Aldo Armato Sun-Dried Tomatoes
The Armato family has been producing fine Italian products, from olive oil and condiments to preserved vegetables and pastas, at their mill in Liguria, Italy, for five generations. If you have these in your pantry, then you will have the finest tomatoes of Liguria all year-round. The Armato sun-dried tomatoes are juicy and sizeable, dried first to express their sweet and compelling flavor before they are bathed in buttery Ligurian olive oil. The tomatoes are picked at the peak of ripeness and preserved in golden extra virgin olive oil pulled from fruity Taggiasca olives. Chop or leave whole to use as a topping for focaccia, mixed into pasta, added to sandwiches, blended in pesto, turned into aioli, stirred into ricotta or incorporated into eggs and omelets. And don’t forget to use the oil they are packed in—infused with the sweet, mildly acidic and salty flavor of the tomatoes, it’s perfect for a vinaigrette or for dipping bread.
The Toffee Merchant Classic Dark Toffee
The best toffee we’ve tried comes from The Toffee Merchant, a small-batch, award-winning confectioner in Arizona that produces tender, crunchy toffee that won’t break a tooth. Unlike any other toffee we’ve tried, this thick slab breaks easily into flaky pieces. Cooked slowly and using the highest quality ingredients, their Classic Dark Toffee is just the basics—done right. It balances sweet yet dark caramel notes with a buttery mixture of almonds and pecans and rich, dark chocolate. Don’t be surprised if you go through a bag in a day. This stuff is that addictive.
Fat Gold Blue California Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Winner of a 2024 Good Food Award, mild and buttery, this batch of California-grown olive oil is a true team player. Made from extra-delicate, early harvest arbequina and picual olives, it’s perfect for cooking and baking projects that require olive oil flavor in a supporting role. Grown and harvested in some of the best groves in northern California, the olives in this 2022 batch of oil offer tasting notes of fresh cream, dried flowers, walnut and ripe apple, for a fragrant, fruity, mellow blend with no pronounced pepperiness or spice. The bright green oil is made for everyday use as a cooking oil and a finisher; try it for sautéing produce, frying eggs, tossing with a salad or drizzling on pasta and finished dishes.
Nihonichi Premium Tamari
Tamari, the liquid byproduct that results from pressing miso, is so much more than gluten-free soy sauce (a common misconception among American cooks). This premium tamari from Nihonichi is darker, richer and less salty in flavor than the soy sauce in your cabinet, adding layers of umami and a sweet finish—reminiscent of miso—with just a splash. It’s produced in Japan by a revered shoyu manufacturer that traces its roots back to the 1700s. And unlike grocery store brands that may muddy and darken the flavors of your dish, this tamari, naturally brewed in wooden vats, is deeply flavorful and pourable, perfect to add to just about any dish.
Fundodai Irizake- Ancient Japanese Seasoning
Translating to “roast sake,” Fundodai’s Irizake is the special Japanese seasoning that you’ve probably never heard of. And we truly believe it will change the way you cook. An ancient Japanese seasoning that predates soy sauce, it’s made by combining bonito flakes and plum vinegar with sake for a less salty condiment that can be used in a wide variety of dishes. Fundodai’s Irizake has a savory-sweet depth from the concentrated sake, along with smoky, fishy sweet notes from the katsubushi, plus a tart, savory, fruity plum flavor that cuts through and lingers on your palate. It can serve the role of soy sauce but sets itself apart thanks to the complexity of the blended flavors. Mix it into sauces, vinaigrettes and marinades; use as a seasoning for rice; as a dipping sauce for shabu shabu or sashimi; as a brine for salmon and so much more. It pairs especially well with roasted vegetables, like summer squash or charred cabbage.
Fundodai Liquid Miso Dashi
Restaurant-quality miso soup at home just got easier—no need to spend days making your own dashi or using an instant version with little flavor. Enter Fundodai’s Liquid Miso Dashi, made from a duo of powerhouse Japanese ingredients. It’s crafted in Japan from a miso made of rice and barley paste, incorporated with a rich dashi containing bonito, scallops, sardines and kombu. The dashi’s unique blend of seafood gives it far more flavor and complexity than a typical dashi, while the combination of rice and barley makes for an equally flavorful miso. With a well-balanced salt level, the toasty, nutty miso pairs well with the umami notes from the dashi, dissolving easily into broths, sauces, marinades and more. Use it to add slow-cooked depth to soups and stews in minutes, as a marinade on its own, mixed into sauces, tossed into noodles, as the base for a stir-fry and so much more.
