My appreciation for food was instilled from a really early age.

I spent the first 18 years of my life in Malaysia with mum and dad who are both amazing cooks. In the Chan household food is always top of the agenda - we are one of those food-obsessed families.

Growing up, mum and dad would have dinner parties every weekend and I was just constantly surrounded by delicious meals. Even though mum worked full time, she would always come home and cook us a typical Malaysian dinner every night using fresh produce and a selection of staples from the pantry.

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So, when I moved to Melbourne at 18, I had to teach myself to cook by watching cooking shows and relying on the tips and tricks I had learnt from watching mum and dad prepare meals every day.

This is when I realised the importance of having core essentials in the pantry, just like mum.

Pantry staples are the secret to transforming your fresh produce into something amazing, and can also be a complete saviour if you need to make something tasty in a hurry.

Here's a list of the pantry staples that I can’t live without.

1. Salt.

Salt is my number one flavour enhancer. I never run out of salt and if I run low I start to get anxious. Joking, but it’s true - I season practically every dish with salt.

2. Olive oil.

I have different kinds of olive oils for different uses.

I cook with olive oil daily and use it a lot in my salad dressings.

We go through about 1ltr every 10-14 days if I’m cooking every meal at home. There are also many health benefits to cooking with olive oil and I’m a massive advocate for it.

3. Butter.

I always have butter. I use it in baking, making sauces like a beurre noisette or beurre blanc, gravies or just simply lathered all over my sourdough. There is very little that comes close to being better than bread and butter.

4. Eggs.

I love having eggs in the morning and whilst I don’t have them every day, I think every household ought to have a tray of eggs ready in their pantry.

They're such a versatile pantry staple; you can whip up a meal in no time at any time of the day, whether it’s for breakfast, lunch, dinner or even just a snack.