Favorite condiment

[SobaAddict70]

What's your favorite spice/herb/salsa/sauce/dressing/oil/prepared bottled sauce/flavoring agent that you automatically reach for, if you're in a pinch?

Is it homemade or jarred or bottled?

Fresh and natural or artificial and full of fake flavors (but good)?

Mrs. Dash or Emeril's Essence?

Newman's Own or Wishbone dressing?

Sesame, peanut, grapeseed or EVOO?

Mirin or balsamic vinegar?

What are your spending habits when it comes to condiments? Do you make your own in preference to commercially made or store produced ones?

Would you consider a giftbasket of sauces and oils for a Christmas gift to someone?

Discuss.

Soba

[hjshorter]

Always on hand:

flat leaf parsley & cilantro

sriracha

chile-garlic paste

fish sauce

soy sauce

Frontera bottled salsa

several mustards

Duke's Mayonnnaise

several varieties of olives

cornichons

[Suzanne F]

What's your favorite spice/herb/salsa/sauce/dressing/oil/prepared bottled sauce/flavoring agent that you automatically reach for, if you're in a pinch? Fish Sauce, it adds that indefinable je ne sais quoi (not to mention salt)

Is it homemade or jarred or bottled? Whaddyu, crazy?

Fresh and natural or artificial and full of fake flavors (but good)? Artificial can't be good; not since Wishbone discontinued Green Goddess

Mrs. Dash or Emeril's Essence? Sorry, we haven't been introduced

Newman's Own or Wishbone dressing? Depends on which I have a coupon for; but only use it as a marinade

Sesame, peanut, grapeseed or EVOO? There are no absolutes in cooking. (I figure Plotnicki won't read this thread.)

Mirin or balsamic vinegar? See immediately above

What are your spending habits when it comes to condiments? Do you make your own in preference to commercially made or store produced ones? I make my own salsa verde -- both Mexican and Italian; almost everything else I buy. I am not ashamed of that: what fun would life be without 20 bottles of hot sauce, 5 nationalities of chili paste, 3 mustards, 5 vinegars, and multiple olives, pickles, etc. ?

Would you consider a giftbasket of sauces and oils for a Christmas gift to someone? I don't know anyone else that intimately -- not even He Who Only Eats

[Ron Johnson]

Bought: Herdez, Sambal Olec, Sriracha, Dukes Mayo, Dijon Mustard, Fish Sauce,

Made: Compound butters, chimichurri, Henry Bains Sauce, Gremolata, Vinagrettes, salsa

Oils: Peanut for frying, Sesame for Asian, EVOO for eveything else.

I would say that my "go to" condiment in a pinch is either sambal olec or dijon mustard.

[jeniac42]

I'm addicted to sauces and condiments so I really can't even begin to answer this question in the office. When I get home I can evaluate the fridge contents... maybe.

As far as a gift basket of sauces/oils, I would certainly do that. Many of my friends don't cook, or don't cook much, and a lot of that is because of a perception that it's difficult to create tasty foods at home. I find if you have a few tasty sauces or oils around, it makes it a lot easier to get dinner on the table, and it might be encouraging that way. Of course, that's probably exactly what the makers of all the bottled sauces and marinades think, huh?

[bilrus]

I'll follow Ron's format (and steal some of his choices - It looked easier that way.

Bought - Cholula (sp?) Hot Sauce, Fish Sauce

Homemade - Carolina and or Memphis BBQ Sauce, Cimichurri (I make mine with some ginger in it), salad dressings

And when I think of Condiments the first two that come to mind are Heinz Ketchup and Hellman's Mayonnaise - two items that I always have in the 'fridge and replenish as soon as they get low.

[torakris]

I buy condiments to make sauces!

condiments in the house currently?

soy sauce (in cluding soy based tsuyu, ponzu,etc) about 7 or 8

miso currently only about 6 (including Korean and Chinese types)

hot sauces 5 or so (tabasco to sriracha and more inbetween)

mustards, vinegars, and olives all in the 5 range, also capers, anchovies, sundried tomatoes, and various pickled peppers

oils 5 types of EVOO alone and about 6 or 7 others inclusing duck fat and ghee and good old crisco

then of course things like ketchup. worschestire (sp?), molasses (3 types), maple syrup, mayo (Japanese and American), jams (about 4) and various Asian sauces (oyster sauce, sweet chilli sauce, etc)

I almost never buy any prepared sauces or dressing, with all this stuff in the house who needs to!

A gift basket would depend on who I was giving it to, becasue everyone's tastes are different.

[rstarobi]

I'm a big fan of Gulden's mustard and the el cheapo "Balsamic" vinegar that you can get in supermarkets in the New York area.

[nerissa]

tamarind, red chile pickle, dijon mustard

I would drink EEVO if I could. Cook with sesame oil for some asian dishes. Canola oil for frying.

What do I go for in a pinch? Fresh herbs or curry leaves. We always have those in the frig or growing in a pot (not the latter ).

[hjshorter]

almost everything else I buy.  I am not ashamed of that: what fun would life be without 20 bottles of hot sauce, 5 nationalities of chili paste, 3 mustards, 5 vinegars, and multiple olives, pickles, etc. ?

