Our cupboards are full of ingredients we picked up on a whim and then never used again. But while some have fallen out of fashion, others have simply slipped off the radar. Unusual ingredients lurk everywhere on supermarket shelves, just waiting to be discovered – or rediscovered. Have a look at these before your next food shop.

Celery deserves so much more than being left to wilt in the fridge or dry out on a plate of crudités. A mix of gently fried celery, onions and carrots forms the foundation of many great stews and casseroles. Try it in this warming stew of celery, chorizo and cannellini beans.  

They’ll take a while to cook, but cheaper meat cuts such as skirt and flank have bags of flavour but not the price tag to match. Rather than going for generic “braising” or “stewing” steak, get a chunk of beef skirt and cook it for a couple of hours in this delicious recipe for pasta with a rich meat sauce. 

It’s a rare pasta dish that doesn’t benefit from the addition of the water it was cooked in. Rather than drain your pasta in a colander, lift it from the pot and mix it into the sauce on a low heat. While the flavours are mingling, add a ladle or so of the pasta water. It all fuses together in a gorgeous silkiness and richness. And don’t forget to salt the water once it’s boiling.

It’s easy to be blinded by the choice of mustards on the market. But some are classics for a good reason. Dijon mustard's distinctive tang is just what you want when you’re coating fish or meat or making this chicken open-pot roast. Add a dab to mayonnaise to give it a gentle kick.

Readily available in jars, this North African paste is wonderfully versatile. Chermoula is similar to pesto, but with coriander, garlic, lemon, cumin, capers, onions, parsley, chilli and olive oil. It’s often used as a marinade for fish and seafood, but you can just stir it into chickpeas and couscous to add a bit of oomph.

Bakers know the benefits of lard for producing a light, flaky crust. But this rendered pork fat has been shunned over the years from people worried about their health. Yet it has less saturated fat than butter. It’s also fantastic for making southern fried chicken.

Horrible memories of limp curly parsley garnishes are finally fading from people’s minds, now that the flat-leaf variety has become more common. Finely chopped, it adds aroma to salads, potato dishes, sauces and butter. It also freezes very well – a much better option than the inferior dried version.

Since 1838, this savoury sauce of molasses, malt vinegar, sugar, anchovies, tamarind, garlic, onions and spices has been livening up stews, soups and pies. Even something as simple as cheese grilled on toast can be enhanced with a splash of Worcestershire sauce. For a cosy supper, try it in Mary Berry’s shepherd’s pie.

North Africa’s fiery contribution to the world’s larder is packed with red chilli peppers, paprika, garlic, spices and, in most shop-bought versions, rose petals. Harissa is a zesty addition to sauces, yoghurt, couscous and pulses, and you’ll usually find it as a table condiment in restaurants from Morocco to the Middle East. Try it in this eastern-influenced burger recipe. 

People with health conditions understandably stay away from salt as much as they can, even though its ubiquity in processed foods has made it difficult to avoid. But used judiciously while you’re cooking makes all the difference in bringing out the flavours of food, and you shouldn’t have to add salt at the table.

There’s something about the aniseed-like taste of fennel that puts some people off. But take a leaf out southern Europe’s book, where the seeds from the fennel plant infuse so much of the food around the Mediterranean. The Italians adore it, stuffing crushed fennel seeds into sausages and cured pork, and using the chopped fronds of the fennel bulb to throw into pasta dishes.

While the Hungarians are kings of paprika, the smoked variety that the Spanish excel at adds a deep and complex flavour without scorching the taste buds. For a lively brunch dish, try this one-pan rosti with chorizo and eggs recipe. 

These inoffensive little fish seem to divide opinion, but those in pursuit of umami (said to be the fith taste) will always have a tin of anchovies in the store cupboard. Use it in an Italian salsa verde or a traditional Caesar salad dressing. For a quick supper, try Gino D’Acampo’s linguine alla puttanesca recipe.

If you're not into making Asian dishes, you might not have come across fish sauce, which smells much more powerful than it tastes. You’ll usually find it as a condiment on restaurant tables in Thailand, where it’s known as nam pla. It might sound unappetising – it’s made from the liquid that comes off fermented whole fish in brine – but it quickly becomes addictive. Use it in this recipe for Thai pepper garlic prawns. 

Armed with a good-quality stock, you’ll be able to make stews, soups and sauces that burst with flavour. Not everyone has the time to make their own stock, but don’t be tempted to skimp on the quality of stock cubes and powders. If you want to make your own, have a look at this recipe for inspiration.

If the tiny grains of couscous don’t deliver enough texture for you, try the larger giant couscous that can hold its own against other ingredients. These mini balls of semolina go beautifully in simple salads of chopped tomatoes, crumbled feta, olive oil and lemon. Mix in a few spoons of chermoula for more piquancy.

Roast potatoes in duck or goose fat are hard to beat. You can also add it to root vegetables before roasting to get a caramelised sweetness. When roasting a chicken, as in this recipe, use a dollop of duck fat to sear the bird for extra richness.

Mash it, roast it, bake it – just don’t ignore this humble root vegetable that’s fallen out of fashion. The baby version is full of sweetness, which you can enjoy during the summer months. In the colder months, add winter turnips to this succulent beef casserole.

Wine and beer add depth to slow-cooked dishes – where would coq au vin be without a generous amount of rich red wine? Just make certain you never cook with a wine you wouldn’t drink, and avoid anything with “cooking wine” on the label. While slow cooking evaporates most of the alcohol, boozy desserts are quite another story. Try this indulgent chai tiramisu with vanilla and rum recipe.

These dried leaves from the bay laurel tree have a pungent flavour that comes into its own during slow cooking. They need a little liquid to release their flavour, and the longer you leave them in soups and stews, the better. Unlike many herbs, dried is better than fresh. Just don’t forget to remove the leaves before serving.

Rabbit is a common sight on many French and Italian menus, but some people feel too attached to the creatures to think of eating them. They’re missing out on a nutritious meat that’s a gamier version of chicken. Rabbit meat makes excellent stews, pies, terrines and pasta sauces. Try it cooked slowly in duck fat in this rabbit pie recipe, or treat it like chicken in this crispy fried wild rabbit dish. 

There's no end to the ingenious uses you’ll find for aubergines. The glossy purple vegetable, also known as eggplant, is often overlooked thanks to too many mass-produced moussakas and eggplant parmigianas. Instead, try it in baba ganoush, a Middle Eastern dip of flame-grilled aubergines mashed with tahini, lemon juice and garlic. 

Also known as gram flour and besan, this gluten-free flour made from ground chickpeas is a staple in Indian cooking. It’s also used to replace eggs in vegan recipes as it’s very good as a binding ingredient. For a spicy Indian snack, try making these courgette chickpea fritters with a tomato salsa.

Memories of tough, metallic-tasting, overcooked liver can be enough to put you off offal for life. But it’s worth persevering. Calf’s liver needs the lightest of touches to keep its savoury tenderness intact, particularly when cooked the Venetian way with slow-cooked onions. Or try James Martin’s scrumptious chicken livers and mushrooms on toast. 

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