Aromatic pumpkin seed oil has long been a staple in countries like Austria; we love that Stony Brook makes this domestic version—from upstate New York's Finger Lakes region—using a special Styrian pumpkin seed varietal prized for its excellent nutritional value. It has a pronounced nuttiness and roasted squash flavor, with a subtle sweetness and balance between fruity and vegetal notes—you'll love the extra botanical depth compared to supermarket versions. Use this oil instead of sesame oil to make a variation of our Pan-Roasted Asparagus with Sesame-Lime Dressing; the vegetal notes in Stony Brook's oil pair wonderfully with the grassy asparagus. Or take advantage of the oil's fruity quality and use it instead of sesame oil in our Ginger-Soy Steak with Pear-Cucumber Salad to complement the crisp, refreshing cucumber and pear. You can also swap out the olive oil in our Hot Smoked Salmon Salad with Arugula, Avocado and Pumpkin Seeds for added dimension alongside the pepitas, or dip our Pumpkin Seed Rolls in the oil for extra depth of flavor.

Made from the seeds of wine grapes, this cold-pressed oil has an exceptionally light flavor yet full body. Similar to good olive oil, it has a fine balance of subtle peppery and fruity notes, ideal for enhancing vinaigrettes without leaving a greasy aftertaste. Yet the flavor is subtle enough that it won’t impart flavors to dishes when you want a neutral cooking medium. Arguably one of the best oils with a high smoke point, grapeseed oil is our go-to choice for sautéing, searing and stir-frying. It won’t impart flavors to dishes when cooking, nor will it smell fishy, like overheated canola oil. We also appreciate that company founder and Austrian-born chef Valentin Humer makes a point to package his product in metal bottles so no light gets in, ensuring a more stable product with a longer shelf life. Use Salute Santé's Grapeseed Oil for lighter foods—such as fish or delicate vegetables—that could benefit from a little richness but not the heaviness of fats like butter. It's the perfect oil for recipes such as our Udon Noodles with Shiitake Mushrooms and Spinach. Or try it in our Hazelnut-Crusted Chicken Cutlets with Arugula and Fennel Salad for fried and breaded chicken that is rich but not greasy. We also like to use Salute Santé Grapeseed Oil raw for subtle dimension in salad dressings. Use it in our Apple and Fennel Salad with Candied Pecans to emphasize its peppery and fruity flavors. Or make a chili-infused oil to dress our Smashed Cucumber Salad, which will still taste refreshing and crisp with Salute Santé's light and smooth product.

Clay Oliver only started pressing small-batch oils in 2012 as an attempt to save his century-old family farm in Georgia, which had been struggling since the Great Recession; now, his oils are highly sought after by restaurant chefs throughout the country. Oliver Farm's Sunflower Oil is the producer's premier small-batch culinary oil, cold-pressed from whole seeds grown on the family's sprawling sunflower fields. The oil tastes like pure toasted sunflower seeds, with a full, rich flavor and clear golden hue like the flowers they came from. The seeds have an especially high oleic acid content, which makes the product both healthier and more shelf-stable than other sunflower oils. Its luscious and silky consistency is perfect for using raw as part of a delicately nutty salad dressing or finishing oil, as well as for imparting a toasty quality in cooking. Use Oliver Farm Sunflower Oil in place of extra-virgin olive oil for more interesting, flavorful vinaigrettes; we especially like the oil's toasty quality in salads with nuts and seeds. Swap it for the olive oil in our Lentil Salad with Gorgonzola to complement the salad’s crunchy toasted walnuts, or use it to layer flavor in Hot Smoked Salmon Salad with Arugula, Avocado and Pumpkin Seeds. Sunflower oil also forms the base in fragrant, herb-infused Piri Piri Oil, a spicy condiment that's offered on nearly every restaurant table in Portugal. On the sweet side, use Oliver Farm's product to boost the aroma of our Sesame Oat Crumble, which also features nutty pumpkin seeds and earthy tahini. Its nutty flavor adds lushness to oatmeal (especially paired with dried fruits and nuts) or homemade granola. Or simply use it to flavor popcorn.

We are obsessed with the bold flavor of Art of Pecan's Pure Pecan Oil, which retains all of its nutty aroma and tastes like fresh pecans in liquid form: buttery and sweet up front, with a subtle pleasant bitterness toward the finish to balance the richness of the oil. this limited-production product is made from native Texas pecans that have a more intense flavor and natural sweetness than other varieties. Light-bodied with a clean—not cloying—finish, this oil is ideal as a finishing touch on all kinds of dishes. While Pure Pecan Oil has a higher smoke point than peanut and soybean oil for cooking, we recommend you use it raw to fully appreciate its flavor.

Most people will not get closer to tasting the depth and complexity of fresh peanuts than this small-batch peanut oil, which is cold-pressed at the same Georgia farm where the peanuts are grown. Clay Oliver only started pressing oils in 2012 as an attempt to save his century-old family farm in Georgia, which had been struggling since the Great Recession; now, his oils are highly sought after by restaurant chefs throughout the country. Raw green runner peanuts—which are extremely perishable—are pulled from the ground and immediately taken to on-site presses, where they are turned into a vibrant oil unlike any we've ever tasted. The peanuts are pressed under careful supervision so they don't overheat, which would destroy all their delicate flavor compounds. The final oil is complex and fragrant, with a crisp, almost vegetal note on top of the buttery quality you'd expect. It's wonderfully flavorful when raw but not too assertive to use for cooking; rather than overwhelm your dish with peanut flavor, it provides a subtle richness and will enhance any recipe containing nuts. Though conventional peanut oil is often used as a neutral oil for deep-frying, we like using Oliver Farm's bold unfiltered version as a raw ingredient for its bold flavor—and find that it's best in recipes that showcase its complexity and unique fresh quality. Its vegetal notes make it a perfect alternative to extra-virgin olive oil for lighter herb pestos; pair it with the slivered almonds in Trapanese Pesto. The peanut oil also adds lushness and depth to fried rice or noodle dishes such as our nearly instant Chinese Chili and Scallion Noodles. Or try it in Indonesian Fried Tofu Salad (Rujak) and our Asian-inspired Chicken Cutlets with Garlic, Chilies and Peanuts, both of which use roasted peanuts for a full range of flavor. Similarly, you can fry Turmeric Fish with Wilted Herbs and Peanuts in the oil for added aroma.

Yandilla Mustard Seed Oil, the only food-grade mustard seed oil in the United States, provides a wasabi-like kick and a big punch of flavor to dishes, either cooked or raw. We like that this mustard oil isn’t overly cloying but rather balanced out by the spicy flavors, and the company processes the oil through fine micron cloth filters, resulting in a wonderfully silky texture. Because of its high smoke point, mustard oil is an ideal cooking medium for added piquancy; heating the oil mellows out some of its pungency, providing a mild but peppery kick that subsides to a lingering warmth.