Like your wine enthusiast friend who always shows up with a bottle in hand, condiments are that special ingredient to bring a little something extra to the party. Whether it is a pinch of flaky Maldon sea salt sprinkled over freshly grilled corn-on-the-cob, a lick of hot sauce to kick up your tacos, or a pinch of harissa to perk up an omelette—condiments are often the key to extracting and enhancing the flavours in your favourite foods, adding everything from aroma to texture to heat.

Everyone knows the staples—ketchup, mayo, mustard—but there is a wide world of sauces, spices and seasonings out there ripe for experimentation. To help you take your culinary game to the next level, we asked our chefs for their favourite go-to condiments that they always keep on hand. The good news is most condiments have a long shelf life, and will last for months, even years in your fridge or pantry. So the next time you visit the supermarket and find yourself reaching for the same familiar brand of hot sauce or seasoning salt, try these ingredients instead that have won our chefs’ stamp of approval.

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Patricia Yeo, Head of Culinary
I absolutely love preserved lemons. I chop them up and add to mayonnaise or honey mustard, chuck into a vinaigrette, or add to chopped herbs for a salsa verde; it adds so much brightness, umami, and a slightly fruity quality. It’s also great in stews, or stuffed into a chicken before roasting. It is a supercharged condiment that’s immensely easy to make yourself at home.

Joshua Stumbaugh, Associazione Chianti
My go-to is Valentina hot sauce from Mexico. When I was working in New York, a lot of my kitchen team was from Mexico, so it was on the table at every family meal and has since become a staple in my fridge. For a lesser-known ingredient, I would say fennel pollen; it is much more floral and fragrant than regular fennel seeds. It goes great with pork, lamb or chicken, and can be found at Italian specialty shops.

Luca Marinelli, Osteria Marzia
I would suggest everyone to try making Olio Piccante, or Italian chilli oil, at home. Simply infuse good quality Italian olive oil with pepperoncino and drizzle atop pizzas, pastas, salads or seasonal veggies for a spicy note.

Toru Takano, Crown Super Deluxe
For the ingredient I use the most of and can’t live without, it has to be soy sauce: the very basis of Japanese food culture. It is probably the most familiar seasoning to all, but soy sauce is actually classified into five types according to the manufacturing method, raw materials and characteristics, and therefore there’s a lot of variation and complexity. We will use different types according to the dish and its specific seasoning requirements.

Billy Otis, Taqueria Super Macho
My favourite under-the-radar condiment is yuzu kosho. It’s a spicy Japanese fermented yuzu paste, and is great for adding depth of flavour and a citrus kick to your dish. You can add it to dressings or marinades, stir it into soups, or use for sushi or yakitori. The ingredient is extremely versatile, so feel free to experiment!

Gizzy Alesbrook, Hotal Colombo
Goraka, which is this acidic and fruity condiment that’s very common to Sri Lankan and Indian cuisine. It is a very ugly looking ingredient but it gives so much flavour to fish curry, adding a sour dimension and also working to tenderise the meat. You can also substitute in tamarind, but I’d recommend giving goraka a try.

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