A recipe you’re ready to make calls for ½ cup of butter. Butter is butter, right? Well sure, and you more than likely have some in your fridge right now. But is it unsalted? Is it the stick kind, whipped, or ghee? Or is it really margarine?

The ingredient you use in a recipe can make a difference when it comes to the quality and taste of the dish. And not all ingredients are equal. Here’s an example.

I had a friend ask for my Sesame Ginger Cabbage Salad recipe because she liked mine better than any other she’d ever had. She later told me she had made it several times, but hers was bland and didn’t taste like mine. She thought I may have forgotten to write something on the recipe I gave her. Nope, that wasn’t the case at all. Turns out, she was using a brand of sesame oil that didn’t quite have the same flavors as the one I use. I asked her to try Kadoya Sesame Oil the next time she made the salad. She did and reported that it tasted just like mine.

Depending on the recipe — especially in cultural cuisines — using the best quality ingredients is crucial. With the right ingredients, you will transform a recipe into a dish that people will remember and want to have over and over again. When you use a questionable ingredient, you may end up with a lackluster dish that doesn’t quite taste right.

Be on the lookout for my Grocery & Gourmet tips in recipes and here in this section of the website. You’ll find specific product and ingredient recommendations that I find have an influence on the taste and quality of a dish. I also offer suggestions for the better ingredient alternatives I’ve tried, as well as the insights I’ve learned about gourmets foods and ingredients from around the world.

I’m always adding new things, so be sure to visit often. And, of course, feel free to share your tips and tricks, too. I love hearing about new things to try. Here’s to making an uncommonly good dish.

Enjoy!