Your refrigerator must look like mine. My brother calls it the "condiment graveyard."

[tommy]

vinegar

sriracha

[scamhi]

On the door of my refrigerator lives....

ponzu, soy, steak and worcestershire from lea and perrins

horseradish (white), Sriracha, nam pla, vietnamese dipping sauce (basically fish sauce sugar and chilis), Corkies BBQ sauce, hoisin, tankatsu.

On shelves of refrig...Hellmans 1/2 the fat mayo

Heinz ketchup, Heinz chili sauce and Hellmans tarter sauce...boy that's getting old.

[nerissa]

Do y'all keep your vinegars in the frig? All of my mirins, vinegars, oils are kept on the shelf or with the alcohol (cool and dark).

Oh, by the way, balsamic, all the way. Though lately, I have been experimenting with sherry vinegar.

[torakris]

Do y'all keep your vinegars in the frig? All of my mirins, vinegars, oils are kept on the shelf or with the alcohol (cool and dark).

Oh, by the way, balsamic, all the way. Though lately, I have been experimenting with sherry vinegar.

vinegars,oils, soys etc are not kept in the refrigerator for me.

I too am a balsamic freak recently branching out in sherry vinegar!

How could I have forgotten my horseradish (both the white stuff and the wasabi) and my monster bottle of nampla!

[=Mark]

Hoboken Eddies Mean Green Hotsauce.

Roasted Jalapeno, lime and spices!

[pete ganz]

I have a bottle of Mean Green in the fridge too, along with their regular hot sauce (good on eggs).

[Peter B Wolf]

Bought: "Maggi" in the bottle

Herbs: Kraeuter der Provence (not the 'French' but from the German Packer "Fuchs")

Homemade Tomato and Apple Chutney

Candied Ginger and its syrup added to 'Allen's Ginger Brandy', shaken not stirred once a week, served ice-cold in Chocolate Cups

[Jinmyo]

Single essential favourite: shoyu.

Then of course gojuchang, ngoc mam, siracha, etc etc.

I buy those bottled. All other sauces such as tonkatsu, mayo etc I make.

[smallworld]

Stupid questions: What are Cimichurri and EVOO?

I was also going to ask what sriracha is, but then I went and looked in my fridge and there it was. I've always just called it 'rooster sauce'! (By the way, Torakris, did you buy yours in Japan? I've never seen it here.)

It would take too long to list everything, but my favourites are sriracha, chili-garlic sauce, tobanjan (that's the Japanese name for this Chinese chili paste- anyone know the 'real' name?), sesame paste, sesame seeds, black beans, dried shrimp, yuzu pepper paste, shichimi, ponzu, black vinegar, Chinese cooking wine, sake, soy sauce, mirin, sesame oil.

[maggiethecat]

I too have forty bottles of condiments cramming the racks of the Kenmore.

But always: Moutarde. And mayo. Hellmans or TJs.

[tommy]

Stupid questions: What are Cimichurri and EVOO?

extra virgin olive oil, and a sauce made primary of olive oil, parlsey, and garlic. popular in south america (argentina). not in that order.

Edited March 27, 2003 by tommy (log)

[indiagirl]

favorite condiment - it has taken me hours of soul searching to get to this:

pepper - black, green, fresh peppercorns in brine, ground, crushed .....even pink

having said that, i am traumatized, all those hundreds of bottles and jars of spices, sauces, dried chillies, pickles are staring at me, looking betrayed .....ah, the guilt.

[torakris]

Stupid questions: What are Cimichurri and EVOO?

I was also going to ask what sriracha is, but then I went and looked in my fridge and there it was. I've always just called it 'rooster sauce'! (By the way, Torakris, did you buy yours in Japan? I've never seen it here.)

It would take too long to list everything, but my favourites are sriracha, chili-garlic sauce, tobanjan (that's the Japanese name for this Chinese chili paste- anyone know the 'real' name?), sesame paste, sesame seeds, black beans, dried shrimp, yuzu pepper paste, shichimi, ponzu, black vinegar, Chinese cooking wine, sake, soy sauce, mirin, sesame oil.

smallworld,

No I didn't get it here in Japan, I picked it up on my trip to the States.

my friend and I have looked everywhere and have yet to locate it.

Sriracha is probably my favorite of the moment (that and pickled jalapenos) they go on everything (almost) that I eat!

[Pan]

My all-purpose hot sauce is the kind of Sambal Oelek that doesn't have belacan/terasi (shrimp paste) in it. It's just a hot, fiery red pepper sauce. I use a little at a time but should remember to get more soon, as I'm running out.

Edited March 27, 2003 by Pan (log)

[Elissa]

This evening I attempted an anchoiade. It started with just anchovies (the salted Italians, soaked in H2O then cleaned and fileted) mashed with thinly sliced garlic. Then I added some olives, splashes of lemon and evoo. Became more of a tapenade. Made a fine dinner with a bit of cheese and a glass of wine.

Though prefer freshly whisked vinagrettes for salad, I do have a weak spot for Cardini's Caesar dressing and keep one on hand.

Never tire of fresh pestos in the summer with basil, mint, cilantro, parsley.

Adore Madhur Jaffrey's Lal chutney: red pepper, mint and almonds.