Your Favourite Ingredient

[Jade Emperor]

Wow! This will be a tough challenge, so I am going to set a few rules.

1) salt, pepper, oil, is out
2) no ingredients that are almost impossible to source - ie: sashimi grade fish.
3) The ingredients you choose must reflect the dishes you actually make. I could easily make lobster for days, but I simply can’t afford.

GO!!!

 

[Andy M.]

Kind of difficult to answer. Is it the ingredient I use most often? If I cook in different cuisines, would I use this favorite ingredient in all those cuisines? Does it go with fish, beef, chicken, lamb, leafy green vegetables, beans?

 

[Silversage]

My favorite ingredients are mostly seafood. Shrimp, lobster, scallops, etc. I can use them in many cuisine styles - seafood is universal.

Add fresh truffle to the list.

Yes, I cook these frequently. Cook one of these, add a beautiful salad, and you have a great meal. Seafood and salad is my standard about twice a week.

 

[pepperhead212]

Hot peppers would obviously seem to be my favorite, as there would be almost no day that goes by that I don't eat something that I've made with at least one type of hot pepper. Come summertime, tomatoes are my absolute favorite, and I often eat those several times a day! Those I don't use for long cooked dishes - just raw or quick cooked for those.

 

[taxlady]

I'll keep my list short. While I don't eat hot peppers every day, I do like them. When I did a nightshade elimination, the first nightshade I wanted to test was hot peppers. I was very relieved that those didn't cause a reaction. Onions - they go in so many different dishes, that would just be missing something important if they weren't there. Tamari, it can perk up all sorts of savoury foods with good flavour, a bit of saltiness, and kick of umami.

 

[pictonguy]

They're all my children, but onion gives most a reason for life.

 

[Aunt Bea]

Another vote for onions.

When money is short and times are hard the smell of an onion frying is a comforting promise of good things to come.

 

[pictonguy]

Also, the one I use the most, salt. whoops, just saw salt was out, so ignore this post.

 

[Jade Emperor]

I’m torn between rice and pasta

 

[pictonguy]

I'm low carb and eggs seem to be my go to as far as frequency is concerned.

 

[Aunt Bea]

I’m torn between rice and pasta

I would choose rice.

A bowl of white rice with milk or butter, cinnamon, and brown sugar was always a favorite day before payday breakfast.

 

[dragnlaw]

Eggs
Bread

 

[LPBeier]

I don't think this will come as a surprise to many of you - mushrooms!

 

[pictonguy]

I don't think this will come as a surprise to many of you - mushrooms!

Love mushrooms, one of my favorites. I do a mushrooms on toast that has labneh spread on the toast with sauteed mushrooms and a deep fried poached egg and grated parmigiana reggiano.

 

[Kathleen]

Onion. I've said it before, but my grandmother said, "If you have an onion, you have dinner."

Failing onions, eggs. After that, flour.

 

[Badjak]

I got to choose a couple of them
Wouldn't want to be without garlic, chili's, onions, rice and eggs. And bacon
First 3 mostly every day, next 2 a couple of times a week.
Bacon: as often as I allow myself

 

[larry_stewart]

Id have to go with garlic and/ or onions.
There's not a day that goes bye where I dont have full stock of either in the house. I've found no matter how many onions I buy ( 3,5,10, 20 pound bag), I seem to find a way to use them up

A close second would be tomato ( anything tomato , fresh, sauce, paste, puree...)

Although Im low carb, bread, pasta and rice products can't be over looked, but I have slowly moved away from these. But if you asked me a few years ago, these would have been on top of the list.

 

[Aunt Bea]

I know it sounds corny but imagination and knowledge are probably the most important ingredients for pulling a meal out of thin air.

“When we know better, we do better.”
- Maya Angelou