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Treat Your Shelf: Pricey Pantry Ingredients We Think Are Worth It

We'll do anything to get our hands on these splurge-worthy goods.

By
The Serious Eats Team
The Serious Eats Team
At Serious Eats, we’re a team of self-proclaimed food nerds who are ever-curious about the “why” behind cooking. The staff has worked in restaurants, test kitchens, bakeries, and other notable publications, bringing extensive culinary and editorial expertise to the table.
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Updated May 31, 2024
overhead shot of an array of tinned fish, or conservas, on a wooden table with bread and olives.

Serious Eats / Vicky Wasik

Ask anyone at Serious Eats and they won’t deny trying to get a good deal where they can, especially when it comes to shopping for groceries. It never hurts to save a couple of bucks here and there, and there are certain dishes where there isn't much difference between using the best-of-the-best ingredient versus something you picked up at the corner store. But there are certain instances where it’s worth going all out for quality ingredients. Whether that means dropping some serious dough on ventresca tuna for a quick, satisfying meal; or going out of the way for the best, freshest spices, there’s no shame in indulging in top-notch goods that make us happy. Here are our favorite ingredients that are worth every penny.

Olive Oil

I keep coming back to Graza olive oil. Here's why: the packaging is just so satisfying. It's a pretty perfect squeeze bottle that allows you to easily coat a skillet's surface, twist the cap, and then store it without worrying about leaks or drips or annoying twist-on/-off caps. My former co-worker, Jesse Raub, says he now even decants other olive oil into empty Graza bottles because he likes the design so much. — Riddley Gemperlein-Schirm, senior editor

Graza bottles on pink marble surface with olives and bowl of oil

Serious Eats / Grace Kelly

I'm no olive oil connoisseur, but I love this mild, buttery-with-a-slight-kick-on-the-finish olive oil from Frankies Spuntino in Brooklyn. Not only is it a great all-purpose EVOO, but you can see on the label exactly where it's from (the Asaro Farm in Partanna, Sicily) and, call me superficial, but I also just love the old-school bottle design. The pouring spout also makes it surprisingly easy to drizzle. — Grace Kelly, associate editor

Tinned Fish and Cured Meats

While I wouldn't reach for this belly cut of tuna when making something like a mayo-based tuna salad, it's otherwise my go-to for flaking tuna into salads and sauces. More tender and buttery than regular canned tuna by a long shot, ventresca tuna brings all the great canned tuna flavor (yes, canned tuna does have great flavor!) with a texture that is leaps and bounds superior. Totally worth the price. (Plus, most ventresca tuna comes packed in a generous amount of olive oil, which can and should also be used in any dish where you're also adding the tuna.) — Daniel Gritzer, senior culinary director

A plate of tomatoes with dressing and tuna.

Serious Eats / Sasha Marx

I feel gnawing frustration every time I open one of those vacuum packs of pre-sliced prosciutto, the meat compressed into a shiny, plasticky veneer. It has none of the life and soul of the stuff that comes freshly sliced from behind a deli counter. And don't even get me started on low-quality pancetta and dry-cured salumi. Get the good stuff, order it online if you have to. It's worth it. — Daniel

It was in Portugal that I first fell in love with tinned fish, and in the years since that revelatory moment, I’ve spent quite a bit of money on all manner of conservas. Compared to your standard canned fish the good stuff can be quite expensive, anywhere from $5 to $20 (or more!) a tin depending on what’s inside. But the difference in quality between water-packed, overcooked, bulk tuna, and silky, tender chunks of ventresca (tuna belly) packed in good-quality olive oil is stark. My favorite brand of tuna is unequivocally Santa Catarina, from the Azorean island of São Jorge. For sardines, I love the Italian brand Pollastrini di Anzio. And for a very wide range of gorgeous Spanish seafood, La Brujula is my pick. — Jacob Dean, former updates editor

Kam Yen Jan Chinese-style sausage and bacon for making Cantonese-style clay pot rice in under 20 minutes! The cured bacon is also good in stir-fry with veggies. It’s so flavored that you don’t need any additional seasonings. — Yuansi Li, UX designer 

Cantonese clay pot rice with Chinese sausage and greens.

