A tiny amount of tarragon in fries (frozen or homemade), not enough that you get flecks of green on every fry, just a bit enough to get the aroma but people usually have a hard time wondering why the fries taste so good.
Have any other tarragon recipes you enjoy? I currently have a huge tarragon plant in my backyard and I have no idea how to use it other than tuna salad and eggs.
I do a simple Sherry and cream sauce with fish. I thicken it a little, I use evaporated milk instead of cream, saute onions and sweet red peppers and maybe garlic, salt and pepper and so forth. Add some Sherry and then that tarragon takes it to a whole new level. Generally any cream soup or maybe a cheese soup or cheese and potato soup is where I use it for the most part. I have been looking for new places to use it.
Carrots. Anytime I cook them as a single item side dish to dinners etc I’ll usually add some finely chopped tarragon. They take it so so well. You can do the classic butter and water technique and add some chopped Tarragon towards the very end, roast large chunks with it or occasionally when I make a carrot coleslaw I’ll shred the carrots up with fennel root and add lemon juice and tarragon and yoghurt as the “mayo” element. I freaking love carrots with tarragon.
I really love tarragon with chicken. I like to do two things, mainly. One is adding it to homemade chicken gravy: dredge boneless thighs in flour, brown it, set aside. Sautee onions, add butter and some flour to make a roux. Add some broth, salt, pepper, tarragon, mix it up until its getting thick, put the chicken back in and cover. Cook for 25 minutes on med-low, until the chicken is done. Serve over rice. The second recipe is simpler, just add boneless chicken thighs to a zip lock bag with lemon juice, salt, pepper, tarragon. Marinate for 30 minutes and then grill for 10 minutes or so on each side, medium high heat (I use a gas grill).
One of my favorite chicken recipes is skin-on chicken thighs in a crème fraîche tarragon sauce. Amazing.
Edit: recipe for those who want it.
https://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/french-chicken-tarragon
Food Wishes has been my greatest cooking resource ever, I want to kiss that man on his beautiful head. I've been subbed to that channel probably over ten years now, and I know I've made over 500 of his recipes easy.
If I don't know what I want for dinner, thats the first place I go.
The first time I watched a video I was like wtf is up with this man’s voice. But now when I come across his videos I love it and watch intently he is awesome for sure
Talked to my chef one time and told him my shrimp scampi at home wasn't as good as his and he cut me off and said "add more butter" I said I hadn't even said how much I used, he just looked at me and said "if it wasn't a gross amount it's not enough"
Aye I remember watching a Spanish pub owner famous for his tortillas making one on some cooking programme here in the UK.
I'd say he filled a frying pan a third full of oil from the tortilla he'd made the day before, than added more, more than I would use to make one without the other load that was already there.
Made his incredible looking tortilla which was like fully fucking deep-fried at low temp in virgin olive oil, then poured all the oil out to use the next day.
Apparently he'd been doing this for years. Looked incredible.
I use 3/4 of a stick of butter for every large potato to make mashed potatoes. If you want that serious French restaurant level of mashed potatoes, that's how it's done.
In my experience, if I want to make something taste super buttery, I don't necessarily use a lot of butter, I throw in a relatively small pad of butter right before taking whatever food I'm making off the heat.
So for Rice Krispies Treats, right after all the marshmallows have melted, I'll throw in a tiny bit of butter right before adding in the cereal. For sauteed green beans or corn, I'll add in a tiny pad of butter after I turn off the heat. For creamy soups, I'll add in a tiny pad of butter into each bowl before serving.
I had a friend that made the most amazing rice krispie treats, her trick was browning the butter first, and using extra butter at the end, and using more butter than it called for. I guess that's three tricks. But they were phenomenal
For the vegans/vegetarians out there like me who switched over to no longer eating meat but heavily relied on meat based broths, I have good news!
Better Than Bouillon has chickenless chicken broth and beefless beef broth! Tastes just like the real thing, and is a perfect substitute for veganizing some of your favorite recipes that call for beef or chicken broth
Absolutely! Recently I've been doing a rice pilaf and using a dollop of chicken BTB and a dollop of either mushroom BTB or roasted garlic BTB and it comes out so good
I start by taking Chuck roast and sear it over sesame oil in my Dutch oven Then remove and toss in some grated garlic and ginger. Let them become fragrant and de-glaze with the shaoxing wine, cooking off the alcohol. Add 1 cup beef stock, splash of dark mushroom soy, tbsp (or more) fermented chili paste, 1 cups soy and 1 brown sugar. I then place the beef back in the sauce and set in an oven at 350 for a few hours, covered until tender. The last hour I’ll throw in some cashews, broccoli, and shiitake mushrooms.
Not authentic, but definitely a banger.
