The best pantry staples for foodies

A well-stocked pantry is a beautiful thing, and raised pantry staples make a great gift for food-loving friends and family. If they make something delicious out of it and invite you to dinner, good for everyone involved. From fancy Icelandic sea salt to decadent chocolate granola, these are the best staples to offer this season.

1. Occo L’Ensemble Head Start

For the aspiring home chef in your life who wants to expand his culinary horizons without having to spend a ton of money on spices he may never use again, treat him to a Spice Set from Occo . Occo sells pre-measured micro portions of high quality spices, which are sealed in airtight “always fresh” spice pods. The idea behind the business is to help home cooks try something new (maybe a new dish or a new type of cuisine) by selling just the right amount of spice needed. The Starter Chef Set includes 24 essential spices and herbs for everyday cooking.

To buy: Occo The Starter Chef’s Set, $ 96

2. Immi Instant Ramen Variety Pack

Instant ramen are a pantry staple for those weeknights when you don’t have a concrete dinner plan, you’re pressed for time, or just don’t want to wash a bunch of dishes. Immmi’s herbal instant ramen is high in protein, low in carbs, and bursting with umami flavor. This six-variety pack includes their three flavors: Tom Yum “Shrimp”, Black Garlic “Chicken” and Spicy “Beef”.

To buy: Immi Instant Ramen Variety Pack, $ 39

3. Saltverk luxury gift box

I can attest to the fact that once you consume Saltverk’s Flaky Sea Salt, you’ll become a salt snob – and that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Their sustainable, hand-harvested sea salt comes from the pristine seawater of Iceland’s remote Westfjords and is produced using only geothermal energy. This beautiful gift box contains three of the brand’s most popular products: pure flaky sea salt, lava salt and smoked birch salt. The latter is remarkable; smoked for 48 hours and perfect on eggs, grilled veggies and just about anything you can think of.

To buy: Saltverk Luxury Gift Box, $ 50

4. MUMGRY Mini Trio

This limited edition set includes mini glass jars of MUMGRY’s signature nut butters, each of which contains only a handful of ingredients. 125 gram jars of chocolate and pistachio almonds, creamy peanut butter and chocolate peanut butter make up the trio, and the gift box can be reused in a mini garden.

To buy: Mini trio MUMGRY, $ 30

5. Bono Garlic Stuffed Olives

These garlic-stuffed olives come from Sicily’s largest extra virgin olive oil producer and were part of a summer launch of olives and olive blends. They make a great addition to a charcuterie board or a dirty martini. Give a jar as a Christmas stocking or complete your gift with an award-winning bottle of olive oil or a jar of marmalade (which my mother-in-law loves).

To buy: Bono Garlic Stuffed Olives, $ 24

6. Chocolate and Dandelion Breakfast Granola

This ridiculously delicious granola is bursting with chocolate flavor and IMHO is best enjoyed straight out of the bag by a handful, although they also recommend enjoying it with yogurt, milk, fresh fruit or ice cream. vanilla. It comes from a San Francisco-based bean to bar chocolatier and is made with their Camino Verde, Ecuador 70% and Costa Esmeraldas cocoa beans. Pair it with whole grain oats, puffed quinoa, hazelnuts, coconut oil, maple syrup, Michigan dried cherries, toasted coconut and sea salt. sea ​​and you get a magical combination that will make you want more (so refuel).

To buy: Chocolate and Dandelion Breakfast Granola, $ 16

7. Umamicart Southeast Asian Pantry Essentials

From an Asian online grocery store founded by a woman and launched earlier this year, this limited edition kit includes a selection of sauces, condiments and seasonings commonly used in Southeast Asian cuisine. The Southeast Asian set includes staples like Maesri Sweet Chili Sauce, Mae Krua Oyster Sauce, Huy Fong Sambal Oelek, Dried Bay Leaves, and Healthyboy Black Soy Sauce. There is also an East Asian Pantry Essentials kit.

Umamicart offers same day delivery for New York City customers and next day delivery to postal codes in New York State, New Jersey, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Delaware, from Virginia, Maryland and Washington DC, with plans to expand their delivery range in the near future.

To buy: Umamicart Southeast Asian Pantry Essentials, $ 56.41

8. Seed + Halva Mill Trio

When I worked in an office across from Chelsea Market, Seed + Mill’s sweet set topped with tahini and crumbled halva was by far my favorite midday treat. This gift set of their best-selling halva flavors gives you a taste of that magic without having to fly to New York. Each 8-ounce can is nicely wrapped, so you can divide the set into three separate gifts or keep one for yourself. You can choose a varied three-flavor pack (dark chocolate with sea salt, pistachio, and toasted coconut chocolate) or order a three-pack of just one flavor if you already have a favorite.

To buy: Seed + Halva mill trio, $ 48

9. Fishwife Tinned Seafood Co. Smoked Atlantic Salmon

This canned smoked salmon is the result of a collaboration between Kvarøy Arctic, a family brand of sustainable third generation salmon based in Norway, and Fishwife Tinned Seafood Co. The salmon is cured in extra virgin olive oil, sea ​​salt, organic garlic salt and organic brown sugar before being smoked in small amounts on a mixture of beech, maple and birch wood. From there, it’s hand-packed and canned by a fifth-generation family-owned cannery on Washington’s central coast. It is sold in a three-pack and has rave reviews from customers.

To buy: Fishwife Tinned Seafood Co Smoked Atlantic Salmon, $ 32.99

10. La Cocina box

La Cocina is a Bay Area-based non-profit organization that helps low-income women and food business leaders of color grow their businesses by providing them with affordable commercial kitchen space, assistance industry-specific technique and access to market opportunities. Each gift set contains a mix of sweet and savory staple foods in small batches made by immigrants or businesswomen owned by the color of the Bay Area. The proceeds from the sale of these boxes benefit La Cocina and the businesses it supports.

To buy: La Cocina box, 25 $ -150 $