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If you've seen our article on photographer Gregg Segal's series Daily Bread: What Kids Eat Around the World, you know that our menu can vary a lot depending on the place we live in. Who knows, maybe you've even been on a culinary holiday. Point is, our tastebuds can get pretty intrigued about trying out different stuff. But sometimes, satisfying their cravings is pretty difficult. So when you get the opportunity, you have to use it.

Earlier this month, Reddit user u/pogmoshron made a post on r/Cooking, saying: "What are some kitchen 'must haves' that I can pick up when I'm in the States that can't be purchased in Europe?" Immediately, cooks began making suggestions, and the comment section ultimately became a pretty vivid illustration of American eating habits. Continue scrolling to check out their replies.

#1

30 "American" Kitchen Essentials People Wish They Could Find Overseas When I lived in the US, I would bring back Lipton's Onion Soup Mix and make onion dip. My Indian friends loved it so much, they would fight over who got to lick the bowl.

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#2

30 "American" Kitchen Essentials People Wish They Could Find Overseas Old Bay Seasoning. I haven't been able to find it in Europe. I'm from Maryland, and I miss it so much that I make my own from a copycat recipe and always have it on hand in my kitchen.

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Jo Choto
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I lived in Maryland for a long time. Only Marylanders actually like Old Bay seasoning. Everyone else rightly realizes it's a mistake.

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#3

30 "American" Kitchen Essentials People Wish They Could Find Overseas All peanut butter products. I'm an American living in Scotland, and good peanut butter exists here but only in tiny expensive jars. I miss things like peanut butter cookies, Reese's Puffs, and peanut-butter-filled pretzels.

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RoseTheMad
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I'm in the UK.. you can get Peanut Butter cookies, fudge, puffs (though they're animport) cups, pretzels, etc etc...

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#4

30 "American" Kitchen Essentials People Wish They Could Find Overseas My friend just moved to Dublin from the states. They brought a ridiculous amount of ranch dressing and ranch dressing powder. When we go to visit them we are instructed to bring more. I guess Europe does not have a ranch market.

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Guy MacGregor
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

No. And the first time I heard about it was here on Bored Panda. It was out of context and I did not understand why OP was speaking about "farmer clothing" (ranch... dressing...).

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#5

30 "American" Kitchen Essentials People Wish They Could Find Overseas Tony Chachere's Creole Seasoning. Salty, but so very good in all kinds of foods.

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Michael Sanders
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Staple. They have all kinds of other products too. Mixes, Bloody Mary mix, etc. Living in NOLA I make most of their mixes from scratch, but in a pinch their gumbo and jambalaya mixes are quite good. Zing Zang is much better bloody mix though.

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#6

30 "American" Kitchen Essentials People Wish They Could Find Overseas There's a brand of Cajun seasoning called 'Slap ya Mama'. I've never actually tried it myself, but as a brit living in the UK, I have seen it as an ingredient in SO MANY recipes that I can only assume it's popular.

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Michael Sanders
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I put on nearly everything I want spice. That and Tony Chachere which is listed in….

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#7

30 "American" Kitchen Essentials People Wish They Could Find Overseas Celery Seed

Personally I haven't been able to find it here in Finland and I don't know how common it is in other countries. Celery seed really gives coleslaw and a few other dishes that true American flavor.

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#8

30 "American" Kitchen Essentials People Wish They Could Find Overseas Cottage cheese. In Japan, it's virtually impossible to find, and really I miss cottage cheese!

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Mad Dragon
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Cottage cheese is easy to make yourself from whole milk, salt, and some sort of acid (I use vinegar or lemon juice). Heat the milk slowly, add the acid, stir gently and let rest for a few minutes, strain through cheesecloth, add salt. I add a bit of cream to make it smoother, but that is optional.

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#9

30 "American" Kitchen Essentials People Wish They Could Find Overseas Maple syrup is so hard to find outside of North America! I'm in Brazil right now and I've been here several times before and I remember once a few years back when a couple friends had to tell me that there was roughly zero chance I was going to find maple syrup here (I was planning a Super American Breakfast For Dinner kind of fun meal).

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RoseTheMad
Community Member
2 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I literally just bought maple syrup the other day. From Sainsbury's. xP It's available in Europe, but Brazil isn't Europe. (this article needs a new title jfc)

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#10

30 "American" Kitchen Essentials People Wish They Could Find Overseas Canned chipotle Chiles in adobo sauce!!

