The One Pantry Staple To Use At Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner And Dessert

While grocery shopping, most people probably have their usual 10 to 20 items that they always buy and stock up on. Having a checklist of your usual essentials makes grocery shopping a breeze. While people have different tastes in what they like to cook and eat, the essentials are usually universal –- milk, eggs, butter, salt, and some sort of oil to cook with.

When it comes to stocking your pantry, we've learned quite a bit in the last couple of years. Once you learn the benefits of decanting dry goods in see-through glass containers, you'll probably never go back (and wouldn't want to). Keeping capers stocked in the pantry will also level up not only pasta but also a lot of Mediterranean and other Italian dishes.

While you might think you have all your essentials down to a "T," you could be missing out. According to Food Network, there are actually only nine staple foods that should always be stocked in your pantry, including the not-so-common unseasoned rice vinegar. There are ingredients and spices that people might not know about that can majorly upgrade the way they do their everyday cooking and baking. The latest ingredient to add to your pantry staple list trumps many others due to its wide versatility in just about any meal.

While everyone might have their own pantry staple that they constantly use – and therefore always have stocked – there's one that you definitely should be using. Agave is a sweet syrup that can be used for a variety of dishes (via Food Insight). There are many different brands but Agave In The Raw proves to be a popular one. It is 25% sweeter than sugar. This means that you cut down on the heaps of sugar and substitute it with Agave In The Raw for anything needing a little boost of sweetness (via In The Raw). Agave In The Raw is also naturally gluten-free, Non-GMO, organic, vegan, and is low on the glycemic index.

For breakfast, Agave In The Raw can be added to oatmeal, berries, coffee, cereal, and yogurt. Lunch and dinner time? No problem. Agave In the Raw can be added to homemade salad dressing recipes, salsas, and any sauces (via Bon Appétit). Of course, when it comes to desserts, Agave In The Raw can be used for just about anything, including light drizzles on ice cream and pastries, hot chocolate, and even used as a sugar substitute.

While Agave In The Raw serves as a helpful pantry staple, it also holds some powerful health benefits. Along with not needing to use as much sugar, agave syrup also helps regulate your metabolism, assists with depression, and includes vitamins B2, B6, B9, and K that help your heart (via WebMD).