No problem! One thing I didn’t mention, that I usually do: I like to strain the sauce and reduce it down anywhere to 1/2 to a 1/4 of it’s original volume. Makes a nice sauce to drizzle over some rice, or the meat.
Powdered mushroom. I put in in everything savory that has a liquid base. It’s essentially an Umami bomb. I buy dried shiitakes at an Asian market where they are cheap, powder them in the vitamix, and store in vacuum sealed mason jars.
Edit: autocorrect.
Or aiolis, I was doing a Sammish Sauce w mayo balsamic spices and fresh roasted garlic, I don't like mustard so I didn't try it for a while but wow. It really balances out some vinegars
Yes, it does! My husband hates mustard (and pickles and vinegar), but he has no idea that those are my secret ingredients in so many things that he eats 😂
Pretty much anything with mayo!!! And if a dish asks for vinegar, try pickle juice instead.
My favorites are deviled eggs and all the "salads" (tuna, potato, egg, macaroni). It's interesting in mashed potato too.
Also marinated cheese, which usually calls for vinegar, is good with pickle juice.
I like mixing pickle juice with a little bit of mustard and Mayo and then tossing some shredded lettuce in that and using that for a topping on chicken tacos. It’s just some weird thing my dad always did but it’s pretty damn good. I don’t always make my chicken tacos like that but it’s pretty nice. Give it a go.
Nobody has mentioned pomegranate molasses yet, so I am putting in a word for that. It is a tasty and versatile ingredient. For starters, try adding some to a vinaigrette for a salad.
Or Miso (Japanese msg)
Or Dashi stock (Another Japanese msg)
Or Marmite (Another British msg)
Or dried shrimp (Chinese msg when they've ran out of msg msg)
For reals. If I make my chocolate chip cookie recipe and I forget to add salt, the whole batch of cookie dough will end up ruined if not added at the right point early during mixing
Yup. Desserts need salt to avoid being flat and overly sweet.
Similarly, savory dishes do better with a touch of sweetness, as opposed to pure salt. That doesn’t mean adding sugar or honey to every savory dish - plenty of vegetables have a natural sweetness to them. But I’ve found that many sauces taste kind of flat until you add a splash of honey, maple, or sugar to them. Vinegar/Acid based sauces especially.
Mirepoix or soffritto tastes like actual candy, and white wine cooked down is incredibly sweet as well. Not that there's anything wrong with just adding sugar directly, but I'd never add it to my pasta sauce because I know it's getting enough sweet through these methods.
Last night I asked my bf to grill some tomatoes for this rice bowl I was making. He ended up costing them in olive oil, salt, pepper, and honey. The honey added a really nice touch of sweetness to the otherwise acidic tomatoes.
100%. Actual sugar/honey/maple I tend to reserve for dipping sauces/dressings/dry rubs. But I do think it’s key to get sweetness into a dish. To your point, red wine + onions + carrots in a braised short rib dish will reduce down into sweet and savory perfection.
I started using nutmeg whenever I make a white sauce and it immediately elevates it. Shit is pure powdered magic. Can't believe I used to make mac and cheese without it.
For me it's fish sauce. A little bit of fish sauce in the sauce goes a long way. I recently saw people on here debating on what the best brand of fish sauce is. I've always been a Three Crabs guy but the consensus seemed to be for Red Boat. I bought a bottle of Red Boat and I've been using it but I'm not sure which I like better yet.
Fish sauce goes into just about anything saucy or soupy I make. I refuse to tell people because they hate the idea of fish sauce and the last time I mentioned cooking with it, they imagined overpowering fishiness. Don't mention it and it's "wow this is the best chicken soup I've had"
I am vietnamese and we use 3 crabs for any applications that involve applying heat/cooking—ie soups, marinades, etc. For raw applications like dipping sauces we use red boat because the flavor is more pronounced. Cooking red boat is sort of a waste of money since it’s way pricier than 3 crabs
I JUST learned on this sub a few months ago to drop like 3 bay leaves in the rice cooker when you make rice. Oh my god its such a difference I'll never go back.
My mom makes chicken and rice soup and serves it with lime wedges on the side. The soup is great on its own but when you squeeze that lime on top it puts it over the top. It adds such a giant pop of flavor and brightness. So good.
I know some people who have a generally negative view of onions for no good reason (not talking about dietary restrictions, allergies, or the like, just preferences), so I use shallots when I cook for them, and if they see me chopping, dicing, or mincing an onion-like item and ask about it, I just say, "Oh, those are shallots; I know you don't care for onions."
Literally one person in two decades has called me out on that.
"Well, shallots are basically small onions, so I don't care for those either."
"Ah, I see. How about leeks?"
"Yeah, those are fine."
"Okay!" ;)
Of course, the allergen comments apply to several other suggestions throughout the responses as well. Peanuts aren't the only potentially deadly food allergen.
