We all have them, or rather most of us do. What are yours? Dare ya to share.
Mine is using a good jarred alfredo sauce in place of a bechamel for mac and cheese.
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Uh…at the risk of getting kicked off this site:
Minced garlic in a jar.
Minced ginger in a jar
I cook every day - everything. We go through far to much of this stuff for me to either grow it, clean it or chop it.
Now I’ve said it. 
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More Than Gourmet Chicken Demi Glace and Brown Stock bases. A little goes a long way and they last a very long time in the fridge. I also have Better Than Bouillon flavors too, but the More Than Gourmet is for when I also need the gelatin boost. That being said, I have done the goosing boxed or BTB base broths with unflavored powdered gelatin. It gets the job done.
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Using boxed white cheddar Mac & Cheese as a base for tuna casserole, or chicken noodle casserole.
The Spice Tailor curry kits.
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My confession is that I love to use jarred alfredo sauce in place of a bechamel for mac and cheese. It’s a shortcut, I know, but it’s so easy and delicious. I just add a little milk and cream to the sauce to thin it out, and then I add in my favorite cheeses. My favorite combination is cheddar, mozzarella, and Parmesan. I also like to add in some spices, like garlic powder, onion powder, and paprika.
I know that some people might say that using jarred alfredo sauce is sacrilegious, but I don’t care. It’s my mac and cheese, and I like it how I like it. And I’m not the only one. According to a recent survey, over half of Americans use jarred alfredo sauce for their mac and cheese.
So, if you’re looking for a quick and easy way to make mac and cheese, I highly recommend using jarred alfredo sauce. It’s a delicious shortcut that will save you time and effort :))
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Who knew?
Inconceivable!
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What?
And here I have thought that’s the way it was supposed to be done.
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Wow. While I don’t dispute that using jarred Alfredo is a perfectly reasonable shortcut for mac and cheese and other casseroles, could you please link to the source of this survey?
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Confession: I’ve not once used jarred alfredo sauce for anything. I find the concept of shelf-stable “cheese” sauces off-putting. Like queso dips. Might just be me 
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Adding my confession: In my younger days, I occasionally made queso dip with Velveeta + a can of Ro-Tel tomatoes with chiles. Nostalgia for me. And about as shelf-stable as it gets, LOL.
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Oh, I’ve heard about the rotel concoction many times since moving here. Nostalgia is a powerful emotion 
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If you visit an Italian grocery store, they sell bechamel in Tetrapaks, as well as a bechamel powder.
Stores selling British imports sell a white sauce powder.
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No, I get it. I’m just really curious about the source of the survey referred to by the new poster 
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My Texan friend brought Queso to my potluck in my tiny Manhattan apartment in 1997. The only place she could find Ro-tel tomatoes in Manhattan back then was at Dean & DeLuca in SoHo. That was my first time having Queso, Velveeta and RoTel tomatoes.
I can now get RoTel tomatoes here at regular grocery stores in Canada.
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How many Americans pour Jarred Alfredo on top of their poached egg on a toasted English muffin and call it a Benny? 
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So is Rotel Dip after about 8 beers.
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I don’t drink anymore. Queso is still delicious.
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I don’t think I have EVER made mac and cheese from scratch. Always from a box. Usually that box is blue.
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I use it as well. It works for me. As for ginger, I peel and whirl several fingers of ginger root in a small food processor, and then pack it into a 1/2 cup Rubbermaid container and freeze it. For what’s in the fridge, I pour dry sherry over that (glass jar only for fridge storage), and it stays “fresh” forever. And once the ginger is gone, you can then use the sherry in stir frys.
I also use BTB stock bases if I’ve not defrosted homemade stock.
I use dried herbs ALL the time.
Jarred pasta sauces (Rao’s)
Jarred roasted red peppers, because I don’t have a grill and it takes too long under the broiler
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