What "uncommon" item do you stock that others don't?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Good quality pretzel bites in the freezer in case we have unexpected guests. Makes me feel so much classier than just pulling out chips and salsa!

I have done frozen pretzels for guests before but what are the good quality ones? Would love to try!

[Anonymous]

MSG

[Anonymous]

I have a full pantry for cooking Sichuan food. I’m not Chinese.

[Anonymous]

New Mexican red chile powder. Yum - it goes in almost everything: Italian meatballs, tacos, chile sauce for eggs, as well as tamales, enchiladas, adovada, etc.

[Anonymous]

I keep Turkish ingredients on hand at all times because that’s our primary food culture:
Pepper paste (we bring this back in bulk but get the rest of these locally)
Tomato paste
Bulgur — both fine and full size
Red lentils
Tahini
Pomegranate molasses
Sumac

Other items I usually have but aren’t common:
Curry paste (locally made Malaysian style)
Palm sugar
Flavacol popcorn seasoning
Black bean garlic sauce (need this for one recipe in my rotation I make about once a quarter)

[Anonymous]

sambal
kaffir lime leaves
candlenuts
dried shitaake mushrooms
spicy bean curd

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Good quality pretzel bites in the freezer in case we have unexpected guests. Makes me feel so much classier than just pulling out chips and salsa!

I have done frozen pretzels for guests before but what are the good quality ones? Would love to try!

Eastern Standard Provisions are good. I’ve ordered online but believe you can get them at some WF and Costco locations.

[Anonymous]

Sauerkraut. Also buttermilk. And molasses.

[Anonymous]

Smoked paprika
Miso paste
Dried fenugreek
Whole spices for fresh toasting/grinding
Furikake
Inari skins
Ghee
Fish flakes
Seaweed sheets

So many weird things in my pantry really…

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I had to Google what a shallot even was

If something calls for a shallot you can just use red onion and garlic as a sub.

What? No. Shallots are more mild than onions. Red onion and garlic are both stronger than white/yellow onion and definitely stronger than shallots. I’d sub a yellow onion first

So it’s still a good substitute and you’ll never know the difference

[Anonymous]

Bonito flakes
lots of different vinegars (sherry, champagne, rice)
fish sauce
sesame oil

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:sambal
kaffir lime leaves
candlenuts
dried shitaake mushrooms
spicy bean curd

I have a plant that is one of my prized possessions!

I keep:
Fish sauce
Oyster sauce
Black soy sauce
Japanese soy sauce
Chinese soy sauce
Mirin
Shaoxing Wine
Fermented shrimp paste
Red curry paste
Green curry paste
Fermented soy bean paste
Miso
Za’atar
File powder
Tamarind paste
Palm sugar
Tahini
Capers
Anchovies
Marinated artichoke hearts
Kimchi
Garam masala
Ghee

And about four different varieties of rice and seven varieties of flour

[Anonymous]

Black beans
Cake flour

[Anonymous]

Shallots are also one of our staples. Think the most unique ones that we use a lot of and always have are colatura and mirin.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I keep Turkish ingredients on hand at all times because that’s our primary food culture:
Pepper paste (we bring this back in bulk but get the rest of these locally)
Tomato paste
Bulgur — both fine and full size
Red lentils
Tahini
Pomegranate molasses
Sumac

Other items I usually have but aren’t common:
Curry paste (locally made Malaysian style)
Palm sugar
Flavacol popcorn seasoning
Black bean garlic sauce (need this for one recipe in my rotation I make about once a quarter)

Is there a particular brand of the pomegranate molasses you recommend? I have several recipes I’ve saved but haven’t made because they call for it and I don’t know what to get.

Same question for the black bean garlic sauce. It sounds delicious. I love blank bean sauce, I love garlic, I would like to try this sauce.