Unboxed: 8 premium flavor-forward sauces to stock

Flavor profiles circle the globe and convenience cooking gets a gourmet makeover with these premium simmer sauces—pantry essentials that not only boast whole food ingredients, but also frequently respond to the demands of plant-based eating and other culinary lifestyles.

This year has been all about the rise of plant-based eating as consumers have continued to embrace the cultural force of "Holistic Health and Well Being" (identified by New Hope Network’s NEXT and content teams for 2019-20) while seeking out brands that innovate in this sphere by promoting health through the use of hidden veggies and plant-based dairy alternatives, among other things.

With sugar increasingly in the hot seat for a range of ailments, people are also on the hunt for better-for-you options that have less or no added sugar, or that meet the requirements of dietary lifestyles such as keto and paleo. At the same time, modern life continues to be as hectic as ever, making convenience key. And not just for snacking, but also when it comes to cooking up nutritious meals at home.

Did I mention that people also want to do all this without giving up on quality and taste, and while simultaneously embracing the explosion of globally infused flavors that are flooding the shelves of natural foods stores?

While it might seem challenging to find any one item that represents all of these things, the premium sauces featured in this gallery come pretty close, offering a versatile window into international flavors achieved through clean (often plant-based) ingredients and minimal effort in the kitchen.