Absolutely. My recipe is shredded potato fried in an equal amount of butter, or more butter if you prefer, and a sprinkle of herbs de provence at the end.
Edit: just joking.
Adding a little bit of curry powder to cream sauces/dishes. Not enough that you can actually taste the curry but just a little. Maybe I'm imagining things, but iti me it feels the sauce gets a little more complex or gets a little bit more body.
Nutmeg is also another great ingredient for cream sauces/dishes, especially freshly grated so it still has some “zing” to it. We should re-embrace nutmeg as a whole in my opinion.
I make a dill sauce to go on top of our chicken curry & rice. This last time I added a bit of curry powder to the sauce and you’re absolutely right. It was the best sauce I’ve made so far.
I think I need to give a little more explanation. It’s not your typical curry at all. lol. BS chicken thighs in a skillet to brown and then in the oven for 20-30 min til done. Remove - S&P and shred it and then add curry powder. We try different types but usually go with the red or orange or mix our own if we don’t have any. Don’t drain any fat or juices as it helps the curry stick to the chicken and create a bit of sauce. I made this by mistake one time and just never looked back. This goes on top of tumeric rice, topped with white onion, bell pepper, tomato and micro greens. The dill sauce is a perfect compliment to cool the spicyness of the curry and mixes well with the rice.
Dill sauce - Greek yogurt, SC or mayo, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, s&p, dash worshestershire, a lot of dill - fresh or dried - add extra dill lol, dill pickle juice to thin out the sauce (used this instead of vinegar) squeeze lemon, maybe some more dill and a touch of the curry powder. Mix well - the consistency I go for is more of a thick sauce that would coat the back of a spoon.
That’s my bastardized curry chicken when I don’t want to cook anything too demanding. Please don’t murder me.
Hahaha. No murdering. I promise. "Not authentic" isn't a bad thing as long as people recognize it! Delicious is still delicious! Thanks for clarifying and for telling me how you make this dish. I can see now how the dill flavor would pair really well! I want to make this!
Also, if it makes you feel better, one of my favorite "enchilada" recipes is essentially a Midwest bastardized cream-of casserole. (It has chicken, tortillas, and canned Hatch peppers, but then it has buckets of shredded cheese and sour cream and a can of cream of mushroom or cream of chicken soup.) I'm from Wisconsin, and, growing up in the 1980s/1990s, this felt like perfectly acceptable "Mexican" food. It is anything but that! It is, however, really good in a nostalgic way for me, and I still dig that recipe out a couple times a year and make it. (And, for reference, I now live in San Antonio, Texas, so I definitely have access to amazing Mexican food, which I love!)
Oh yeah, nothing wrong with that enchilada either! I’m from NM and we would get a mix of authentic Mexican food and TexMex so naturally the cream of casserole, mushroom, or soup would end up in the sauce. lol. But you definitely did right with the hatch peppers! Have you had a chile rellano with the hatch green chiles? They’re popular in NM and even made into a burrito worth a fist fight over.
Yes, I've had the rellenos with the hatch chiles. NM hatch chiles are one of my absolute favorites. I will get hatch chile/verde chicken enchiladas for every meal possible whenever we go to NM!
We get there about once a year to visit family and friends in Las Cruces and ABQ/Santa Fe. Any restaurant you'd recommend for that burrito? That sounds amazing!
I love NM. I'd move there in a heartbeat except my husband's current job is very location dependent on us being in San Antonio right now.
We visit south western New Mexico every couple of years, and it's usually during roasting season, so we always make sure to hit Hatch and get some fresh chiles. I haven't done them as relleno, though, I have to try that this year!
My mother and aunt spent s long time trying to figure out why their food never came out as good as their mother's, then one day they realized she was sprinkling MSG in _everything_.
Agree most of them but note that MSG is best used dissolved into something wet. If there’s not something saucy or soupy or oily there for the MSG to dissolve into, you’ll be able to taste the MSG rather than it just giving a secret oomph.
Tablespoon of ice water per each scrambled egg makes them super light and fluffy, if you prefer that texture.
Sumac as part of the dry rub on any smoked meats- it’s got a citrusy tang that balances the smoky/salty/umami flavors, without incorporating any liquid that can disrupt the binder and other dry ingredients.
Mustard is an emulsifier. I add mustard powder to béchamel/cheese sauce to keep it from breaking, and Dijon to any vinaigrette to keep them from separating.
Is sumac the spice the same thing as the sumac that grows wild in the Midwest/northeast? The kind that has leaves like a walnut tree and tall red spike seed pod things?