Serious Eats / Amanda Suarez

Spices

Even though this 50-gram jar of urfa biber set me back almost $15, I can't help but use it all the time. Unlike Aleppo pepper, which is fruity and sweet (and also delicious), urfa biber has an almost smoky, chocolatey, raisin-like aroma that is deep and rich. It's great on eggs, in pasta, chicken marinades—really anything you want to add complexity to. — Grace

Burlap & Barrel’s spices are so incredible I couldn’t not include them on this list, but, really, their products aren’t that much more expensive than those of commodity spices in a supermarket. The unbelievable difference in quality offsets the potentially higher price point, though, and at times the flavors are so profoundly better it borders on being almost unbelievable. Their spices are stunningly fresh and vibrant, are purchased directly from farmers at fair and sustainable prices, and the range of spices (and other products) they sell is impressive. There is no other spice company I trust or rely on more. — Jacob

"These packets of single-origin Vietnamese spices are a welcome addition to my pantry. I particularly love adding the northern mountain garlic to fried rice or nuoc cham, or making a simple syrup with the aromatic Delta Lemongrass. All of the options are meant to be rehydrated and add a lovely fresh flavor to any dish." — Grace

van van spices on a marble backdrop

Serious Eats / Riddley Gemperlein-Schirm

Sweet Stuff

While you can absolutely make your own simple syrup (and do so easily!), I don't mind shelling out for the ones from Sonoma Syrup Co. They're some of the best flavored syrups I've tried. The vanilla bean has, appropriately, flecks of vanilla bean and isn't too sweet nor does it taste artificial (uncommon for vanilla syrups!). I like to make myself an afternoon steamer or matcha latte with a tablespoon of vanilla syrup, a teaspoon of vanilla matcha, and a cup of oat milk in my electric milk frother. I've also tried the vanilla hazelnut and vanilla almond syrups and liked both. The lavender's next on my list! — Riddley

I mean, who are we kidding—real maraschino sour cherries in a rich syrup from their own juices are one of life's best decadent flourishes. Whether it's a cocktail garnish, served over ice cream, or just a jar on a counter next to a pile of toothpicks, splurging on the good cherries is a life changer. And even when the cherries are gone, the syrup itself is truly spectacular drizzled over nearly any dessert. — Jesse Raub, former writer

Old Fashioned shot from a low angle on a pink background

Serious Eats / Two Bites

At nearly $18 for an eight-ounce jar, this isn't the kind of nut butter you leave out in a public place or use on a PB and J sandwich (sacrilege!). Instead, I recommend hiding this Sicilian pistachio cream away from prying spoons and treating yourself to luxurious scoops now and again. It's also fabulous on ice cream or spread over a slice of warm, crusty bread. — Grace

Feels like I've tried every strawberry jam on the market, and while most look and taste more or less like the others, Scyavuru is in a class of its own. It's too pure for PB&Js, the sort of jam you'd break out for company and then spoon it into a Mason jar to pretend you'd made it yourself. Not that I'm saying you should do such a thing. — Stella Parks, editor emeritus

If you're a granola guzzler (as I *lovingly* refer to myself), then beware of this granola—you'll greedily grab handfuls of it at all hours before your significant other/roommate/sibling gets a chance to sprinkle a handful on their yogurt. This I know from personal experience. The strawberry and salty peanut is my favorite flavor, with crunchy millet and steel-cut oats, dried and freeze-dried strawberries, and salty peanuts. It's like the best peanut butter and strawberry jam sandwich you've ever had, but one you can eat by the fistful. —Grace

Decent, much less awesome, milk chocolate is hard to come by at the supermarket, with most brands scraping in at the FDA-required minimum on cocoa solids, but Askanya is a Haitian bean-to-bar chocolate company that goes all in with their 47% milk chocolate bar. You can read about my other favorite chocolate bars for baking here. — Stella

a number of milk chocolate bars on a wooden countertop

Serious Eats / Vicky Wasik

Oh, man. I bought this spread at Whole Foods once and now order it by the two-pack off of Amazon. It's chocolatey, nutty, and slightly salty: perfect for spreading onto sourdough and eating alone or along with a layer of cherry jam. I've also been known to eat it by the spoonful as an afternoon snack. — Riddley

I love ginger, especially in sticky, treacly desserts like gingerbread. Whenever I’m in the mood to make it, I chop up a few of these near-translucent golden orbs of ginger in syrup and toss them into the batter, along with a tablespoon of the ginger-imbued syrup for extra punch. They also make for lovely cocktail garnishes! — Grace

Old fashioned cocktail with stem ginger on a metal cocktail skewer.

