# Any particular sauces, dressings, spices, etc you consider to be hidden gems **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** food-cooking\ **Created:** [September 23, 2026, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-particular-sauces-dressings-spices-etc-you-consider-to-be-hidden-gems/1033300 "2026-09-23T03:24:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![FMera](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fmera/32/9857_2.png) [@FMera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FMera)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2026, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-particular-sauces-dressings-spices-etc-you-consider-to-be-hidden-gems/1033300/21 "2026-09-23T18:25:50Z")
i 💜 condiments! And sauces and dressings and relishes and all that stuff. Best overall: toum (there’s also an actual brand, “Toom”) - the Mediterranean garlic paste consisting of just raw garlic, lemon, olive oil + salt. Brand name: Pickapeppa sauce, which i discovered in a recipe for roasted party pecans. It’s Jamaican, and the original is like Worcestershire sauce and ketchup with “secret Caribbean spices”. Recommend if you don’t mind a slightly more sweet flavour than hot/spicy (which is NOT usually me). ---
**Author:** ![Railer13](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/railer13/32/9742_2.png) [@Railer13](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Railer13)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2026, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-particular-sauces-dressings-spices-etc-you-consider-to-be-hidden-gems/1033300/22 "2026-09-23T18:33:11Z")
Another vote for Sweet Baby Ray’s barbecue sauce. > [@Wesley\_Clark](#): > > I recently found out Papa johns has a dipping sauce you can buy at the grocery store. I didn’t know that sauce was available at a grocery store! Ignorance fought, yet again. I absolutely love that stuff. I’m not a huge fan of Papa John’s pizza, but I love that garlic dipping sauce. I’ll look for it next time I’m at Kroger’s or Wally World. ---
**Author:** ![carlb](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carlb/32/5930_2.png) [@carlb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carlb)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2026, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-particular-sauces-dressings-spices-etc-you-consider-to-be-hidden-gems/1033300/23 "2026-09-23T18:44:16Z")
Not _exactly_ a hidden gem, but aside from salt and black pepper, smoked paprika is the spice I find myself using the most. It just adds a little…something to so many dishes; vegetables in particular. Try it on your corn on the cob. I love it on green beans that I’ve sautéed with bacon (smoke on smoke!). It’s obviously excellent with eggs (dusted over deviled eggs is my go-to move). It’s almost essential on roasted or pan-seared chicken. ---
**Author:** ![CairoCarol](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cairocarol/32/3825_2.png) [@CairoCarol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CairoCarol)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2026, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-particular-sauces-dressings-spices-etc-you-consider-to-be-hidden-gems/1033300/24 "2026-09-23T19:17:28Z")
> [@Hypno-Toad](#): > > 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. Assuming you like hot food (probably a safe bet if you are a fan of Indian food), and you do your own cooking sometimes, you might enjoy using berbere spice blend - available from Penzey’s, where they have inexplicably renamed it to “Ethiopian spice blend.”\* It’s extremely hot, but also very fenugreek-forward. The NYT cooking section recently published a recipe for berbere meatballs, something created by someone with no preconceived notions about blending influences from a variety of cuisines: it called for berbere, ground beef, panko, and parmesan, among other ingredients. I made it with some trepidation, and boy was it delicious. My hands smelled great for hours afterward, thanks to hand-shaping the meatballs full of berbere spice. \*Anyone know why? I’m wondering if it was because few people in their client base recognize the word “berbere,” or perhaps it’s an inadvertent slur or something. Beats me. I used to buy berbere, by that name, all the time in Egypt. ---
**Author:** ![dougrb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/76d3ee/32.png) [@dougrb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dougrb)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2026, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-particular-sauces-dressings-spices-etc-you-consider-to-be-hidden-gems/1033300/25 "2026-09-24T00:42:20Z")
My goto BBQ sauce is Ken’s Steak House Vidalia Onion Dressing mixed with Sweet Baby Rays. 2/3 kens 1/3 sweet baby. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2026, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-particular-sauces-dressings-spices-etc-you-consider-to-be-hidden-gems/1033300/26 "2026-09-24T00:53:09Z")
