Flaky, buttery puff pastry recipes are always an elegant addition to the table—even if the dough comes from the grocery store. Could go for homemade puff pastry? Sure. But, while the process requires only four ingredients (all-purpose flour, salt, unsalted butter, and cold water), the main requirement is time. Plus, you’d need a large work surface, a stand mixer, a rolling pin, a bench scraper, plastic wrap, plenty of fridge space, and a lot of patience.

Considering that, store-bought frozen puff pastry is our not-so-secret weapon of choice for entertaining. (Those looking for a happy medium should consider rough puff pastry, a shortcut version that calls for grated butter—use a food processor’s grating attachment if you have warm hands—instead of lamination with a butter block.) Dufour and Pepperidge Farm are the most commonly available brands in the US, and both are excellent. Once defrosted in the refrigerator, you can use them to assemble an impressive-looking appetizer or pastry case-worthy dessert with minimal prep time.

Speaking of time, it has come: Here are our favorite sweet and savory recipes with puff pastry.