I’m wondering what other people’s experiences are with sauces, dressings, spices, etc that improve their food.
I recently found out Papa johns has a dipping sauce you can buy at the grocery store. I microwave it for 15 seconds and it makes a great dip for pizza.
chick-fil-a has a variety of sauces at the grocery store. The honey mustard is great for things like chicken. The sriracha is good for mexican food.
A company called bettergoods makes a curry aioli sauce that is quite good.
As far as BBQ sauce the best I’ve found is sweet baby rays. I’ve tried many, and I always come back to this one. Partly for price, but mostly for flavor.
I often extol Jimmy’s Sate Sauce as the best thing in the world that comes in a jar. It has long been used in restaurant recipes and now is readily available in Asian shops in Australia.
I would think that I have had a jar in my my kitchen every day for over 40 years. I use it on its own or in dips, satays, laksas and mixed with Kewpie to make Jimmynaisse for sandwiches.
I remember reading an article online where chefs were interviewed about what store-bought BBQ sauce they would go with if they really had to, and Sweet Baby Ray’s was basically the consensus. I also like it quite a bit, in no small part because it sure seems like it’s on an endless BOGO deal at the grocery store.
I have to put a word in for Stonewall Kitchens’ Lemon Sea Salt, from the state of Maine. My 5.5 oz. jar was bought by my ex-wife, probably 20 years ago, and I have no idea why she bought it. It cost C$17 according to the price sticker, which isn’t cheap, even back then.
But it is excellent in Bloody Marys! I always add salt to mine when I mix them up, and this stuff adds a little extra zing. And since I only use a pinch at a time, and I’m not even
halfway through the jar, so it should last me a long time.
I got ahold of some sumac from a clearance shelf in a grocery, since it was missing a lid. I’d never used it before but found it works with baked chicken, tilapia and tea naturally as well. It’s fun to try yet I’ve used the whole jar in a week.
505 red enchilada sauce is the best I’ve ever found, but they seem to have discontinued it for some inexplicable reason.
There’s a very small local burger chain here (four locations down from a height of 20 or so, one of which is independently owned but serves the same menu) that serves a burger/dipping sauce called “goop”. It’s a blend of mayo, mustard, sweet pickle relish, and “salad dressing” (I.e. off-brand Miracle Whip) that’s mixed by hand in 10-gallon buckets. It is utterly delicious and goes good on everything I’ve tried it with.
I go for Famous Dave’s Devil’s Spit. It’s a little thinner than I’d like, but it’s got a good kick to it.
Despite its immodest name, it actually lives up to the billing.
It’s an almond-based, dairy-free, vegan sauce with a creamy texture and a savory, tangy flavor. Think of it as a cross between hummus, aioli, and a really good salad dressing. It goes with practically everything, possibly including things that aren’t technically food. Comes in multiple varieties, too!
Although it’s completely vegan, there’s nothing about it that screams vegan substitute. It’s simply a damn good sauce that happens to contain no animal products. Not even a bitchin’ little one.
Another shout-out for Stonewall Kitchen’s: they have an oil-based cilantro-lime salad dressing that’s so so good. Availability in the stores in my area is spotty, so I’ll buy it online and jealously hoard it till I can score my next “fix”.
Fenugreek is an absolutely awesome spice that I only really encounter in Indian food, where it’s called Methi. It’s savory and totally unlike anything else.
When I made the first published recipe for Beef Stroganoff, which is somewhat different than modern Stroganoff recipes, one difference being the addition of allspice, I was impressed with how well the flavor of allspice complemented the beef.
Now I often add allspice to beef stew or other stew-like meals like beef curries. It’s also good in Ragu or Bolongese style pasta sauces- just a little added allspice gives the sauce a certain extra depth or richness.
Trader Joe’s “Everything but the Bagel” seasoning blend. Tuna and egg salad, roasted veggies, avocado toast, even on popcorn. It’s the most versatile spice in our kitchen.
Barbecue rub on my avocado and some fruit like apples. I use a few different recipes but all are sugar, salt, garlic & onion powders, then options like cumin & chili powder and cinnamon or celery salt.
When I first tried truffle salt, I really struggled to put it to use. It can be a bit gasoline-y but I found a few shining spots. It is great for almost plain rice, a little butter, couple sprigs of thyme. I go for about 1 tsp total salt per cup dry rice with approx a third of that total truff salt. It’s also a secret to my grilled sandwiches, a scant pinch on the outer surface prior to grilling is so good. And truffle salt is great on fresh tomatoes, their season is currently upon us. I use this one, almost empty after more than 2 years:
that piques my interest.