What condiments lurking your fridge door can liven up your winter meals?

Asian "Chile Crisp". Discovered this several months ago (it's been popping up on food websites all over the place) & now can't live without it.

All of these things are great to have on hand so when it's freezing out, no need for a special trip and they all have the same bright taste as if you had them fresh. Asian grocery stores also seen to have produce which is much more fresh than the tired veggies in grocery stores.

Birthday party

It seems everyone loves Sriracha, but I'm more of a Cholula girl myself when I'm looking for a little extra pow-pow. Especially on eggy breakfast items. Also, (though perhaps not revolutionary) some leftover capers and minced garlic recently did wonders to liven up some basic store bought pasta sauce on a weekday night.

My strange addiction: Huy Fong Chili Garlic Sauce (from the makers of Sriracha rooster sauce). I put it on EVERYTHING. soup, eggs, veg, meat, tacos, burgers, honey. Mix a little into bread and butter pickles - amazing.

I have a couple of bottle of Kecap Manis that I'm obsessed with. I believe it's Indonesian. It's like Soy Sauce, Hoisin Sauce and Honey got up to no good and had a baby. So good. I buy it in the UK and bring it back to the US with me. You might be able to find it on Amazon.

miso and fish sauce (although fish sauce is not in the fridge)!

We make pesto and freeze it in ice cube trays. It's such a taste of summer. Last year we stretched it by adding kale. My HS swimmer loves to toss it with pasta & mozzerella pearls before a meet & it makes her feel like she's swimming outside in summer weather.

We also freeze whole stalks of rosemary & thyme which taste like they just came out of the garden even in January.

We buy large hands of ginger, peel them and freeze them. They are then easily grated with a rasp. We also freeze lemon grass stalks.

Oyster sauce & fish sauce are great to have on hand.

Lemons & limes brighten up many dishes.

All of these things are great to have on hand so when it's freezing out, no need for a special trip and they all have the same bright taste as if you had them fresh. Asian grocery stores also seen to have produce which is much more fresh than the tired veggies in grocery stores. Last night we had Chinese broccoli which tasted like it had just been picked.

We love throwing wholegrain or dijon mustard into winter warmers, it adds so much flavour! Capers, olives and preserved lemon are also great additions to lots of winter stews.

Thanks everyone - lots of good ideas condiments, inside & out of the fridge, including Frank's Ref Hot Sauce (don't you love Auto Incorrect?), and some things new to me.

...RED Hot Sauce, not "Ref"! Also, preserved lemons.

Various pickled hot peppers, cornichons, pickled red onions/shallots, Frank's Ref Hot Sauce, grainy mustard, oyster sauce, hoisin, does white miso count as a fridge door item if I technically don't keep it in the door? I say yes!

Not vinaigrette but vinaigrette--vinegar in French, my iPad didn't know I was tossing around foreign words.

I keep a bottle of Huilerie Beaujolais Vinaigrette de Citron, which I first learned about on the Hotline, in my refrigerator, and it's a great addition to beans, lentils, salads, and other dishes. I kept my first bottle on the shelf with other vinegars, but it has so much pulp, I decided it would be better to keep it chilled. It's not simply lemon diffused in white or white wine vinegar, but citrus fermented to be vinegar. Expensive but really good. They also make a quince vinegar, which I may go for when I'm up for a splurge.

Not in the fridge but I've been using balsamic jelly more and more now.

Salsa Mexicana (usually Pico de Gallo here) works well in a surprising number of situations. Maison Louisianne Creole Mustard (the one with the alligator- accept no substitutes)

While I don't keep it in the fridge, I find that a splash of vinegar can really liven up a dull dish, especially one that is very rich and creamy.

Pickles are great! and I always have oyster sauce in the fridge, and a variety of mustards. Also anchovies. Try adding a couple of anchovies to your next ratatouille and watch it come to life. :) The oil left in the jar of premium tuna is also a game-changer.

Capers. Pickled okra and pickled fennel stalks. Preserved lemon. Fish sauce.

I have the best Thai chili paste in my fridge door. It's so complex and delicious. It's both sweet and spicy and has undertones of dried shrimp that don't taste like shrimp. I found it on Amazon after WoksOfLife recommended it. Took two weeks to get it. I'm taking my empty jar to H-Mart to see if they have it or can get it. I put a little in Merrill's broccoli and lemon soup just this morning with an over easy egg...outstanding. Made a delicious breakfast that I kept wanting more of. Umami does that to me.

I bought a few bottles of Chung Jung One gochujang sauce before the holidays, and I'm obsessed. It's spicy without being hot, and so, so flavorful. It enlivens practically anything -- eggs, sandwiches, leftover pasta, mashed potatoes, etc.

Harissa. Grainy mustard. Moroccan Cured lemons (3 more weeks till mine are done...). Leftover liquid from cured/pickled/canned things (such as said lemons, or otherwise pickle liquid, the leftover oil from Ortiz tuna or from good sundried tomatoes). Canned or jarred piquillo peppers.

I recently added two teaspoons of wholegrain mustard to a bolognaise ragu, which was a game-changer for me -- I don't think I'll make it without ever again. I also used leftover gravy made from the previous day's roast chicken, as the base for a sausage, kale and cherry tomato linguine dish; delicious!