My fridge is empty, what should I buy?

A bag of expired parmesan, a bottle of Tabasco from the year 2000 and half a lemon on the verge of mold; If this description sounds like two drops of water to the current state of your refrigerator, it's high time to make a trip to the supermarket.

An abandoned refrigerator is a bit like a closet without clothes. To dress every day, the latter must contain basic and essential pieces, which will support any look. In the kitchen, it's the same! How can you start cooking if you have to go shopping every time you have a recipe idea in mind?

To get started in the kitchen, but also to reduce expenses and trips to the supermarket, it is essential to keep in stock a selection of basic and chameleon foods, which allow you to create a multitude of recipes, to slip into your refrigerator or to store in your cupboards.

Also read: SOS: I never cook

Essential foods

With their many cooking methods and variations, eggs arrive at the top of the ranking. They are indeed the magic food to absolutely have in your fridge but especially your cupboard since ironically, eggs do not need to be kept cool and can be kept at room temperature. Eggs can be cooked in many ways: for example, they are used in the preparation of cakes, slipped into the heart of sandwiches, used as the base of carbonara sauce garnished with grated parmesan and bacon, or can be eaten alone.

THE pasta already ready, available in supermarkets, such as pizza dough, broken, puff, filo or brick sheets, allow an infinite number of 100% customizable recipes. Preparations that always impress, yet very easy to make. By keeping these ready-made pastas on hand, seasonal fruit and vegetable tarts, homemade pizza or personalized samosas will no longer hold any secrets for you. If you have a little more time, there's nothing stopping you from making your famous magic pasta yourself, using flour and yeast, ingredients that we include on our list of essentials. In addition to pasta of all kinds, flour allows you to obtain crispy, very tender fried chicken. It is also largely to this ingredient that we owe the iconic pancake batter, as well as most recipes for cakes, cakes and brioches.

Side dairy products, yogurt offers many possibilities in cooking. In both sweet and savory versions, it can be enjoyed as a dessert, or as a dip, alongside fresh appetizers. Yogurt also makes an excellent marinade to soften pieces of chicken before cooking. Obviously, a fridge is never full without a good dose of cheese. An ingredient that everyone loves, which can be enjoyed in a thousand and one ways. Savory tarts, pasta with sauce, appetizers, or even cheesecake, cheeses wreak havoc from starter to desert. This is why there is no doubt: you always have to have something on hand!

To stock up on vitamins and nutrients, opt for a selection of seasonal fruits and vegetables which allow a multitude of associations. During this summer period, cucumbers are abundant in all kinds of salads, appetizers, or homemade poke bowls, and bring freshness to each of our bites. Melon, for its part, delights us from starter to dessert, with its sweet taste and attractive look. Tomatoes, of course, remain an essential part of summer tables, with endless variations: sauce, gazpacho, salad, stuffed tomatoes…

Supplements for seasoning

Once we have our basics, like accessories in the fashion world, it is the seasonings that make all the difference in the culinary world. Spices, aromatic herbs, sauces and condiments, they enhance and transform each recipe into a preparation worthy of the greatest chefs. Garlic, onions, shallots, all are very popular in cooking and can be used to enhance almost all savory recipes that exist. As for spices, in addition to the classic salt and pepper, many others quickly prove necessary. It can be useful to try and taste to establish which ones will be essential for you (if this is still a little unclear), or for example, to observe the type of cuisine that appeals to you the most. For example, Indian cuisine offers many recipes based on curry or cardamom. Moroccan cuisine, for its part, puts cumin in the spotlight. In Mexico, peppers of all kinds and even paprika take precedence.

Easy to store, sauces and products in jars are always useful and save time. Ketchup, mustard, mayonnaise, tahini, wasabi, all add flavor to dishes.

Finally, nothing is more essential in the kitchen than a block of butter and a bottle ofolive oil. Two foods used as fat for pan cooking, but which also enhance the taste of many savory dishes. Butter is necessary for making pie dough, or béchamel sauce which can be used in gratins, lasagnas and croque-monsieur.

Well-stocked cupboards

A stock of starchy foods is always welcome and allows the preparation of satisfying dishes without any hassle. Pasta, rice, potatoes or cereals, these foods have proven themselves and fully deserve their place in your cupboards whatever the season.

When we go shopping, we don't forget to keep in mind the cans of canned tuna, the chickpeas which allow us to make quick hummus, and the different legumes, which can save the day.

On the pastry side, these are flour, sugar, pastry chocolate, or even almond powder, which you will have to slip into your basket to ward off any gourmet desire.

Pleasure above all

As with everything in life, the most important thing is obviously to have fun. Otherwise what’s the point? So don't hesitate to buy this specific food whose slightest bite warms your heart, and to incorporate it whenever you want at the heart of your preparations. Enjoy your food !