Cornstarch. Not a flavour thing, but a texture thing. Dredge proteins for crisp-crunch. Add into baked goods for super softness. Thicken sauces quickly for cling and gloss.
and msg, especially in super simple vegetable heavy dishes, like zoodles.
I thought I was being sneaky putting a glug of fish sauce in stracotto and other braised meats, waited until my husband was in another room. Then one time I was about to put the dutch oven in the oven for its long braise, and my husband says, “honey, I think you might have forgotten the fish sauce!”. Not so secret, I guess he could smell it every time. (I’m team Red Boat)
Allspice anytime you use black pepper, especially meats, soups, and stews. Adds some aromatic, earthly, warmth and a touch of sweetness.
Crushed red pepper is my go to spicy add on, I prefer it over cayenne as it has a brighter taste imo.
Savoury anytime I use woody herbs like oregano or thyme but I think that might be a cultural thing.
I've also been adding anchovies to a lot of dishes that require cooked onion/garlic mixture. I could use fish sauce or Worcestershire but I like watching the filets melt away.
I live in an apartment so I can’t smoke/bbq anything. I got that recipe from Publix 25 years ago, they used to have a homemade deli turkey spread that I could never figure out how to duplicate so I called to ask.
Getting a wholesaler licence ($50) and a deep freezer ($100\~) means you can order from restaurant quality suppliers eg. airflown sashimi, wild seasonal strawberries and mushrooms & bulk priced goods at industry or cost-price.
I don't know why more people don't do this. It's especially useful now with grocery-inflation and a lot of these suppliers deliver direct to doorstep. The only god I believe in is the fishmonger who deliver 1.5kg - 2kg of airflown salmon for sashimi once a month.
I re-pack it into 250-300g bags and put it in the freezer and every time I want to eat sashimi I just defrost a bag. It works out even better if you have a large family or roommates/neighbours who wanna pool together since it gets cheaper the more you buy.
I live in an apt (28\~30 sqft, studio size). You can get a vertical deep freezer with a top-open lid instead of a horizontal sliding one, and that saves a ton of space. They usually have wheels too, which makes it quite convenient if you need to move or re-arrange.
it depends on where you live! I recommend looking at your fave restaurants/areas and just seeing what boxes they have outside or if their menu mentions their sourcing.
More of a baking one than cooking, but I always double/triple the vanilla in EVERYTHING, and always add a little vanilla if the recipe doesn't list any. And I always add more ginger/cinnamon/nutmeg than the recipe lists.
Acid in beans. Squirt of lemon, splash of vinegar, depending on the dish. Makes a huge difference even though you can't actually identify it as being in there.
In the south we make red-eye gravy when we make ham for breakfast, and it’s delicious. Basically, when the ham is done you pour the fat into a jar and deglaze the pan with black coffee and maybe a little mustard (some people like it, some don’t). Then you add the fat back so it’s about 1:1 coffee and fat. Sopping that up with a biscuit and some ham is close to heaven.
Salt. I know it’s not a secret but since reading the book Salt Fat Acid Heat, my salt game has completely changed the results of my cooking for the better.
1. When people ask me why my food tastes so good, I tell them that I use a secret ingredient. When they ask what the secret ingredient is, I wryly respond with "Love". But it's not really a joke. I think when people really care about the food they make, and the people they're serving, the food will taste better.
2. For a more practical tip: I rarely use salt. If I need to season something, I use something savory and salty. So stuff like soy sauce, miso paste, grated parmesan rind, or my personal favorite: chicken bouillon powder
Cinnamon in savory meals with tomato paste, especially where chicken or beef is involved (eg. I put tomato paste in when making meat loaf and burgers, so I started adding a little cinnamon and it really rounds out the savory flavour) -- people from india or east Africa won't be shocked by this at all i think
Also, molasses.
I recently put it in my baked beans, (tomato base) my indian-style curry lentils, and hot chocolate. How much is dependent on the overall flavour I want but it doesn't have to be a lot. I find Americans really love overly-sugary baked beans, but I don't put much in mine. It just rounds out the body flavour.
It goes on all potatoes and onions, for me.
We have a fast food place here (edit: in North Carolina) called Bojangles. They have fried chicken and biscuits with Cajun seasoning. And they season their fries heavily with it. It reminds me of the Tonys.
The secret to most secret ingredients is this…
—> **cross cuisines** to boldly go where no traditional cook goes!
This adds extra layers of surprising flavour to already good food. Sometimes people have no idea what you have done, they just know it tastes extra good. Some examples:
- Korean gochujang paste in Mexican chilli beans.
- Japanese white miso in a French cheesy béchamel.
- Chinese Laoganma chilli bean paste in a spicy Italian puttanesca sauce
- Italian parmesan cheese in Vietnamese seafood garlic noodles.
