Mine probably isn’t that secret these days, but almost every sauce I add nutritional yeast to. Curry, chilli, bolognese, it just makes them all better.
Well as a Hispanic, I’m obligated to say adobo, sazon and or sofrito…
But cumin is fire in a lot of things too… Like wanna add flavor but no salt? Sprinkle in a lil cumin. Mac n cheese with cumin is a vibe.
Doesn’t taste Mexican without some Goya or at least some Knorr.
Couldn’t tell you. Every time I make something really good that’s worth repeating, the recipe is immediately wiped from my mind forever. It’s like some monkey’s paw curse that I can only make the thing the most delicious way once.
Also, butter.
I get the same. I make something that everyone says is delicious and I genuinely have no idea how much of what went in. I guess it just comes with knowing the basics well enough.
The other secret ingredient is … time
Often I’ll make something and it doesn’t quite taste that great immediately after making it … especially tomato based recipes
Then when you let it sit for a day … it tastes a whole lot better the next day.
Tomatoes are shy and take time to work into a dish. That’s why I like to have my sauce simmering before I start the water when making pasta.
Bolognese, i’ll have that simmering for 2-3 hours before i even think about starting the spaghetti,
True. A lot of sauces are the best in leftovers, but every time, I’m like, “no, this doesn’t taste right, it’s not good, mom taste it and help me,” and then she’s like, “yeah dummy, it’s been on the stove for 5 minutes, give it some time.” I’m not patient.
either that, or it only tastes so good the first time, even if your recreate it exactly.
I have the same issue with seasonings. I can never remember how much of what i used to make a perfect dish. With all the smart things being made, what we need are smart seasoning containers, just think after a long cooking you sit down to eat and can pull up an app to see you used 2 grams of this 5 grams of that. You mark the dish then next time you’re cooking you pull up the app and it reminds you on how much to use.
You could weigh the containers before and after
Im to dumb and lazy too do that. Hence why smart containers would be nice.
That’s why I’m designing a recipe app where I can keep notes etc for everything I make.
I still pine for that ham bone soup I drunk-made after Christmas that one times.
the recipe is immediately wiped from my mind forever
You guys are getting recipes? Jk.
Smell, taste, and timing are the keys to great food. Take a whiff and add what’s missing.
Methodical testing is for sharing results after you have a solid grasp of what tastes good.
Smoked paprika. It throw it in a lot of stuff you wouldn’t guess it was in, as it adds a little bit of a smokey flavour.
Been on a huge S. Paprika kick lately. Not sure why I never thought to use it before. It’s basically works wonders on anything (where appropriate)
It’s quite good even just on popcorn.
Even where you wouldn’t think it is appropriate. I make pizza crusts from scratch, and sometimes I put a bit in the dough to give it some flavour.
Sounds delicious (in dungeon) and wholly appropriate—really what I mean’t was savory things. I don’t think it’d be good in, say, lemonade (then again, maybe it would be?).
Ground fennel seed.
People use it for chicken, fish and broth and it’s great in all of them but it realy shines in salads.
I used to be just like you, not really liking salads. They were always just a side dish or something to eat when I wanted to be “healthy”. But that changed when I started adding fennel seed.
Now, whenever I make salad I start by adding a ton of FS, think “shit, I added too much”, sit down to eat it only to get back up amd add more.
New Mexico hatch Green chilies on everything.
New ice cream topping idea!
Green chili ice cream is pretty great
Suspicious that this is a trick, but I can’t say I’m not intrigued.
https://www.hatch-green-chile.com/blogs/hatch/hatch-green-chile-ice-cream
If you can’t buy fresh and roast them I recommend the young guns brand of diced hatch chilies
Pumpkin pie. Add cardamom.
If the recipe calls for ground beef I’ll usually swap it for ground sausage.
Acid. Lemon juice, lime juice, vinegar, and/or wine. Salt and acid make the existing flavors fucking pop.
For anything cheesy, add a touch of nutmeg. Not enough to identify it, but enough to know that something changed.
Taste as you go.
Nutmeg is great in creamed spinach as well
I have a different secret ingredient in my creamed spinach.
Funny story. My partner was making mince meat a little while back and instead of adding nutmeg they accidentally added cinnamon. Actually turned out really good!
Cinnamon is awesome on pepperoni pizza; throw it on before baking.
Moroccans (and probably others) use cinnamon in savoury dishes like tagines and stuff, so not a terrible mistake to make!
Agree with acid. Fuck nutmeg though, I’m tired of sauces with nutmeg. It does not give it a je ne sais quoi, it just makes it taste like fucking nutmeg.
That’s just too much nutmeg.
Correct, and that’s my problem with it: it gets abused too often, so it’s on my “this is why we can’t have nice things” list.
I had to learn to not go overboard with nutmeg, because it’s a very strong flavor that quickly overpowers a dish and when it does, it doesn’t taste nice. But in the correct quantity on the right dish, it’s brilliant.
Old Bay in home made hamburger mix. Only do it if you’re using an 80/20 mix because the flavor stands out too much if you use lean hamburger.
Old Bay in home made hamburger mix. Only do it if you’re using an 80/20 mix because the flavor stands out too much if you use lean hamburger.
Cinnamon. Goes well with more savory things than I ever expected.
What’s the most left field dish you add it to? Funnily enough, cinnamon in chilli was what I had in mind when I made this post!
Taco/nacho meat is the one that comes to mind. I use it in other things as well but my mind has very helpfully gone blank…
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Even chocolate mousse???
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Here’s an opposite example: When making lasagna, leave out the bechamel sauce. No more soggy mess
Your comment almost made me faint like a posh Victorian aera woman.
Lasagna is like sex. There will be a soggy mess at the end but it’s sorta worth it
Lasagna and sex do not belong in the same sentence, I feel so sorry for you 🙏Your comment is worse than soggy lasagna
NO
Sriracha on my cereal.
That’s hard to keep secret once it’s served…
Oregano. 🤫 Don’t tell anybody Andy.
I feel like this is a reference or an in joke?
It was an episode of Andy Griffith.
LSD My cookies are wild man
Note that LSD is heat sensitive so it should be added after they cool.