Very close! Yes, our Staghorn Sumac does have the edible drupes and is used mostly to make refreshing drinks. The "spice" labeled as Sumac comes from the Middle East and is a different specie, but they are closely related. The best explanation I found is Wikipedia entry on Sumac. It's a huge and interesting family of plants.
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sumac](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sumac)
Just be sure to wash it well, as Staghorn Sumac likes to grow in disturbed soil such as roadsides and likely get sprayed with pesticides/herbicides. And if not, they often host tiny little insect larvae you'll want to remove before eating.
This reminds me of the recipe for stuffed peppers (ground beef/lamb/rice in tomato sauce stuffed in bell peppers), or porcupine balls (stuffed peppers without the peppers)
Fish sauce is a universal secret ingredient. It'll be that thing people who eat your food will wonder "There's ***something*** in here that's special, but I can't put my finger on what it is."
It's fish sauce.
EDIT: Aleppo pepper is up there also.
We used this a lot at the Thai place i used to work at in high school. It smells awful & my friend hates fish in general. One time a chef emptied a bottle & filled it with Dr Pepper. When my friend, who was the dishwasher, started talking about how bad it was. The chef grabbed that bottle & started chugging it. I’ll never forget the look on my friends face. Classic
I recently got some Red Boat brand salt, which is salt “harvested” from the fish sauce barrels after the fermentation process. It smells absolutely rancid, but when used sparingly it’s so good. I’ve mostly been using it mixed with kosher salt and other spices for dry brining meat.
Fish sauce and a tiny splash of pickle juice are my two cooking weapons! Whenever my dishes taste good but a little flat, those two things (in that order) are almost always the solution. If fish sauce doesn’t solve it — which it usually does — the smallest amount of pickle juice as a follow-up is typically all it needs. Sounds weird but never fails me.
Oh nice, I can imagine how the bitterness and acidity could work together there. Interesting combo. I like my coffee citrusy sometimes (espresso tonics are wayyy under appreciated), so I guess on paper this would make sense.
Yes! My SIL is allergic to fish so I had to find a "non-fish fish sauce" alternative to when she comes for dinner. For anyone looking for this I highly recommend Yondu! It gives that extra something and it's vegan.
I once had the same big bottle of fish sauce for years. I noticed no ill effects. Eventually I just threw it out because I bought some of better quality (and smaller size).
Anchovies in sauces or hearty soups. Chop me up real small and they just melt in. Love it for pizza sauce. People who hate anchovies don't even notice.
A lot of people that "hate" anchovies don't actually. They're opposed to either the idea, look, texture, smell, and taste of them alone, some times all of those things at once. But most people who claim to hate anchovies love Caesar dressing and complain about the taste of it if they try it minus the anchovies.
Source- I worked at a restaurant that made tableside dressings once and the number of times people changed their minds about letting us make it our way was ridiculous lol I got to where I'd have them try it before walking away so I wouldn't have to make two trips.
It’s always funny seeing the age of people on here just by the stuff they say. “Drown it in salt and butter and cheese” says the young person with a good heart.
I would be more worried about excess sugar. Sugar is the fat replacement in food and why a bowl of Fruit Loops has been considered healthier than salmon by the FDA. Like you I try to avoid refined sugars as much as possible.
Salt is a flavor megaphone. It is however a balancing act to add enough to enhance the flavor but not too much. Salt and MSG, used appropriately, are game chargers, IMO. Too much of either, I agree, can also ruin a dish.
FDA considered salmon, olive oil, and other healthy fats worse that sugar since the late 1970s thanks to the sugar lobby and poor science. In 2022, they have finally looked to reverse their decision and not sure if it is finally in place or not.
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/amp/ncna572426
Cereal pisses me off. How do they get to claim to be so healthy and good for your heart when they add sugar in, especially when it's processed flour and not whole grain. Even healthy ones like some of the bran ones have added sugar. I stick to grape nuts, ans for the kids look for basic ones (cheerios, corn flakes) that stick closer to 4g added sugar per serving. It is especially frustrating when the package of cereal gets to say shit like "great source of calcium" because of the milk. Sorry, if people usually include another ingredient then you can't claim your product is a good source of it. Can I claim chocolate sauce is a good source of calcium because people make chocolate milk?
It's one if the things that get me unreasonably bent out of shape mostly because I lived through the fat panic of the 90s and I see how unhealthy people are now. Obese families that don't know how to cook. Kids being fed sodas or sugar added "fruit" cocktails. Sugar industry fucked a whole generation of health and made out like bandits. It's some consolation that our gen is now hyper aware of health and the whole foods movement, which your article notes, has taken off. I love this sub because a lot of stuff cooked from scratch here and lota healthier than what a lot of people eat.