Kimchi Toasted Sesame Seeds - (Set of 2)
Adding a punch of flavor and texture, these toasted Japanese sesame seeds are the definition of “good things come in small packages.” Available in a set of two, this Kimchi-flavored crunchy topping far surpasses your standard sesame seed. Tangy, garlicky and sweet, it pairs well with the warm, gentle nuttiness of sesame. Add them just about anywhere, from sauces and oils to stir-fries, salads, noodles, veggies and meat. You may even find yourself popping a handful on their own—we certainly have.
Aldo Armato Carciofini Artichokes in Olive Oil
The Armato family has been producing fine Italian products, from olive oil and condiments to preserved vegetables and pastas, at their mill in Liguria, Italy, for five generations. Their artichokes are silky, rich and tender, lacking the astringent, acidic and sometimes metallic flavor that canned artichokes have. They are packed in fruity, high-quality olive oil, also made by the Armato family, which gives the artichokes a lovely, smooth texture. Enjoy them on their own, or add to an antipasto board, mix into pasta and salads, or use as a pizza topping. And any leftover olive oil works well for cooking and finishing.
Milk Street Flavor Jolt
Spending hours to roast a chicken just for it to turn out bland? One-note steamed veggies? Expensive steak that's only good, not great?
There is a simple solution, one that many home cooks around the world already use every day: umami. That deep, savory flavor that leaves you coming back for more, umami is typically the JOLT you need to transform a dish from mediocre into magnificent.
On our travels, we have found that many cultures use a simple flavor-enhancer (MSG, Maggi Seasoning, kombu, shio koji, etc.) everyday to bring out the full flavor of other ingredients. Over the past year, Milk Street has tested and refined those options to come up with Milk Street Flavor Jolt , a combination of umami-rich spices, flavorings and concentrated seasonings—sourced from Europe to India and Japan—combined into a convenient one-stop flavor enhancer that will coax the best out of every meal.
The secret formula turned out to be more complex than we thought: Dried vegetables (tomato and carrots), umami-packed mushroom powder and alliums like garlic and onion make up the base of this mix, contributing a delicate sweetness that underpins the blend. Red miso powder brings a bit of assertive saltiness while earthy turmeric, mustard and paprika warm up the mix. Not to be forgotten, our secret weapons for extra depth: shio koji powder and asafetida. Both known for imparting rich, pleasant funkiness, the two flavorings round out the mixture. We tweaked flavors and salt ratios until we finally developed a seasoning blend that elevates and amplifies the distinct flavor of anything you put it on. Beef is richer, carrots sweeter and brighter.
Dust it over finished dishes for a flavor boost or blend with salt to season vegetables and rub steaks, chops, roasts and whole birds. It's terrific when used on its own and adds extra dimension to curry blends and chili powders.
Hanamaruki Foods Liquid Shio Koji
A traditional condiment made from fermented malted rice, shio koji is known in Japan for packing a punch of umami into everything from marinated meats to savory soups. All shio kojis aren’t created equal, though, for Hanamaruki Foods distills the powerful flavor properties of this essential Japanese ingredient into an easy-to-use liquid form—the only Liquid Shio Koji available on the market—to create the ultimate pantry secret weapon. We love the condiment’s clean, yet bold flavor: salty rounded out with a pronounced sweetness and burst of umami. It’s made by pressing shio koji in its original paste form and filtering until it yields the clear, golden-hued liquid. The product isn’t heat-treated, so its enzymes remain active and effective in rendering meat remarkably moist and juicy, balancing bitterness in veggies like eggplant and adding amino acids for a full-flavored finish to any dish to truly change the way you cook. Use as a marinade for meats and fish, drizzle into salad dressings and sauces to balance savory flavors, or incorporate into baked goods to add a layer of tantalizing complexity.
Enokida Jozo Yuzu Miso
Saucy and full of punchy yuzu flavor, Enokida Jouzo's Yuzu Miso is a lovely twist on a typical umami-packed miso. With a texture perfect for spreading or glazing, this slightly sweet miso is made from rice malt and yuzu, a tart citrus fruit grown in Japan. Add this citrusy flavor bomb on top of rice, mixed into noodles, on vegetables, fish, chicken, meat and more. Based in the Gunma Prefecture at the foot of Mt. Akagi in Maebashi City, a place known for its fermented foods, the company has been in business for over 100 years.
Gulf of Maine Conservas Wild Bluefin Tuna
Widely considered the “king of fish,” bluefin tuna is such a delicacy it’s typically reserved for sushi and sashimi—until now. Sustainably line-caught one fish at a time on the Gulf of Maine, this canned wild bluefin tuna is far from your everyday grocery store brand. Darker in color and hand-packed in large, flaky pieces with extra virgin olive oil, this delicate tuna is rich, meaty and buttery. Moist and full of savory, natural flavor that isn’t overly fishy or dry like other brands, Gulf of Maine Conserva’s canned tuna is so good, it doesn’t need any sauces or ingredients. Add it to toasts, crackers, salads and pastas plain, or dress it up with a splash of vinegar or lemon juice, herbs, alliums and something briny. Or, add it to any of your favorite classic tuna dishes.