My mom makes an absolutely amazing black bean pumpkin soup, and it wasn’t until I made it myself that I figured out that a large part of the distinctive flavor to it is the coriander. It’s now right at the front of my spice cupboard, next to the cumin. And not exactly a “spice”, but crushed olives add a lively zing to many different dishes. ---
**Author:** ![ParallelLines](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/parallellines/32/3575_2.png) [@ParallelLines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ParallelLines)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2026, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-particular-sauces-dressings-spices-etc-you-consider-to-be-hidden-gems/1033300/27 "2026-09-24T01:06:39Z")
Penzey’s [Fox Pointe](https://www.penzeys.com/online-catalog/fox-point-seasoning/c-24/p-393/pd-s) seasoning blend. It’s great on nearly any protein, eggs, or even added to oil and vinegar for a lovely salad dressing. ---
**Author:** ![Cartooniverse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cartooniverse/32/3084_2.png) [@Cartooniverse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cartooniverse)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2026, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-particular-sauces-dressings-spices-etc-you-consider-to-be-hidden-gems/1033300/28 "2026-09-24T18:16:39Z")
Yeah. This was a one-use spice blend. My first wife’s family had a chopped liver recipe that her Aunt Myrna made. Pretty amazing. At some point, the baking responsibilities were just killing her and she called me and told me I was gonna make the chopped liver that holiday season. Good enough. She gave me the recipe. The sole spice/ flavor enhancer was this innocently lethal box called [G. Washington Golden Seasoning and Broth](https://homestatfarm.com/collections/g-washingtons-seasoning-broth). This was nothing more than a high-powered sodium delivery mechanism. Whatever spices had crept in around the edges were nothing compared to the blood-pressure smacking effects of the sodiums involved. Holy crap. I used it once, maybe twice. Then simply added most of the spices listed without ANY salt or MSG. Just as tasty. One additional sweet point about this memory. This was Pittsburgh, these were locals born and bred. It was called “Geewarshington”. One did not do the wash on Saturday. One did the warsh. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2026, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-particular-sauces-dressings-spices-etc-you-consider-to-be-hidden-gems/1033300/29 "2026-09-25T01:27:49Z")
> [@Cartooniverse](#): > > One did not do the wash on Saturday. One did the warsh. 🙂 In the wooder. ---
**Author:** ![DWMarch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dwmarch/32/1010_2.png) [@DWMarch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DWMarch)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2026, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-particular-sauces-dressings-spices-etc-you-consider-to-be-hidden-gems/1033300/30 "2026-09-25T02:14:30Z")
Heinz “Chili Sauce” should be called what it actually is, BETTER KETCHUP. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2026, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-particular-sauces-dressings-spices-etc-you-consider-to-be-hidden-gems/1033300/31 "2026-09-25T02:16:47Z")
I Googled your question, and it sounds like there was some confusion about berbere being from the Ethiopian region, and the Berber tribes that live in the northern Sahara, so calling it “Ethiopian-style” settled any questions. Penzey’s rocks. ---
**Author:** ![CairoCarol](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cairocarol/32/3825_2.png) [@CairoCarol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CairoCarol)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2026, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-particular-sauces-dressings-spices-etc-you-consider-to-be-hidden-gems/1033300/32 "2026-09-25T02:31:03Z")
Nice! ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2026, 2:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-particular-sauces-dressings-spices-etc-you-consider-to-be-hidden-gems/1033300/33 "2026-09-25T02:54:12Z")
> [@DWMarch](#): > > Heinz “Chili Sauce” should be called what it actually is, BETTER KETCHUP. Great observation! Thicker than ketchup, with a bit of zip. I use it wherever ketchup can be used—heck, it even makes a good potato chip dip. ---
