I'm a professional chef. Here are 5 pantry staples you should buy cheap and 5 you should splurge on.

A chef breaks down the common cooking ingredients you should buy cheap and which pantry staples are worth paying a little extra for.

• As a chef, I believe some ingredients are worth spending extra on but others are fine to buy cheap.
• I think it's worth spending extra for high-quality olive oil, sesame oil, and flour. 
• I don't think it's worth splurging on fancy brands of dried pasta or name-brand nuts for baking. 

You don't need to buy the most expensive ingredients across the board when you're trying to make delicious food on a budget.

As a trained chef, these are the pantry staples that I think are worth getting from bargain brands and which are worth paying a little extra for. 

For most home bakers — and even most pro chefs — the generic brand of granulated sugar will get you where you need to go

The only time you may want to opt for a fancier sweetener is if you want the extra caramelization and crunch that something like demerara sugar offers.

But even if you're making a restaurant-quality dessert, you can achieve a nice crackly top with some basic Domino sugar. 

You don't need to splurge on dried pasta

The biggest difference between higher-end dried pasta and budget brands is typically just the kinds of flour used and the drying process.

I think fancy pasta in interesting shapes can be fun when you're trying to impress someone. But for most dinners at home, I doubt you and your guests will know the difference between trusty Barilla and a costlier brand. 

You can get by with soy sauce from the cheaper brands 

Unless you're using soy sauce as an actual sauce (say, for dipping sushi), you can get by with cheaper versions, such as a store brand or Kikkoman.

These will add the right saltiness and flavor to soups, stir-fries, and other cooked dishes. Still, it can be a treat to experience a high-quality artisan-brewed soy sauce to really elevate your next takeout order. 

Salt will help you season your food even if it's not fancy 

Salt is essential for cooking and baking — and great cooks go through it fast.

But you don't have to spend a fortune on fancy salts to achieve well-seasoned food. I've found that Diamond Crystal kosher salt is the brand of choice for many restaurants, so why not follow the professionals' lead?

It doesn't always make sense to splurge on nuts 

Nuts are already a pricy pantry item, and there's no need to shell out the big bucks if you're buying them to mix into cookies or to toast and sprinkle over a salad.

Stick to the store brand when shopping for unseasoned, raw nuts like walnuts, pistachios, and almonds for cooking. 

On the other hand, cooking oil is worth splurging on 

A high-quality bottle of olive oil can completely transform a dish.

Like wine, the flavor, aroma, and look of olive oil are all influenced by where and when the olives were grown and how the oil is processed. Your palate will thank you when you make a simple vinaigrette with quality Graza, Kosterina, or Branche oils. 

The same holds true of sesame oil, which naturally has a strong flavor. Higher-priced bottles, like Momofuku's toasted sesame oil, tend to have a more well-rounded, robust flavor compared to cheaper oils. 

It's often worth buying a nicer vinegar

Acid is often the missing component in a dish that just seems to fall flat. It helps brighten up flavors and round out the other leading notes, be they savory, salty, or herby.

Plus, vinegar is one of the easiest pantry acids to keep on hand (lemon juice and other citrus fruit also work well).

There's a wide range of flavors in the world of vinegar — but I've found the cheap stuff can send you into total pucker-dom. To avoid making your salad dressing too sour, stick to well-balanced kinds of vinegar that typically cost a bit more. I love the unique offerings from brands like Acid League, American Vinegar Works, and Brightland. 

I pay extra for high-quality eggs

Although it's tricky to compare cheap eggs and more expensive ones in terms of nutritional value, I think it's best to pay a few extra dollars for higher-quality eggs.

In my opinion, they have a great taste and quality I don't always find from cheaper brands. I like to buy ones that come from pasture-raised chickens on small farms.

You might end up using less butter in your recipes if you buy the good stuff 

High-quality butter can add a new layer of richness, creaminess, and umami to your meals.

In my experience, a really great stick of butter from grass-fed cows adds so much flavor on its own that you won't need to use nearly as much as you would of the cheap stuff.

If you're using butter for cooking or baking, avoid buttery spreads, which are often full of cheap oils. Instead, I suggest you reach for a stick with at least 85% butterfat or one made from grass-fed milk and cream, such as Kerrygold Irish butter. 

Serious bakers and amateurs alike can benefit from higher-quality flour

The benefit of buying slightly pricier flour from a popular brand like King Arthur is consistency. Every bag of King Arthur all-purpose has the same protein content (within a narrow standard deviation).

On the other hand, if you use flour that varies in its protein content, you can easily end up with dense, chewy baked goods or ones that become a crumbly mess. Or, if you switch brands too much, your recipes may not turn out the same.