s rice pudding

Everyday pancakes by Mark Bittman from NYT Cooking (unlocked)

Jordan Marsh’s Blueberry Muffins adapted by Marian Burros for NYT Cooking

Mac and cheese (box or homemade), guests who need milk in their coffee or tea, for smoothies and overnight oats

Ground turkey or chicken for…

Sheetpan turkey meatballs with chickpeas from Smitten Kitchen

Or for Keema Shimla Mirch (Ground chicken with bell peppers) by Zainab Shah for NYT Cooking (unlocked), or Sonya’s turkey kotleti (small turkey patties), or taco filling similar to what Kari and Sonya make from Feel Good Foodie,

Mirepoix — aka carrots, celery, and onion…

Many great soups start with carrots, celery, onion: like classic chicken soup and Clean-out-your-fridge veggie soup from our Substack

Big pot of beans or beans on toast from NYT Cooking

Beef Stew from Spend with Pennies

Whole grain dijon mustard…

For classic vinaigrette like this one by Samin Nosrat from NYT Cooking

Sonya’s golden egg salad

Creamy mustard pan sauce from Serious Eats for salmon

Sonya’s herby potato salad from our Substack

Hoisin…

Soy-Basted Chicken Thighs with Spicy Cashews by Sam Sifton for NYT Cooking

Hoisin Garlic Noodles by Hetty Lui McKinnon for NYT Cooking

Slow-Cooker Pork Tacos with Hoisin & Ginger by Sam Sifton for NYT Cooking

Kimchi Chicken Lettuce Wraps by Alexa Weibel for NYT Cooking

White beans…

Spicy white bean stew with broccoli rabe by Alison Roman for NYT Cooking

Mediterranean white beans and greens from Grateful Grazer

Big bars of chocolate and bags of mini chocolate chips…

Bars of chocolate for any chocolate chip cookie recipe and Kari’s family’s favorite flourless chocolate cake by Tyler Florence via Food Network

Mini chips to make Zoe Francois’ Breakfast Cookies & homemade granola bars

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