What does it mean for the FDA to consider something healthy? Do they assign a healthiness number to foods? Generally FDA guidelines are more specific than that.
I feel like most dishes benefit from having SOMETHING pickled included. Pasta? Add olives. Tacos? Pickled onions. Burger? Cucumber pickles. Anything savory I really feel like could use it.
Place your fresh thyme in a baggie and stick it in the freezer until just frozen. Rub the baggie between your hands and all of the leaves will come off the stem easy peasy.
The woks of life blog has a good recipe I've done before - basically you carefully heat oil with some aromatics and then pour the hot oil over some Szechuan peppercorns
Water with fresh mint from my herb pot when ready or from the local co-op is my non-alcoholic drink of the summer! Also, if you haven’t tried it before, Sharbateh Sekanjebin, which is an Iranian/Persian drink made with a mint & vinegar syrup. Highly recommend!
Ooh! Mushroom flavored soy sauce. I use it anywhere that you would normally use Worcestershire (sometimes I do a little of both), it's great in marinades, and it's what makes people go bat shit for my green bean casserole during the holidays. You barely need any at a time, but it adds SO much deep, umami goodness to everything
Penzey’s roasted garlic powder instead of any regular garlic powder. The roasting makes a huge difference in the flavor. The biggest game changer was adding it into my guacamole.
I make frittatas often to reheat throughout the week, so I do a lot of experimenting. Lately I've found that both buttermilk and different flavors of soft Alouette cheese are very good in the custard!
If something tastes a little meh, usually a pop of acid will fix it up. I’m partial to apple cider vinegar, fresh lemon or pickle juice.
In sauces, I usually add something that people may not think makes sense but adds a secret something. My faves for that are cinnamon, fish sauce and sesame oil
I keep eyeing my tub of cottage cheese when making scrambled eggs, but I haven’t tried that yet. I think you’ve given me the courage to do it next time.
For scrambled eggs i mix in a teaspoon of Better than Bullion chicken base before cooking. Seriously, try it sometime.
Lately when I'm doing a beef roast I've been adding grilled mushrooms and beef onion soup mix to the drippings as a gravy base. Suprised at how good it came out.
In certain dishes, especially this time of year where the food is light and can benefit from a nice burst of bright tang, I LOVE a dash or so of mesquite liquid smoke.
I still haven't told my neighbor what is in my cole slaw that makes her like it so much because the guessing game is fun. I'll let her off the hook if she gets mad.
I was making a sauce for spaghetti with random shit I had - just happened to have things that were good for it that needed to be used. Cooked the sauce way down for hours and it was super acidic. Don’t like to use straight sugar, so I added a bit of honey. It cut straight through the heavy acid taste, was not sweet, and you couldn’t taste the honey at all.
Coming from The Chi, giardinara is a great addition to anything that you want some spicy and crunchy zip to. For instance, throw that in some scrambled eggs or Arroz con Pollo and bask in the oily glory. Malort Optional, and don't get Ditkass just because of the name.
Season every part of your dish and you'll elevate that shit to restaurant standards pretty quick.
Start with Salt. Bring on pepper and butter when you're happy with that. From there, swap out boiling for frying/roasting and That's legit all the French do to their food.
Homemade brown stock. That gelatenous goop can change anything from bland to delicious.
I do mine in steps. First, general vegetable stock. Remove the veg once well-softened. Then fry some pork skins in a pot until somewhat browned but not crispy, then add the vegetable stock. Once those skins are easy to pull apart with tongs, take them out and add in some roasted bones. Beef, veal, pork, venison, anything with hooves. I prefer to use a beef femur along with whatever else is handy, I'll use rabbit bones here if I have them. Let that simmer at 180f overnight.
Extra points for discovering a dashi formula that you like with it.
we always made our scrambled eggs with velveeta melted in the eggs. I didn't know that nobody else did this till I was in about 5th grade, and had plain scrambled eggs at the school cafeteria blech.
- Mushroom powder; adds a depth of umami to almost anything.
- Lemon juice, rice wine and/white wine vinegar; a splash of any of those in most sauces, stews, salads, etc adds so much brightness with minimal effort
When making a dressing (oil/vinegar/spices) I blend in fresh fruit. Fruit flavored vinaigrettes are the best. Tart fruit like cherries add the most flavor.
Herbes de Provence in hash browns.
Absolutely. My recipe is shredded potato fried in an equal amount of butter, or more butter if you prefer, and a sprinkle of herbs de provence at the end. Edit: just joking.
You left out the extra butter part.
Oops my bad
Also in drop biscuits.
Herbes de Provence, full stop.
