What are your 12 most essential bottled goodies that you keep in your fridge for cooking?

[nasilemak]

Non-produce items that are jarred, canned or bottled like sauces, ketchups, pastes, pickles, chutneys and the like.

here are mine -
Gochujang
Miso
Sriracha
Sambal Oelek
Tomato Ketchup
Oyster sauce
Chiu Chow Chilli Oil
Tomato Paste
Taiwanese Barbeque Sa Cha Sauce
Hoisin
Whole Grain Dijon Mustard
Indian Hot Mango Pickle

[tonka11_99]

I think I will just add things that haven't made the list yet or I want to stress them.

Madiera wine
Marsala wine
Better than Bouillon! beef and chicken It really boosts broth especially for sauces
Granulated garlic as opposed to garlic powder
Real Maple syrup dark amber grade A The real stuff is so much better
Plastic containers of chopped red and green bell peppers in the freezer
Bottled minced garlic (sorry Julia)
Frozen peas always tossing a handful into something

[chef chicklet]

capers
hoisin sauce
oyster sauce
soy sauce
pico pico sauce
hot and spicy chile garlic sauce
hot and sweet chile sauce
dijon mustard
kim chee

listing 10 is kind of funny, I have so many condiments and bottled sauces, I too have two fridges but the one addition that I want to add if I can eek it in is Bacon grease.It's a must.

[CindyJ]

And a variation of bacon grease: schmaltz (rendered chicken fat).

[jvanderh]

Mmm. I've taken to freezing my animal fats and cutting them into little cubes. I figure they'll last that way, and it's so easy to throw a cube into a skillet.

[Crockett67]

Sriracha
Hoisin
Dijon Mustard
Natural Peanut butter
Red Miso
Red Thai Curry Paste
Salt encrusted black olives
Pesto
Apricot preserves
Capers

[LolaP]

In fridge:
anchovies
fish sauce
black bean sauce
capers
Gulden's mustard
papaya-curry sauce (tropical pepper co.)
white wine
yogurt
ketchup
peanut butter
oil-cured black olives

Those seem like the essentials! Guess I only have eleven.

[MinneapolisMiss]

Sriracha
...Sriracha
mini dill pickles
chunky peanut butter (for the pickles)
Sesame seed oil
honey
Wee Willy's bbq
Soy sauce
Anchovy Paste
home made chicken stock
A good Ranch dressing (emphasis on the good)
real maple syrup

[Toronto Fastfoodie]

1. Chipotle hot sauce
2. Hidden Valley Ranch (so my kids never have an excuse not to eat veggies)
3, 4, 5. Three different ages of balsamic
6. Ketchup (if we get below 1/4 of a bottle, my 10-year-old declares a ketchup emergency)
7,8 Olive oil: one for dipping, one for cooking
9 Cider Vinegar
10. Grainy mustard.
11. Tube of tomato paste
12. Cranberry sauce
and one more for the mix...lucky #13: Cheeze whiz, for those nights when nothing but movie theatre-style nachos are on the menu

[Harters]

All of the type of items indicated by the OP live in my cupboards not the fridge.

Although I do have some "special" harissa in there at the moment - the normal harissa is also in the cupboard.

[kookiegoddess]

what's special about yr harissa??

[ratgirlagogo]

"All of the type of items indicated by the OP live in my cupboards not the fridge."

I was thinking the same thing - the only one for me would be the miso. I know hot sauces often say on the label that they should be refrigerated after opening, but I am a hot sauce addict (have dozens of bottles in my kitchen) and I have found that they usually don't require it. The only exception would some of the green herby ones.

[runwestierun]

Ah, you have found my weakness. I have 2 refrigerators because I have so many jars of pastes and sauces. It's sick.

Better than Bouillon: beef, chicken, low sodium chicken. vegetarian beef, vegetarian chicken, vegetable, mushroom and lobster.

Mustard: Edmond Fallot --tarragon, dijon and whole grain, Grey Poupon, yellow American mustard, 2 kinds of hot Chinese mustard, 3 other dijons ,horseradish dijon, 3 other whole grains, champagne, 2 honey mustards, cranberry.

Horseradish: Bubbies, Beaver, and Hogwash (damn I love that stuff!)

Nut butters: Natural peanutbutter, sunflower, cashew and almond.

Jam: Bonne Maman cherry, blueberry and apricot, homemade peach, homemade red currant, and homemade strawberry banana, roasted garlic, jalapeno and habanero.

Asian sauces: Oyster, black bean, hoisin, plum, szechuan, chili oil, sambal, chili garlic paste, char siu.

Hot sauces: sriracha, tabasco, chipotle tabasco, sweet and spicy tabasco, green tabasco, cholula.

