Obviously, Motamed couldn’t help but include hot sauce in her box of go-to products. She delves into her favorite picks from Nilou’s Must-Haves, her best food travel hack, and more in Businsiders’s latest installment of How I Eat at Home.  

Businsiders: So, now that we’ve established you’re obsessed with hot sauce, what’s your favorite?

Nilou Motamed: That’s like asking somebody about their baby…. A new favorite that I was actually turned on to by the Foxtrot team is Shaquanda’s Hot Pepper Sauce. The packaging is super cool, really edgy. The person who makes it is a drag queen based in Bushwick [in Brooklyn], and they’re of Barbados descent. I spent a lot of time in Barbados; I used to actually host a rum and food festival there. Also, Pickapeppa Sauce is a really great condiment. That’s one of the things that was in the fridge door that fell on me.

You’ve spoken a lot about keeping restaurants alive amid the pandemic. Do you have a favorite takeout spot?

We get takeout from F+F Pizza. It’s the pizza restaurant that’s connected to Frankie’s 457 [in Brooklyn]. Actually, their olive oil is in one of the boxes. It’s pretty fancy and pretty artisanal, but it’s an old-school New York pie, but plussed up in a big way.

What four items are always in your pantry?

I always have olive oil, I always have sea salt—like, flaky sea salt. I always have chocolate—chocolate is important—and then something hot. I like sauces that I can then use as a base for food. So for example, the NY Shuk Signature Harissa that is in the box. It’s got so much sexy depth of flavor that you can build a sauce from that very easily and quickly.

What podcast are you listening to right now?

We’re a little bit hooked on true crime these days. S-Town was really compelling. [Reading:] “John despises his Alabama talent and decides to do something about it. He asks a reporter to investigate the son of a wealthy family who’s allegedly bragging that he got away with murder.”

Do you have a food-related travel hack?

When we travel, even if we go on a weekend away to an Airbnb, I have to bring my own vinegar. I’m not kidding around. And my own olive oil and my own salt. Jacobsen’s Sea Salt comes in a little carry tin, and I always have one in my purse. How depressing is it when [restaurants] give you those shakers of iodized salt? I don’t want that on my food, so I pull my own salt out of my bag and feel very indulged.

What’s an impulse buy you can’t help but reach for at the market?

I guess I already mentioned chocolate. If I see sexy-looking dark chocolate, I kind of can’t resist that.

What kitchen tool gets the most use in your kitchen?