gourmet ingredient
Chef's prized component
A gourmet ingredient is a food item prized for superior quality, rarity, or distinctive flavor—the sort found in upscale cooking rather than everyday meals.
Saffron, truffle oil, aged balsamic vinegar, and high-grade vanilla beans qualify.
The term sometimes inflates ordinary items through marketing: The recipe calls for gourmet ingredients, but you can substitute what you have.
- truffle oilFungus-flavored cooking fat
- caviarCured fish eggs
- sea urchinSpiny marine echinoderm
- artisanal cheeseHandmade dairy in small batches
- misoFermented legume paste
fleur de sel · Meyer lemon · edible flowers · wild caught · foie gras · fish sauce · yuzu · blood orange · star anise · tahini · terroir · saffron · Himalayan salt · juniper berries · black garlic · sumac · rose water · vanilla bean
gourmet ingredientpantry staple
Regularly kept food item
kitchen staple · canned goods · convenience food · white rice · table salt