Barbecue sauces: Stubb's original, Stubb's mop sauce, Sweet Baby Ray's, Cattleman's, KC masterpiece, Kraft, Open Pit, James Gang spiced rum, Bullseye, and 3 different flavors of Stubb's liquid smoke.

Dry yeast and sourdough starter in a crock.

Tom yum paste, 4 brands.

China Blue condiments: red pepper flake, tangy ginger and sesame soy

Pickles: Just Jordie's sweet and sour chunks, Claussen's refrigerator dills, Bubbie's bread and butter, Trader Joe's bread and butter, cornichons, dill relish, sweet relish, pickled green peppercorns, capers, Trader Joe's garlic dills.

I guess I have learned from this post that I have a large variety of the jarred things that I use the most. I use alot of mustard (mostly to make salad dressing) so I have many kinds. I don't use alot of ketchup, so I just have one kind. Interesting.

[groover808]

2nd on the Better than Bouillon! I just discovered it recently, it basically just had meat fat, spices, and sea salt. Where do you get all those various flavors? I've just see chicken, beef, and veggie at my store, another store around me carries the organic versions.

[kookiegoddess]

I'm in London, my crucial ingredients aren't very different to yours but one thing we all tend to have over here is redcurrant jelly, usually served with roast chicken and also a useful ingredient to add to gravy to balance out the flavour with some sweetness.

I don't keep mustard in the fridge, or pickles.

I recently discovered fermented yellow bean paste which adds a really good flavour to chinese stir fries and noodles, less identifiable than miso.

I also have some of that chilli-garlic-dried prawn paste which I don't use often, but I love the flavour added to wonton soups etc.

I also love that japanese mayo that comes in a squeezy bottle.

[divadmas]

just did a clay pot chicken smeared with black bean with garlic paste. liking this clay pot, use with parchment paper.
red currant is great, will have to try with chicken I've used it with beef.

[roro1831]

Pickled Okra
Cocktail Onions
Pickled string beans
gardenia
Srirachi
Pickles
Worcestershire Sauce
Hoisin Sauce
Balsamic vinegar glaze
horseradish
Chow chow

ok so a few of mine were for drinking, so kill me. lol

[jvanderh]

Oh heavens-- if we're including drinking, I can't live without a jar of olives.

[opehlia payne]

miso
harissa
ketchup- tomato, Maxchup and curry ketchup
capers
ume plum paste
tamarind concentrate
sriracha and sambal oelek
tahini
tube of tomato paste
champagne vinegar (the label says it should be refrigerated after opening)
mustard- yellow and Dijon
peanut butter

[ipsedixit]

I don't know if I have 12 bottles of anything in the fridge, much less "goodies" for cooking.

[brooklynkoshereater]

Miso
Hoison
Sriracha
Sesame Oil
Brown Mustard
dried mushrooms (not in the fridge but always in my pantry - can I count it in?)
bottle of red
bottle of white
Chicken stock (freezer)
Beef stock (freezer)
veal stock (freezer)
garlic

[goodhealthgourmet]

ok, so this takes me to 11, but i forgot tamarind paste...thanks to pitterpatter for the reminder!

[pitterpatter]

Mayo
Dijon
Pickled ginger (homemade)
Thai Red and Green Curry Pastes
Tamarind Paste
White Truffle Oil
Tapenade
Tahini
Hoisin Sauce
Hot Sauces
Lime Pickle

[goodhealthgourmet]

ooh, i like the specification for refrigerated items, because if we get to the cabinets my list is far too long.

- miso
- anchovy paste
- tomato paste
- capers
- chipotles in adobo
- numerous hot sauces (includes Sriracha, Cholula, Tabasco Chipotle, Habanero...)
- dijon mustard
- horseradish
- ginger juice
- toasted sesame oil

[nasilemak]

How does Cholula taste, in relation to the other hot sauces?

[goodhealthgourmet]

it's smoother than some other common hot sauces like Tabasco, and has a fuller, more well rounded flavor - a little smoky, a little sweet, a little fruity, a little vinegar tang, not too much pepper...i almost want to say it even has a hint of saffron.

i might not be the best judge of the heat level because i have an asbestos palate. to me it's mild, but *normal* people would probably classify it as medium.

it's amazing on eggs (*worlds* better than Tabasco), and works surprisingly well on popcorn if you like yours with a little kick!

[divadmas]

never had the cholula but like the tabasco chipotle. which do you prefer on eggs?do you use it anywhere else? I'm not so much on heat, like sweet chile sauce. also hot style banana sauce (not very hot) for rice omelet instead of ketchup. for asian style I also like to keep pickled ginger (ben shoga), daikon pickles w/ chili, pickled plums.

