Splurge-Worthy Grocery Store Items You Should Try At Least Once

Even better than wondering what you would do if you won the lottery, is knowing exactly what you would do with a baller grocery store gift card. Bust out the fancy napkins because these splurge-worthy goodies are worth trying at least once.

We tapped full-blooded culinary pleasure-seekers for this one, sourcing the best tips and tricks to really get our money's worth when we're going all out. No expense is too expensive, and no luxury is too luxurious. You should be able to find a version of these items at your local supermarket. Of course, if your neighborhood grocery store is the notoriously high-end Round Swamp Farm in the Hamptons, you might need a bigger platinum card.

From sweet, aged balsamic vinegar to drizzle over a Caprese salad, to the juiciest maraschino cherry to drop into a Manhattan, and a superfood honey to dazzle that cheese board, this one's all about the finer things in life. Grab a reusable tote and put on your "inside sunglasses" — we're going shopping like we own the place.

Okay, no, we're not talking about those neon red cherries, bless their little artificial hearts. We're going for a vibe that's less "clown nose on a whipped cream-faced pancake," and more "mysterious stranger at the other end of the bar" — with high-end maraschino cherries.

The difference in taste alone makes these cherries worth shelling out roughly $20 for a jar. For example, they taste like actual cherries. Plus, they don't go through the same process that the unnaturally pink cherries do. In case you were wondering, that typically involves a six-week bleach, followed by a month-long sugar, syrup, flavoring, and red dye soak. Finally, they're stemmed and pitted, and pumped with even more sugar and preservatives so they don't turn to complete mush after all of that.

Luxardo Original Maraschino Cherries feature a tart Morello cherry variety, covered in a deep red syrup made of marasca cherries. The fruit is smaller, darker, and candied in a way that keeps its fresh crunch — even if it just spent the last hour sitting on the bottom of your glass.

Why eat regular beef when you could sink your teeth into an age-old steak that's been hanging around for 30 days? Dry-aged beef has been on trend for years, but dry aging is actually a tenderizing method that goes back to the 17th century.

Where modern meat purveyors find convenience with the much-faster wet aging process, dry aging (allowing the meat to cure in the open air, at a regulated temperature, in controlled environments) adds deep umami flavor. This creates an unmistakable contrast against the metal or sour taste of younger, wet-aged beef. Also during the dry aging process, moisture is pulled out of the beef and redistributed back into it to offer the most tender bite.

The price point will vary based on the cut of the meat, as well as the length of time it's been aged (usually somewhere around 30 days). You might find a dry-aged ribeye for $25 to $40, a dry-aged New York strip for $60, or (calling all ballers) a Wagyu dry-aged tomahawk ribeye for roughly $150. A word to the wise, dry-aged steak packs less moisture than fresh cuts do, so it can overcook in a matter of seconds. Keep a close eye on the grill, and err on the side of taking it off the heat too early, rather than too late.

It suffers from way-over-hypedness, but Manuka honey kicks all the other kinds of honey to the curb. Its powerhouse nutrition hikes up the price — but no pain, no gain when it comes to shopping like Gwyneth Paltrow. Think of it almost like a multi-talented petroleum jelly that you can also eat. Rich and almost toffee-like, it's still sweet, but not face-smackingly sugary. Manuka honey can do everything from soothing a scratchy throat to calming an upset stomach and bolstering your immune system — thanks to its hefty helping of the antibacterial compound methylglyoxal (MGO). It packs many more anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial properties than regular honey, and it's even been known to support the regeneration of tissues.

While some Manuka honey brands can ring up at more than $200, you don't need to go gangbusters to get the benefits. Look for MGO numbers printed on the packaging (the higher the number, the more nutritional benefits it has). Every day Manuka should hit somewhere around 50+ MGO. "I don't have time to get a cold right now" special-use manuka will hover around 700+ MGO or higher. You might also see a Unique Manuka Factor (UMF) rating, too. That means the product is guaranteed to be genuine New Zealand manuka honey — with a rating that fluctuates based on the honey's MGO score. Get a jar and drizzle it over that aged cheddar cheese.

