The Best Travel-Size Condiments
The latest developments in the world of travel-size condiments (and a few classics)
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This October, Tasting Table is getting away from it all. Come away with us as we explore the world of travel.
As exciting as traveling can be, there's always the chance you'll find yourself stranded in a food desert, desperate for a decent snack. There's the occasional dreaded late night at an empty airport when the restaurants have long closed down, or those times you're driving cross-country along a barren road with a warm can of soda and a Ziploc bag of sad carrots, or when you're typing away at your hotel desk with a half of a dry club sandwich left over from lunch.
Take control of these unfortunate situations by packing mini condiments that travel easily and bring much-needed life to bland food. And since they each weigh three ounces or less, you can carry them on a flight without fear of confiscation and pat downs. Here are seven highbrow and lowbrow favorites.
The maker of America's first hand-harvested kosher salts and sea salts sells mini tins that slide open for quick and easy on-the-go sprinkling. An empty tin is a great opportunity to refill it with one of its infused salts, like rosemary or lemon.
These small 1.15-ounce packets are the perfect snack size, large enough to steer off hunger and small enough to eat the entire thing without any guilt. Tear one open and squeeze onto carrots and crackers, or mix into plain oatmeal for a nutty protein punch.
Make Your Own Vinaigrette
Turn mini squeeze bottles into a travel-size vinaigrette. Salads and other veggie snacks will benefit from your custom blend. Stick to a ratio of three parts olive oil to one part vinegar, and season with salt, pepper and spices or dried herbs. Get creative and add in a pinch of mashed anchovy or a teaspoon of harissa.
Savannah Bee's three-ounce jars are the perfect cure for sugary cravings. A spoonful of its orange-blossom honey adds a floral sweetness to hot tea; drizzle it over plain yogurt with some crushed vending-machine cookies, and it becomes dessert. We're also partial to eating this decadent honey by the spoonful, alone and with no shame.
Fast-Food Packets
Ketchup and mustard are a given. But don't forget about the others, like Taco Bell Mild Sauce or the packets from your last Chinese take-out order. Squeeze these into grab-and-go salads and sandwiches for flavor perks. Turn that boring kiosk chicken salad into sweet-and-sour or honey mustard chicken salad.
We like Kewpie, and not only because of its ridiculously cute bottle. This Japanese mayonnaise carries a little more zing than American mayonnaise. Whichever variety you go for, mayonnaise is a fine cure to those dry-as-a-bone sandwiches sold in plastic packaging. Not anymore!
Well-loved brands like Tabasco, Cholula and Texas Pete make it too easy for traveling hot sauce lovers to add heat to anything edible. Shake a few drops onto pizza or turn your bland rice bowl into a spicy satisfying snack.