We have all stood in front of an almost empty fridge at 6pm, convinced there is nothing to eat. Usually there is. It just depends on what is lurking in the cupboard.
We ranked ten humble staples on three things: how many different meals they make, how long they keep, and how much they cost for what you get. Some of these will be familiar. The number one pick is the one that quietly rescues more dinners than any other, and it might not be the one you expect.
10. Stock cubes
Stock cubes do not make a meal on their own, but they can make a plain one taste like effort. They are small, cheap and last a long time, so they earn their place even in a bare cupboard.
Dissolve one in the water you cook rice in for a more savoury pilaf. Use one as the base of a simple soup with beans and any leftover veg. Or stir one into the pan with tomatoes and onions for a deeper sauce.
Stock cubes can be salty, so taste before you add any extra salt.
Pro tip: Crumble a cube into the pan with onions as they soften, so the flavour spreads through the dish.
9. Tinned tuna
A tin of tuna is a ready-to-eat protein that sits happily at the back of a cupboard until you need it. It adds substance to meals that might feel a bit light, and it needs no cooking at all.
Flake it through pasta with garlic, lemon and oil. Mix it with mashed potato, herbs and a little flour or egg, then pan-fry into simple fishcakes. Or stir it through warm rice with some sweetcorn or spring onion.
It is less versatile than the staples above, but it is always handy to have.
Pro tip: Tinned sardines or mackerel work in most of the same recipes if you prefer them.
8. Plain flour
Flour is easy to overlook, but it can make a meal from almost nothing. Mixed with water, or with eggs and milk, it becomes bread, batter or dumplings. A bag lasts a long time if kept dry and sealed.
Stir flour with water, a pinch of salt and a little oil, then fry thin rounds in a pan for quick flatbreads to scoop up curry or beans. Whisk it with an egg and milk for pancakes, savoury or sweet. Or drop small dumplings into a simmering stew.
It helps you bulk out a meal rather than being one, so it sits mid-table.
Pro tip: Keep flour in an airtight container to protect it from damp and pests.
7. Potatoes
Potatoes are cheap, filling and keep well for a good while when stored somewhere cool, dark and dry. They turn almost any odds and ends into a satisfying plate of food.
Bake one and top it with beans, cheese or tuna. Slice and fry potatoes with onion, then fold in eggs for a rough-and-ready Spanish-style omelette. Or boil and mash them, then stir in whatever you have for a quick soup or fishcake mix.
Check for green patches or sprouting, and cut away or bin anything that looks past it.
Pro tip: Leave them unwashed until you need them, as dry potatoes tend to store better.
6. Onions
Onions are the quiet workhorse of the kitchen. A cheap bag lasts weeks in a cool, dry, airy spot, and almost every savoury recipe is better for one. They bring flavour to meals that would otherwise be bland.
Cook them slowly until soft and golden, then stir through pasta with a little oil and black pepper. Simmer them with stock for a simple soup. Or fry them until crisp and scatter over rice, eggs or beans.
They are not a meal on their own, which keeps them out of the top five.
Pro tip: Keep onions away from damp and out of sealed plastic bags, which can make them go soft sooner.
5. Eggs
Eggs are fast, cheap and filling, and they turn a few scraps into something that feels like a proper meal. They are the closest thing to an instant protein you can keep at home. They rank below the dry staples only because they need more careful storage.
Make an omelette with whatever cheese or veg you have. Fry one and set it on top of rice or toast. Or bake a frittata from leftover potatoes, onions and any half-used vegetables.
Store eggs and check dates according to the guidance on the box.
Pro tip: A frittata is the best way to clear out odds and ends before they go off.
4. Rice
A bag of rice is one of the best-value things you can own, and it stores well when kept dry and sealed. It stretches small amounts of other ingredients into a proper meal, which is exactly what you need when supplies are low.
Make egg fried rice with leftover veg and a dash of soy sauce. Stir rice into a pan with tomatoes, onion and stock for a simple one-pot pilaf. Or serve it under a bean or chickpea curry.
Cool leftover rice quickly, keep it in the fridge and reheat it until piping hot all the way through.
Pro tip: Cook a little extra and chill it promptly. Cold rice makes better fried rice than freshly cooked.
3. Dried pasta
Dried pasta is cheap, keeps for ages in a dry cupboard and cooks in minutes. It is a blank canvas, so it works with whatever sauce you can pull together, however modest.
Toss it with garlic softened in oil and a pinch of chilli for a classic cupboard supper. Stir through tomato sauce and a spoonful of beans for something more filling. Or flake in a tin of tuna with lemon juice, black pepper and a splash of oil.
It only loses a place to the top two because it needs something else to become a full meal.
Pro tip: Save a mug of the cooking water before draining, then use a splash to loosen and bind the sauce.
2. Tinned pulses
Chickpeas, kidney beans, cannellini beans and lentils are cheap, filling and ready to eat straight from the tin. They bring protein and fibre to meals that might otherwise be thin, and they last a long time unopened.
Make a fast chickpea curry with a tin of tomatoes and a spoonful of curry powder. Turn beans, stock and any leftover veg into a hearty soup. Or mash cannellini beans with garlic and oil for a spread to pile on toast.
Avoid any tins that are badly dented, bulging or leaking.
Pro tip: Drain and rinse pulses before using, unless the recipe makes use of the liquid.
1. Tinned tomatoes
Tinned tomatoes win because they do the most with the least. They keep for a long time in a cool, dry cupboard, they are cheap, and they work as the base of a meal rather than just a side player. Pair them with anything else on this list and you have dinner.
Simmer them with onion and garlic for a quick pasta sauce. Crack eggs into a spiced, bubbling pan for a shakshuka-style supper. Or add a tin of beans and a splash of stock for a thick, chilli-style stew to serve with rice or toast.
Pro tip: If the sauce tastes sharp or flat, try a pinch of sugar or a little salt and let it simmer for longer.
A few reliable staples can cover more dinners than you might think, and the best ones work together. Tinned tomatoes, pulses, pasta and rice alone give you a week of meals. Which cupboard heroes would you add, and did we rank yours too low? Tell us in the comments.
