Kinder's Buttery Steakhouse Rub, 2.3 oz

Kinder's has been a California butcher-shop name since 1946, when John Kinder opened a counter in San Pablo. Three generations later the family still sells seasoning the way it sold meat, and Buttery Steakhouse is the blend aimed squarely at a steak: a rich dairy-butter note laid over coarse cracked pepper, the taste of a hot pan finished with a knob of butter.

It is built for high heat. Season a ribeye, strip, or sirloin on both sides, let it stand while a cast iron pan comes up to smoking, then sear hard and turn once. The butter character reads strongest in the first minutes off the heat, so rest the steak, slice it against the grain, and hit the cut faces with a light second pass.

The 2.3 oz shaker is a stove-side size rather than a bulk tub, which suits it: this is a blend cooks reach for on burgers, smashed potatoes, roasted mushrooms, and chicken that needs to taste like more than chicken.