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The simple answer is flavor.

The 2023 Pantry Awards The Best Sauces Spreads and Oils

Chelsea Kyle. Prop Styling by Amy Elise Wilson at Laird and Good Company. Food Styling by Drew Aichele at Pat Bates & Associates.

Furthermore, cooking new recipes can be time consuming, exhausting, and plain old difficult.

Thats where having the right sauces, spreads, oils, and condiments come in handy.

ForSELFs inaugural Pantry Awards, weve awarded the best items for zhuzhing up any dish.

Soom Foods Premium Tahini

The butter/paste/sauce/condiment (it’s possible for you to use it as anything, really!)

made from roasted sesame seeds is delish when slathered on just about anything.

(It also makes an excellent diptry it with bread, crackers, or raw veggies.)

Barney Butter Almond Butter

Now, lets talk about Soom.

Keep this in your pantry and youll find yourself reaching for it again and again.

Im not sure what peanuts theyre using or what they do to them before grinding, but it works.

Once Again Nut Butter No-Salt, Unsweetened Peanut Butter

This smooth peanut butter from Once Again only contains one ingredientpeanutsbut its more than enough to do the trick.

Just dont forget togive it a good stir before opening!

This tastyand aesthetically pleasingalternative will have you eager to swap out your go-to peanut butter.

Justin’s Honey Peanut Butter

Voyage Foods Peanut-Free Spread is made with sunflower and grape seeds, alongside wild rice and chickpea flour.

Its flavor is mild and not too seedy.

The flavor is bright and fresh, with a thicker consistency that enables it to stick to pasta nicely.

Voyage Foods Peanut-Free Spread

Our testers liked how it wasnt too salty, like many premade sauces.

But it didnt skimp on flavor, either, and had faint traces of earthy basil.

Each $10 jar makes about four meals.

Rao’s Homemade Marinara Sauce

She recommends sauteeing the sauce with chicken, or pouring it over homemade enchiladas.

It has that vinegary kick right at the start and warms to a really mild, palatable heat.

Pretty much perfect in every way.

Colavita Tomato Basil Pasta Sauce

Its flavorful, straightforward, and a versatile way to add chili heat to any dish.

Or, of course, you could toss it into a salad.

Heartbeat Hot Sauce

Ever tried dill pickle flavored hot sauce?

Alcoeats Easy Indie Bowls – Indian Gravies

What about pineapple or blueberry?

Heartbeats hot sauces come in more than 10 flavors, the aforementioned included.

According to our testers, each one is distinct and delicious, adding not just heat but flavor too.

Saffron Road Coconut Curry

The bottles are durable, spill-proof, and easy to squirt.

If youre looking for something really fiery, test your strength with the scorpion.

(But dont say we didnt warn you.)

Siete Enchilada Sauce

Yes, it can be done!

The oil comes out nicelyno glugging, dripping, or spillingand the canister is appropriately kitchen counter cute.

(It came in this super chic Art Deco tin cylinder packaging, one tester described.)

Omsom Krapow Starter

With 25.4 fluid ounces of EVOO at your fingertips, youll be cooking happy for a while.

In each case, it was outstanding.

This product is a powerhouse.

Momofuku Goods Chili Crunch

I would eat this on everything.

I cant think of a savory dish that this wouldnt improve.

We also donated the unopened items from our photoshoot for this project toNew York Common Pantry.

Sky Valley Organic Sambal Oelek Chili Paste

SideDish Multi-Pack

Heartbeat Pineapple Habanero Hot Sauce (6-oz.)

Woodstock Hot Sauces

Coconut Secret Organic Teriyaki Sauce & Marinade

Thrive Market Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Corto Agrumato-Method Olive Oil

Truff White Truffle Oil