An ingredient-only kitchen: a fad or a smart choice?

Endless possibilities

I only discovered the term 'ingredient-only kitchen' after I was already knee-deep into cooking from scratch for my family. One evening, I came across a TikTok where a lady was raving about it, calling it the next best thing since sliced bread. And I realized that what I had been doing out of necessity, some were now doing as a trend. 

Of course, her version, and many others on the same algorithm, had strict rules, flair, and extra layers of perfection. All I knew was that cooking from scratch helped me provide meals that filled my family, saved money on groceries every month, and, over time, significantly improved our health. I also wanted to move away from the expectation I had created for myself - that I needed to serve these elaborate dishes with every vegetable imaginable, "eating the robot" , just so my family could eat healthy. 

I never felt the need to demonize food of any sort, or how someone chooses to feed their family, that suits them best. My way of doing this isn't perfect, but it's what works for us, and that is what counts. Do what works for you, how it works for you.

So what is an ingredients - only kitchen?

Firstly, it's not about eliminating all pre-packaged foods or following strict rules about cooking from scratch. 

It's about keeping your kitchen stocked with core ingredients that can be used to create multiple meals and snacks. 

Think about the basics you probably already have in your kitchen. Take potatoes, for example - absolute champions of the produce section! They can be anything from a side dish, to a main meal, to the main meal! They pair well with any protein. However, instead of having garlic butter potatoes in the fridge, wedges, French fries, and mash in the freezer, you have one pocket of potatoes that can be absolutely anything! 

Back to Basics

Even though the ingredients-only kitchen concept has grown and branched into many directions, I want to bring it back to the basics here. 

You don't need a fancy pantry or expensive kitchen gadgets to do this. Whatever your reason - saving money, reducing waste, decreasing preservatives - you can start small and build a system that works for you and your family. 

Over the next few days, I will share my methods for starting, managing, and maintaining your own ingredients-only kitchen, including helpful tools and guides to get you going!