"I could do a commercial for this stuff"

"I could do a commercial for this stuff"

I often declare my love for a particular product in this manner. My love and admiration for the product in question is so pure that I feel that I can speak to millions of strangers and declare a genuine love for something.

What are the products in your kitchen that you could "do a commercial for" (and why are they so special)? These are the products that you love, that are always in your kitchen, you never get sick of, and that when you run out you feel the need to pick up more.

I'm not talking about produce or meats. I'm talking about products that have printed labels and real product names. Also, I'm not talking about common staples like iodized salt, AP flour, C&H sugar, or Land O' Lakes butter. Give us something that I'd find in your kitchen that might not be in your neighbor's.

Here's mine:

Trader Joe's Almond Butter: This stuff is terrific for so many reasons. It's delicious, it works in many different situations, it's healthy, and it has one ingredient (dry roasted almonds). One of my favorite things about TJ's is their selection of quality nut butters. The almond butter is always in our fridge.

Grey Poupon Dijon Mustard: I have a variety of mustards, but I always need to have a jar of good ol' GP for quick salad dressings, sauces, or just a simple sandwich. Tasty, good quality, versatile, and available at any grocery store in the country.

King Oscar Sardines in Olive Oil: I grew up eating these same sardines at every Sunday family breakfast. I've tried other brands but I always come back to the King. I don't eat them much more often than once a month or so, but I always replace the can when it's empty. The pantry feels incomplete without it. They're consistently good and make a great sandwich with a little farmer's cheese and raw onion.

Best,
Michael

Gedney's State Fair Baby Baby Dills These are very crunchy little dill pickles (on average, they're the size of a small person's little finger), which, by itself, would make me like them more than I like most other pickles. But in addition, they're beautifully seasoned -- each jar contains a large quantity of chopped garlic and some stalks of dill -- in short, they're the best pickles I've ever gotten from a store. Their creator apparently won the State Fair with her recipe, and boy did she deserve that ribbon.
So far as I know, only Treasure Island carries them. [/b]

They are available at:

http://www.gedneypickle.com/products.htm

Bea's Ho-Made "Hot" Garlic Dill Pickles. I don't know if Bea has a room full of sex workers making these pickles or not, but they combine a great tasting kosher dill pickle along with a nice shot of heat. This one-two punch make them my pickles of choice and I often find myself making a trip North of the border just to restock. They are made in Door County (Ellison Bay), but can be purchased at quite a few shops in Wisconsin including Brass Ball, Bobby Nelson's (Mit or Mitout) and a few other places that I have found.

Bea's Ho-Make "Hot" Garlic Dill Pickles

La Preferida Red Jalapeno Salsa. So tangy, so hot. I pour a small amount straight onto El Ranchero chips. Perfect snack, and so hot I don't eat too much.


(The rightmost bottle)

Couldn't find a picture of El Ranchero chips. They're the ones in the green bag proudly proclaiming "With Salt"

MJ

Interesting thread! Here's three things that my 'fridge is NEVER bereft of:


Valentina Salsa Piquante I've tried a zillion Mexican sauces, this is the one I always come back to, instantly: just hot enough, very rich flavor, goes with absolutely everything.

Chinkiang Vinegar Pretty much can't cook Chinese without this wonderful stuff: black, tangy, an essential in dumpling dips.

Mae Ploy Sweet Chilli Sauce Roast chicken, left-over bbq, piggy of all sorts, this wonderful blend of hot and sweet and fruity is crucial to a whole range of eats.



Geo

Geo wrote:Pretty much can't cook Chinese without this wonderful stuff: black, tangy, an essential in dumpling dips.

Nice one. I forgot that I always have a bottle of Chinese black vinegar on hand. But, I'm not exactly brand-loyal. (Even though this is the brand I buy most often, out of convenience).

Best,
Michael

Maldon Salt. I've been known to eat it straight. It's a finishing salt and would be wasted thrown into a soup (though I've done so when feeling lazy and it was nearer to me than the kosher).





and

Vilux Sherry Vinegar. It's not the fanciest or most expensive sherry vinegar, but I first tried it about seven years ago and always have a bottle in my cupboard ever since. It's my favorite complement to bread and tomatoes, to use in salad dressing, etc. It's not too strongly flavored or thick, but still has plenty of character. I have many other vinegars in my kitchen, but this is the one bottle I pine for when I run out.



Kristen

Kristin,

Maldon, maze-wee as some up here say! :^)

I'm interested in trying the Vilux, but I don't believe I've ever seen it, either in KC or here in Montreal. Where do you get it?