Adding a little bit of curry powder to cream sauces/dishes. Not enough that you can actually taste the curry but just a little. Maybe I'm imagining things, but iti me it feels the sauce gets a little more complex or gets a little bit more body.
Nutmeg is also another great ingredient for cream sauces/dishes, especially freshly grated so it still has some “zing” to it. We should re-embrace nutmeg as a whole in my opinion.
I'm using it all the time. Got my own nutmeg microplane even lol
There's been a couple of recipes I tried that asked for a smidge of nutmeg, and it makes a world of difference.
SMIDGE is the keyword with nutmeg though 🤣
Agreed. We used to fight wars over the stuff, only for it to disappear from our kitchen cabinets. Bring back the nutmeg!
I love nutmeg grated over carrots sautéed in butter. Great simple side dish.
I make a dill sauce to go on top of our chicken curry & rice. This last time I added a bit of curry powder to the sauce and you’re absolutely right. It was the best sauce I’ve made so far.
I wouldn't immediately think of a dill sauce over curry, but that sounds wonderful!
I think I need to give a little more explanation. It’s not your typical curry at all. lol. BS chicken thighs in a skillet to brown and then in the oven for 20-30 min til done. Remove - S&P and shred it and then add curry powder. We try different types but usually go with the red or orange or mix our own if we don’t have any. Don’t drain any fat or juices as it helps the curry stick to the chicken and create a bit of sauce. I made this by mistake one time and just never looked back. This goes on top of tumeric rice, topped with white onion, bell pepper, tomato and micro greens. The dill sauce is a perfect compliment to cool the spicyness of the curry and mixes well with the rice. Dill sauce - Greek yogurt, SC or mayo, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, s&p, dash worshestershire, a lot of dill - fresh or dried - add extra dill lol, dill pickle juice to thin out the sauce (used this instead of vinegar) squeeze lemon, maybe some more dill and a touch of the curry powder. Mix well - the consistency I go for is more of a thick sauce that would coat the back of a spoon. That’s my bastardized curry chicken when I don’t want to cook anything too demanding. Please don’t murder me.
Hahaha. No murdering. I promise. "Not authentic" isn't a bad thing as long as people recognize it! Delicious is still delicious! Thanks for clarifying and for telling me how you make this dish. I can see now how the dill flavor would pair really well! I want to make this! Also, if it makes you feel better, one of my favorite "enchilada" recipes is essentially a Midwest bastardized cream-of casserole. (It has chicken, tortillas, and canned Hatch peppers, but then it has buckets of shredded cheese and sour cream and a can of cream of mushroom or cream of chicken soup.) I'm from Wisconsin, and, growing up in the 1980s/1990s, this felt like perfectly acceptable "Mexican" food. It is anything but that! It is, however, really good in a nostalgic way for me, and I still dig that recipe out a couple times a year and make it. (And, for reference, I now live in San Antonio, Texas, so I definitely have access to amazing Mexican food, which I love!)
Oh yeah, nothing wrong with that enchilada either! I’m from NM and we would get a mix of authentic Mexican food and TexMex so naturally the cream of casserole, mushroom, or soup would end up in the sauce. lol. But you definitely did right with the hatch peppers! Have you had a chile rellano with the hatch green chiles? They’re popular in NM and even made into a burrito worth a fist fight over.
Yes, I've had the rellenos with the hatch chiles. NM hatch chiles are one of my absolute favorites. I will get hatch chile/verde chicken enchiladas for every meal possible whenever we go to NM! We get there about once a year to visit family and friends in Las Cruces and ABQ/Santa Fe. Any restaurant you'd recommend for that burrito? That sounds amazing! I love NM. I'd move there in a heartbeat except my husband's current job is very location dependent on us being in San Antonio right now.
We visit south western New Mexico every couple of years, and it's usually during roasting season, so we always make sure to hit Hatch and get some fresh chiles. I haven't done them as relleno, though, I have to try that this year!
Roasting season omg the fragrance!
Hey there fellow NM person 😀
Yes!!! And a little tumeric too
I'll try that next time.
Yes! That's exactly the effect I experienced when I added a small amount of curry powder to the chicken soup I made a few days ago
MSG ✨
Some make shit good!
ha ha I always say it stands for "Mmmmm so good!"
Fuyoh!
My mother and aunt spent s long time trying to figure out why their food never came out as good as their mother's, then one day they realized she was sprinkling MSG in _everything_.
What dishes are best with a pinch of MSG?
Agree most of them but note that MSG is best used dissolved into something wet. If there’s not something saucy or soupy or oily there for the MSG to dissolve into, you’ll be able to taste the MSG rather than it just giving a secret oomph.
