My toxic trait is bringing up that one time I lived in Paris way too often—I turned spending six months spent in a foreign country into a personality trait. So I’m starting off this article with the self-awareness that I’m not coming off particularly relatable, but the point is that I am not a Parisian, nor am I a francophile expert. However, I learned a lot from coworkers, friends, and the women I lived with during short my time in France, and it has changed the way I cook and think about food. And—bien sûr—I’m going to share it all with you from my perspective as an American in Paris.
I learned that the key to French cooking lies in the simplicity of the ingredients. Parisians rarely stray from cooking with their basics, and the inside of their fridges always look similar. Meals are flavorful because of full-fat dairy and fresh-out-the-oven bread and consist of effortlessly small proportions that are filling because of the wholeness of their ingredients.
Instead of heating up a low-cal frozen dinner from the grocery store, a busy Parisian puts together a simple meal using a few ingredients that are from the boulangerie down the street or the marché on their way home from work. Parisians seem to possess the secrets to all our weight loss dreams; their meals are delicious, but their bodies are healthy. They choose easy, simple, whole, and delicious meals that are so good they make them over and over again and dedicate each bite to the simple act of enjoying it. To start your own French Diet, here are the 10 kitchen essentials I learned that most Parisians always have on hand.
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1. Egg cartons are always full (and are stored on the countertop or windowsill)
The small, Parisian refrigerators are never cluttered with eggs. Because of the sanitation process in Europe, eggs don’t need to be refrigerated (Important to note: The sanitation process in the U.S. does require eggs to be refrigerated. If you’re in the United States, please save some room for eggs amongst the open wine bottles and cheese!). In contrast to American brunches made up of Benedicts and omelettes, you’d rarely find a Parisian eating eggs for breakfast. Instead, it is the basis for lunch and dinner, whether it’s hard boiled and sliced with cheese and mayonnaise in a sandwich or poached and eaten with veggies for a quick dinner.
2. At least one baguette is always out on the table
If you’re a Parisian, you’ll know to ask for tradition baguette at the boulangerie, which is always crisper and fresher than the regular baguettes because it’s made with only the basic ingredients (flour, yeast, salt, and water). It goes without saying that the only bread a Parisian will ever eat is made the day they buy it. Bonus tip: Bread in France is never processed or pre-sliced, and if it was made in a factory instead of a bakery or home? Thank you, next.
3. Dijon mustard adds delicious flavor
The iconic French mustard is easily spread on a slice of baguette for a zesty snack or mixed with olive oil for a salad dressing that even makes lettuce taste delicious. A high-quality Dijon mustard (which actually comes from Dijon, France) is an easy staple to make any savory meal a little more delicious and flavorful.
4. Olive oil is a pantry staple (for multiple reasons)
Olive oil is a staple for cooking and baking, but it is also dabbed onto the skin to boost moisture and glow. In addition to all the health benefits, olive oil makes any Parisian dish taste more delicious and cook perfectly. To use it the Parisian way, coat your veggies that are roasting in the oven or dab onto your skin before bed for beauty benefits.
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5. Fromage is a must (but that needs little introduction)
Walking down any street in Paris will make you understand how seriously they take their cheese. Fromageries are all over Paris, and each store has a serious selection of the best cheeses you probably will ever eat. Different cheeses are eaten for different meals, and Parisians know what cheeses to pair with what food and what wine. Learning how to eat and pair cheese should be as important as learning your ABCs, non? And just like bread, you won’t find pre-sliced or factory-made cheese in a Parisian’s kitchen.
6. Butter is in basically everything
Even if you don’t think you could taste the little smear of butter on a loaded sandwich, you somehow know the entire sandwich just tastes better because of that little smear. The rich kitchen staple is used frequently in most Parisian dishes and cooking styles, from sauces to meats to croissants to desserts. Most importantly, Parisians will always use the real thing (no margarine, I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter!, or reduced fat, please!).
7. Wine is always on hand
Parisians knows a good bottle of wine is the key to a successful dinner party or a delicious Coq au Vin, and it’s most often used to enhance any meal, whether it’s a first dinner date or work lunch. Parisians use wine to enjoy and enrich life as well as a way to enhance flavors while cooking. Drinking wine is an art, and Parisians somehow strike the perfect balance of moderation and drinking wine with most meals.
8. Yogurt is kept in small glass containers lining the fridge
IMO, you can taste the difference between French and American yogurt because French yogurt is always full-fat and creamy. It makes a quick breakfast or a delicious dessert and is so much tastier than the processed low-fat options we find in the U.S. (and typically contains way less ingredients too). If yogurt is flavored, it’s typically vanilla (using whole vanilla bean and cane sugar, of course!) or contains real fruit rather than the artificial flavoring in yogurts you find in American grocery stores.
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9. Tea is a Parisian favorite at home
At restaurants, you’ll often see Parisians opt for an espresso or cappuccino after the meal, but tea is always stocked in their kitchens for first thing in the morning or to warm up after getting home from work when the weather is froid. As for how they drink tea? I learned pretty quickly that mugs in France resemble bowls with small handles instead of the cups I drink out of at home. Tea can be taken plain or with sugar, but the preferred way to drink it is dipping in a piece of toast with apricot jam.
10. Dessert is always stocked (and never comes with guilt)
Meals are not just means of survival (like a smoothie on the go) or hitting dieting goals (like bland salads)—Parisians know that meals are the most important social time of the day. And therefore, a delicious palette cleanser after dinner is just as important as the dinner itself because the purpose of food is to enjoy it. Restaurants and dinner parties will offer a cheese plate course before a soufflé chocolat or crème brûlée, but for quiet dinners at home, a simple homemade tart or yogurt with sugar does the trick.
