If I were to take a look in your spice drawer, would I find mustard powder? If so, bravo, since you clearly understand the value of this often-overlooked spice. It provides the throat-tingling, horseradish-y warmth of mustard, but in a form that makes it cling to meats in a dry rub or disappear into rich sauces and dressings. It provides a gentle wake-up, flavor-wise, similar to a dash of vinegar, brightening and sharpening everything it touches. If not, well, The Spice House has you covered with their medium-heat version, which gives the ideal jolt of mouth-filling zip to senior test kitchen editor Jesse Szewczyk’s One-Pot Broccoli Mac and Cheese. —Chris Morocco, food director
There are two ingredients in Red Boat’s fish sauce: wild-caught anchovies and sea salt. It’s nuts what complex flavor can come from such a small list. The family-run business was started by Cuong Pham, who couldn’t find a fish sauce in the US that matched his memories of growing up in Saigon. The result is umami in a bottle—beloved by chefs, authors, and especially our test kitchen. Use it whenever a dish wants a savory boost: salad dressings, pasta sauces, literally any soup. Just a dash adds salty depth. Or go hard with a recipe like test kitchen editor Kendra Vaculin’s Zucchini With Crispy Rice and Lime, where fish sauce motivates summer squash to take center stage and sing. —Emma Laperruque, associate director of cooking