It’s good as part of a brine for meats as well. It soaks through the meat as it’s a salt
Our salt shaker is like 1/5 MSG lol
Why have I never thought of this lol
What kind of dark magic is that?!
Pretty much anything savory.
Even a lot of sweet things. Donuts and hot chocolate for example.
Most of them lol
Soups, stews, chili, brines and any sauces, to name a few.
Anything that should have umami but doesn't.
I replaced salt and pepper in my eggs with MSG and cayenne pepper.
Tablespoon of ice water per each scrambled egg makes them super light and fluffy, if you prefer that texture. Sumac as part of the dry rub on any smoked meats- it’s got a citrusy tang that balances the smoky/salty/umami flavors, without incorporating any liquid that can disrupt the binder and other dry ingredients. Mustard is an emulsifier. I add mustard powder to béchamel/cheese sauce to keep it from breaking, and Dijon to any vinaigrette to keep them from separating.
Amchur/Amchoor powder is similar to sumac in that it adds a citrusy tartness without adding liquid. I gotta get some sumac to try though!
Sumac in a vinaigrette salad dressing is a game changer.
Do you mix the eggs with the ice water before you scramble?
Yes, just whisk it together right before pouring into the pan.
Is sumac the spice the same thing as the sumac that grows wild in the Midwest/northeast? The kind that has leaves like a walnut tree and tall red spike seed pod things?
Very close! Yes, our Staghorn Sumac does have the edible drupes and is used mostly to make refreshing drinks. The "spice" labeled as Sumac comes from the Middle East and is a different specie, but they are closely related. The best explanation I found is Wikipedia entry on Sumac. It's a huge and interesting family of plants. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sumac](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sumac)
Yes! Try grabbing some off the plant (Staghorn Sumac and a few other varieties) and chew on it. It's got a sour fuzzy feeling that can't be mistaken!
Just be sure to wash it well, as Staghorn Sumac likes to grow in disturbed soil such as roadsides and likely get sprayed with pesticides/herbicides. And if not, they often host tiny little insect larvae you'll want to remove before eating.
Just make sure you don't have a poison sumac! It contains urushiol just like poison ivy.
Cooked white rice in meatloaf, instead of breadcrumbs. You'll get a juicier, fluffier meatloaf every time.
Or oatmeal (not noticeable if you are using as you would breadcrumbs)!
Thanks for this tip. Does the oatmeal need to be cooked before mixing it into the meatloaf?
No, just put the raw oats in there, they absorb the juices during cooking.
Rice krispies also do the trick, and are totally imperceptible after cooking.
This reminds me of the recipe for stuffed peppers (ground beef/lamb/rice in tomato sauce stuffed in bell peppers), or porcupine balls (stuffed peppers without the peppers)
How much do you use?
I think, like, 1/2 cup for my 2 lb meatloaf? That sounds right
Whenever I make cinnamon roles I always add cardamom. It adds a depth of flavor to the cinnamon and makes them seem not as sweet.
Cardamom is my secret to almost all sweet baked goods.
Fish sauce is a universal secret ingredient. It'll be that thing people who eat your food will wonder "There's ***something*** in here that's special, but I can't put my finger on what it is." It's fish sauce. EDIT: Aleppo pepper is up there also.
We used this a lot at the Thai place i used to work at in high school. It smells awful & my friend hates fish in general. One time a chef emptied a bottle & filled it with Dr Pepper. When my friend, who was the dishwasher, started talking about how bad it was. The chef grabbed that bottle & started chugging it. I’ll never forget the look on my friends face. Classic
My favorite thai place reeks if it. Tastes amazing! I always thought it smelled like a Labrador retriever that hasn't been bathed in a year
So what you’re saying is the secret ingredient is unwashed Labrador juice
What a horrible day to be literate.
If it wasn't for the lethal sodium level I'd chug a bottle of decent stuff. Red Boat at a minimum, it's not that bad smelling.
Smells like puke lol
Aleppo is the name of one of my cats because he was a spicy kitten 😹
Yes, but what *is* Aleppo?!
Is this a Gary Johnson joke?
This is adorable!
Thanks! That makes it perfect since he is an adorable boy 😁
I recently got some Red Boat brand salt, which is salt “harvested” from the fish sauce barrels after the fermentation process. It smells absolutely rancid, but when used sparingly it’s so good. I’ve mostly been using it mixed with kosher salt and other spices for dry brining meat.
Surprised because I don't find Red Boat to be that strong of a smell, but cheaper fish sauce smells like a rotting skunk
I was probably being little dramatic, but it basically smells like very concentrated fish sauce.
Yum!!!