Geo

These wild yeast cultures come in packages with real printed product names from http://www.sourdo.com and take up a big chunk of my fridge, but the right, fresh, quality bread is one of the best ingredients in a good meal. I could easily do a commercial for these amazing cultures:



Camaldoli is from Naples and makes the best tasting most fragrant pizzas

Ischia is from a 200 year old bakery on the Isle of Ischia near Naples. I use it for all kinds Italian breads.

French is from a 150 year old bakery outside Paris. I use it for sweet baguettes, bagels, etc.

Austrian is from a 200 year old bakery in Innsbruck. Makes great sour rye breads

Russian is from Palekh, 200 miles northeast of Moscow. It is powerful and is great for heavy whole grain breads.

All these cultures are very durable and can sit unused for months without feeding. These are the greatest treasures in my kitchen.

Bill/SFNM

Geo wrote:I'm interested in trying the Vilux, but I don't believe I've ever seen it, either in KC or here in Montreal. Where do you get it?

Geo, now I buy it at Fox & Obel. But I got my first bottle from tienda.com, when it was on sale. I didn't see it on that site when I was looking for a photo to link to, so they must not carry it anymore? (Here's one source from a quick google search.) I have also tried the Vilux champagne, red, and white wine vinegars and all are quite decent as well. Good luck.

Geo -- where do you get chianking vinegar ?

Does any place outside of Chinatown have it ?

tem wrote:Geo -- where do you get chianking vinegar ?

Does any place outside of Chinatown have it ?

Any of Chicago's multi-ethnic markets that has a decent Asian section will have it. I often buy it at Marketplace on Oakton or Lincolnwood Produce.

You'd probably also be able to find it on Argyle street or at Chicago Food Corp.

Best,
Michael

Tem--since I'm in Montreal at the moment, I can't be much of a help! But Michael's right: any decent multi-ethnic store will have it these days. It's pretty much a staple.

Geo

There are, of course, myriad things that must be in the kitchen, but for which varying brands are acceptable.

Of the brands to which I'm loyal, and that I would advertise, however, I'd include Grey Poupon Dijon Mustard, Roadhouse BBQ sauce, Drew's Shiitake-Ginger Salad Dressing, Uncle Ben's rice, and Sharffen Berger Semisweet (60%) chocolate.

Oh, and Smart Balance. (Not a gourmet delight, but it dramatically improved my HDL profile, so it's always in the fridge.)

This is one of my staples. Adds a lot of flavor beyond just salt, yet doesn't overpower with any one identifiable note (e.g., garlic powder, which you can tell is in there, but very judiciously). This time of year, a really good homegrown tomato, sprinkled with Krazy Salt, is as good as life gets.

I used Jane's Krazy Salt for years -- grew up with it, in fact -- but somehow forgot about it. Thanks for the reminder.

Herdez Salsa Casera
Melina's salted tortilla chips

[these two products are the closest I've come in packaged goods to the correct flavors and textures of the ubiquitous(in Texas) Tex Mex table salsa and chips...Melina's is local, to boot]

Bill/SFNM wrote:
All these cultures are very durable and can sit unused for months without feeding. These are the greatest treasures in my kitchen.

Bill/SFNM

THAT is really impressive Bill!

Pomegranate molasses.
I bought my first bottle at the Middle Eastern Grocery on Foster about 6 years ago to use in a recipe for muhammara (sp???) a red pepper and walnut dip. I LOVE this stuff. My favorite use for it is added to a balsamic vinaigrette as a marinade for lamb.

Cajeta (Mexican goat milk caramel)--I just buy the supermarket brand
O.k., less of an ingredient, more like something yummy to eat off a spoon (on ice cream, as a dip for cookies...)


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Bill,

I just bought several of the cultures, and the book, as a surprize for TODG, who's been known to do a bit of baking every now and then. It'll help her get through the Long Winter alone up here, when I'm down in tropical KC. :^)

Tnx for the recommendation!

Geo

eatchicago wrote:
Trader Joe's Almond Butter:

Michael,

Found myself at TJ's yesterday and picked up Almond Butter. Haven't experimented with it yet, but the small taste I took seems very promising.

Totally agree on Dijon mustard and King Oscar which I always have on hand. Actually, it's funny how many of the products mentioned I already have in my pantry. (pomegranate molasses, Maldon salt, black vinegar, Mae Ploy Sweet Chilli Sauce, Bea's Ho-Made "Hot" Garlic Dill Pickles.)

No wild yeast cultures though, but, then again, Bill/SFNM is quite amazing.

Enjoy,
Gary

G Wiv wrote:
Found myself at TJ's yesterday and picked up Almond Butter.

I convinced Gary, much against his will, to go to TJ's yesterday. I'm curious how much he enjoyed the TJ-brand barbecue sauce and chilli oil he filled his cart with.

m'th'su wrote:I convinced Gary, much against his will, to go to TJ's yesterday. I'm curious how much he enjoyed the TJ-brand barbecue sauce and chilli oil he filled his cart with.