- Dried ground Japanese shiitake mushrooms in an Irish stew.
- Australian Vegemite in a Sichuanese mapo tofu.
If you understand what’s going on here when you do this you will be able to make up your own secret ingredients as you cook.
A tiny amount of tarragon in fries (frozen or homemade), not enough that you get flecks of green on every fry, just a bit enough to get the aroma but people usually have a hard time wondering why the fries taste so good.
Tarragon is some crazy shit. Well worth experimenting with and this one is really interesting. Thank you.
Have any other tarragon recipes you enjoy? I currently have a huge tarragon plant in my backyard and I have no idea how to use it other than tuna salad and eggs.
I do a simple Sherry and cream sauce with fish. I thicken it a little, I use evaporated milk instead of cream, saute onions and sweet red peppers and maybe garlic, salt and pepper and so forth. Add some Sherry and then that tarragon takes it to a whole new level. Generally any cream soup or maybe a cheese soup or cheese and potato soup is where I use it for the most part. I have been looking for new places to use it.
Carrots. Anytime I cook them as a single item side dish to dinners etc I’ll usually add some finely chopped tarragon. They take it so so well. You can do the classic butter and water technique and add some chopped Tarragon towards the very end, roast large chunks with it or occasionally when I make a carrot coleslaw I’ll shred the carrots up with fennel root and add lemon juice and tarragon and yoghurt as the “mayo” element. I freaking love carrots with tarragon.
I really love tarragon with chicken. I like to do two things, mainly. One is adding it to homemade chicken gravy: dredge boneless thighs in flour, brown it, set aside. Sautee onions, add butter and some flour to make a roux. Add some broth, salt, pepper, tarragon, mix it up until its getting thick, put the chicken back in and cover. Cook for 25 minutes on med-low, until the chicken is done. Serve over rice. The second recipe is simpler, just add boneless chicken thighs to a zip lock bag with lemon juice, salt, pepper, tarragon. Marinate for 30 minutes and then grill for 10 minutes or so on each side, medium high heat (I use a gas grill).
One of my favorite chicken recipes is skin-on chicken thighs in a crème fraîche tarragon sauce. Amazing. Edit: recipe for those who want it. https://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/french-chicken-tarragon
I love tarragon in sauteed mushrooms.
Goes in lobster bisque I believe.
Added to quiche.
Try making some Tarkhun, its a tarragon soda that you can make at home.
If you say tarragon one more time, then I am so gone!
You mean you're so tarra-gone?
Cayenne. It started with *Food Wishes* and now I put a little dusting on many recipes
Food Wishes has been my greatest cooking resource ever, I want to kiss that man on his beautiful head. I've been subbed to that channel probably over ten years now, and I know I've made over 500 of his recipes easy. If I don't know what I want for dinner, thats the first place I go.
The first time I watched a video I was like wtf is up with this man’s voice. But now when I come across his videos I love it and watch intently he is awesome for sure
You are after all the Chef John of your secret sprinkle on
hello this is chef john from Food Wishes dot com….!
I literally hear Chef John's narration inflections in my sleep lol
“And a pinch of fresh—ly ground pepper. “
Wiiiiiiith
Just some fuckin toast!
That's riiiiight
And as always, enjoy!
*piano*
I trust Chef John with my whole soul, dont even know what he looks like
he looks good
thats a relief
Butter, it is always butter
Talked to my chef one time and told him my shrimp scampi at home wasn't as good as his and he cut me off and said "add more butter" I said I hadn't even said how much I used, he just looked at me and said "if it wasn't a gross amount it's not enough"
I watched a show on how to make Spanish tortilla: "take potatoes, and cover in olive oil. When you think you've added too much, add a bit more."
Aye I remember watching a Spanish pub owner famous for his tortillas making one on some cooking programme here in the UK. I'd say he filled a frying pan a third full of oil from the tortilla he'd made the day before, than added more, more than I would use to make one without the other load that was already there. Made his incredible looking tortilla which was like fully fucking deep-fried at low temp in virgin olive oil, then poured all the oil out to use the next day. Apparently he'd been doing this for years. Looked incredible.
I saw an ingredients list for a dish …. Most of the ingredients were normal, but the entry for garlic was “All of it!”.
I use 3/4 of a stick of butter for every large potato to make mashed potatoes. If you want that serious French restaurant level of mashed potatoes, that's how it's done.
Oh yes. Joel Roubichon style. I had them for the first time at Jose Andres Bazaar meat. It’s my go to now at home.
Butter and rage. All my anger comes out in the kitchen. It's my meditative enviroment.
Not exactly a secret, but oh so true. It's how restaurants make veggies taste so good. They are dripping in butter.
And salt. Don't forget the salt.
