Canned Greats

Although cooking from scratch is always ideal, hurried home cooks need a little help once in a while. Stock your pantry with these staples.

- Idge Mendiola

[1] You should always have a can of soup at the ready, and cream of mushroom is your best bet. In this can is a condensed version of everyone’s favorite soup, meaning it’s been reduced to a thicker product. Use it to make pasta sauce, gravy, or a tasty dip in a jiffy.

[2] If you can’t run to the market to get fresh coconut milk, canned coconut milk will work fine. It’s made of just coconut, water, and a stabilizer, which means you get the same essence as fresh coconut milk. It also thickens just as well, so you can use it for curries and drinks.