Haeoorim Jeju Korean Fish Sauce
For those put off by the typical pungency of fish sauce, Haeeorim’s Jeju Korean Fish Sauce—a milder, less funky take on the classic staple—may be just the thing. Caught in the waters off of Korea’s Jeju Island by local fisherman, a combination of young and horse mackerel marinate in salt crystals from Jeju before being expertly sealed in traditional Onggi (Korean earthenware pots) for more than a year. After the initial fermentation, a mixture of locally-grown daikon radish, sea kelp from Wando and local mandarin orange are added to the Onggi to add interesting notes of flavor, complexity and a bit of sweetness. After another period of aging and ripening, the resulting sauce is clean without the funk of typical fish sauce— thanks to milder mackerel, a less pungent option than the anchovies typically used for fish sauce, and longer fermenting—yet still full of meaty fish flavor. With a little more sweetness and a lighter touch of salt than most other brands, this fish sauce lends itself beautifully to a variety of dishes, from noodles and vegetables to sauces and marinades.
Shibanuma Yakiniku BBQ Sauce
Translating to “grilled meat” in Japanese, yakiniku is a social style of cooking and eating around a communal grill. Popular throughout Japan, family and friends gather around a tabletop grill to cook meat, vegetables and fish together before dipping them into a several kinds of yakiniku sauces. Shibanuma’s Yakiniku BBQ Sauce is inspired by this concept. Crafted by a 330-year-old esteemed Japanese soy sauce maker, it is no surprise that the first ingredient in this sauce is an umami-rich soy sauce, which is brewed and aged in wooden barrels. The soy is then combined with onion, fruity apple and zingy sansho pepper—a fragrant and floral Japanese peppercorn—to cut through the richness and balance out the flavors. The result? A complex grilling sauce that works just as well as a marinade as it does drizzled over rice.
The Toffee Merchant Salted Espresso Toffee
The best toffee we’ve tried comes from The Toffee Merchant, a small-batch, award-winning confectioner in Arizona that produces tender, crunchy toffee that won’t break a tooth. Unlike any other toffee we’ve tried, this thick slab breaks easily into flaky pieces. Cooked slowly and using the highest quality ingredients, their Salted Espresso Toffee packs a punch of coffee flavor into the sweet dark chocolate. Caramel complements buttery pecans and almonds, but just the right amount of espresso powder and a pinch of salt add surprising depth. Don’t be surprised if you go through a bag in a day. This stuff is that addictive.
Hot Pot Queen Wild Mushroom Chunky Chili Sauce
Hot Pot Queen’s Wild Mushroom Chili Sauce is a málà powerhouse hailing from the Chinese mountains of Yunnan. Unlike your run-of-the-mill chili oil or crisp, this spicy, robust topping of thick, chewy mushroom swimming in flavorful oil stands out with its hearty texture. Crafted from a blend of shiitake and wild Boletus mushrooms, sourced from prime foraging spots in Yunnan, this sauce offers a slightly sweet undertone from fermented soybeans, earthy notes from multiple mushroom varieties and toasty hints of sesame. It's the quintessential málà “hot pot” experience without overwhelming heat, adding depth to noodles, rice, fish, roasted vegetables, dumplings and fried eggs with its umami burst. Or try it to enrich soups, stews and stir-fries. It even works mixed into a bowl of hot water to create a sensational soup base.
Koy Pantry Antep Pistachio Butter
There are only two ingredients in Koy Pantry’s Pistachio Butter, but this textured nut spread is packed with intense flavor. Unlike other nut butters on the market that are dense and artificial-tasting, Koy Pantry’s rendition tastes only of pure pistachios, nothing else. Made from Antep pistachios, a Türkiye-grown nut renowned for its vibrant green color and creamy, buttery flavor, it’s sweet, nutty and bright—and perfectly spreadable, with a consistency similar to almond butter. All pistachios are carefully sourced and selected from local Turkish farms, then air-dried, cracked and ground with a bit of sugar for a flavorful—not cloying—result. Slather it on toast, cakes, cookies and pastries, whip into frosting, fold into batters or ice cream base, blend into a smoothie, stir into yogurt or eat it straight off the spoon. The possibilities are endless.
Il Colle Del Gusto Sicilian Pistachio Spread
Made from Sicilian pistachios and extra-virgin olive oil, Pistacchiosa is a creamy, aromatic spread you will want to put on all your desserts and, yes, eat straight out of the jar.
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