You Must Keep These Ingredients in Your Pantry to Make Any Italian Meal

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Cooking Italian food doesn’t necessarily mean you need an exact recipe, it just needs to taste good and be made with love. However, there are a few products that are completely necessary to keep on hand at all times if you really want to make genuine Italian food. Use this guide as a tool to make sure you are ready for any Italian food emergency.

Canned Tomatoes

Tomatoes are used as the base to so many dishes in Italian cooking. Although using fresh is always best, cooking with canned tomatoes is usually just as good. However, the kind you buy is very important. The best to get are whole peeled tomatoes, which have more flavor because the tomato is kept intact.

Olive Oil And Balsamic Vinegar

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Not only do these two liquids come together to make a fabulous salad dressing, they are also crucial to the cooking and marinading process in the Italian kitchen. Olive oil is probably the number one ingredient used in cooking any type of meal, and balsamic oil is the key to most marinades.

Spices

There is no Italian food without the signature spices. Ground sage, rosemary, thyme, oregano, basil, and red chili flakes are the absolute basics that you must have in your pantry at all times.