Any particular sauces, dressings, spices, etc you consider to be hidden gems

Cafe Society
1

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.

So what do other people like?

2

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.

3

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.

4

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.

5

You can get Buldak ramen sauce in bottle form:

6

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.