Mike,

Don't forget the 5-racks of precooked and sauced TJ's barbecue ribs. Double-Yum times two.*

Had an almond butter, banana and jelly sandwich for lunch on toasted TJ's organic white bread. Good, no, very good sandwich, and the TJ's organic white bread was surprisingly hearty. The baguette I bought was no great shakes though.

Enjoy,
Gary

*Kidding, as is Mike

Gary: What did you think of the TJ's pre-cooked/sauced ribs? I tried them once, but was not impressed. Meat Jello-ish at best.

thick wrote:Gary: What did you think of the TJ's pre-cooked/sauced ribs? I tried them once, but was not impressed. Meat Jello-ish at best.

Note Gary's asterisk above. I believe he was joking about getting those ribs.

Click the "WWW" link at the bottom of his post to learn why.

Best,
Micahel

Geo wrote:Mae Ploy Sweet Chilli Sauce Roast chicken, left-over bbq, piggy of all sorts, this wonderful blend of hot and sweet and fruity is crucial to a whole range of eats.
Geo

I love this! This is one of my newer finds after trying it w/egg rolls at my friend's house. I couldn't believe that even Dominick's carries it!

Cynthia wrote:Of the brands to which I'm loyal, and that I would advertise, however, I'd include Grey Poupon Dijon Mustard, Roadhouse BBQ sauce, Drew's Shiitake-Ginger Salad Dressing, Uncle Ben's rice, and Sharffen Berger Semisweet (60%) chocolate.

I love using Drew's Shiitake-Ginger Salad Dressing as a marinade on chicken or pork chops!

Michael,

Great thread, lots of possibilities!

Lately I've been more than a little addicted to Korean popsicles, banana is my current favorite, followed closely by melon, though I like them all, even the red bean.

Chicago Food Corp


It started about a month ago when I stopped at Chicago Food Corp to pick up a few items. The temperature was hovering around 100 degrees, which, of course, meant that was the day they picked to resurface the parking lot. Between the temperature, cauldrons of molten asphalt and walk from the far reaches of the parking lot I was past sweaty all the way to making my own gravy by the time I reached the door.

Attention diverted by an icy blast from the freezer section brightly colored popsicle boxes caught my eye.... salvation from heat, cool refreshing fruit popsicles, and good for you, I mean after all they're fruit.*

Chicago Food Corp


In my usual Nothing says Excess like Excess, I bought 6-boxes, and popped a banana on the way home. Hot damn, or should I say, cool damn, just what the doctor ordered. The taste is not that of a traditional popsicle, mild banana flavor, slightly chewy, as opposed to icy, texture, and a distinct milk flavor.

Banana Pop


Korean Popsicles, very tasty, highly addictive, I suggest picking up a box or 4.

Enjoy,
Gary

*My wife has pointed out numerous times the pops contain approximately 120 calories per pop

Chicago Food Corp
3333 N Kimball Ave
Chicago, IL
773-478-5566

G Wiv wrote:Korean Popsicles, very tasty, highly addictive, I suggest picking up a box or 4.

sounds great! I recently read about KoolFreeze kulfi pops on Slashfood.

I emailed the address on their web site to see if they were available in Chicago, but no response -- perhaps I should have just started here.

Anyone seen 'em in town? Anyone tried 'em?

I am a big proponent of making your own salad dressing. Most packages salad dressing just has too much crap in it that I can't pronounce, and a little dijon mustard, balsamic vinegar, good olive oil and salt and pepper will do more to elevate the simple salad than Hidden Valley Extra-Ranchy-Bacon-Bits-Parmesan-and-High-Fructose-Cream ever could.

That being said, there is one bottled dressing I am proud to use on a frequent basis in my kitchen: Annie's Naturals Goddess Dressing. Ingredients are as follows: Expeller-Pressed Canola Oil, Water, Tahini, Cider Vinegar, Soy Sauce (water, soybeans, wheat, salt), Lemon Juice, Sea Salt, Garlic, Toasted Sesame Seeds, Parsley, Chives,

It's not especially "low-fat" but won't break your caloric budget either. It ads a nice flavorful tang to salads, sliced avocado, even a nice turkey sandwich on whole grain bread with lettuce and tomato. I've used it as a marinade for chicken but find the flavor is really best appreciated as a dressing.


Other must-have products include:
Trader Joe's Marcona Almonds (the ones at Whole Food are too oily)

Fage Yogurt, of course (I prefer the 0%)

Canned Chickpease: For salads, curries, hummus: or, drain, roast with olive oil and salt for a tasty snack that will make your friends think you're really fancy (at least, mine did)

And then, of course, there's my sordid love affair with that most unholy and chemical of beverages...Diet Coke. Oh, sweet chemical goodness.