Sauces
The sauce pantry
Updated
The counts show how many of the 50 sauces use each staple, so you can see what is worth buying in bulk. Garlic, oil and onions come up most; tamarind and fish sauce only a few times, so buy those small.
| Item | Used in (of 50) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Garlic | 39 | Buy whole bulbs, or make the Garlic-Ginger Paste |
| Oils | 30 | Rapeseed, olive and a little sesame |
| Dried spices | 28 | Cumin, coriander, paprika, chilli and turmeric are the most used |
| Onions | 25 | A big bag; most sauces start here |
| Sugars and honey | 25 | Light and dark brown sugar, honey |
| Fresh ginger | 17 | Keeps for weeks in the fridge; grate from frozen |
| Vinegars | 14 | Cider, red wine, rice and balsamic cover everything |
| Soy sauce or tamari | 12 | Tamari if you need gluten-free |
| Plain flour and cornflour | 11 | For roux-thickened and glossy sauces |
| Tinned tomatoes and passata | 10 | Own-brand, about 45p a tin |
| Stock cubes | 8 | Chicken, beef and veg |
| Tomato purée | 7 | A tube keeps in the fridge |
| Tamarind paste | 3 | For Thai and Indian sauces; keeps for months |
| Fish sauce | 2 | Swap for soy to make sauces vegetarian |
Cooking the freezer blocks as well? The pantry covers the cupboard behind the recipes, including the IBS-friendly ones, and Sauce day makes five sauces in one session.