Fish sauce and a tiny splash of pickle juice are my two cooking weapons! Whenever my dishes taste good but a little flat, those two things (in that order) are almost always the solution. If fish sauce doesn’t solve it — which it usually does — the smallest amount of pickle juice as a follow-up is typically all it needs. Sounds weird but never fails me.
Coffee works too. I once had spaghetti sauce with some coffee added to the sauce and lime juice before eating. It was phenomenal.
Oh nice, I can imagine how the bitterness and acidity could work together there. Interesting combo. I like my coffee citrusy sometimes (espresso tonics are wayyy under appreciated), so I guess on paper this would make sense.
Is that the umami flavor? Can it be substituted with MSG?
it lso adds some funkyness to the dish for the lack of a better term
Yes! My SIL is allergic to fish so I had to find a "non-fish fish sauce" alternative to when she comes for dinner. For anyone looking for this I highly recommend Yondu! It gives that extra something and it's vegan.
If you like Worcestershire sauce, some of the store brands don't have anchovies in them. I know Krogers and HEB brands are fish free.
Another alternative is [18th century mushroom ketchup](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cnRl40c5NSs). Super easy to make and umami AF.
HEB's does have anchovies. https://www.heb.com/product-detail/h-e-b-worcestershire-sauce-15-oz/616282
Does fish sauce keep indefinitely? I needed it for a recipe quite a while ago but didn't realize I could use it more regularly.
I've got huge a bottle from 2016 that I'm still using and haven't died yet.
I once had the same big bottle of fish sauce for years. I noticed no ill effects. Eventually I just threw it out because I bought some of better quality (and smaller size).
Team Aleppo here! Just don't care for the flavor and pushiness of black pepper. I sub Aleppo for it in nearly everything.
> EDIT: Aleppo pepper is up there also. Also known in any Turkish store as pul biber. You can pick up a big bag for cheap and it's amazing.
Nutritional yeast
I recently sprinkled a bit on popcorn for the first time. WOW
What does it do?
A sort of salty umami flavor boost.
It tastes like cheese powder.
IMO smoked paprika is a good flavorful addition to beef, pork, chicken, eggs, etc.
It's also great with vegetables!
Coffee in chocolate cake or brownies. Just enough to amp up the chocolate flavor.
Teaspoon or two of espresso powder if you don’t want to swap out the liquid in a recipe for coffee!
Anchovies in sauces or hearty soups. Chop me up real small and they just melt in. Love it for pizza sauce. People who hate anchovies don't even notice.
A lot of people that "hate" anchovies don't actually. They're opposed to either the idea, look, texture, smell, and taste of them alone, some times all of those things at once. But most people who claim to hate anchovies love Caesar dressing and complain about the taste of it if they try it minus the anchovies. Source- I worked at a restaurant that made tableside dressings once and the number of times people changed their minds about letting us make it our way was ridiculous lol I got to where I'd have them try it before walking away so I wouldn't have to make two trips.
i dont like anchovies on pizza. for me its the salt i dislike. if theyre in a sauce or something Im sure id like it, same with fish sauce.
This is mine! Anchovies or sardines in my spaghetti sauce is my game changer. Lacking that, a little soy sauce.
Finely minced mushrooms to meatloaf
Well I know what I'm trying this week
I started adding Shao Xing cooking wine to any “Chinese takeout” style dish I make. Changed the game.. and I don’t have to order takeout anymore.
Also, marinating your meat in bicarb soda. Only needs about 10mins and then rinse off afterwards. Meat is so tender after cooking
Absolutely game changer. Just enough to deglaze a hot wok and get all the tasty stuck bits incorporated into the dish.
Based on most recipes, typically, more salt.
I'm getting older so for me it's usually less salt or sugar
It’s always funny seeing the age of people on here just by the stuff they say. “Drown it in salt and butter and cheese” says the young person with a good heart.
I would be more worried about excess sugar. Sugar is the fat replacement in food and why a bowl of Fruit Loops has been considered healthier than salmon by the FDA. Like you I try to avoid refined sugars as much as possible. Salt is a flavor megaphone. It is however a balancing act to add enough to enhance the flavor but not too much. Salt and MSG, used appropriately, are game chargers, IMO. Too much of either, I agree, can also ruin a dish.
Wait where are you seeing the FDA say fruit loops are more healthy than salmon?
