If you've ever made a meal with high-quality ingredients or fresh food picked straight from a garden, then you certainly understand the difference that quality ingredients have on the taste of a recipe. A good recipe (and a good chef) can do magical things with food. The right recipe can take a plateful of ingredients and combine them to create a dish that will satisfy nearly everyone's taste buds. However, ultimately, a meal is only as good as the ingredients used.
Quality and fresh ingredients significantly impact the taste of your food. Fresh, natural food often has a much more vibrant flavor and agreeable texture. This abundance of flavor usually means that you can use the "less is more" approach when adding ingredients. Fresh herbs, fruits and veggies can easily take a recipe from a tasty meal to a restaurant-quality dish.
Use spices to create savory dishes like this Curried Lentil Sweet Potato Stew or sweet desserts like these Apple Spice Muffins. The possibilities are endless!
A few of our favorite spices include:
You don't have to build up all your inventory at once. In fact, we suggest purchasing a few kitchen staples at a time first to determine if they are ingredients you use often. To help, here are a few kitchen and pantry essentials to keep your home stocked with:
