All great gumbos start with a few homegrown ingredients and a pot. In the course of producing our October 2014 feature on the iconic Louisiana dish, we discovered a slew of products that were indispensable for recreating authentic Cajun and Creole flavors in our kitchen. Browse our guide for where to find and buy the best tools and ingredients for your own gumbo making. —Farideh Sadeghin
Photo credit: Ingalls Photography/André Baranowski/Farideh Sadeghin
King Kooker
The 8-qt., cast-iron King Kooker ($72; kingkooker.com) heats uniformly for an even, dark roux. Saveur
Savoie’s Old Fashioned Dark Roux
When convenience calls for pre-made roux, we use Savoie’s Old Fashioned Dark Roux ($3.37 for 1 lb.; cajungrocer.com). Saveur
Poche’s Market Andouille and Tasso
Along with the Cajun holy trinity of celery, onion, and bell pepper, use Poche’s Market andouille and tasso ($8.62 for 1 lb.; tasso, $9.70 for 1 lb.; pochesmarket.com). Saveur
Teet’s Food Store Smoked Turkey Neck
Teet’s Food Store smoked turkey neck ($3.50 for 1 lb.; teetsfoodstore.com) enrich our meat gumbos. Saveur
Blue Crabs and Shrimp
Blue crabs and shrimp sourced through the Louisiana Seafood Board (louisianaseafood.com), star in our seafood gumbo. Saveur
Uncle Bill’s Creole Filé
Tony Chachere’s Creole Seasoning
Tony Chachere’s Creole seasoning ($2 for 8 oz.; tonychachere.com), a mix of cayenne, garlic and onion powders, dried oregano and thyme, black pepper, and salt, flavors the oxtail gumbo. Saveur
Cajun Country Rice
Top all of our gumbos with long-grain Cajun Country Rice ($1 for 1 lb.; cajuncountryrice.com).
McCormick’s Grill Mates Mesquite Seasoning
Use McCormick’s Grill Mates mesquite seasoning ($8 for 12 oz.; amazon.com) for smoked turkey and andouille gumbo. Saveur
Schiltz Family Smoked Goose
Order smoked goose meat ($12 for 8 oz.) and rendered goose fat ($8 for 8 oz.), for the smoked goose and foie gras gumbo from the Schiltz family (schiltzfoods.com). Saveur
Smoked Turkey Wings
Purchase smoked turkey wings ($15 for 2 wings; store.frickmeats.com) to prepare the stock for smoked turkey and andouille gumbo. Saveur