Discover more than 30 go-to ingredients guaranteed to make meal prep a snap.

Most of the ingredients needed for healthy cooking are probably on your shelves right now, like fresh fruits and vegetables, rice, pasta, lean meats, and poultry. Some other foods that are called for may be unfamiliar but are worth stocking because they make food tastier and more healthful. The list below introduces these new ingredients and tells you how to use them. All are available at most large supermarkets.

Apricots, when dried, add flavor to sweet or savory dishes. They are rich in fiber, beta carotene, iron, niacin, and minerals.

Balsamic vinegar is aged until it becomes dark and mellow, with a sweet-sour flavor. It is so intense in flavor that you need very little oil for salad dressings.

Barley adds interesting flavor and texture to soups and stews, as well as soluble fiber.

Basmati rice is a long-grained rice with a nutty flavor and fragrance.

Brown rice is the whole grain, with only the outer tough husk removed, and so takes longer to cook than white rice. It is rich in B vitamins, as well as calcium and iron.

Buttermilk is smooth and quite thick, with a sour, tangy taste. It is low in fat and used as a substitute for cream in baked goods, pancakes, and soups.

Canola oil contains more monounsaturated fat than any other oil except olive. It is best for stir-frying because the flavor is bland and it can withstand high heat.

Coarse-grained mustard has a grainy texture and a medium-hot fruity taste. Good with bacon and salads.

Cornmeal is made from dried corn kernel and is used for corn bread, corn cakes, and corn sticks.

Cornstarch is made from the endosperm of the corn kernel. It is used to thicken sauces and stews in place of flour and fat.

Couscous is a granular semolina that is soaked until soft. It is served like rice.

Dijon mustard is medium hot, with a clean, sharp taste and a pale color. Use for meats, dressings, and sauces.

Dried mushrooms add an intense flavor to stews and soups but must be soaked before use. The best variety is cepes, known in Italy as porcini. The rich flavor means you need only about 1 ounce for a dish for four.

Filo (or phyllo) dough comes in fresh or frozen paper-thin layers and is similar to strudel pastry.

Nuts come in varied forms and are a nutritious cooking ingredient: Almonds are high in calcium, minerals, and dietary fiber. Cashews are a good source of iron and folic acid. Hazelnuts are rich in minerals and folic acid. Pecans are high in fat and low in protein compared to other nuts and so should be eaten sparingly. Walnuts are a fairly good source of iron and vitamin B6.

Olive oil is low in saturated fats and high in monounsaturated fat. It's ideal for salad dressings and marinades and can be used for low- to medium-heat cooking.

Parmesan cheese is a robust-flavored Italian cheese ideal for those cutting down on fat because it is made with skim or part-skim milk. It is often used grated, so not much is needed. Use in pasta dishes and salads.

Prunes are dried plums. They are high in fiber, half of which is cholesterol-lowering soluble fiber. They are also rich in beta carotene, B vitamins, and minerals.

Pumpkin seeds are dark green seeds also known as pepitas. They are a good source of iron and fairly low in fat.

Rolled oats or "old-fashioned" oats, are steamed or flattened oats. They are high in soluble and insoluble fiber and are rich in vitamins and minerals.

Sun-dried tomatoes are intensely flavored and can be added to sauces, salads, or soups. Available dried or in oil.

Sunflower seeds are rich in iron and low in saturated fat. They are good for snacks or in salads, cooked recipes, and breads.

Tacos are corn tortillas that are fried until crisp, then filled with spicy meat and topped with shredded lettuce, chopped tomatoes, salsa, sour cream, and cheese.

Tomato paste is made of concentrated tomatoes, and only a small amount is needed to give a rich tomato flavor. It's conveniently packaged in cans or tubes. If you use it occasionally, it helps to buy it in tubes so that you can use a tablespoon at a time with no waste.

Tortillas are made from finely ground corn or flour. Corn tortillas have a coarser texture than those made from wheat flour. Both are used for Mexican dishes and, when eaten with beans, form a complete protein.

Vegetable oil cooking spray can be used in place of oil or other fat for baking, frying, or browning. It prevents food from sticking and works best when used with a nonstick pan.

Wheat germ is the heart of the wheat kernel and is a source of vitamin E, thiamine, riboflavin, iron, and fiber. It's good added to breads, casseroles, and baked goods.

Whole-wheat flour contains the bran and the germ and so is high in fiber. It is also rich in B vitamins and E.

Wild rice is actually a grass that is often cooked with brown rice to add a nutty taste and more texture.

Yogurt is a tart, thickened milk product. It can be used in place of sour cream, but do not boil it, because it tends to separate. Look for low-fat varieties. Yogurt is rich in calcium, protein, and vitamin B12.