[goodhealthgourmet]

it depends what i'm putting *in* or serving with my eggs. if cilantro, tomatillos, black beans, etc. are involved, i use the Tabasco chipotle. i also like the Tabasco in things like meatloaf, turkey burgers, BBQ sauce, marinades, and deviled egg filling.

i really only use the Cholula on eggs - plain, with goat or feta cheese & veggies, with herbs other than cilantro...

[Crockett67]

I totally agree, to really knock the socks off of party goers shake buffalo wings in straight Cholula sauce instead of Franks Red or any other buffalo wings sauce recipe. Spicy a little sweet with a nice tang of vinegar. It's fabulous!

[lgss]

various hot sauces
tamari
various mustards
tahini
miso
apple cider vinegar
chipotle peppers in adobo
safflower oil
maple syrup
agave nectar
various salsas
vindaloo paste

[kpaxonite]

why do you keep oil in the fridge??

[goodhealthgourmet]

to retard spoilage/rancidity. oil lasts a lot longer in the fridge than it does on the shelf.

[Cherylptw]

My question was going to be why keep vinegar in the fridge? You can sit it outside all day in 100 degree whether and it will never go bad neither will hot sauce. I have about 8 bottles in my cabinet..

dressings
pickled jalapeno peppers
grape jelly
pickle relish
mustard
mayo
hot chow chow
roasted bell peppers
oil packed sundried tomatoes
homemade sourdough starter
ancho chile paste
Better than Bouillion chicken/beef

[lgss]

Because it's in a bottle that's taller than our storage cabinet, so it would have to be laid on it's side which I'd rather not once it's been opened, again limited countertop space also plays a role.

[Cherylptw]

I get it..I have limited storage as well..

[eight_inch_pestle]

Hot sauce will indeed last forever outside of the fridge. However, some (Louisiana, Tabasco) will discolor.

[adrienne156]

Re: hot sauce going bad.

My bottle of sriracha hasn't gone bad outside of the fridge, but it certainly has fermented and gotten a lot hotter.

[lgss]

We keep olive oil on the counter, safflower and others in the fridge once they've been opened. Both so it lasts longer and to keep our limited counter & storage space available for other things/purposes.

[maxie]

anchovies in a jar
mustard, Mendicino and Dijon
miso paste
capers
sriracha
red chili paste
hot chili oil
walnut oil
horseradish
chipolte chilis in adobo
soy sauce
sesame oil

[mcf]

Walkerswood Spicy Jerk Marinade, first and foremost
A tube of tomato paste
A tube of anchovy paste
Dijon mustard
Chipotle in adobo (freezer, actually)
Capers
Ketchup
Spicy brown mustard
Hellman's mayo
White wine

[ladyberd]

Sriracha
Olive tapenade
Whole grain dijon
Fish sauce
Chili garlic paste
Hoisin
Tomato paste
Anchovy paste
Chipotle ketchup
Indian chutney of some sort
Green curry paste
Horseradish

Cheers,
Ladyberd
http://ladyberds-kitchen.blogspot.com

[BPfahnl]

How long are the tubes of anchovy paste and tomato paste good once you've opened them?

[mcf]

I don't know, but I keep them forever without regard for dates, and so far so good after many years.

[Emme]

i cook with a lot of things that i can no longer eat... sadly...

Bragg's Amino Acids
Stock/Broth
Garlic Paste
Hearts of Palm
Seasoned Rice Wine Vinegar
Good Wine
Balsamic Vinegar

[jvanderh]

I think the only things I really miss when they run out are:

hot sauce
pre-made terrayaki sauce

I also sometimes keep the oil from sauteeing garlic-- it's nice for cooking fries or steak or something, where garlic might burn.

[mcsheridan]

Inside the fridge:
Chili-Garlic Sauce
Sesame Oil
Hoisin Sauce
Heinz Chili Sauce
Whole Grain Dijon Mustard
Deli Mustard (Brown)
Ginger Paste

Outside the fridge:
Tomato Ketchup
Worcestershire Sauce
Soy Sauce
Aged Balsamic Vinegar
Local honey

[TIRGL]

TOMATO PASTE IN A JAR
HEINZ KETCHUP
HOISIN SAUCE
DIJON MUSTARD
WHOLE GRAIN MUSTARD
AMERICAN MUSTARD
PICKLES(BREAD AND BUTTER, DILL, CORNICHONS)
CAPERS
RED CURRY PASTE
TOASTED SESAME OIL
TRUFFLE OIL
WALNUT OIL
CHIPOTLE CHILIES IN ADOBO
I could go on but these are the major ones.

[Val]

Can everyone who listed "hoisin" please tell me which brand you buy? Thanks very much!

[mcsheridan]

Lum Kum Kee, or Dynasty if I can't find LKK.