The Basics — Condiment Corner
Over years of cooking and experimenting, Chef Bob has landed on a core set of condiments, sauces, and pantry staples that live in his kitchen at all times. Some are store bought because they’re less expensive and taste just fine. Some are other chefs’ recipes he has adopted as his own. And the rest he developed and make right here at Left Over Ranch.
This section is our pantry philosophy, real ingredients, no shortcuts where it matters, and always an eye out for something new to try. Recently Chef Bob commented, “I am always looking for new things to add, like oyster sauce, just started using it.”
Recipes Made at Left Over Ranch
These are the Left Over Ranch originals, developed in the Left Over Ranch kitchen after years of trying commercial versions that didn’t quite measure up. Every one of them is simple to make, tastes better than store bought, and supports dozens of other recipes throughout the cookbook.
Homemade Mayonnaise and Aiolis
Pour the oil in so slowly it hurts, this simple homemade mayonnaise is worlds better than store bought, with two delicious aioli variations included.
Brandy Whipped Cream
Real cream, real vanilla, and a splash of brandy, once you make your own whipped cream you’ll never go back to the can.
Johnson’s Barbeque Sauce
Bob’s own bourbon barbeque sauce, lower sugar, more flavor, and more versatile than anything store bought.
Revamped Russian Dressing
A nearly forgotten deli classic brought back to life with a smoky Southwest twist. Perfect on a Reuben and so much more.
Homemade Stock
The same simple base makes vegetable, chicken, duck, or seafood stock — fresh ingredients only, less salt, and infinitely better than store bought.
Poached Eggs
Quick, easy, and endlessly versatile, perfect on duck fat potatoes, home fries, or potato pancakes. The key is watching them, not the timer.
Beet Pickled Eggs
A Pennsylvania Dutch classic made every week at Left Over Ranch, sweet, tangy, and just a little spicy with jalapeño. Ready to eat the next day!
Pickled Onions and Jalapeños
Inspired by Scandinavian cuisine, these quick no-cook pickled vegetables replace store bought condiments and add beautiful crunch and flavor to dozens of dishes.
Make Ahead Pasta Sauce
Make a big batch on Sunday and eat well all week, this rich San Marzano meat sauce with Marsala wine, molasses, and fresh vegetables reheats beautifully Pomodoro style for quick meals every day.
Always In Our Kitchen
Beyond what we make ourselves, here are the store bought staples, other chefs’ recipes, and kitchen essentials we always keep on hand at Left Over Ranch.
Crushed Chipotle in Adobo Sauce
We really enjoy the taste and mild heat of chipotle peppers. Whole peppers in adobo sauce are great but hard to cut and messy. Now we just pick up a can of La Costena chipotles, drop them in a bowl, grind with an immersion blender, and store in a mason jar in the refrigerator, much easier and less expensive. You’ll find this ingredient in dozens of Left Over Ranch recipes.
Fresno Pepper Hot Sauce
This fermented pepper hot sauce from Cook’s Country magazine (Dec/Jan 2020, written by Matthew Fairman) is always on our fridge door in a small mason jar. The depth of flavor and mild heat adds just enough kick to many dishes without the vinegar bite of most commercial hot sauces.
Helen Rennie’s Magic Sauce
For our favorite Asian dishes, sushi, sashimi, tuna loin, and lion’s head meatballs, we always have a squeeze bottle of Helen Rennie’s Soy Reduction (a.k.a. The Magic Sauce) in the refrigerator, ready to go. Based on Tamari, Bonito flakes, Kombu, and shiitake mushrooms, it’s a perfect garnish for all types of dishes.
Chimichurri
When we make on-sale London broil or steaks, it’s nice to take a break from our barbeque sauce and use Mirta Rinaldi’s chimichurri recipe from Food and Wine magazine (September 2021). It’s fresh, light, works in many applications, and keeps for a couple of weeks in the refrigerator.
Mustard
After going round and round on mustard types, Gulden’s for Philadelphia soft pretzels, horseradish mustard for everything else, and a period of making our own, we landed on store bought Dijon like Grey Poupon. Simple, reliable, and works beautifully in everything from our Honey Mustard Chipotle Sauce to salad dressings.
Cooking Wines
Our all-around favorite cooking wine is Marsala, it adds tremendous flavor to many vegetable dishes. We also use Yellow Tail white wine for a few dishes, and Sake for sushi rice and Asian vegetable dishes.
Hot Sauces
Beyond our homemade Fresno pepper hot sauce we keep several commercial hot sauces on hand depending on the dish:
Louisiana Hot Sauce — kept in a squeeze bottle, perfect for eggs in the morning and fried chicken prep.
Tabasco Chipotle Hot Sauce — great on omelets and Southwest dishes.
Old Bay Hot Sauce — fantastic on chicken salad, crabcake aiolis, and similar dishes.
Frank’s Hot Sauce — used with our Johnson’s Barbeque Sauce for wings and fries.
Gochujang — goes into all Asian vegetable and meat dishes.
Worcestershire Sauce — technically not a hot sauce but after watching a YouTube video on how it’s made, Bob uses it whenever he can for its wonderful depth of flavor.
Oils
We primarily use three oils kept in Rachel Ray decanters on the countertop, olive oil, peanut oil, and avocado oil, chosen based on the dish and heat required. Peanut oil for fried chicken, fish and chips, and French fries. Avocado oil spray for most pan oiling. Rendered duck fat for potatoes and latkes, there is nothing else like it. Butter is kept to a minimum, mainly for grilling bread for sandwiches.
Vinegars
Apple cider vinegar is our everyday workhorse. Red wine vinegar goes on tomatoes for grinders and calzones. Malt vinegar with fish and chips. White balsamic wherever balsamic is needed. Rice vinegar for cucumber salad, sushi rice, and many Asian dishes. White vinegar rarely makes an appearance , too much bite.
Everything Else
Like most serious home cooks we keep a well stocked cabinet of specialty ingredients depending on the flavor profile we’re going for, mirin, miso, sesame oil, oyster sauce, and more. We go with our favorites but are always looking to try new things and explore more fusion cooking. The pantry is always evolving!
Want all these recipes and more?
The complete Basics chapter, along with Hamamania, Pizza and Pasta, and every other chapter , is available in The Left Over Ranch Cookbook: Memories on a Plate.