烹飪前需要了解的30多種配料

健康烹飪所需要的大部分配料可能就在你的架子上，比如新鮮水果和蔬菜、大米、面、瘦肉和家禽肉。所需的其它食品可能不太熟悉，但值得貯備，因為它們能讓食物更美味，更健康。以下清單介紹了新配料，并告訴你如何使用。大部分可以在超市里買到。

杏，干杏，可以添加到甜品或開胃菜里面，它富含纖維、β-胡蘿卜素，鐵，尼克酸和礦物質。

香醋，陳化直到熟透、顏色變深，味道酸甜，由于味道濃郁，只需要一點點即可。

大麥，同可溶纖維一樣，可以使湯和燉菜更美味，更有質感。

印度香米，是一種長粒狀大米，具有濃郁的香味。

糙米，是只剝掉外殼的整個谷粒，烹飪時需要比白米更長的時間。它富含維生素B、鈣和鐵。

酸奶，光滑而粘稠，帶有濃濃的酸味。酸奶脂肪含量很低，在烘烤食物、薄餅和湯中可以代替奶油。

菜籽油，其單不飽和脂肪含量比其他油類要高，除了橄欖油。因為菜籽油香味柔和且耐高溫，所以更適合爆炒。

粗芥末，具有多粒口感和果味，適合咸豬肉和涼拌菜。

玉米粉，由曬干的玉米粒磨制而成，可以用來做玉米面包、玉米蛋糕和玉米條。

玉米淀粉，由玉米粒的胚乳制成，在調味汁和燉菜中代替面粉和油脂。

粗麥粉，是一種顆粒狀小麥粉，使用時需要浸泡直至變軟。可以代替大米。

大藏芥末，稍有刺激，顏色灰白，味道純凈辛辣。在肉、陷和醬汁中使用。

干蘑菇，在食用前需浸泡，可以為湯和燉菜增添濃郁香味。最好的蘑菇是老人頭，是牛肝菌的一種，在意大利很出名。濃郁的香味意味著一碟食物中僅僅需要一點。

酥皮，是一個新鮮的或冷凍的薄層，與點心很相似。

干果，有很多種，是很有營養的烹飪配料。杏仁富含鈣、礦物質和膳食纖維。腰果是鐵和葉酸的重要來源。榛實富含礦物質和葉酸。與其他干果相比，核桃為高脂肪低蛋白質，所以應少量食用。胡桃是鐵和維生素B6的重要來源。

橄欖油，飽和脂肪含量很低，單不飽和脂肪含量較高。很適合涼拌菜、調料汁和腌泡汁，適用于低中溫烹飪。

巴馬干酪，意大利干酪有著豐富的滋味，由脫脂乳或半脫脂乳制成，能夠減少脂肪。食用時需要磨碎，所以不需要很多。在面食和涼拌菜里使用。

西梅干是一種干李子，富含纖維，一半為可以降低膽固醇的可溶纖維。同時也富含β胡蘿卜素、維生素B和礦物質。

南瓜子，也稱為南瓜子仁，是深綠色的種子。是鐵的重要來源，含有較低的脂肪。

燕麥片，或老式燕麥，是蒸煮或壓平的燕麥，富含可溶和不可溶纖維，同時也含有豐富的維生素和礦物質。

曬干的西紅柿，含有濃郁的香味，可以添加到調味汁、涼拌菜或湯中。

葵花籽，富含鐵，飽和脂肪含量低。是點心、涼拌菜、蒸煮食品和面包的配料。

粟米袋餅，是一種玉米粉餅，油炸至變脆，在里面填入肉餡，澆上生菜葉、西紅柿、沙拉、酸奶油和干酪。

番茄醬，由番茄濃縮而成，只需要一點就有很濃的西紅柿味。很容易儲存在罐頭或軟管里。如果你偶爾使用番茄醬，就可以直接用大湯匙從軟管里提取，避免污染。

玉米餅，由玉米或面粉制成，玉米制造的餅比面粉制造的更有粗糙質感。二者都是墨西哥飲食，與豆類一起食用，可以得到完全的蛋白質。

植物油烹飪噴霧可以代替烘烤、油炸中的油和其他脂肪防止食物變粘，當使用不粘鍋時，效果更佳。

麥芽是麥粒的中心部分，是維生素E、維生素B1、核黃素、鐵和纖維的重要來源。可以添加到面包、炒鍋菜和燒烤食物中。

粗面粉包括麥糠和麥芽，纖維含量很高，同時含有豐富的維生素B和E。

野生稻實際上是一種經常和糙米一起烹飪的禾草科植物，以增加堅硬的口感。

酸奶酪，是一種帶酸味的、粘稠的奶制品，可以代替酸奶油使用，但是不能煮沸，因為會分解。酸奶酪是一種低脂肪食品，富含鈣、蛋白質和維生素B12。