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#11

30 "American" Kitchen Essentials People Wish They Could Find Overseas My [expat] sister always says how hard it is to find canned pumpkin overseas so i always bring some when I visit. I'd load up there!

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#12

30 "American" Kitchen Essentials People Wish They Could Find Overseas Corn bread. It’s rare to find in the UK. The only place I’ve seen it was at Whole Foods, and even there it was cold, subpar, and not as comforting as the US version.

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#13

30 "American" Kitchen Essentials People Wish They Could Find Overseas American measuring cups. Makes making recipes online much easier as you don’t have to try and convert anything.

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The Scout
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Of course you could circumvent this problem by switching to metric like the rest of the world, instead of having to carry a measuring cup if you go abroad...

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#14

30 "American" Kitchen Essentials People Wish They Could Find Overseas When I was in the USA I bought a cast iron pan for 20-30 dollars I think. It’s at least 3 times cheaper than the same kind of pan where I live.

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#15

30 "American" Kitchen Essentials People Wish They Could Find Overseas Stone-ground corn grits. At least in England, they're nearly impossible to find. You can get your hands on Quaker Oats corn grits, but that's about it.

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#16

30 "American" Kitchen Essentials People Wish They Could Find Overseas Chipotle powder. I get it at a Mexican market. Chipotles are smoked jalapeños. I use it as a rub on chicken or pork before grilling.

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#17

30 "American" Kitchen Essentials People Wish They Could Find Overseas Franks red is key. I used to bring back Buffalo sauce when I would go to the States, but then I realized how easy and tasty it is to make from scratch, so now I just bring back some Franks

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#18

30 "American" Kitchen Essentials People Wish They Could Find Overseas I'm an American expat living in Germany, and when I make trips back to the US I return with:

BTB

TJs EBTB seasoning

Annie's Mac and Cheese (I make m&c from scratch, but my kids love the s**t in the blue box)

Rainbow sprinkles

Frontera Mexican sauce packets

Pink Starbursts

Reese's Pieces

Bourbon

Cream of Tartar

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Omi bub
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I find it funny how many of these posts are just synthetic flavours or ultra-processed stuff

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#19

30 "American" Kitchen Essentials People Wish They Could Find Overseas Bourbon! Whenever I go to the US, I bring home as much bourbon as I'm allowed. Abroad, there are very few types of Bourbon sold, and they are incredibly expensive.

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Marcellus II
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Meh. Why drink Bourbon if there's something better locally available? Say, whisky.

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#20

30 "American" Kitchen Essentials People Wish They Could Find Overseas Internet teached me what pop tarts are. Never seen them in Europe. Also we don't have good brown sugar. Maybe that's a continental thing.

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Rick
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Wonder where the person is in Europe that they’ve never seen a Pop Tart before? I’m in the UK and used to eat these as a child.

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#21

30 "American" Kitchen Essentials People Wish They Could Find Overseas Anything Mexican related and some less common hot sauces.

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#22

30 "American" Kitchen Essentials People Wish They Could Find Overseas If you have the space in your luggage, kosher salt is a lot cheaper in the US than the European equivalents

If you like Mexican food, it’s worth stocking up on dried chilis in the US since they’re again way more abundant and much cheaper

I personally prefer the sponges you get in the US, so I always bring back some of the yellow and green Scotch Brite kind.

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Debbie
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I can buy iodine free salt in Europe when/if I want. But why would I.

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Seaweed B
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

We'll, for starters because you think that kosher salt is just iodine free salt, which means you have no clue what kosher salt is.

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Martha Meyer
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I still.don't understand what's the thing with kosher salt. Isn't that just salt that some Jewish priest has blessed?

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Vetus Vespertilio
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

It’s also larger flaked and dissolves more rapidly. If your recipe calls for Kosher salt, you won’t get exactly the same result by using table salt.

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F. H.
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I've never seen someon complain about the price of salt nowadays. And I've known many people who had a hard time to afford enough food.

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Francisco Manuel Teruel Gutiérrez
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Fully available in multiple ways. And the price is from 25 euro cents 1 kg (with iodine at the same price).

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Gin. No tonic
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

It's really easy to get it in Europe. The only difference is that we don't call it Kosher salt. It's just "coarse salt", always two varieties: with or without iodine.