When it comes to the finest specialty foods, it seems like you can't go wrong with jamón anything. While we'd push old ladies out of the way for a slice of paper-thin, melt-in-your-mouth jamón Iberico right off the leg, it's not the easiest treat to find. That's where jamón Serrano fills in as a total winner.

Jamón Serrano is dry-cured ham from Spain with a deep, savory, and smoky flavor, that packs a bit more chew than prosciutto di parma, or your run-of-the-mill deli ham (don't worry, it's nowhere near jerky territory). Prosciutto pigs munch on corn, fruit, and whey, where white Serrano hammies love oak tree acorns, and mushrooms, grass, and herbs in warmer months. That particular diet affects the signature Serrano flavor.

Grab jamón Serrano for a quick snack on its own, or pair it with slices of a fresh baguette, or even a cheese platter with olives and pickles. You should be able to find jamón Serrano starting around $12 and skyrocketing from there. If you happen to spot this little piggy's fun cousin, sliced Iberico jamón de bellota (it's darker, more flavorful, fattier, aged longer, and definitely spendier), it's guaranteed to be one you'll want to text home about.

Ah, the pencil erasers of the sea. When they're good, they're great — even with just a quick sear and some salty butter. But while they're easier to find than say, Norwegian langoustines, you still want to get the best bivalves available (yikes, that sounds impersonal. We'll call them Chuck and Sharon).

If you see dry-packed scallops, go for those over wet-packed. Dry ones are packaged with zero additives and preservatives, and they don't lose their water when they're cooked. They also won't shrink down after hitting the heat and are usually sustainably sourced. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, sea scallops that have been wild-caught in the Atlantic are an ocean-friendly bet, typically ranging in price from $20 to $75 for these buttery beauties.

Okay, so what do you do now that you've secured these Chucks and Sharons? Eat 'em. Not to be a basic Karen (no offense, Karens!), but pan-seared scallops in a buttery garlic and lemon sauce might be our favorite recipe in the world. Ooo, maybe some capers in there, too. Did someone say to serve them over linguini? We're in.

It's the peanut butter of the seed world. If you've ever tasted tahini paste made from authentic Ethiopian sesame seeds, you know what level of deliciousness we're talking about. Tahini paste provides the tasty foundation for dippable and drizzle-worthy favorites like tahini dip, hummus, and baba ganoush. Even smoothies, soups, and stews get a boost from a spoonful of the stuff. And while any tahini paste can work for a recipe, only sesame seeds that originate from the tiny town of Humera, Ethiopia truly knock that signature tahini flavor out of the park.

Soom brand tahini hits on the lower end of the tahini-verse, at roughly $10-ish for a jar for their Ethiopian sesame seeds, with a dark chocolate version as well. Seed + Mill offers organic Ethiopian sesame seed tahini for about $15 per container. But if you spot the sampler trio — with 16 ounces each of their original, organic roasted garlic, and organic za'atar tahini — drop what you're doing and give them $42 for the sesame seed experience of your life.

An arbiter of sophisticated taste, caviar could show up to a party in sweatpants, and things would still get fancier. But with a fluctuating price range landing somewhere in between $25 and $35,000 for an ounce (Gulp! For a second we thought that said $35,000... wait). We want to be well-versed in luxury fish eggs. Or at least pass caviar kindergarten.

Dip a toe in the pool with Echo Falls' $25 Alaskan wild salmon caviar, which packs all the poppable, breezily salty notes, without kicking you in the gut on the price. Or, go middle of the "roe" with a tasting duo like Pearl Street Caviar's $82 Ossetra + Keluga set which lets you sample a Kaluga sturgeon hybrid (aka, "River Beluga" — a sustainable alternative to Beluga caviar), and osetra caviar, which is one of the most coveted in the world for its sturdy beads that taste nutty and briny. Of course, keep an eye out for eco-friendly varieties (or U.S. farm-raised sturgeon). Beluga may boast the most clout, but the fish is also "critically endangered." We prefer to indulge with a clear conscience. Also, we're not sure we could handle caviar prison.