What is that one ingredients without which you can’t cook?
By sweetlady10
@sweetlady10 (3611)
United States
May 11, 2007 10:30am CST
We all have some of our special favorite ingredients to use, while cooking. If some love to use garlic then some love to use onions more. I am not talking about ingredients like oil or salt, those are basic. But I want to discuss about what other ingredients you don’t like to cook without?
Personally I like to use garlic almost in everything. Then I like onion and ginger. I also use cumin powder and coriander powder a lot.
In herbs I like to use fresh coriander.
What about you? What are your favorite ingredients while cooking?
17 people like this
52 responses
@Photos4sale (352)
•
11 May 07
I almost always use one or two of the following: Bay leaf, garlic, onion and chilli. I also like basil. Together, you can make almost anything "with a kick'. I grew up on English food, so not I am trying to create dishes that are more asian. I prefer spicy to bland. I love 'the motherland' but I need more from my food. I think English people have moved on as well. Most popular dish used to be fish and chips, now it is curry. For example, how many people knew that the worlds largest Indian restaurant was in England?
@sweetlady10 (3611)
• United States
11 May 07
Ohh I did not know that the world's largest Indian restaurant was in England. I love Indian food.
I use sometime bay leaf too.
2 people like this
@rhinoboy (2129)
•
11 May 07
I'm not much of a cook, but I've noticed that I use cheese in a lot of dishes.
When I cook cottage (shepherds) pie, I mix cheese into the potato and sprinkle some on top.
When I make hot-pot I also sprinkle grated cheese ontop.
My favourite snack is cheese on toast.
In fact, I amaze myself that I don't have nightmares because I eat so much cheese.
@sweetlady10 (3611)
• United States
11 May 07
Hmmm I am not that much to cheese. I eat very less cheese and also use less in my cooking. I mean I don't go for cheese related cooking very much.
2 people like this
@loved1 (5328)
• United States
11 May 07
I tend to add garlic and onions to many dishes as well. I also use oregano and pepper in most recipes. For stews or roasts I must have bay leaves. It just isn't the same without them. I add dill weed to many dishes in the summertime especially. It just makes everything taste so fresh! Mrs Dash's table blend is something I always have on hand just in case a recipe needs a little zip. It is fun to experiment with spices!
1 person likes this
@sweetlady10 (3611)
• United States
13 May 07
I also use bay leaves, specially while cooking some Indian dishes.
@gobindsing (470)
• India
11 May 07
I cook occasionally and the food always tastes good even if I forget to put in some usual ingredients but I always put a lot of love in it. Try it and see the difference!!
1 person likes this
@Adrenochrome (1653)
•
11 May 07
Being English (and, therefore, the black sheep of European Cuisine), I must speak highly of the potato, and my gratitude to the Americas for its existence. In England, we simply do not eat a meal that does not have potato, in one form or another, without the spud. Our 3 national dishes rely heavily on it - Fish & Chips, Lancashire Hotpot, & the Sunday Roast!
I do love mint, though, especially on peas.
@sweetlady10 (3611)
• United States
11 May 07
I love potato as well. It just goes with almost anything. I control myself a little with eating potato though.
2 people like this
@huggiebear22 (2007)
• Canada
11 May 07
I mostly use Garlic or a combination of mixed spices that i can get from the grocery store like montreal steak spice, Greek seasoning and othe rpremixed flavors.
1 person likes this
@sweetlady10 (3611)
• United States
13 May 07
Some mixed spices are good for some special recipies.
1 person likes this
@sweetlady10 (3611)
• United States
13 May 07
Yes, using onion and garlic give a dish an extra falvour, what is definitely so nice. I love to use this both ingredients too.
@Angelwhispers (8978)
• United States
11 May 07
I cook a lot of fantastic soups, stews and chowders, So my basic ingredient is most often Chicken stock. I keep some frozen homemade in the freezer all of the time. Also I keep cans in the pantry, but the canned stock is not near as good as slow cooked stock you make at home. I keep shrimp shells to make basic seafood stock, you would find it amazing how much flavor is in the shell alone.
1 person likes this
@sweetlady10 (3611)
• United States
12 May 07
Ohh I have never thinked of using the shrimp shells to make seafood stock, it's a good idea. For chicken stock I mostly use canned one.
@irfan_fatboy (192)
• India
12 May 07
well it has to be salt simple and easy answer ;)
1 person likes this
@goldream29 (48)
• India
11 May 07
hi, since i can only cook eggs - i guess for me its eggs that are the most imp ingredient - no offence intended lady - lol at myself - bit i just could not help this. take care
1 person likes this
@sweetlady10 (3611)
• United States
12 May 07
That's ok. There are some people who don't like to cook or some just can't cook.
@happythoughts (4109)
• United States
12 May 07
I definately agree with you one hundred percent. I am a garlic fan. When my husband and I first got married he refused to eat my ccoking. It took a while for us to meet in the middle where he didnt think I was killing it with garlic. Now I use more garlic then ever and he loves it. It just took some shaping up to get him where I wanted him.
@Abbyey (760)
• Philippines
11 May 07
I love cooking with GARLIC thats one thing that is always part of all my recipes. I love BASIL leaves, Oregano and Italian Seasonings. I love Butter for all my fried food. I love onions too but my honey doesnt like it much so when he's with me No onions but with me Lots of onions. I love olive oil in all my pasta recipe. I love fresh tomatoes and herbs. I hope a happy cooking for you.
@sweetlady10 (3611)
• United States
13 May 07
I don't use butter that much. But I like to use some fresh herbs like you. Happy cooking to you too.
@StarofDavid (74)
• United States
11 May 07
I think garlic is great in cooking various meals. It is good for your blood & your heart. It can be used as an antibiotic in both adults & children.
1 person likes this
@sweetlady10 (3611)
• United States
12 May 07
You are right, garlic is very good for our health. I love to use garlic in my cooking.
@TerryZ (22076)
• United States
11 May 07
Hey there sweetlady I use alot of onion powder and parmasean cheese in my cooking. And not the onion salt it has to the powder.LOL Now my husband when hes cooking which is too often he will use alot of garlic. Which is okay but he over does it.hehehe I have to check out using some of coriander powder.I heard its pretty good.
1 person likes this
@yanjiaren (9031)
•
11 May 07
I like to use tomato, coriander that's fresh. I like onion and garlic. Sometimes ginger also. It all depends on what I am cooking as I like to cook dishes from all over the world. So it is very difficult to say what I can't cook without because of the variety of quisine. I use soya sauce and sesame iol for Chinese cooking and olive oil and lemon for Greek. Turmeric, coriander, tandoori and curry powder, ginger and cardamom for Indian cuisine. So you can see lol, I am mad with cooking full stop.
@leikela (16)
• United States
11 May 07
I use garlic way too much sometimes... or so other people think. I love the taste and even the smell while I am cooking with it. My favorite meal to prepare is surf and turf (grilled steak with mushrooms, onions, and shrimp)and grilled squash. Garlic is a part of cooking each ingredient although different amounts are used.
1 person likes this