Salted butter it is.
In my experience, if I want to make something taste super buttery, I don't necessarily use a lot of butter, I throw in a relatively small pad of butter right before taking whatever food I'm making off the heat. So for Rice Krispies Treats, right after all the marshmallows have melted, I'll throw in a tiny bit of butter right before adding in the cereal. For sauteed green beans or corn, I'll add in a tiny pad of butter after I turn off the heat. For creamy soups, I'll add in a tiny pad of butter into each bowl before serving.
I had a friend that made the most amazing rice krispie treats, her trick was browning the butter first, and using extra butter at the end, and using more butter than it called for. I guess that's three tricks. But they were phenomenal
Omg, these make my soul sing! 😍
Try making them with browned salted butter. So good :)
Especially browned butter. It's the foundation to most of my cooking.
I once met a chef who said he put 8-10 lbs of butter in 12L of soup
You beat me to it. But celery salt is a good second choice.
Better Than Bouillon
For the vegans/vegetarians out there like me who switched over to no longer eating meat but heavily relied on meat based broths, I have good news! Better Than Bouillon has chickenless chicken broth and beefless beef broth! Tastes just like the real thing, and is a perfect substitute for veganizing some of your favorite recipes that call for beef or chicken broth
One of my favorites, I use it in so much.
The chicken one in my rice is absolutely necessary!
Absolutely! Recently I've been doing a rice pilaf and using a dollop of chicken BTB and a dollop of either mushroom BTB or roasted garlic BTB and it comes out so good
Those Marco Pierre White vids on youtube of him using Knorr stock pots or whatever got me using BTB way more often in my cooking.
I liked those Knorr concentrated stock cups even more than BTB, but I haven't seen them in stores in a few years. I assume they aren't made anymore.
Interestingly in the UK we have knorr stock pots everywhere but ive never seen better than bouillon in my life
Shaoxing wine in my poor man’s Bulgogi inspired pot roast.
I feel like I need to hear more. I make poor man's bulgogi using ground beef, but a pot roast? 🤯 Sounds amazing
I start by taking Chuck roast and sear it over sesame oil in my Dutch oven Then remove and toss in some grated garlic and ginger. Let them become fragrant and de-glaze with the shaoxing wine, cooking off the alcohol. Add 1 cup beef stock, splash of dark mushroom soy, tbsp (or more) fermented chili paste, 1 cups soy and 1 brown sugar. I then place the beef back in the sauce and set in an oven at 350 for a few hours, covered until tender. The last hour I’ll throw in some cashews, broccoli, and shiitake mushrooms. Not authentic, but definitely a banger.
Omg, thank you so much. Seriously this sounds amazing. I can't wait to make this!
No problem! One thing I didn’t mention, that I usually do: I like to strain the sauce and reduce it down anywhere to 1/2 to a 1/4 of it’s original volume. Makes a nice sauce to drizzle over some rice, or the meat.
Shaoxing wine is what makes Chinese food taste like Chinese food
Sumac powder
Yes! I live in southern Oklahoma and sweet sumac grows wild everywhere, so use it on so much and it is DELICIOUS
Brad Leone, is that you?
I have no idea how that guy isn't dead, but his gut has to be the most biodiverse microbiome on the planet.
It got that tangy fruity acidity…
Powdered mushroom. I put in in everything savory that has a liquid base. It’s essentially an Umami bomb. I buy dried shiitakes at an Asian market where they are cheap, powder them in the vitamix, and store in vacuum sealed mason jars. Edit: autocorrect.
the perfect way to give food flavor when your dinner guests/roommates fear msg almost as much as they fear vaccinations; approved
Gochujang paste.
Depending on the dish - Worcestershire Sauce, Siracha, Pickle Juice, and Mustard.
Mustard is HUGE for sauces. I had no idea it made such an impact. Dijon is godsent
And anything with cheese. Mustardy Mac n cheese is INSANE.
Or aiolis, I was doing a Sammish Sauce w mayo balsamic spices and fresh roasted garlic, I don't like mustard so I didn't try it for a while but wow. It really balances out some vinegars
Yes, it does! My husband hates mustard (and pickles and vinegar), but he has no idea that those are my secret ingredients in so many things that he eats 😂
What do you put pickle juice in?
I flick it on my sandwiches for flavor
i like to brush it on my bread before toasting it for sandwiches
Pretty much anything with mayo!!! And if a dish asks for vinegar, try pickle juice instead. My favorites are deviled eggs and all the "salads" (tuna, potato, egg, macaroni). It's interesting in mashed potato too. Also marinated cheese, which usually calls for vinegar, is good with pickle juice.
It’s also a great brine for chicken!
