Ingredient guides

The 60 ingredients our recipes use most: what each one is, how to pick and store it, what to use instead, cups to grams, and the recipes that use it.

Fruit and vegetables

• Bell peppers28 recipesSweet peppers with no heat.
• Carrots30 recipesA sweet root vegetable, good raw, roasted, or with onion and celery as the base of soups and stews.
• Celery22 recipesCrisp stalks with a mild, savory flavor; with onion and carrot it's the base of many soups, stews and stuffings.
• Garlic149 recipesA head (bulb) of cloves in papery skin.
• Ginger33 recipesFresh ginger is a knobby root with a hot, bright bite, for stir-fries, curries and marinades; ground ginger is dried and warmer, for baking.
• Green onions30 recipesAlso called scallions.
• Lemons74 recipesJuice and zest add brightness.
• Limes30 recipesTart and fragrant; the juice and zest are central to Mexican, Thai and Vietnamese cooking.
• Onions104 recipesYellow onions are the all-purpose cooking onion and turn sweet as they brown; red onions are milder and colorful raw; white onions are sharp and crisp.
• Potatoes23 recipesStarchy russets bake and mash light and fluffy; waxy red and Yukon Gold potatoes hold their shape in soups, salads and roasting pans.
• Tomatoes15 recipesFresh tomatoes are at their best in summer.

Herbs

• Bay leaves26 recipesDried leaves of the bay laurel tree, simmered in soups, stews, beans and sauces for a quiet herbal note.
• Chives16 recipesThin, hollow green stems with a gentle onion flavor; add them raw at the end, on eggs, potatoes and soups.
• Cilantro28 recipesThe leaves and tender stems of the coriander plant: bright and citrusy, for salsa, tacos, curries and noodle dishes.
• Oregano30 recipesA Mediterranean herb.
• Parsley59 recipesFlat-leaf (Italian) parsley has more flavor for cooking; curly parsley is milder.
• Rosemary15 recipesA woody herb with needle-like leaves: piney and strong, made for roasts, potatoes, beans and bread.
• Thyme49 recipesA small-leaved herb, used fresh in sprigs or dried, for roasts, soups, stews and beans.

Eggs and dairy

• Butter136 recipesChurned cream, about 80% fat.
• Cheddar24 recipesA firm cow's-milk cheese that ranges from mild to extra sharp as it ages.
• Eggs101 recipesOur recipes mean large eggs, about 50 g each out of the shell, unless they say otherwise.
• Heavy cream20 recipesCream with at least 36% milkfat.
• Milk61 recipesOur recipes mean whole milk unless they say otherwise.
• Parmesan27 recipesParmigiano Reggiano is the aged Italian original; domestic parmesan is milder.
• Sour cream23 recipesCream thickened and soured with cultures: tangy and rich.

Meat and poultry

• Chicken breasts15 recipesLean white meat that cooks fast and dries out if overcooked.
• Chicken thighs21 recipesDark meat: juicier and more forgiving than breasts, so they stay tender through long braises, grilling and roasting.
• Ground beef15 recipesSold by its lean-to-fat ratio: 80/20 is juicy for burgers and meatballs; 90/10 is leaner for sauces, tacos and fillings, with less fat to drain.

Baking

• All-purpose flour91 recipesWheat flour with a middling amount of protein: for cookies, cakes, quick breads, pie crust and thickening gravy.
• Baking powder32 recipesBaking soda with its own acid mixed in, so it lifts a batter without an acid ingredient.
• Baking soda32 recipesSodium bicarbonate.
• Brown sugar52 recipesWhite sugar with molasses in it.
• Cornstarch23 recipesA fine starch from corn that thickens sauces, gravies, stir-fries and pie fillings, and keeps a glossy finish.
• Granulated sugar89 recipesWhite sugar sweetens, browns and, in baking, keeps cakes tender and makes cookies spread and crisp.
• Honey24 recipesSweeter than sugar, with a flavor that depends on the flowers the bees visited.
• Powdered sugar14 recipesSugar ground very fine with a little cornstarch, for frostings, glazes and dusting.
• Vanilla extract62 recipesVanilla beans steeped in alcohol.

Oils, broth, rice and pantry

• Beef broth15 recipesThe liquid from simmering beef and bones: deeper and darker than chicken broth, for stews, French onion soup and gravy.
• Chicken broth34 recipesThe liquid from simmering chicken (and often vegetables).
• Olive oil100 recipesOil pressed from olives.
• Panko15 recipesJapanese-style breadcrumbs: big, airy flakes that stay crunchier than fine dry breadcrumbs, for breading and toppings.
• Rice34 recipesLong-grain white rice cooks up fluffy and separate; medium and short grains are stickier; brown rice keeps its bran, so it's chewier and takes longer.
• Tomato paste27 recipesTomatoes cooked down to a thick concentrate.
• Vegetable broth14 recipesVegetables simmered in water: the broth for vegetarian soups, risotto and grains.
• Vegetable oil73 recipesA neutral oil (often soybean or a blend) with little flavor, for baking, frying and searing at high heat.

Sauces and condiments

• Apple cider vinegar14 recipesVinegar made from fermented apple cider: fruity and mellow, for dressings, slaws, marinades, barbecue sauce and quick pickles.
• Dijon mustard30 recipesA smooth, sharp French-style mustard made with white wine or vinegar.
• Mayonnaise17 recipesAn emulsion of oil, egg yolk and vinegar or lemon juice: the base of creamy dressings, slaws and sandwich spreads.
• Soy sauce25 recipesA brewed sauce of soybeans and wheat: salty and savory.
• Worcestershire sauce18 recipesA fermented sauce of vinegar, molasses, tamarind, anchovies and spices; a few dashes add savory depth to burgers, stews and dressings.

Salt and spices

• Black pepper150 recipesThe dried berries of a tropical vine, sold whole as peppercorns or ground.
• Cayenne20 recipesGround hot red chiles: plenty of heat with little other flavor.
• Chili powder19 recipesIn US recipes, a blend: ground mild chiles with cumin, oregano and garlic.
• Cinnamon33 recipesThe dried bark of a tropical tree, sold ground or as sticks: sweet and warm, for baking, oatmeal and some savory stews.
• Cumin44 recipesThe ground seeds of a plant in the parsley family: earthy and warm, central to chili, tacos and many curries.
• Garlic powder48 recipesDried, ground garlic: milder and sweeter than fresh, and it spreads evenly through rubs, dressings and breading.
• Nutmeg20 recipesThe seed of a tropical tree: warm and sweet.
• Paprika51 recipesGround dried red peppers.
• Red pepper flakes27 recipesCrushed dried chiles with their seeds: heat without much else, for pasta, pizza, stir-fries and sauces.
• Salt295 recipesTable salt is fine and often iodized; kosher salt has bigger, lighter crystals, so a spoonful holds less; flaky sea salt is for sprinkling on at the end.

Storage times and safe temperatures come from FoodSafety.gov and USDA, named on each guide; for foods not listed, see USDA's FoodKeeper app. Out of something? See all substitutions. Measuring by weight? See cups to grams.