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Seaweed B
Community Member
2 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Kosher salt is not just salt without iodine. It's also not rock salt. It's also not coarse ground salt. It also has nothing to do with Judaism. It's a coarse flaked salt that makes it easy to handle and with a lot of surface area that makes it perfect for seasoning meats and if you don't think those things make a difference then you've never used it before

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Baleygr
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

And it's everywhere here, just has a different name. That could be the problem in finding it.

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BasedWang
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

With the internet, isn't summa this list hella irrelevant? I mean, if you are buying peppers dried anyway, then why not just buy online if you really need em

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Roxy Eastland
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

As I understand it Kosher salt is just American for iodine-free salt, so the post is saying normal table salt in Europe is a lot more expensive than in the US?? Seems unlikely.

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Seaweed B
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

You understand it wrong, then. Kosher salt doesn't have iodine, usually, but that's not what makes it kosher salt.

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Lamalo
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Kosher salt has no religious significance, aside from the fact that it is used in the meat preparation for kosher meat. The main difference is that the crystals are much larger than those in table salt and many cooks prefer it. It is also generally not iodized, but non-iodized table salt is pretty common...

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Camila Figueiredo
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

What a b******t! You have wonderful cheap great marine salt in most countries in Europe. Why would you need "kosher salt".

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Sanchez Vasile
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Don't forget toilet paper. Really, would you like to shut down even the sponge factories abroad?

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Phil Green
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Kosher salt? You mean rock salt? Large crystals for curing meat? Salt is NaCl, two elements. All that is different is the size of the crystals.

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Rissie
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Flying in salt? Really? Even suggesting it... And it can be found all over the Netherlands at least.

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Viau Anna
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Whahahahahah no idea where you live, but in Europe, Asia, and Canada, it's not that hard to buy dry chilis. Or buy fresh ones at Asian supermarkets and dry them yourself.

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Thomas Sweda
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Make sure you let the luggage inspectors at the airport taste that Kosher salt !

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H Moore
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

You better buy the iodine salt in NZ, our soil is deficient. Goiter anyone?

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Pezor Zass
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

oddly, kosher salt that isn't super chunky is expensive and hard to find in Canada. No idea why that would be.

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Sanchez Vasile
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Because you look for a foreign product 3x more expensive instead of making your own at half price and 95% identical.. Cuisine is a thing, marketing is not.

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Parthania Dawson
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I suggest keeping some seeds from the dried chilis and growing your own. They grow well in containers.

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Michael Sanders
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Kosher salt is straight sea salt, iodine is processed with extra unnecessary minerals. Also when you are cooking if you out kosher in a tub the larger crystals help infuse more flavor. I call the standard salt and “ground” pepper peasant salt and peasant pepper. You do you though.

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#23

30 "American" Kitchen Essentials People Wish They Could Find Overseas Dr. Pepper. Whenever we travel abroad, my husband almost loses his mind going a week or two without it.

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#24

30 "American" Kitchen Essentials People Wish They Could Find Overseas Hidden Valley fiesta ranch mix is god tier. Mix with sour cream and its perfect with all flavors of potato chips

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#25

30 "American" Kitchen Essentials People Wish They Could Find Overseas Tajin seasoning. It elevates just about every kind of fruit, and it's so hard to find outside of the States.

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#26

30 "American" Kitchen Essentials People Wish They Could Find Overseas Trader Joes spices - Everything but the Bagel is phenomenal

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#27

30 "American" Kitchen Essentials People Wish They Could Find Overseas Peanut butter, graham crackers & marshmallows keep well and I know a lot of countries don't have them.

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#28

30 "American" Kitchen Essentials People Wish They Could Find Overseas Dried chiles. If you like cooking Mexican food, it's worth stocking up on them in the US. You can find them abroad, but they're way more expensive and less common.

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ZAPanda
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

wow this is such a laugh, we have these things growing in our garden. weirdos.

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#29

30 "American" Kitchen Essentials People Wish They Could Find Overseas Canned diced green chilis. Decent salsa (but sure if it might break), Goya beans and salsas, boxed Mac n cheese. My German friend from college demands that last one in all her care packages lol.

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#30

30 "American" Kitchen Essentials People Wish They Could Find Overseas The umami seasoning is phenomenal. I use it in almost everything to add depth of flavor.

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