1) Dried mushrooms are a bargain compared to fresh mushrooms. It takes approximately 8-10 pounds of fresh mushrooms to yield 1 pound of dried. A half pound of dried shitake mushrooms costs only $29 with shipping, but is equivalent to 4-5 pounds of fresh shitakes, which would cost at least $40 at a retail store. Dried mushrooms can be stored in your pantry for a long time, can be substituted for fresh in just about any recipe and are easy to reconstitute. See THE NIBBLE’s Mushroom Glossary for more about gourmet mushrooms.

2) Enjoy truffle flavor via truffle oil. At $2,000 a pound or so, even the wealthy will be holding back on fresh truffles this year. But you can enjoy the flavor of truffles with truffle oil. There must be at least a hundred servings in each bottle of truffle oil; a little goes a long way.

3) Braising meats makes affordable, delicious winter dishes. Usually, the meats that are perfect for slow-cooked winter dishes are far more affordable. Try wild boar shoulder, venison stew meat and bison skirt steaks. If you want to eat the finest quality meats and game and exotic meats, buy meats in bulk and split orders with friends and family to save, or buy a quarter grass-fed beef to really save. Also check out less expensive cuts of beef in THE NIBBLE’s popular article on Best Value Steak Cuts.

We don’t like too many packaged cookies, and you won’t find many reviewed in THE NIBBLE. Even the organic variety, made with all-natural ingredients, are often too sweet or just not worth the carbs, which we’d rather enjoy in another form (ice cream, cake, chocolate…). But we taste everything that crosses our path, and really flipped for O’Coco’s Organic Chocolate Crisps: thin, wafer-type cookies that can be enjoyed from the grab-and-go bag, or as a sophisticated accompaniment to accessorize other foods.

Read the full review on TheNibble.com.

Mary’s crackers taste so good, and deliver such flavorful, addictive crunch, that it’s a pleasure to get your three daily servings of whole grains (and 455mg of omega-3 fatty acids per serving) by substituting whatever cracker or chip you’re enjoying now. The flat, round wafers have a great nutty, whole wheat taste despite an absence of wheat. Each of the five flavors (Original, Black Pepper, Caraway, Herb and Onion) is distinct and straightforward. Black Pepper, for example has a nice pepper bite; Herb features basil, oregano and other dried-herb-rack staples; Onion is reminiscent of Lipton Onion Soup mix, in a good way. Even the Original is splendid: a hearty grain flavor accented with the sesame and flax seeds that characterize the entire line.

The winner was Mitsunori Kusakabe of Sushi Ran in Sausalito, California. Born in Osaka, Japan in 1970, Kusakabe is a largely self-trained sushi genius who holds the 6th American Sushi Skills trophy. He has carried his skills around the globe before bringing them to his Michelin-starred restaurant, Sushi Ran in California. Born in Osaka, Japan in 1970, Kusakabe is a largely self-trained sushi chef who also won the sixth American Sushi Skills competition. His creation, “Seven ’Rice’ Samurai,” used only rice (no fish or vegetables, except for the nori wrapper and garnishes such as shiso flowers), and demonstrated his skills as a chef; judge Kyle Connaughton, head chef of The Fat Duck Experimental Kitchen, called it “tecnhically brilliant.”

Last year’s winner, Golden Shooting Star, was also a vegetarian sushi. To learn more about the different types of sushi available at most sushi bars, read THE NIBBLE’s Sushi Glossary. And if you’re headed to any of the cities where the rest of the Seven Samurai sushi chefs work, you can be assured you’ll find some exciting sushi there.

Read more about the Sushi Of The Year competition, and see photos of the runners up.