I'm a celebrity private chef. These are the 5 ingredients I always splurge on — and the ones I buy cheap.

Aug 07, 2026 08:07 PM - 1 month ago 327

Chef K faces the camera successful a room pinch a stove, utensils, acheronian shirt, golden chains, and visible tattoos.

Chef K's motto is that she is your favourite celeb's favourite chef.

For years, Khristianne Uy, known arsenic Chef K, has worked arsenic a backstage cook for family names and is now besides a contented creator.

Despite moving pinch the rich | and famous, her cooking accuracy is that not each that glitters is gold. Chef K believes bully cooking is not astir buying the astir royal ingredients.

Unlike her personage clientele, Chef K said she makes her Instagram and TikTok look videos pinch a single mom struggling to make ends meet successful mind.

However, if you want to splurge connected high-quality ingredients, these are the items Chef K said are worthy spending other connected — and the ones you should bargain cheaply.

Chef K uses high-quality cooking and finishing oils

Bottles of Kirkland Signature other virgin oliva lipid are displayed astatine a Costco Wholesale store.

Chef K said that a high-quality lipid is the No. 1 constituent you should splurge on. For cooking, she recommends high-heat avocado oil, and for finishing, extra-virgin oliva oil.

Extra-virgin oliva lipid has a little fume constituent than regular oliva lipid and high-heat avocado oil, making it much suitable for drizzling connected salads aliases making dips.

Simple, higher-fat food is best

"Every clip I spell to a client's house, and I spot that they're consuming food pinch a ton of different ingredients, I deliberation to myself that we've sewage to make a alteration here," Chef K told Business Insider.

She said it's worthy spending other connected less-processed butter.

For instance, you tin opt for food pinch a higher butterfat content, specified arsenic the Kerrygold Unsalted Pure Irish Butter aliases the Land O' Lakes
Extra Creamy Salted Butter.

Opt for much costly breads pinch less additives

Chef K besides likes to bargain breads containing full grains aliases made of sourdough, avoiding added sugar.

"We each emotion breadstuff and butter. But deliberation astir what benignant of breadstuff you're using. Is it the breadstuff that lasts for 90 days, and it's still fresh?" she said.

A 2022 study published successful the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, based connected a meta-analysis of 68 studies pinch complete 1.6 cardinal participants, recovered that consuming full grains alternatively than refined grains tin thief little the consequence of coronary bosom illness and cardiovascular disease.

"Make the grilled cheese, but usage the bully bread," Chef K added.

She prefers utilizing gourmet salts

Chef K said she prefers to usage Celtic oversea brackish and pinkish brackish (also known arsenic Himalayan salt) complete cheaper alternatives.

Celtic oversea brackish spead retired crossed chopping boards and a spoon.

Gray and pinkish brackish typically besides incorporate trace minerals, specified arsenic magnesium chloride, calcium, and iron.

In her look videos connected Instagram, Chef K sometimes uses Maldon salt, a British gourmet oversea salt. It costs $9.99 for an 8.5-oz battalion astatine Walmart, overmuch much than regular iodized salt.

Many chefs prize the bigger flakes successful Maldon brackish for finishing, salting meats, and adding a burst of salty spirit to dishes.

Splurge by making your ain mayonnaise astatine home

Chef K is everlastingly a proponent of spending a small other money (and time) to make definite condiments from scratch. Mayonnaise is 1 of these.

"If you don't want your kids aliases your family to devour 17 ingredients successful 1 compression of mayo, make it yourself. It's conscionable 3 ingredients, and you will sensation the difference," she said.

To make mayonnaise, you request eggs, vinegar aliases citrus juice, and an oil.

Depending connected the costs of individual ingredients, making your ain mayonnaise astatine location tin beryllium much costly than the cheapest mayos.

But without preservatives, homemade mayo will past astir a week successful the fridge, compared to astir 2 to 3 months for store-bought.

But for produce, you don't person to walk much

Grilled cabbage sizzling successful a pan.

Chef K said 1 measurement she recommends making meals much accessible price-wise is by bringing inexpensive produce typically utilized for broadside dishes — specified arsenic cabbage and carrots — into main dishes.

She besides said buying seasonal and section varieties of consequence and vegetables thumps trendy ones. Prices are often lower, and the value tends to beryllium higher.

Despite cooking for the stars pinch budgets apt acold greater than those of the mean family, Chef K believes that buying the astir costly ingredients is not what cooking should beryllium about.

"You don't request the shiny things. It's not astir that. It's what you tin do. It's simplicity," she said.