The Pantry Staple That Can Upgrade Almost Any Store-Bought Dip

Dips exist in a class of foods that seemingly always signal party time. And, whether that party includes you and Netflix or your 50 closest friends, dips can be kind of a pain to make. With all the meticulous melting, the architectural layering, noisy food processing, and eventual cleanup they can entail, you might as well create a multi-course meal. That's why dip is also among the premier use cases for using a store-bought option. And you can always zhuzh it up at home.

Extra virgin olive oil, which you might already have in your pantry, is the easiest way to dress up many dips. Hummus is the classic contender. The best hummus we've ever had in restaurants might have skewed a little more lemony in one place or a bit more tahini-forward in another, but it's always been anointed with a swirl of oil. That ingredient will also make your tzatziki and baba ganoush seem even silkier, your skordalia smoother, and give your tapenade an even deeper fruity dimension. In general, if you can blend it, extra virgin olive oil will be a suitable addition to most dips.

If you have ever participated in a workplace secret Santa, won a little league raffle, or stolen a neighbor's gift basket, then you may have a bottle of flavored olive oil in the cabinet, too. Hopefully it just isn't truffle oil, which is typically fake. And even if you've got a chili, basil, or garlic variety, you might not want to cook with it and risk adulterating your recipes.

Dip enhancement is just the thing to get those bottles off the shelves and one step closer to empty. But balance is key. Skordalia, for example, includes raw garlic as a main ingredient. So, while adding more via oil can add a little texture garnish, it won't bring in any additional flavors. The infusion will perform better in something like a tapenade, where the garlic plays a more supporting part. You can also, of course, create your own infused olive oil. And oil in any form is best for those more spreadable dips. It'll do little more than pool on the surface of Buffalo chicken, artichoke, crab, or otherwise baked varieties that can practically pass for dinner.