Condiments 101

Welcome to your little guide on what to stock your kitchen so cooking at home is more fun and less overwhelming. We’ve been there - thinking about “What to cook?” when it feels like its the same ol’ options at the supermarket after a long day of work. I mean we all have those days, but with this repertoire of condiments & suggestions, hopefully cooking at home will be more interesting!

Not all condiments are made the same, we’ve tried several and these are our best recommendations & tips:

Asian cooking

• Light soy sauce

  • low sodium, 0 preservatives & additives option (child-friendly)

  • first draw soy sauce (gives a deeper flavour, but contains additives)

• Dark soy sauce

• Oyster sauce (no good options in our supermarket without colourings or fake/low oyster extracts)

  • this option is expensive, but the real deal

• Sesame oil

• Chinese cooking wine

• White pepper - no particular brand, just get any at the supermarket!

Western cooking

• Extra virgin olive oil

  • Single origin is important

  • another option (also single origin, but we haven’t tried)

• Black pepper - Getting whole peppercorns with a grinder is best

  • online option

  • more affordable to get at Foodie Market Place

• Garlic/onion powder/dried herbs/spices - we like choosing organic if possible and make sure the brand doesn’t add in anything extra except for the ingredient we’re buying

• Vinegar

  • White wine vinegar (more versatile, use in salads or to add an acidic flavour to your sauces)

  • Balsamic vinegar (don’t really have a recommendation for this, we’re not knowledgeable about it haha)