These Luxury Pantry Staples Are Worth the Splurge

As a food writer, I love experiencing a culture or a city through its cuisine. Supporting a local business while outsourcing the cooking duties for the night—and diving into something that’s likely more creative than I’d toss together myself? Sold.

Still, I’ve been trying to be more deliberate with my spending as inflation rates continue to rise. The overall consumer price index increased 3.5% year over year from March 2023 to 2024, according to the U.S. Bureau for Labor Statistics. Diving into food prices specifically, this category rose 2.2% during the same timespan. “Food at home” purchases, aka supermarket items, are up 1.2%, while “food away from home,” or restaurant tabs, grew by 4.2%.

Restaurant owners and staff are doing their best amid tough financial circumstances, and I still aim to support them two or three times per week. That said, I’ve made it my mission to cook more at home and am off to a strong start thanks to a cue from one of 2024’s biggest food trends: little luxuries.

You’re probably thinking, “Wait, I thought you were trying to save money?” Very true. But I’ve found that treating myself to a few affordable splurges makes it feel more inspiring and enjoyable to cook in my own kitchen. 

My 7 Little Luxury Pantry Staples Worth the Splurge

Each of these little treats l clock in at less than $36 and include dozens to hundreds of servings per container. I’m saving so much while dining in, that I’ll have plenty left over for surplus savings and to be extra generous with my tips when I do dine out.

1. Chia Smash Jam

Admittedly, my main use for this is more for assembly than cooking. But I couldn’t resist shouting out the item that helps me start every day: chia jam. Before my morning workout, I toast a piece of sprouted grain or sourdough bread, and give it a generous coating of Chia Smash. Cherry-pomegranate is my favorite, but you also can’t go wrong with strawberry, blueberry, and raspberry.

This no-sugar added spread is made simply with fruit, dates, chia seeds, lemon juice concentrate, and fruit pectin. It’s basically how I’d make a homemade jam recipe if I trusted myself to can it successfully. This spread offers concentrated flavor, a bit of fiber, and a dose of carbohydrates to help power me through my strength training. I’ve discovered that Chia Smash is also a smash on biscuits, waffles, pancakes, and swirled into yogurt and oatmeal. When I’m traveling, I love to tote along a few of their handy squeeze packets.

2. Burlap and Barrel Sohla and Ham Blends

My inner-’90s kid was swooning when she spotted these playful spice blends, created as a collaboration between culinary power couple Ham and Sohla El-Waylly and one of my favorite responsibly-sourced spice brands, Burlap and Barrel. 

The three-pack gives a nod to some of my childhood favorites, including delivery pizza (Pizza Party reminds me of the spice blend on Pizza Hut breadsticks!), fast-food tacos (Yo Quiero Taco Blend), and ranch dressing (Nothing Hidden Ranch). These are delightful sprinkled on grilled or roasted vegetables, incorporated into marinades, used as a spice rub for shrimp or chicken, and tossed with popcorn.

3. HanaHotties Gourmet Mustard

I often have a jar of Homemade Coarse Ground Mustard in the refrigerator (no canning is required!). As a condiment fiend, though, one kind of mustard isn’t enough. I originally discovered this mustard while on vacation in Maui, and adored its zippy, unique flavor so much I’ve been special ordering it to Iowa ever since. 

In addition to mustard seeds, the recipe features Maui onions, organic Hawaiian chili peppers, a pinch of sugar, turmeric, garlic, and spices. This may sound outlandish, but when I tasted this spread on a pretzel bun, it was a bit reminiscent of the flavor of Gardetto’s. Childhood snack references aside, this completes cheese boards, deli and breakfast sandwiches, sausages, and soft pretzels. It also acts as incredibly flavorful “glue” for breading on chicken or fish.

4. Allspice Culinarium Bourbon Maple Balsamic Vinegar

If Top Chef has taught me anything over the past 21 seasons, it’s this:

• It’s unwise to attempt to make risotto under pressure and in less than 20 minutes.
• The missing link between a so-so dish and a stellar one is often acid.

A squeeze of citrus is my usual M.O. on the acid front, but lately, I’ve enjoyed mixing it up by using up my stock of vinegars, and this bourbon maple balsamic has risen to the top for me. Balsamic glazes are dreamy in homemade salad dressings, of course. I’ve also used this to elevate pan and pasta sauces, bruschetta, and marinades. My favorite unexpected use: Drizzling over grilled fruit and whipped cream. 

5. Lundberg Family Farms Microwavable Brown Jasmine Rice

After meeting the Lundberg family at a conference last spring and hearing from the father-daughter duo who have boots on the ground, I’ve officially switched over all of my rice products. I consider this money well spent to support Mother Nature—and my meal plan.

Lundberg is not only certified organic but is also regenerative, which means they integrate practices that leave the land healthier when they started farming back in 1937. Acting as a wildlife habitat, a haven for egg rescue, all while keeping an eye to social responsibility and soil health and restoration, I sit down to dinner feeling great knowing that each grain is doing a little good. 

Since white rice is far more frequent on restaurant menus, and since I’m always on the hunt for bonus sources of fiber, I prefer to mix things up at home with this versatile brown jasmine. On nights when I’m really crunched for time, I simply pop a pouch in the microwave, warm up some leftover or rotisserie chicken, and add a side salad, then dinner is done.

6. Maldon Sea Salt

If it’s good enough for Ina Garten, it’s definitely good enough for me! I originally fell in love with this flaky sea salt about five years ago, and my friends know a chocolate chip cookie or a caramel-stuffed snickerdoodle is mine due to a signature finishing touch: a sprinkle of sea salt. (It beautifully accentuates and balances the sweetness!)

True, it’s much pricier than classic table salt. A little goes a long way, though, and I always use this as a finishing salt rather than a seasoning that’s mixed into a dish. A pinch totally transforms seared salmon, grilled steak, salads (especially Caprese), sautéed or roasted vegetables, avocado toast, eggs, and caramel pudding—both because of the flavor and the delightful burst of crunch.

7. Sfoglini The Sporkful Collection Variety Pack of Pasta

Pasta recipes are a weeknight staple for me, which is one of many reasons why I was totally geeking out over these 1-ingredient hacks for jarred marinara from Dan Pashman: the author of a pasta-focused cookbook, the host of award-winning podcast The Sporkful, and the creator of a very thoughtfully-engineered new noodle: cascatelli.

That is one of three pasta cuts featured in this six-pack, which includes two boxes each of quattratoni, vesuvio, and cascatelli. Unlike spaghetti, each of these have received the stamp of approval from Pashman as excelling at the properties he believes all of the best noodles have: sauceability, forkability, and toothsinkabilty. Now that I’m cooking my way through Anything’s Pastable: 81 Inventive Pasta Recipes for Saucy People—and tip-toeing into pasta salad season—these noodles are new favorites.