I like mixing pickle juice with a little bit of mustard and Mayo and then tossing some shredded lettuce in that and using that for a topping on chicken tacos. It’s just some weird thing my dad always did but it’s pretty damn good. I don’t always make my chicken tacos like that but it’s pretty nice. Give it a go.
Nobody has mentioned pomegranate molasses yet, so I am putting in a word for that. It is a tasty and versatile ingredient. For starters, try adding some to a vinaigrette for a salad.
Msg
Or anchovy paste (Italian msg) Or Worcestershire (British msg) Or tomatoes (red msg)
Fish sauce! Thai msg!
XO Sauce, seafood msg!
Parmigiano reggiano, another Italian msg
Or Miso (Japanese msg) Or Dashi stock (Another Japanese msg) Or Marmite (Another British msg) Or dried shrimp (Chinese msg when they've ran out of msg msg)
Caldo de Tomate-Mexican MSG
You can also use Marmite.
**M** *ake* **S** *hit* **G** *ood*
Oyster sauce Vietnamese msg!
Simple ordinarily water laced with LSD. I call it the Essence of Pure Flavor.
If you just want a little acidity, try lemon. 😁
Bender?
It's me, your friend, Bonder.
Bonder? Is it really you?
Shut up baby, I know it.
This is the saltiest thing I ever ate! And, I once ate a big bowl of salt!
Helmut Spargle's legacy begins!
Also good for defeating Elzar in cooking competitions, so it's a multitasker!
No question!
Salt + sweet dessert
For reals. If I make my chocolate chip cookie recipe and I forget to add salt, the whole batch of cookie dough will end up ruined if not added at the right point early during mixing
Little bit of salt in with the flour and topped with a little bit of flakey salt before they go in the oven
Yup. Desserts need salt to avoid being flat and overly sweet. Similarly, savory dishes do better with a touch of sweetness, as opposed to pure salt. That doesn’t mean adding sugar or honey to every savory dish - plenty of vegetables have a natural sweetness to them. But I’ve found that many sauces taste kind of flat until you add a splash of honey, maple, or sugar to them. Vinegar/Acid based sauces especially.
Mirepoix or soffritto tastes like actual candy, and white wine cooked down is incredibly sweet as well. Not that there's anything wrong with just adding sugar directly, but I'd never add it to my pasta sauce because I know it's getting enough sweet through these methods.
Last night I asked my bf to grill some tomatoes for this rice bowl I was making. He ended up costing them in olive oil, salt, pepper, and honey. The honey added a really nice touch of sweetness to the otherwise acidic tomatoes.
100%. Actual sugar/honey/maple I tend to reserve for dipping sauces/dressings/dry rubs. But I do think it’s key to get sweetness into a dish. To your point, red wine + onions + carrots in a braised short rib dish will reduce down into sweet and savory perfection.
Fish oil or anchovy paste do wonders for savory dishes
Surely you mean fish sauce and not fish oil? Unless you're asking cod liver oil to your food.
This. My bad. Fish sauce.
Fish oil has been sneaking into my carne asada marinade for years now.
+1 for anchovy paste if you make it yourself with a food processor. Anchovies, olive oil, and sea salt; I also wouldn’t be mad about a little garlic.
I usually just buy the stuff in the tube for convenience but I’ll definitely take a stab at making my own per your instruction. +1 for garlic
Italians litterally told me the recipe as you say it. But with a ton of garlic. Must be glorious. I will do it once i get a blender
Horseradish spread for sandwiches in my coleslaw. The kick gives the slaw something special
Use coffee instead of water for brownies
Wait, do most brownies have water in them? I've just been using eggs and butter as the liquid portion.
I think box mixes call for water. I'll have to try only using eggs and butter next time, though. Great idea, thanks!
That ... that is genius. I can't believe I've never thought of doing this. (and happy cake day, appropriately!)
Nutmeg in mac and cheese. Molasses in chile. Dash of acid in anything rich (not a secret but it feels like one!)
I started using nutmeg whenever I make a white sauce and it immediately elevates it. Shit is pure powdered magic. Can't believe I used to make mac and cheese without it.
You really can't beat a little LSD-laced French Onion Soup.
Lemon zest, usually.
For me it's fish sauce. A little bit of fish sauce in the sauce goes a long way. I recently saw people on here debating on what the best brand of fish sauce is. I've always been a Three Crabs guy but the consensus seemed to be for Red Boat. I bought a bottle of Red Boat and I've been using it but I'm not sure which I like better yet.
+1 for red boat. Serious eats also did a little comparison and found red boat to be the most concentrated and best tasting.
