18x fancy ingredients that chefs say are totally worth it
With the inflation that has been following us around for ages, we prefer to make slightly more conscious choices during our weekly grocery shop. Then we’ll just go for the cheaper store brand. And yet, there are a few ingredients that are worth buying in their fancy version. Not the absolute cheapest olive oil from the supermarket shelf, but that real Italian one from the good delicatessen shop.
Good ingredients make your dish better. Period. Yes, they cost a little more, but aren’t you allowed to treat yourself every now and then? Chefs recommend buying the fancy version of a number of ingredients. They may be a little hyped, but according to the chefs, for very good reasons. Grab your shopping list (and put some extra money in your account), because you really need to get these fancy ingredients at your next grocery shop.
18x fancy ingredients that are worth it
“Really good balsamic vinegar, preferably one that has been aged well. It doesn’t even have to be one that is very overpriced. You can often get a really good bottle for 15 to 20. Believe me: it will make all other – less good – balsamic vinegars pale in comparison.”
”Free-range eggs. When I first tried them for breakfast, I was genuinely amazed at how much more flavour they had than ‘regular’ eggs.”
”Good-quality olive oil. I get mine from a farm in California, for example (instead of from the supermarket), and it’s amazing. So fresh, so aromatic and so flavourful.”
”Good-quality butter. It tastes so much better. If you grew up with margarine – because it’s cheaper than butter – and then taste real butter, you won’t know what hit you.”
”Good maple syrup, for your pancakes. Your pancakes can turn out perfectly, but if the maple syrup is shit, you’re done for.”
”Kewpie mayo. This Japanese-style mayo is hugely popular in restaurants. It really tastes so much better than regular mayo. Whether you add it to your sandwich or salad, Kewpie mayo simply adds much more flavour to your dish.”
”Parmigiano Reggiano instead of simple, cheap Parmesan.”
”Wild mushrooms, such as morels and chanterelles, taste so much better than regular mushrooms. Even though they can sometimes be hard to find.”
”Duck fat. I recently discovered that it isn’t actually that much more expensive than butter or high-quality olive oil, so now I use it in all kinds of dishes. For example, it makes wonderfully crunchy potatoes.”
”High-quality canned tuna. The difference between the slightly pricier brands is genuinely quite big compared with the simple, cheaper brands.”
”Maldon salt is fancy and expensive salt, but it’s genuinely worth buying. It really finishes off your dish – much more than when you simply sprinkle ‘regular’ salt over it.”
”Black garlic!”
”Good soy sauce. After watching the Salt Fa Acid Heat documentary, I don’t want anything else.”
”Fresh pasta instead of dried, pre-packaged pasta. If you’re at the supermarket or an Italian market and you can get fresh pasta: it’s worth every penny. Sometimes you can also find it in the freezer. It’s a little more expensive than buying a packet of dried pasta, but it’s a super-simple way to turn an otherwise ordinary meal into something fantastic.”
”Fancy cheese. The more expensive cheeses, that is. I’m always sceptical when someone says they’ve put a €50 piece of cheese on the cheeseboard, but every time it’s simply unbelievably good.”
”Local honey. So not the honey from the bigger brands you find in the supermarket. You can really taste the difference, because local honey often contains pollen from clover flowers. And that really tastes better than pollen from, for example, an apple tree.”
”Nutmeg, for use in your baking. You can use a single nutmeg for a very long time, and it really adds an extra delicious flavour to your baked creations.”
”Gruyère for your cheese dishes. I guarantee you’ll make the best Mac ‘n Cheese of your life if you use Gruyère.”
Read also:
- 20x bizarre dishes ever served in fancy restaurants (a scam?!)
- The most expensive cheese ever was sold in Spain
- 10x the most expensive ingredients in the world
Source: Tasty
