I asked chefs about the snacks, ingredients and guilty pleasure foods they can't stop buying.
While the world’s top chefs have direct access to premium ingredients, complex recipes and state-of-the-art appliances, they, too, fall for guilty-pleasure foods, shortcut ingredients and other foods nobody tells us novices about.
To get the inside scoop on the best online food buys, I asked eight chefs to share the snacks, condiments and cooking must-haves that bring them the most joy when not on the line and firing up other people’s orders. Here are their picks.
There’s no denying the allure of a salty, crunchy potato chip, and umami-packed Torres black truffle variety is a staple for Executive Chef Michael Quigley of the Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn and Spa.
“I first noticed these at the grocery store several years ago and was instantly hooked,” Quigley said. “When my local store stopped carrying them, I naturally had to turn to Amazon because I genuinely can’t live without them.”
“They are ridiculously good: super salty, which I love, and completely addictive,” he added, noting that while best enjoyed on their own, he often pairs them with homemade tuna salad. “Do I know they are probably loaded with artificial truffle flavoring? Absolutely. As a chef, should I know better? Probably. Do I care? Not even a little.”
Anchovies may be polarizing for the everyday person, but not for Mark Ladner, executive chef at Babbo in New York.
“We always have these Sicilian anchovies from Agostino Recca on hand to anchor our menu, celebrating a coastal, southern character that gives our dishes a layered depth,” he shared.
While some mealtime essentials such as proteins and produce must remain fresh, having this high-quality brined fish on demand helps Ladner to “stay calibrated, rather than trying to source them directly every few weeks.”
“There is a misconception that to make a dish compelling, you have to overmanipulate it or use 20 different steps,” he said. “In reality, it’s about prioritizing high-quality ingredients that combine the fresh produce you grab at the market and the heavy-hitting staples you can import.”
For the chef on the go, a high-protein smoothie can quickly satiate any intense hunger craving.
“As a chef and restaurateur, my schedule is anything but predictable,” said Ryan Salter, co-founder and chief product officer of Breadless, a Detroit-based, fast-casual spot reimagining carb-heavy sandwiches. “Between early prep, catering events, menu development, and running restaurants, there are plenty of days when I’m feeding everyone else before I have a chance to feed myself,” he said.
“As a chef, I’m always looking for ways to build flavor, and this is one ingredient that consistently delivers,” said Phillip Dewayne, chef and owner of Park and Cherry in Memphis. “I use it to enrich soups, pan sauces, rice, braised greens, and even mashed potatoes. It adds the rich, slow-simmered depth you’d expect from homemade stock when time is limited.”
Rather than relying on cubes or high-sodium cans of broth, only one teaspoon of the jarred gold can immediately season eight ounces of water.
“It’s a pantry staple I never want to be without because it makes everyday cooking taste more thoughtful and full of flavor,” Dewayne added.