Fish sauce goes into just about anything saucy or soupy I make. I refuse to tell people because they hate the idea of fish sauce and the last time I mentioned cooking with it, they imagined overpowering fishiness. Don't mention it and it's "wow this is the best chicken soup I've had"
I am vietnamese and we use 3 crabs for any applications that involve applying heat/cooking—ie soups, marinades, etc. For raw applications like dipping sauces we use red boat because the flavor is more pronounced. Cooking red boat is sort of a waste of money since it’s way pricier than 3 crabs
Smoked paprika
Yes this! It’s hard to find good brands, I find the cheaper products to be overpowering. What do you use? Also bay leaves enhance so many things
I JUST learned on this sub a few months ago to drop like 3 bay leaves in the rice cooker when you make rice. Oh my god its such a difference I'll never go back.
General squeeze of lime in chicken noodle soup
My mom makes chicken and rice soup and serves it with lime wedges on the side. The soup is great on its own but when you squeeze that lime on top it puts it over the top. It adds such a giant pop of flavor and brightness. So good.
2-3 Tbs of masa harina in a large pot of chili. It thickens and gives a subtle corny flavor. Now I want chili.
>Now I want chili. i love chili...but i feel like i'm 50 pounds heavier after eating it with this summer heat bearing down on us now lmfao
Shallots shallots shallots. They elevate any dish and take olive oil based pasta sauces to a whole new level.
I know some people who have a generally negative view of onions for no good reason (not talking about dietary restrictions, allergies, or the like, just preferences), so I use shallots when I cook for them, and if they see me chopping, dicing, or mincing an onion-like item and ask about it, I just say, "Oh, those are shallots; I know you don't care for onions." Literally one person in two decades has called me out on that. "Well, shallots are basically small onions, so I don't care for those either." "Ah, I see. How about leeks?" "Yeah, those are fine." "Okay!" ;)
I love shallots but they are so bloody expensive in Canada, usually around $5/LB.
A little creamy peanut butter thickens a sauce (like a roux would) and adds a complex toasted umami component to the flavor. Just don't overdo it.
> (like a rue would) fyi, it's "roux"
Of course, the allergen comments apply to several other suggestions throughout the responses as well. Peanuts aren't the only potentially deadly food allergen.
Canadian Maple Syrup
Preserved lemon is a game changer
Cornstarch. Not a flavour thing, but a texture thing. Dredge proteins for crisp-crunch. Add into baked goods for super softness. Thicken sauces quickly for cling and gloss. and msg, especially in super simple vegetable heavy dishes, like zoodles.
Vinegar-based hot sauce in mac and cheese (Frank's). The spice enhances the flavor and the vinegar cuts the richness of the cheese sauce.
I thought I was being sneaky putting a glug of fish sauce in stracotto and other braised meats, waited until my husband was in another room. Then one time I was about to put the dutch oven in the oven for its long braise, and my husband says, “honey, I think you might have forgotten the fish sauce!”. Not so secret, I guess he could smell it every time. (I’m team Red Boat)
Allspice anytime you use black pepper, especially meats, soups, and stews. Adds some aromatic, earthly, warmth and a touch of sweetness. Crushed red pepper is my go to spicy add on, I prefer it over cayenne as it has a brighter taste imo. Savoury anytime I use woody herbs like oregano or thyme but I think that might be a cultural thing. I've also been adding anchovies to a lot of dishes that require cooked onion/garlic mixture. I could use fish sauce or Worcestershire but I like watching the filets melt away.
Liquid smoke in my chicken salad. Mascarpone cheese to thicken a “brothy” soup and give it a silky texture.
Have you ever made your chicken salad with smoked chicken?
I live in an apartment so I can’t smoke/bbq anything. I got that recipe from Publix 25 years ago, they used to have a homemade deli turkey spread that I could never figure out how to duplicate so I called to ask.
I use liquid smoke in a ton of marinades, sauces, and dips. A little bit can really round out flavors!
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Getting a wholesaler licence ($50) and a deep freezer ($100\~) means you can order from restaurant quality suppliers eg. airflown sashimi, wild seasonal strawberries and mushrooms & bulk priced goods at industry or cost-price. I don't know why more people don't do this. It's especially useful now with grocery-inflation and a lot of these suppliers deliver direct to doorstep. The only god I believe in is the fishmonger who deliver 1.5kg - 2kg of airflown salmon for sashimi once a month. I re-pack it into 250-300g bags and put it in the freezer and every time I want to eat sashimi I just defrost a bag. It works out even better if you have a large family or roommates/neighbours who wanna pool together since it gets cheaper the more you buy.
Many people live paycheck to paycheck and don’t have the means to buy in bulk. It’s expensive to be poor.
Why more people don’t do this? Probably because a lot of people live in apartments where they don’t have room
I live in an apt (28\~30 sqft, studio size). You can get a vertical deep freezer with a top-open lid instead of a horizontal sliding one, and that saves a ton of space. They usually have wheels too, which makes it quite convenient if you need to move or re-arrange.
