These sauces, spices, and seasonings are indispensable in our kitchen. We’ve done the research so you don’t have to. Just trust us on these. Here you have it, the best of the best!

Pantry Staples

• Mini-tub of David’s Kosher Salt – some salts are too salty, some aren’t salty enough, but this gem is right on point
• 365 Everyday Safflower Seed Oil – a tried & true oil for deep frying or general use

Extra Credit Pantry Staples

• Hot Old Bay – an exquisitely salty and spicy topping for fresh popped corn, among other things
• King Arthur Flour Double Dutch Dark Cocoa
• Atlantic Holdfast Seaweed Company – for all your Laminaria digitata (kombu) needs

Seasonings & Sauces

• Red Boat Fish Sauce – the mother superior of all fish sauces
• Walkerswood Jamaican Jerk Seasoning, Hot & Spicy – a jerk paste that will make you weep tears of joy
• Bull-dog Vegetable & Fruit Tonkatsu Sauce
• Denny Mike’s Hot ‘n Nasty BBQ Sauce – great heat and sweetness

Hot Sauce

Apart from the Cholulas and Tapatios of the world, here are a few of our favorites:

• Secret Aardvark Habanero Hot Sauce – a tasty sauce with a unique consistency
• El Yucateco – Caribbean Chile Habanero
• El Yucateco – Green Habanero Salsa Verde – delicious on eggs
• Mazi Piri Piri Sauce
• Valley Doll Sauces: Original (Curry) & 151 (Habanero-Mustard)

Indispensable Gadgets & Tools

• Thermapen MK4 – absolutely indispensable and worth every penny; you need this, now
• Zojirushi Micom 3-cup Rice Cooker
• Ninja Professional Blender NJ600 – the poor man’s Vitamix
• Glasslock Oven-safe Containers – if you dream of becoming a Sunday meal prep master, get yourself a set of these
• San-Jamar Grade 40 Cheesecloth – for straining silt from stocks, or for straining cooking oils for storage & re-use
• A good pair of kitchen shears or poultry-specific shears – both of these OXO versions can be taken apart for more effective cleaning