18 Chefs on the Splurgy Pantry Ingredients They Swear By

""One of my go-to splurge ingredients is colatura di alici. Chef Melissa [Rodriguez] and I both love all things anchovy, and we appreciate the depth and complexity that just a few dashes of colatura can bring to a dish, adding brine and subtle oceanic flavor without being overtly fishy. We use it often, from lending a savory backbone to sauces to tying together flavors in pasta dishes. Traditionally made in Cetara on Italy's Amalfi Coast, colatura is still produced in small batches using centuries-old methods. It's labor-intensive, low-yield and bottled in small quantities, but a little goes a long way." - Katherine Rock, executive chef at "

""Even just a spoon of high-quality miso can add umami and richness to dressings, broths or marinades. The Moromi Shiro Miso is deeply flavorful without being too salty." - Dan Kluger, chef at Greywind"

""They're concentrated umami. I eat them with good bread ( Sparrowbush Sesame Sourdough) and butter (Bordier), both of which are also worthy splurges. But they're also great mashed into a simple vinaigrette or as the flavor foundation for puttanesca." - Craig Koketsu, chef/partner of Quality Branded"

Select high-quality pantry ingredients can dramatically elevate the flavor profile of home-cooked dishes. Colatura di alici provides brine and subtle oceanic depth without overt fishiness and is traditionally produced in Cetara on Italy's Amalfi Coast in small, labor-intensive, low-yield batches; a little goes a long way. Rich miso such as Moromi Shiro Miso adds umami and richness to dressings, broths, and marinades without excessive salt. Concentrated umami condiments pair exceptionally well with good bread and artisanal butter, can be incorporated into vinaigrettes, or serve as the flavor foundation for puttanesca. XO sherry vinegar aged in a solera adds layered acidity and complexity.

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