FDA considered salmon, olive oil, and other healthy fats worse that sugar since the late 1970s thanks to the sugar lobby and poor science. In 2022, they have finally looked to reverse their decision and not sure if it is finally in place or not. https://www.nbcnews.com/news/amp/ncna572426
Cereal pisses me off. How do they get to claim to be so healthy and good for your heart when they add sugar in, especially when it's processed flour and not whole grain. Even healthy ones like some of the bran ones have added sugar. I stick to grape nuts, ans for the kids look for basic ones (cheerios, corn flakes) that stick closer to 4g added sugar per serving. It is especially frustrating when the package of cereal gets to say shit like "great source of calcium" because of the milk. Sorry, if people usually include another ingredient then you can't claim your product is a good source of it. Can I claim chocolate sauce is a good source of calcium because people make chocolate milk? It's one if the things that get me unreasonably bent out of shape mostly because I lived through the fat panic of the 90s and I see how unhealthy people are now. Obese families that don't know how to cook. Kids being fed sodas or sugar added "fruit" cocktails. Sugar industry fucked a whole generation of health and made out like bandits. It's some consolation that our gen is now hyper aware of health and the whole foods movement, which your article notes, has taken off. I love this sub because a lot of stuff cooked from scratch here and lota healthier than what a lot of people eat.
What does it mean for the FDA to consider something healthy? Do they assign a healthiness number to foods? Generally FDA guidelines are more specific than that.
Because fruit loops have no fat
also, more butter
There is a butter compartment on my body next to the beer compartment. I’m just built that way I guess.
For me, it’s always garlic salt.
I use garlic powder because I like to be able to control the amount of salt myself.
Adobo seasoning.
Came here to say this. Chipotle in adobo sauce takes tomato based dishes to a next level for me.
You should check out Phillipine adobo too ;)
I like to add pickled vegetables to a lot of dishes. A burger has to include pickled onions or a pickle. Pizza, most of the time, would have capers.
I feel like most dishes benefit from having SOMETHING pickled included. Pasta? Add olives. Tacos? Pickled onions. Burger? Cucumber pickles. Anything savory I really feel like could use it.
Fresh Thyme. It's a pain to clean, but it's so yummy.
Place your fresh thyme in a baggie and stick it in the freezer until just frozen. Rub the baggie between your hands and all of the leaves will come off the stem easy peasy.
You are my new hero.
Mushroom powder (Lee Kum Kee), Fish sauce, maggi, msg… usually a combo of all of the above in any savory dish.
I make my own mushroom powder! I forage for porcinis and they dehydrate and powered really well. It's my cheat code.
I did this with morels last year. Amazing.
Umami mushroom powder, smoked salt
I love smoked salt. It’s fantastic on almost everything. Makes for the best avocado toast with chili flakes.
isn't that just MSG for people afraid of MSG?
Maple syrup in stir fry (and a lot of other things)! Soy/maple is such a nice combo. And if anyone is wondering, yes, I live in Vermont.
Maple Dijon curry glaze is my go to for salmon
Hot chili crunch. Homemade or store bought. I can’t stop eating it on everything , meats, yogurt, ice cream.
How would you make it?
The woks of life blog has a good recipe I've done before - basically you carefully heat oil with some aromatics and then pour the hot oil over some Szechuan peppercorns
Fresh mint leaves in almost any beverage
Water with fresh mint from my herb pot when ready or from the local co-op is my non-alcoholic drink of the summer! Also, if you haven’t tried it before, Sharbateh Sekanjebin, which is an Iranian/Persian drink made with a mint & vinegar syrup. Highly recommend!
Sour cream or tomato water in scrambled eggs
I'm sorry, tomato water did you say? 🤔
Little bit of liquid from a can of tomatoes.
Adding in a bay leaf when I make rice is 🤌🏻
Lemon juice or vinegar- when "something is missing" it's almost always acidity.
Preserved lemons
Celery salt bloody excellent in soups , scrambled eggs etc
Ooh! Mushroom flavored soy sauce. I use it anywhere that you would normally use Worcestershire (sometimes I do a little of both), it's great in marinades, and it's what makes people go bat shit for my green bean casserole during the holidays. You barely need any at a time, but it adds SO much deep, umami goodness to everything
Penzey’s roasted garlic powder instead of any regular garlic powder. The roasting makes a huge difference in the flavor. The biggest game changer was adding it into my guacamole.
I put a shake or two of cardamom in the pot when I make coffee. It adds a certain freshness or brightness.
Half a tsp of baking soda when caramalizing onions, doesn’t change the taste or texture but makes them caramalize incredibly quickly
Better than bouillion in anything savory
Fresh herbs- a handful of chopped rosemary, basil, chives into scrambled eggs while I cook really punches up the flavor.
Shichimi Togarashi sprinkled on top of scrambled eggs
Leaves of lovage in soup. It’s the secret to the phenomenal soups you get in Europe. I grow my own plants and freeze the leaves for winter soups.
Adding Za'atar to rice
I make frittatas often to reheat throughout the week, so I do a lot of experimenting. Lately I've found that both buttermilk and different flavors of soft Alouette cheese are very good in the custard!