Serious Eats / Grace Kelly

Any chocolate from Goodnow! I love keeping a few bars in my pantry for making ultra-luxe chocolate chip cookies or a really good chocolate cake in a mug. — Grace

Rancho Meladuco sells the best dates I’ve ever tried. The Medjool dates are unreal and will appeal to all and the company recently launched a “Rare and Unusual” date box. I’ve been massively enjoying trying all of the different varieties. — Riddley

Coffee, Tea, and More Drink Things

There's no getting around it: good coffee costs more. While there might be a time and a place for bottomless drip at a diner, quality coffee is a difficult-to-grow agricultural product and has a high cost of production (which usually includes hand-picking every coffee cherry). High-quality coffees have more sweetness, brightness, and flavor complexity, but it's not just about quality—paying more for coffee means that farmers are able to make a living wage and pay their workers more. Coffee subscription services like Mistobox can help you find the best coffee, but I also encourage you to check out individual roasters and subscribe directly from them, too. I personally have a subscription to Vignette Coffee Roasters in Greensboro, North Carolina and love the coffees they send me every week. — Jesse

a bag of Rose Glass blend from Vignette Coffee Roasters

Serious Eats / Jesse Raub

For my matcha lattes, I'm either using this vanilla matcha or the stuff from Golde. We described the latter well here: "delicately earthy and grassy, buttery, and with a hint of sweetness." — Riddley

My parents have instilled an insane sense of frugality in me, so when I first moved to New York as a grad student living off minimal money, I resorted to getting all of my groceries from Trader Joe's—including my coffee. But then I realized how much I was missing out on the local coffee sources available all around me. While I'm still pretty cheap when it comes to other forms of sustenance, now I spend a little extra money trying new blends and supporting small businesses. Though there are plenty to choose from in New York and beyond, I always keep a taste of home with me in the form of a bag of Weird Brothers Coffee beans (you're looking at one of the Virginia coffee shop's former baristas). There's nothing quite like a quality, fresh brew to kick off each day. — Yasmine Maggio, associate editor

A goal of mine is to drink less this year—and Ghia's been helping a lot. I like the non-alcoholic apertif mixed with tonic water or seltzer and a squeeze of fresh orange or lime juice. If I'm feeling fancy, I'll add some blood orange soda I buy from Trader Joe's, too. — Riddley

I like to keep a bottle of this non-alcoholic mixer on hand for 1. when my under-age sister comes over (hi Soph!) and wants to have a fancy drink alongside everyone else, and 2. When I'm not feeling in a boozy mood but want to sip something bright and fresh. The taste is akin to Aperol, with the requisite orange flavor and bitter edge, and it's great simply mixed with tonic (and served with an olive and a wedge of orange), or subbed into a cocktail to make it NA (you can make a mean Paper Plane with it and some spirit-free gin). — Grace

I know I quite literally just recommended Ghia, but this berry version is very different. For starters, it’s not bitter, so it’s worth a go even if you’ve tried Ghia and thought it wasn’t for you. It’s pleasantly tart and I love the bottle’s pink and purple color scheme. — Riddley

This is quite possibly the best canned cocktail I’ve ever tried (and it’s non-alcoholic). It’s inspired by a Negroni Sbagliato and it's so deliciously tart (with orange and pomegranate) and pleasantly bitter. I like to pour it over a giant ice sphere, but it’s also great straight from the can. — Riddley

Etc. Etc. Etc.

This product from Big Spoon Roasters has me convinced that every jar of almond butter should also have pistachios. It walks a thrilling line between salty (thanks to the Jacobsen Sea Salt) and sweet (pure maple syrup), and it's absolutely perfect on a thick slice of sourdough toast. — Rochelle Bilow, editor

When my roommate and I moved into our apartment, he brought a jar of rendered duck fat and it easily became the staple I reached for to make certain dishes feel a touch more elevated. The chances of me collecting my own duck fat at home are next to none, so having it at the ready in a jar is perfect for breakfast hashes or any potato dish honestly. One of my favorite ways to make a Sunday morning feel a little more luxurious is with an easy garlic and duck fat schmear on a bagel. — Amanda Suarez, associate visuals director

I keep kosher salt and flakey, finishing salt within arm's reach at all times. For the latter, this is my favorite (and is widely available). However, you could buy a literal bucket of it. It's like a $25 embarrassment of riches in the best way. — Riddley

I see your salted peanuts and raise you these supremely crispy-crunchy salted fava beans. They're a great midday snack but pour them in a little bowl alongside a spritz, and you've entered cocktail hour perfection. — Rochelle

I spent the first few months of the pandemic cooking up a storm, and I channeled a lot of my fear (and disposable income) into trying out specialty cooking ingredients. Pasta was something we ate quite a bit of, and of the many we tried it was pasta from Mancini that stood out. I’ve since come to learn it’s also a brand loved by many chefs and restaurants. Compared to Barilla or even De Cecco (my go-to supermarket brand) it ain’t cheap, but the quality is phenomenal, and the company raises its own wheat and has great agricultural practices. — Jacob