**Author:** ![Disinfectus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/disinfectus/32/11085_2.png) [@Disinfectus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Disinfectus)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2026, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-particular-sauces-dressings-spices-etc-you-consider-to-be-hidden-gems/1033300/34 "2026-09-25T02:59:05Z")
[Cento Diced Hot Cherry Pepper Hoagie Spread](https://shop.cento.com/products/cento-diced-hot-cherry-pepper-hoagie-spread-32-fl-oz?variant=40608036750&country=US¤cy=USD&utm_medium=product_sync&utm_source=google&utm_content=sag_organic&utm_campaign=sag_organic&utm_campaign=gs-2020-08-25-1&utm_source=google&utm_medium=smart_campaign&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=17507614980&gclid=Cj0KCQjwlNPVBhCMARIsAPZ5Rqjh19d-xmehAxILa7kOOgnQ4dY3FKIRQ5YhMek9PMVmCzKrlMl3bJoaAuyAEALw_wcB). Assuming you don’t mind a bit of tangy heat, it is the perfect condiment for any sandwich, in my opinion. ---
**Author:** ![Snarky\_Kong](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a183cd/32.png) [@Snarky\_Kong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snarky_Kong)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2026, 3:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-particular-sauces-dressings-spices-etc-you-consider-to-be-hidden-gems/1033300/35 "2026-09-25T03:18:52Z")
Hmm, their ramen is great, but I need like 1.4x spicy. I don’t know of a good brand vs making it, but tzatziki goes great on a ton of stuff, shame it’s basically only “gyro sauce” in the US. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2026, 4:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-particular-sauces-dressings-spices-etc-you-consider-to-be-hidden-gems/1033300/36 "2026-09-25T04:37:13Z")
I’m familiar with Heinz Chili Sauce as a marinade, along with a jar of grape jelly, for meatballs in a crockpot. One wonders who thought that up, but it’s delicious. ---
**Author:** ![Snarky\_Kong](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a183cd/32.png) [@Snarky\_Kong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snarky_Kong)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2026, 4:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-particular-sauces-dressings-spices-etc-you-consider-to-be-hidden-gems/1033300/37 "2026-09-25T04:45:26Z")
Huh, my mom has been doing that forever. I’d guess some 60s era cookbook as the source, but it’s very popular with extended family at holidays. ---
**Author:** ![Cartooniverse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cartooniverse/32/3084_2.png) [@Cartooniverse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cartooniverse)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2026, 12:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-particular-sauces-dressings-spices-etc-you-consider-to-be-hidden-gems/1033300/38 "2026-09-25T12:02:54Z")
> [@Snarky\_Kong](#): > > Hmm, their ramen is great, but I need like 1.4x spicy. > > I don’t know of a good brand vs making it, but tzatziki goes great on a ton of stuff, shame it’s basically only “gyro sauce” in the US. We live in Astoria, New York. For many years the second largest Greek city on the planet. Behind Athens but ahead of all other cities IN Greece. Needless to say, gyros are everywhere. But I’ve never heard it called “gyro sauce”. It is tzatziki. Full stop. That is what that is called. ---
**Author:** ![Cartooniverse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cartooniverse/32/3084_2.png) [@Cartooniverse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cartooniverse)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2026, 12:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-particular-sauces-dressings-spices-etc-you-consider-to-be-hidden-gems/1033300/39 "2026-09-25T12:03:59Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > > [@Cartooniverse](#): > > > > One did not do the wash on Saturday. One did the warsh. 🙂 > > In the wooder. Very much so. Although, the “classic” deep Philly accent also has “wooder”. As in, “It’s hot as fuck let’s go down to Gino’s for some wooder ices.” ---
**Author:** ![Snarky\_Kong](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a183cd/32.png) [@Snarky\_Kong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snarky_Kong)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2026, 12:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-particular-sauces-dressings-spices-etc-you-consider-to-be-hidden-gems/1033300/40 "2026-09-25T12:10:42Z")
I’m not saying people called it that, I’m saying that’s the limit of what it was used for. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-particular-sauces-dressings-spices-etc-you-consider-to-be-hidden-gems/1033300.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-particular-sauces-dressings-spices-etc-you-consider-to-be-hidden-gems/1033300.md?page=3)