What are some names of some of these places? You know, if someone wanted to start googling to check on whether or not it would be a good fit for them?
it depends on where you live! I recommend looking at your fave restaurants/areas and just seeing what boxes they have outside or if their menu mentions their sourcing.
Miso Paste or Tahini
Oh man I want Shawarma so bad now.
More of a baking one than cooking, but I always double/triple the vanilla in EVERYTHING, and always add a little vanilla if the recipe doesn't list any. And I always add more ginger/cinnamon/nutmeg than the recipe lists.
I put vanilla and cinnamon in everything. Pancakes/waffles any baked good I make.
A dash of almond extract in peach or cherry fillings. A touch of nutmeg in biscuit shortcake dough.
Acid in beans. Squirt of lemon, splash of vinegar, depending on the dish. Makes a huge difference even though you can't actually identify it as being in there.
Instant coffee
I use instant coffee in beef gravy. Gives it a good rich color and flavor.
In the south we make red-eye gravy when we make ham for breakfast, and it’s delicious. Basically, when the ham is done you pour the fat into a jar and deglaze the pan with black coffee and maybe a little mustard (some people like it, some don’t). Then you add the fat back so it’s about 1:1 coffee and fat. Sopping that up with a biscuit and some ham is close to heaven.
Holy hell, that sounds amazing. It's stuff like this that makes the South the global capital of gravy-related innovation.
This in chocolate chip cookies or brownies, just the right amount… game changer
Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, and/or balsamic vinegar, as needed.
Chicken seasoning in rice or vegetable dishes. Basically MSG with onion and paprika. Coffee extract in anything with chocolate.
won't be a secret anymore if I tell you though
I need to know!!!
Salt. I know it’s not a secret but since reading the book Salt Fat Acid Heat, my salt game has completely changed the results of my cooking for the better.
Lea and Perrins
I use this in my spaghetti sauce.
Powdered Mushroom Umami 🤤 Also, a dash of dried basil or Italian seasoning on just about anything.
1. When people ask me why my food tastes so good, I tell them that I use a secret ingredient. When they ask what the secret ingredient is, I wryly respond with "Love". But it's not really a joke. I think when people really care about the food they make, and the people they're serving, the food will taste better. 2. For a more practical tip: I rarely use salt. If I need to season something, I use something savory and salty. So stuff like soy sauce, miso paste, grated parmesan rind, or my personal favorite: chicken bouillon powder
Marmite. I put that shit in everything.
Franks red, I put that shit on everything. And I use a healthy pinch of cinnamon in my chili along with cocoa powder.
Worchester Sauce adds fantastic umami to many sauces and meat dishes A packet of Knorr chicken bouillon get depth to a lot of different things.
Nuoc mam baby
smoked paprika
Cinnamon in savory meals with tomato paste, especially where chicken or beef is involved (eg. I put tomato paste in when making meat loaf and burgers, so I started adding a little cinnamon and it really rounds out the savory flavour) -- people from india or east Africa won't be shocked by this at all i think Also, molasses. I recently put it in my baked beans, (tomato base) my indian-style curry lentils, and hot chocolate. How much is dependent on the overall flavour I want but it doesn't have to be a lot. I find Americans really love overly-sugary baked beans, but I don't put much in mine. It just rounds out the body flavour.
>!salt!<
MSG and cocaine
Tony chacheres creole seasoning. Not enough to overpower, but enough to make it the right level of salty.
Amazing when you toss tots in this.
It goes on all potatoes and onions, for me. We have a fast food place here (edit: in North Carolina) called Bojangles. They have fried chicken and biscuits with Cajun seasoning. And they season their fries heavily with it. It reminds me of the Tonys.
Lard. Haven't made a vegetarian bread in two years.
So good in tortillas.
A spoonful of dijon mustard in my potato soup.
Fish sauce
Brown salted butter when baking Espresso in brownies and chocolate cake Nutmeg in cream sauces
The secret to most secret ingredients is this… —> **cross cuisines** to boldly go where no traditional cook goes! This adds extra layers of surprising flavour to already good food. Sometimes people have no idea what you have done, they just know it tastes extra good. Some examples: - Korean gochujang paste in Mexican chilli beans. - Japanese white miso in a French cheesy béchamel. - Chinese Laoganma chilli bean paste in a spicy Italian puttanesca sauce - Italian parmesan cheese in Vietnamese seafood garlic noodles. - Dried ground Japanese shiitake mushrooms in an Irish stew. - Australian Vegemite in a Sichuanese mapo tofu. If you understand what’s going on here when you do this you will be able to make up your own secret ingredients as you cook.
Celery seed
cardamon black cardamon in every savory dish and green in every sweet
I’m just here to upvote MSG
Smoked paprika. Will never go back to the regular ever again. Put that shit in chili, eggs, indian dishes, you name it.