If something tastes a little meh, usually a pop of acid will fix it up. I’m partial to apple cider vinegar, fresh lemon or pickle juice. In sauces, I usually add something that people may not think makes sense but adds a secret something. My faves for that are cinnamon, fish sauce and sesame oil
A little pop of acid back in the day def fixed my appreciation for reality and concept of worldview.
I keep eyeing my tub of cottage cheese when making scrambled eggs, but I haven’t tried that yet. I think you’ve given me the courage to do it next time.
When making brownies, replace some of the water with black coffee/espresso. Adds major depth of flavor and boosts chocolateyness
I am loving this thread!
A tablespoon of vinegar in soup. Balsamic for beef based or tomato based Apple cider for chicken or veggie based.
For scrambled eggs i mix in a teaspoon of Better than Bullion chicken base before cooking. Seriously, try it sometime. Lately when I'm doing a beef roast I've been adding grilled mushrooms and beef onion soup mix to the drippings as a gravy base. Suprised at how good it came out.
In certain dishes, especially this time of year where the food is light and can benefit from a nice burst of bright tang, I LOVE a dash or so of mesquite liquid smoke. I still haven't told my neighbor what is in my cole slaw that makes her like it so much because the guessing game is fun. I'll let her off the hook if she gets mad.
I put liquor in all my cakes, Kalua, vanilla vodka, whatever goes with the flavor of the cake.
Mustard powder in casseroles. It gives it an oomph I just love. Also all the paprika in so many things but I think that’s very basic.
I love this thread it’s amazing, I’ve got a pen a paper out now, and I’m trying it all
I was making a sauce for spaghetti with random shit I had - just happened to have things that were good for it that needed to be used. Cooked the sauce way down for hours and it was super acidic. Don’t like to use straight sugar, so I added a bit of honey. It cut straight through the heavy acid taste, was not sweet, and you couldn’t taste the honey at all.
White pepper.
Smoked paprika
A good quality coconut oil added to sautéed kale makes it so much easier to scrape off the plate and into the compost.
Coffee and mayo/sour cream in chocolate cake.
Coming from The Chi, giardinara is a great addition to anything that you want some spicy and crunchy zip to. For instance, throw that in some scrambled eggs or Arroz con Pollo and bask in the oily glory. Malort Optional, and don't get Ditkass just because of the name.
A pinch of cinnamon in anything chocolate
Sour cream. in everythingggggggg <3
MSG, in every savoury dish.
Chives
I’ve been loving tarragon in things lately!
Mustard in mac n cheese. Do it.
I always use mustard powder in mac and cheese. I didn't realize everyone didn't do that.
Anytime I cook meat, I add in sweet peppers and some diced onions. The flavor is great and meal lasts longer
Miso paste
Season every part of your dish and you'll elevate that shit to restaurant standards pretty quick. Start with Salt. Bring on pepper and butter when you're happy with that. From there, swap out boiling for frying/roasting and That's legit all the French do to their food.
Homemade brown stock. That gelatenous goop can change anything from bland to delicious. I do mine in steps. First, general vegetable stock. Remove the veg once well-softened. Then fry some pork skins in a pot until somewhat browned but not crispy, then add the vegetable stock. Once those skins are easy to pull apart with tongs, take them out and add in some roasted bones. Beef, veal, pork, venison, anything with hooves. I prefer to use a beef femur along with whatever else is handy, I'll use rabbit bones here if I have them. Let that simmer at 180f overnight. Extra points for discovering a dashi formula that you like with it.
A tsp of sugar in my tomato sauce. It cuts the acid and makes for a smoother sauce, IMO.
The addition of pasta water to sauces. Game changer!
I love to use pink peppercorns with my garnishes. It’s a bit brighter of a flavor, and the pink flakes add a nice visual pop as well.
we always made our scrambled eggs with velveeta melted in the eggs. I didn't know that nobody else did this till I was in about 5th grade, and had plain scrambled eggs at the school cafeteria blech.
- Mushroom powder; adds a depth of umami to almost anything. - Lemon juice, rice wine and/white wine vinegar; a splash of any of those in most sauces, stews, salads, etc adds so much brightness with minimal effort
i sprinkle fried shallots on lots of things
I add a couple squares of bakers chocolate to my chili. And I put dried basil in… everything.
Grilled onions to mac and cheese.
Paprika. It just adds some color most of the time, and makes me feel fancy lol. Also vinegar.
When making a dressing (oil/vinegar/spices) I blend in fresh fruit. Fruit flavored vinaigrettes are the best. Tart fruit like cherries add the most flavor.