Just like a wine lover who cannot live without a canter, like a steak lover missing his choice steaks, a cook’s most important ingredients are their secret to delicious meals served at family dinner tables, potlucks and cookouts!

If you ask 100 different cooks to come up with their Top 12 ingredients for cooking a multitude of foods you will get 100 different lists. This one is mine.

Some will be very specific and others will be uncommonly vague. However, there is enough here to keep you satisfied if these are the only things you have available.

Let’s get started.

Salt

This item is a preservative and a taste enhancer. Sodium can be found in even the sweetest food. This includes not just traditional table salt, but also garlic salt and maybe even bacon salt (you’d be surprised how much extra flavor that can provide without the added calories).

A Well Stocked Spice Rack

This includes everything from pepper to cinnamon. You will need things like garlic, curry and onion powder, oregano and chili pepper. Spices will add a zesty zing to a variety of dishes that can be otherwise deplorably bland. Consider the other side of this equation and have some herbs on hand as well.

Eggs

They are inexpensive and high in protein. They can provide the means to hold a dish together or stand proudly as a tasty side element (think egg slices in salad, devil’s food eggs or perhaps poached, fried or scrambled).

Olive Oil

The low saturated fat in olive oil makes it the worlds most perfect cooking oil. You can use it as a base for a salad dressing, you can use it as a base for dipping oil for bread and you can cook with it feeling guilt free. Plus it has antioxidants that are great for your health.

Potatoes

I bet you thought potatoes were off limits. Recent studies indicate potatoes are actually very good for you and can provide some great benefits. The trouble often comes in how these low cost veggies are cooked and served. For instance some recipes call for potatoes with butter, sour cream, bacon bits and cheese. I promise the potato is the least offensive part of that recipe. High in fiber (eat the skins – they are both good and good for you) and nutrients these veggies even have the ability to lower blood pressure (if you relax a bit on the salt).

Balsamic Vinegar

Get the good stuff if you can afford it. This aged vinegar provides some of the most amazing tastes including salads and ice cream. People are sprinkling it on to almost every food imaginable (even fruit). There are less expensive varieties of this vinegar, but these are usually not aged and simply flavored to come close to the original. Still tastes good, but not quite the same.

Tortillas

The good news is you can freeze these low cal alternatives to bread (there are pita and flatbread alternatives that may have fewer calories, but they may not keep as well or as long as tortillas). You can thaw these out quickly and can use them to develop tacos, wraps, quesedillas or a quick breakfast burrito.

Skinless, Boneless Chicken

Separate these fresh chicken pieces and freeze. They are easy to defrost in the microwave or overnight in the fridge (give or take a few hours) and can be used on the grill, in the pan or boiled for soups. You can dice them for eat them whole. This is a low fat protein source that can be used in a wide variety of dishes.

Rice and Pasta

Long grain wild, brown or even white rice can be used to add taste and texture to meals from Spanish to Asian cuisine. Cooking times vary, but you can prepare this food item in a matter of minutes as a simple and welcome side dish. Pasta can allow you to develop something altogether unique – even from leftovers. This includes both a primary dish as well as a pasta salad side.

Salad Fixin’s

Yes, I’m lumping this together. Make sure you have the staples tomato, lettuce (Romaine is a favorite), black olives, cucumbers, onions, cabbage, spinach and shredded cheese (you’ll use this with other recipes as well). These may be important because they can be used in a Caesar salad, garden salad or even a chicken taco salad from this essential ingredients list.

Spaghetti and Picante Sauce

Not just for spaghetti. Spaghetti sauce can be useful in a variety of dishes and can even be used in recipes that call for tomato sauce. Picante sauce can be used to add zest to many of the suggested foods in this list.

Ranch Dressing

Seriously! Kids love it and you can use it with the potatoes to make a tasty ranch potato side. You can zest up a taco or quesedilla or use it as a dip for your chicken.