Freshly made tortillas are a revelation; they’re tender, toothsome, and much cornier (taste-wise) than the store-bought variety. When I worked in restaurants, we bought whole-dried corn kernels from Masienda, back when they only sold their products in bulk, and I was always dazzled by the gem tones of the kernels, which came in opal white, sapphire blue, ruby pink, and a vibrant yellow. Today, they sell both whole kernels and ground corn in smaller portions, perfect for the home cook. I have a bag of each kernel color, along with some pre-ground masa, which makes pressing fresh tortillas at home that much easier. — Grace

tortilla presses next to a sheet tray with freshly pressed pink corn tortillas
Serious Eats / Grace Kelly.

Eggs, grain bowls, roasted meats, plain rice: I love this chili crisp on it all. I am known in some circles (um, by my husband) to always have a jar on hand or to buy the XXL jar and monitor its fullness—ready to buy more at a moment's notice. — Riddley

My mom introduced these Norwegian seeded crackers to me, and I’ve been keeping a stash in my pantry ever since. Packed with oats, seeds, and nuts, they are crunchy and snappy and pair well with almost any cheese (though I’m a sucker for a good cheddar); they also go very well with slices of perfectly ripe avocado. I’m a big fan of the original, unadorned crackers, as well as the Everything Bagel seasoned ones—spread with some cream cheese and maybe a slash of red pepper jelly, and it’s a delectable snack. — Grace

I bake a lot of bread—four loaves every five days—and the number one thing that made my sourdough loaves rise taller and taste better was high-end flour. These days I buy my bread flour in bulk from Central Milling online, but I love to pick up whole-grain flour to blend it with from Meadowlark Organics, a local farm and mill here in Wisconsin. My breads now have better oven spring and more depth of flavor, and I love being able to mix different varieties of flours to tweak my recipes with the seasons. — Jesse

While I make a lot of pasta by hand these days, I love having a nice package of dried pasta in my pantry at all times. While there are many nice pastas out there, the butcher shop near our house stocks boxes from Sfoligni Pasta, and I always pick up a box of their Radiators when we're buying meat. No matter how hands-on I like to get, there are just certain shapes that are best to leave to the pros. — Jesse

Dried pasta in various shapes against a pink background.

Serious Eats / Vicky Wasik

I prefer an uncooked sauce on my pizzas, and that means that tomato selection can make or break the whole pie. I really love the Cento San Marzano tomatoes (and they’re a favorite of Kenji’s, too) for how consistently sweet and rich they are. They also have great umami for punching up the depth of a quick tomato sauce for pasta, and I always keep a few cans in the cupboard just in case I want a spaghetti lunch or a spontaneous pizza party pops up on the calendar. — Jesse

I love having some castelvetrano olives around for both cooking (they make a mean tapenade and go great in stewed dishes), as well as for plopping into a vermouth spritz with a wedge of orange. Plus, if you're in a pinch for an app at a party, you can easily marinate them and serve them with some crusty bread. — Grace

Thick, savory, a little sweet, and not too spicy, this chili crisp (which is bolstered by fish sauce) adds a ton of depth to any dish you gob it into. I like to add a scoop to any soup (though it really shines in chicken-based broths, in my opinion) or a dash to a stir-fry for a little extra umami. — Grace

Grace got me this shoyu as a holiday present and it’s incredible. It’s made in Connecticut and uses CT wheat, but sources its koji from Japan. I’ve been using this super-flavorful shoyu in soups, to dip meat into, and more. — Riddley

XO Sauce from Lee Kum Kee! It’s really good to eat with porridge on a cold day or when I’m sick. — Yuansi

I love this seedy salsa macha. It’s excellent on eggs, grain bowls, roasted potatoes and veg, grilled steak, and sandwiches. The company says, “We haven’t found anything salsa macha doesn’t go well with.” I agree. — Riddley

FAQs

What's the best place to buy speciality ingredients online?

A lot of the specialty ingredients we've featured above can be purchased from Amazon. However, we also recommend checking out specialty retailer sites like Gustiamo or Food52. Additionally, sometimes it's best to just shop directly from the retailer (like for coffee or flour).

Why We're the Experts

  • We've been testing equipment for more than ten years.
  • We also have performed dozens of taste tests (and all of our editors have discerning palates due to years spent in the food industry). Some examples include vanilla ice cream, cheddar cheese, and decaf coffee.

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