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F. Martin Ramin for The Wall Street Journal, Styling by Anne Cardenas

Robicelli's loaf cake and fudgy brownies

The Baked Goods

These Go Up to 11

There are those who avidly read wisecracking chef Allison Robicelli's blog and those who chase the complexly composed cupcakes that she and her chef husband, Matt, distribute to retailers around New York. The couple's fan base is about to expand: They have launched an e-commerce spin-off. Ms. Robicelli said, "Matt and I sit down with a dessert that's become so commonplace it's nearly milquetoast, and find a way to turn it up to eleven." This is certainly true of Robicelli's fudgy brownies (from $13 for four), which include the Classic Sea Salt and the spicy cinnamon- and caramel-nuanced Fany. Another shippable, elevated basic is the loaf cake; it comes in three flavors—zucchini pignoli, lemon blueberry ricotta and banana bourbon pecan ($21 for the trio). Finally, they've got a superior Valrhona chocolate-based hot cocoa blend ($15) to get you through the winter. robicellis.tumblr.com

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F. Martin Ramin for The Wall Street Journal, Styling by Anne Cardenas

Stephanie Izard's Rub 1 and sauce

The Flavor Builders

Smoke and Spice

In the midst of opening two spinoffs of her successful Chicago restaurant Girl & The Goat, chef Stephanie Izard found time to introduce the Flavor by Stephanie Izard, a collection of sauces and rubs that places her explosive, globally mixed flavor combinations in home pantries. We couldn't stop sniffing Rub 1, which concentrates ranch dressing's predominant notes with herbaceous rosemary, or Rub 2, a riff on a masala blend. These you can massage into meat and poultry or sprinkle on chips or dips. Just as versatile are her three sauces. There's every protein's pal, the Marinade, enhanced with sambal and ginger; friend to all vegetables, a fish-sauce vinaigrette dubbed the Saute; and kimchi-inspired the Chee, which includes miso and chili flakes and should be added to anything that could use a kick. $6 per rub and $10 per sauce, theflavorbystephanieizard.com

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F. Martin Ramin for The Wall Street Journal, Styling by Anne Cardenas

Ana Sortun's Chef Set meals

The Meal in a Box

Around the World in 20 Minutes

Cambridge, Mass.-based chef Ana Sortun, of the restaurants Oleana and Sofra, "never had any aspiration to do a retail product." That is, until a nutritionist challenged her to develop family-friendly meals that could be made in under 20 minutes, with as many "natural, pure ingredients" as possible. The resulting Chef Sets come in four varieties—for now—inspired by the flavors of Turkey, Lebanon, Morocco and Greece. That last, for example, provides a raisin-studded quinoa base redolent of oregano and mint. To it, Sortun suggests adding shrimp, broccoli and feta. Confident cooks can use the kits as starting points for experimentation; beginners will get a handle on the basics. $6 each, chefsetmeals.com.

A version of this article appeared January 12, 2013, on page D6 in the U.S. edition of The Wall Street Journal, with the headline: No Headline Available.