Fresh lemon juice / zest. Just wow.

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MSG. When I discovered how versatile and effective it is, it became a part of my daily cooking to the point that I keep it in a little spice drawer right next to the salt and pepper.

Garlic chilly powder. An Indian mate of mine introduced it to me recently, and I reckon anyone who loves spicy food should have this in their pantry. You could use it as a spice in your stir-fries and curries, or sprinkle it on your fries/roasted veggies/pizza/pasta, add it to your favorite sauce or salsa, or just add some to whatever dish your making to give it a spicy garlicy boost. You can find this ingredient in Indian stores, if not, it’s simple enough to make it at home.

Vinaigre. I always loved acidic taste but I’ve never tough that every dish required an acidic component. Now I have some of it in every grain I cook, every casserole I make and with every protein I eat. Lemon, lime or mustard are great but they bring more parfum to the dish while cider vinaigre is closer to neutral. It cheap and shelf-stable.

Tofu! I never got a chance to try it growing up, but when I started reducing my meat I decided to give it a try. It is possibly the most versatile ingredient in my kitchen, and by far the easiest way to get protein.

You can whip up a tofu scramble, throw it in smoothies/shakes, cube it and toss it in soup, fry it and serve with sauce over veggies, bake it with an herb coating to toss with pasta, even bread it to make katsu sandwiches! It takes on the flavor of whatever you cook it with, so it isn’t hard to make the dish taste the same as if it had meat, and it is much more forgiving.

The trick is to get firm or extra firm tofu instead of medium or soft. Some people like super smooth tofu, but I find more people prefer the more solid versions.

An honorable mention also goes to nutritional yeast. It is often that ‘something extra’ missing from dishes that have a cheesy taste to them, and is a great option to add depth to dishes if you are concerned about MSG for some reason. I like to toss some on my popcorn to make it taste like white cheddar, but you can use it in any savory dish. It is also an excellent source of B12, which a majority of people are deficient in.

Better Than Bouillon.

Kosher salt, and by extension salting by hand with a salt cellar instead of using a salt shaker. Salt is some real basic stuff, I’ll definitely admit. But switching from table salt and changing up my salt game was a small detail that really got me into cooking.

I grew up in a house that was entirely table salt and salt shakers, so I didn’t learn about kosher salt until I started to learn more about cooking on my own. Handling kosher salt by the pinch and the hand made it much easier for me to develop an intuitive sense of seasoning food. If anyone is wary about over salting or doesn’t trust their salt shaker not to turn their meal into a salt lick, I highly recommend giving kosher salt and salting things by hand a try.

Adam Ragusea does a better job than I can at the moment of describing kosher salt’s context and advantages. I’ll leave the elaboration to him, but I’d be happy to give my personal perspective on details if asked. Apparently kosher salt is primarily an American thing according to him? I didn’t know that until reviewing the video for my comment.

Schezuan peppercorns. I’ve had the same packet for years because it takes so little to add a very unique, peppery numbness to any Asian dish. Literally grind up a pinch in a mortar and pestle with some msg and put it in any Asian cuisine to elevate all the other flavors dramatically

Lately, honey fermented garlic. It was a giant leap forward for my stir fry and sauce game. Starting to branch out into more honey-based ferments.

It’s basically the same for me! I’d say anchovies/fish sauce in general. My first introduction was through Thai fish sauce, which I grew up with and learned how to use in Thai cooking. Then, I started cooking with anchovies in oil and Worcestershire sauce in what I viewed as their respective cuisines. At some point I understood the similar role these ingredients played in providing the umami element needed to complete a dish, and that made me feel more confident using them in a wider variety of foods and “across” cuisines as needed. Used in the appropriate amount, they won’t overpower a dish or turn it fishy; a little bit provides so much flavor!

Chicken broth. I started buying the cheap bone in chicken at the grocery store. Toss the leftover bones/fat/tendons into a crock pot and toss in the vegetable bits you would have thrown away otherwise. Cook it on slow cook while you’re asleep and strain it in the morning. Now you have liquid flavour to add to rice, sauces, soups, etc., and it’s full of vitamins, too

Ghost pepper flakes, finally I can make things properly spicy without using a ton of really expensive hot sauce.