Our top tips for having a well-stocked kitchen:
Regularly check your most commonly used ingredients such as spices, spreads, sauces and oils, and top them up when needed. Don’t forget about cleaning products too – e.g. paper towels, dish-washing liquid and dishwasher powder – you don’t know what you got ’til it’s gone.
Having a variety of canned legumes, vegetables and fish makes cooking a breeze. Chickpeas, lentils, beans, tomatoes, salmon and tuna will all keep for weeks, so it’s a great way to ensure you always have nutritious ingredients on hand.
As well as cans, have a shelf filled with plenty of dry goods such as rice, pasta, lentils and beans – these will help you make your meals go further.
Vegetables such as pumpkin, kūmara, potatoes, onions and garlic are handy to keep on hand, as they keep for months when stored correctly.
If you have room, regularly stock your freezer with meat, bread, fruit and vegetables. Dairy products like milk and butter also freeze well, or you could go a step further by cooking or baking in bulk and freezing some for later.
Eggs are another great long-life source of nutrition – they should keep for 3-5 weeks and are handy to have for cooking and baking.
Make use of your windowsill for growing herbs or sprouting beans so you are always able to add plenty of flavour to your dishes.
Pumpkin and cashew curry
Funky pumpkin soup
Dhal with chutney yoghurt
Egyptian-style beans
Pumpkin, orange and quinoa salad
Spaghetti lentil bolognese
Chickpea shakshuka
Curried kumara and lentil soup
Fried rice with egg roll
Vegetable kedgeree
Potato and egg rendang
Salmon and broccoli pasta bake
Roast pumpkin risotto
Lentil and tomato bake
