Soom Premium Tahini
Many supermarket tahinis are over-roasted, which gives them an unpleasant, bitter flavor. They are also too thick and hard to stir into a creamy blend. Soom's tahini has a full, nutty flavor as well as a pourable and well-balanced texture, made from roasted and pressed premium white sesame seeds that have an ideal oil-to-protein ratio.
Vain Vanilla Original Baker's Blend Pure Vanilla Extract
This small-batch vanilla extract from Kansas-based Vain Vanilla is prepared completely by hand using only the best ingredients. The Original Baker's Blend is made with top-shelf rum that emphasizes vanilla's sweet characteristics and adds its own cane-sugar dimension. We especially love that Vain Vanilla leaves its vanilla pods in the bottle, which has two benefits. First, over time the extract will continue to deepen in color and become more complex as the pods release more flavor compounds. Second, when you're done with the vanilla extract, you can still slice open the pods and use the beans themselves in your desserts.
Burlap & Barrel Royal Cinnamon
Also known as Saigon cinnamon, Royal Cinnamon is a hard-to-find heirloom variety that comes from the mountains of central Vietnam. Our recipe developers agreed it was the sweetest and brightest cinnamon we have ever tasted, with an aroma you can smell from across the room. It's clean-flavored and boldly spicy-sweet, yet with a delicate quality. To fully appreciate its flavor, we recommend trying Royal Cinnamon first in simple applications.
Burlap & Barrel Tanzanian Ground Cinnamon Verum
This single-origin Ground Cinnamon Verum from the Zanzibar islands is Ceylon cinnamon, also known as true cinnamon for its superior quality, delicate flavor and health benefits. We love how the aroma is noticeably sweeter and more floral than conventional cassia cinnamon—this product is also fresher than other brands we've tasted, so you can fully appreciate its unique characteristics.
Masienda Blue Masa Harina
This finely ground, masa blue (corn) flour yields a more intense corn flavor than others we’ve tried, which truly sets it apart from lesser brands. It’s earthy and slightly sweet, with a bit more of a robust nuttiness than its white corn counterpart. Originally established to assist restaurants in creating their own in-house masa production programs, Masienda developed their sourcing and production methods with professional chefs in mind, so you know their focus is on flavor over just volume and speed. The primary purpose of masa is to make homemade tortillas and Masienda makes it easy—simply add warm water and mix for the perfect tortilla dough, no grinding or mortar and pestle necessary. When cooked, the tortillas will be pliable with a pleasant chew and, of course, packed with traditional corn flavor.
Heilala Vanilla Paste
A favorite at Milk Street, this vanilla paste has deep, concentrated vanilla flavor. Made from vine-ripened Madagascar bourbon vanilla beans grown in the tropical South Pacific, Heilala’s paste is a combination of three-month cold-extracted vanilla extract mixed with vanilla bean seeds. Every bean used in Heilala’s production is hand-picked by farmers in Tonga. It works beautifully as an easy-to-use alternative to vanilla beans with stronger, more pure flavor than extract—one teaspoon is equivalent to one bean, without the waste or mess of attempting to scrape out seeds. Beyond superlative vanilla flavor, this paste has a sweet floral aroma, fruity and warm spiced notes and dark vanilla seeds, which add a beautiful speckle to baked goods and desserts.
Masienda White Masa Harina
This finely ground, masa (corn) flour yields a more intense corn flavor than others we’ve tried, which truly sets it apart from lesser brands. It’s earthy and slightly sweet. Originally established to assist restaurants in creating their own in-house masa production programs, Masienda developed their sourcing and production methods with professional chefs in mind, so you know their focus is on flavor over just volume and speed. The primary purpose of masa is to make homemade tortillas and Masienda makes it easy—simply add warm water and mix for the perfect tortilla dough, no grinding or mortar and pestle necessary. When cooked, the tortillas will be pliable with a pleasant chew and, of course, packed with traditional corn flavor.
Mymouné Orange Blossom Water
The secret to so much cooking rests on ingredients such as rose water and orange blossom water. Use them in rice pudding, cheesecake, poaching syrups or in just about anything. The rose water actually tastes like rose water; it is not as perfumey as the supermarket stuff. Same goes for the orange blossom water, which has a natural, rather than a chemical, flavor.
Burlap & Barrel Buffalo Ginger
This heirloom Buffalo Ginger from the mountains of northern Vietnam has an intense vibrancy and a spicy-sweet aroma like gingerbread. Compared to store-bought versions, it's much more nuanced in flavor, with earthy and floral notes and a cleaner taste overall.
Mymouné Lemon Peel In Sugar
One of our go-to baking tricks is using crystallized fruit in our baking. This lemon peel is bright and citrusy, and we love the pop it adds to bites of dessert. Dice it and use it as an addition to apple pies, muffins, cookies and in cakes and or add in strips while poaching summer fruits. This lemon peel works in more savory dishes too, and I use it in my skillet cornbread recipe, in biscuits, and to flavor sugar (throw sugar and a couple of peels in a food processor to make lemon sugar), which can then be used to infuse your baking throughout.
Embe Organic Coconut Milk Powder
We’ve been searching for years for a powdered coconut milk that works as an easy, shelf-stable swap for the canned stuff, and we’ve finally found it. Sourced from organic processors in the Philippines, embē’s Coconut Milk Powder has changed the way we cook: Raw, unsweetened and organic, this powder can be subbed 1:1 in the place of canned coconut milk—simply mix with water and use only what you need (no more half-used cans languishing in the back of the fridge). It has a mild, creamy fresh coconut flavor with zero chalkiness; it’s just as good, if not better, than canned coconut milk or cream. Try it in smoothies, curries, soups, shakes, dessert or even as a creamer replacement in coffee for a rich, coconutty boost. Bonus: It comes in a resealable bag for easy use and storage. Naturally dairy-free, gluten-free and soy-free.
Nouka Black Sesame Paste
Deeply aromatic and rich with toasty undertones, this sesame condiment can be used in both sweet and savory applications. It’s the Japanese answer to Middle Eastern tahini, with a more pleasant touch of bitterness than white sesame seeds to balance the rich nutty flavor and natural sweetness. This one is perfect for everyday use—elevated, but not too pricey—and also has a thinner, more spreadable, drizzle-able and versatile texture than some other black sesame pastes we’ve tried. It is ideal for adding a little earthy depth to dishes. Many Asian cultures use black sesame for desserts, with good reason—its slight bitterness cuts through rich dairy and balances bitter with sweet like no other. If you’re using in place of tahini, note black sesame paste will offer a more roasted flavor.
