My Favorite Food and Drink Brands

As someone who spends more time cooking than not, I run through my fridge and pantry staples at a rapid clip. Over the years, I’ve experimented with countless brands of everything from olive oil to tequila, and while I’ll always continue to test new thangs (you know I live to guinea pig in all areas of my life), there are certain brands that I love more than others and have developed significant loyalty to.

Since my brand preferences are something I’m asked about on the reg, I thought I’d put together a list of the brands most often stocked in my kitchen. I tried to make this list as comprehensive as humanly possible, right down to my go-to gummy bears, but if there’s something I missed don’t hesitate to shout it out in the comments or drop me a line.

My Favorite Food and Drink Brands 

Oils

• Avocado Oil Chosen Foods
• Extra-Virgin Coconut Oil Nutiva, Trader Joe’s
• Extra-Virgin Olive Oil Colavita, California Olive Ranch, or Trader Joe’s (for everyday use), Lucini or Olio Verde (for fancier dishes and drizzling/finishing)
• Light Sesame Oil Spectrum Organics
• Dark (aka toasted) Sesame Oil Eden Foods 

Vinegars

• Apple Cider Vinegar Bragg’s
• Balsamic Vinegar Newman’s Own Organics
• Distilled White Vinegar Spectrum Organics
• Red Wine Vinegar Colavita, Trader Joe’s
• Unseasoned Rice Vinegar Kikkoman

Bread/Crackers/Grains/Pasta

• Bread Dave’s Killer Bread, Food For Life Ezekiel bread/English muffins
• Brown Rice Lundberg Family Farms, Trader Joe’s Frozen Brown Rice
• Crackers Mary’s Gone Crackers, Simple Mills
• Farro Bob’s Red Mill, Nature’s Earthly Choice
• Oats Bob’s Red Mill
• Pasta Barilla (whole-wheat), Banza (chickpea flour), Jovial (brown rice)
• Quinoa Ancient Harvest
• Rice Cakes Lundberg Family Farms (I like the unsalted brown rice cakes.)
• Whole-Wheat Panko Bread Crumbs Kikkoman (I order on the cheap from Amazon.)

Fridge Favorites

• Barbecue sauce Stubb’s, Bone Suckin’ Sauce
• Butter Kerrygold
• Chicken Sausage Bilinski’s (all flavors), Trader Joe’s Organic Spicy Italian
• Eggs Vital Farms
• Ketchup Sir Kensington’s, Heinz Organic
• Low-Sodium Soy Sauce/Tamari Kikkoman and Trader Joe’s
• Marinara sauce RAO’S (The only tomato sauce I use.)
• Mustard Grey Poupon, Maille
• Nut Milk Malk Organics, Elmhurst 1925
• Yogurt Fage, Siggi’s
• Sriracha Huy Fong Foods
• Salad Dressings Tessemae’s, Primal Kitchen
• Tortillas Guerrero (corn), Siete Foods (various grain-free offerings), Food For Life (brown rice tortillas are great for making chips!)

Pantry Staples

• Almond Butter Trader Joe’s is my #1 (contains no sugar or oil and pefect drizzle-able consistency), Justin’s when I’m traveling (love the individual packs), and Barney Butter (reminds me of Skippy, which I always loved)
• Canned Beans Eden Organic, Trader Joe’s
• Canned tomatoes (crushed, diced, and pureed) San Marzano, Muir Glen (fire-roasted)
• Coconut Milk Native Forest
• Chia Seeds/Hemp Hearts Nutiva, Trader Joe’s
• Chipotles Canned in Adobo Sauce La Morena, Goya
• Curry Paste Thai Kitchen
• Flour King Arthur (all-purpose and whole-wheat), Trader Joe’s/Bob’s Red Mill (almond)
• Harissa Sauce Mina
• Kosher Salt Diamond Crystal
• Low-sodium broths (beef, chicken, and vegetable) Pacific Foods
• No-stick cooking spray Chosen Foods, Spectrum
• Pure Maple Syrup Brad’s Organic
• Raw Nuts Trader Joe’s (so cheap!)
• Spices Simply Organic, Morton & Bassett
• Taco Shells Bearitos
• Tomato Paste Amore (available at Trader Joe’s) or San Marzano. Both in tubes, which is life-changing!!
• Tahini Mighty Sesame Co.

Drinks

• Coconut Water Harmless Harvest
• Ginger Beer Barritts
• Kombucha GT’s Living Foods (Trilogy, Watermelon)
• Sparkling Water Topo Chico (unflavored), Spindrift (flavored)
• Tea Yogi Tea (Ginger), Numi
• Tequila Casamigos, Don Julio 1942 (for ze special occasions)
• Vodka Grey Goose

Miscellaneous Necessities and Treats

• Chips Kettle Chips (Backyard Barbecue, Jalapeño Jack), Cape Cod (Sea Salt & Cracked Pepper), Pop Chips (Barbecue), Tostitos Hint of Lime!!
• Chocolate Hu Kitchen (Salty Dark and Almond Butter + Puffed Quinoa), Skinny Dipped Almonds
• Dried Fruit International Harvest, Peeled Snacks
• Energy Bars GoMacro
• Granola Purely Elizabeth
• Gummy Bears Albanese (I don’t know what chemical keeps them so soft, and I don’t care.)
• Protein Powder Vital Proteins Collagen Peptides
• Sour Candy Sour Patch Kids (duh)

Disclaimer: This post is in no way sponsored. The below brands are not the ONLY brands that I buy, they’re simply my preferred choices—I’m not claiming they’re the “best.” Some are expensive and some are cheap. Some are readily available at major markets, some I track down at specialty stores or order on Amazon. Some (cough…gummy bears…cough) have questionable ingredients, and I’m okay with that. xox, Captain Obvious