10 Best Supermarket Shortcuts

When cauliflower rice arrived in supermarkets in 2015, Americans went wild: At one point, Trader Joe’s had to enforce a two-bag-per-person limit! Since then the veggie has become a standard fill-in for rice, but it can do much more. In this recipe, the bits of frozen rice keep the butter cold in the dough, so the biscuits end up super light and flaky.

These have always seemed too good to be true: fully cooked sausages that you just have to heat and serve. We often slice and sear them for classics like sausage and peppers or orecchiette with sausage and broccoli, but for this recipe we treated the links like a good old-fashioned hot dog.

This hot commodity has become a staple in many kitchens because it tastes great on pretty much everything (seriously, try it on ice cream sometime). Most fans use the intense flavorful oil and crunchy bits of fried chiles as a topping. The condiment is equally magical as an ingredient in marinades, sauces and dips like this one.

The package instructions will tell you to boil the gnocchi and then add sauce, but fans of these shortcut potato dumplings know the secret: They’re even better when you brown them. Try roasting them as part of a sheet-pan dinner, or cook them in a skillet like we did for this hash.

We can get healthful sides on the table in no time (well, OK, in 90 seconds) thanks to these ingenious products. If you think of them as a starting point, you’ll open up a whole new world of possibilities: Microwave the grains (almost every common grain is sold in this form now) and bake them into a casserole, toss them into a wok or use them to make these crackers.

Few ingredients give you as powerful a punch of flavor as frozen juice concentrate. Instead of just adding water, try a spoonful in a salad dressing or cake batter. Or use it to whip up this punch for a party; it’s the ultimate mixer.

Ranch dressing made its way into American kitchens in the 1950s, and we’ve been obsessed with the tangy, herby flavor ever since. The powdered form, made with dried buttermilk, has been revolutionary. We can now sprinkle ranch on anything: french fries, salads, pasta, pizza, popcorn, you name it. Try some in this savory oatmeal.

Thanks to this invention, no one ever has to shred a head of cabbage again! We now have endless options for slaws that we can turn into instant side salads or transform into entirely new dishes—like this veggie-forward twist on scallion pancakes made with a broccoli mix.

Could you make your own dulce de leche? Sure. Do you need to? Definitely not. This rich caramel sauce (basically a reduction of milk and sugar) tastes great out of a jar or can, and it works wonders as a dessert topping. Drizzle it over brownies, sundaes or pies, or use it to take cereal treats to a new level.