gonadman

Hmmm, in my house, sharp knives + wine or beer = emergency room + stitches

Oh, and my secret ingredient? Lawry's Seasoning Salt!

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Aletheia

I do the same thing. Garlic is my staple in pretty much whatever I cook.

crewsor

Beer and Old Bay.

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tootsiepop

Yes, Sambal, sriracha aka cocksauce, Kosher Salt & white pepper, good flavored vinegars eg champagne, raspberry etc. Honey. Basically anything to balance salt, sweet, acid, bitter.

Dibbler

Only time I've ever seen MSG was at the chinese places. They would all have some handmade sign that said "No MSG's". I always thought it was some kind of filler or a preservative.

Anyway, I love spicy food so I alway try to sneak a little Tabasco or hot pepper sauce into the food.

dragonhawk

Choclate in my Chili.

Garlic, white pepper in almost everything.

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almostaugust

Garlic and Bacon.

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Dilbert1234567

LSD , pure flavor


hehehe

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Lunchbox7

Garlic and oregano. I suppose grease could be considered one. Basically if the food is greasy I like it. I dont go out of my way to put it in I just seem to eat a lot of greasy foods.

hansthemolemann

I dont really cook very much, but I do put seasoning salt an alot of stuff

lordjeebus

Good butter, raw milk. Garlic, ginger, grated daikon, grated pear.

cruisergirl

My all-time secret ingredient for such things as chili and spaghetti sauce would be Franks Red Hot, baby!! And worchestshire for anything meat, that's been a family staple for years. Woooo!

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Plaid13

i like to use one of two things in alot of dishes Red wine or daves insanity sauce but never mix the two =)
you can pan fry just about anything in red wine and make it taste like you have spent alot of time cooking when you really just threw some stuff in a pan =)

Elegant Holmes

Garlic and bacon. MSG gives me the trots.

mml

Worchestshire for meats(and bloody marys), Kosher salt and white pepper are very handy and a little tabasco can go a long way. When cooking for myself, I always like to add cayenne and paprika to give things a kick.

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iktoweya

cilantro

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suviko

Sweet thai chili.

I add it to basic tomato-feta salad (onions, dry basil, a bit of soy and oil, shake and leave for 10 mins). Gives a bit of sweetness and spice.

Gardemum.

It's good in everything you can bake but also great in some drinks like variations of iceteas or fruit punch bowls for parties.

TWISTEDBADGER

Sage and cumin. Equal amounts. Goes in everything. Change up with sage and thyme on occasion

Hedgehog

Agree with chocolate in the chili. Cinnamon, too. Cincinnati-style rocks.

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Church

a very small amound of feta cheese which I sometimes rub into meat. It gives it a slight kick with a salty taste to the skin. I also use that Club House seasoned salt stuff. I love that. I don't have normal salt on my table, just that lovely red powder.

numist

bay leaves for marinades, or cilantro for the edible green toppings

garlic, almost always...

I dont have any mainstays though, being an institutional cook, we cook anything from chinese food to burgers to smoothies, starbucks coffee and carved home style meals. Im required to mix it up a bit...

opentocomments

Beat me to it.

futurama referance

The secret additive it merely water... and 95% LSD

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bing bing

MSG

rockzilla

We got 6 full milk crates of garlic (maybe 1500 cloves) donated to us at the homeless shelter kitchen I work at after a garlic festival in a nearby town. Which was great news for me because I use tons of roasted garlic in recipes. It's got a much more subtle flavour than regular garlic. And it's easy as hell to make too.

- Preheat an oven to 450 F
- Slice the tops off of your cloves of garlic and place them on squares of foil.
- Drizzle the garlic with olive oil and wrap them in the foil.
- stick them in the oven for 45 minutes of until fairly tender.
- let the garlic cool and then squeeze out the garlic, mush it into a paste with a fork and you're done.

You can use a teaspoon of the stuff whenever garlic is called for, I usually use a little more since I love the stuff, and I haven't been attacked by a vampire yet.

txlovely

It's got to be onion. There are no two things that make food taste better than onions and garlic. I will put onions in everything. Hamburger meat made into anything requires onions being sauteed in. YUM - now I'm hungry.

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Average-Joe

S&P…

It’s the absolute king of all seasonings!

If applied correctly, you can’t loose.

Liquor Dealer

Try marinating with one can of Dr. Pepper and one can of beer - It's hard to beat for beef or pork.

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ickma

Vanilla extract. And for burgers I like mixing ketchup in with the meat and adding breadcrumbs.

Chingal0

How can garlic be a secret ingredient? It is the basis of many recipes! Dr.Pepper is a secret ingredient! Chocolate in chile!

Anyways, I use lots of garlic! .. seriously tho. Fish sauce is good in some things, various wine reductions for dessert sauces, Sriracha, coriander, saffron, blah blah, various peppercorn: pink, green, schezuan.. capers, shallots anyone? Um, pomegranite seeds as salad garnish, soup garnish, juiced-reduced and sugar added to make syrup for garnish. Anchovies in lots of things, soup, salad dressings, sauces......!

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nirol

Try Chili Oil for stir frying.
The heat goes throughout the dish, and you can vary to suit your taste.
Fennel seeds also add interesting flavor to a marinara sauce.

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Average-Joe

Wow! that’s a lot of secret ingredients…

You forgot these

allspice, anise, basil, bay leaf, caraway seed, cardamom, cayenne, celery seed, chili powder, cinnamon, cloves, coriander, cumin, curry powder, dill, fennel, ginger, mace, marjoram, mint, mustard, nutmeg, oregano, paprika, parsley, black pepper, poppy sees, rosemary, saffron, sage, savory, sesame seed, tarragon, thyme, turmeric.

Couldn’t resist…

lalakill

Sesame oil gives anything a nice smokey nutty flavor =D

John Henry

Herbes de Provence

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chavos

brandy or cognac, for finishing fruit sauces, pies, or meats... get that nice little touch of flavor.

my personal fav is to make homemade apple sauce, finish with cognac, and serve over grilled porkchop that's been rubbed with a little sea salt and fresh ground pepper. few things taste better after a long day...

Chingal0

That sounds pretty damn good!

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Aletheia

Just tried this. Thanks alot for the tip, turned out very good, though I burned them a bit.

orange monkeyee

Chipolte sauce, or Italian seasoning mix, onions and garlic always spice things up nicely, but any 4 of those ingredients can spice up any dish.

Average-Joe

Garlic lovers try this….
Alternative to roasting
I usually make this in big batches.

Two or three # of Whole peeled cloves
In a large saucepan cover with extra virgin olive oil and one stick of whole butter.
Bring to boil, then simmer slow until garlic takes on a golden color (about 10 min) stirring often.
Let cool, strain
Save oil for cooking and either puree garlic for a spread or whatever you want…it’s yours.

31Friction

cumin and small amounts of redwine vinegar go into ALOT of what I cook.

cumin gives a full taste and the red wine gives it a very slight tartness but it makes a good finish.

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powder

Why would you purposely poison yourself? Bullion is almost pure MSG. MSG makes me sick, I avoid it at all costs.

My secret ingredient is wine or beer.