As someone who prefers to do most of the actual work of cooking myself, I still acknowledge the need for handling things in a hurry, whether it's for savory or sweet applications. As such, there are a number of things I like to have on hand as 'just in case' ingredients that I use to take some time lag out of delicious, or just save me time washing dishes.
Puff pastry. An expensive but essential part of my freezer, I always have at least one box on hand- usually the brand made with actual butter. Near to limitless in its utility, I've made meals out of samosas, pot pies, quiches, or rissoles, desserts ranging from palmiers and cinnamon twists to napoleons and curd cups, even snacks like herb and cheese breadsticks or mini turnovers.
Salsa. While I tend to make my own for direct applications, I also usually keep one of the cheapish canned supermarket ones in the cupboard. I could use it to bulk out my own batch, but frequently it'll get added as a liquid component to soups, stews, or braises. Don't have stock on hand? Thin out your salsa and get your work done. Ditto for making rice, though that may not look pretty.
Beer. This one's a little odder, but important. Rather like salsa, it serves as a foundational flavorful liquid for poaching, braising, or other techniques. Typically my go-to is a 12-pack of Sapporo cans, but most mild beers will serve just fine. Most recently, I blended it into a dark roux that later became a rather nice gumbo. Many of the other components had sweet and spicy notes, so the faint bitterness served very well to round out the flavors and bring depth to the whole.
Curry bricks. Yes, I use them too- and not just the curry ones either. I often keep the prefab brick for what the manufacturer calls Hayashi Rice on hand as well. While important to be aware of potential allergens, they make it so much easier to bring out massive flavor with hardly any work, and have food on the table in a matter of minutes.
Frozen vegetables. It might sound obvious, but growing seasons don't last forever. Many things with fairly short prominence periods are best preserved by modern freezing technology, but my freezer is small so my choices are limited. For utility's sake I keep peas, corn, and spinach available. They all make for suitable vegetable sides in a hurry, and can also be used to enrich soups, stews, sauces, or other amalgamations like fried rice.
Tip: when making a batch of soup you want to cool and store, add the frozen vegetables after you have the soup is done and exactly where you want it. That way the cooling process happens faster and more efficiently.
Applesauce. Odd one, no? But it's always in my cupboard. Moisture and flavor for any forcemeat, a foundation for dips, dressings, baking, sauce work, and if need be you can just put it alongside a sandwich to bulk out your lunch.
Miso (and/or Doubanjiang). These are in the category of essential because they're literally better than bouillon. Fermented soy products with tons of flavor, they can be used in marinades, dressings, soups, sauces, and almost anywhere you'd put salt- even on the sweet side of things. For example, I don't really like peanut butter cookies, but adding a little white miso to the dough creates a transcendent thing indeed.
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