What's your 'secret ingredient'?
 

My two mainstays that I put in about 60-70 percent of everything I make are Knorr Chicken Bullion and MSG. The bullion, especialy, can really boggle peoples minds.

chipotle and honey. i just discovered mango last night... yummy

Cavender's Greek Seasoning
Whole-Grain Mustard

Not really a secret...I always use the freshest and best in season ingredients.

You can add garlic to just about anything and it makes the dish more delicious.
For eastern recipes, if they call for oil (like for stirfry, etc) instead of olive oil or canola oil i use peanut oil - it is subtle, but makes the difference.

This is true. Ever try garlic ice cream? There is a town called Gilroy here, which hosts a Garlic Festival (I think annually) and everything they serve there has garlic in it. Tastes pretty good with garlic fries too! (Yes, I like to dip my fries in ice cream. Don't ask.)

It's a good thing I carry mints and packs of gum with me. Of course, the only way to really get rid of garlic breath is to brush and use mouthwash, and even then it'll still leave an aftertaste. It's some powerful stuff!

I'm with you guys on the garlic. I add it to just about everything. That's the closest thing to a "secret" ingredient I have. I have heard of nutmeg as quite an omnipotent secret spice, but I wouldn't know. I rarely use it.

The Gilroy Garlic Festival is held annually during the last full weekend in July. (So far, I always end up missing it, but I plan to go next year.) http://www.gilroygarlicfestival.com/

Fresh lemon juice, good vinegar, and Tabasco. Puts a nice little tang to many blander dishes, and doesn't add any salt. Horseradish with certain things too...

GARLIC, ginger, scallions give a kick to almost anything.

cilantro is super for salads, noodles and soups.

Re: What's your 'secret ingredient'?
 

dude. remind me never to eat at your house

a friend of mine says: Have sharp knives. Be creative. Cook to music.

have a glass of wine or beer handy too, and you can't go wrong

Dude. Remind me never to invite you.

Seriously though, what's your issue with msg? Are you allergic to it? I sure hope it's not long term health concerns everyone freaked out about and cired wolf 10-20 years ago. Do you think you don't like the taste? Ever eat KFC, chineese food out, canned vegetables, stew, or just about any kind of ready made food? Hate it all?

What IS msg? I must've missed the freakout (but probably only because I was a wee lad when it apparently broke out).

msg is mono sodium glutamate. It's been used for almost 100 years now, and was developed after it was noticed that a seaweed broth eaten with certain foods made them taste better. In america, it's usualy made from fermented corn, other places, beets molasses, tapioca and more. The us brand name is Accent. It's in a whole lot of stuff, and the fda ruled a while ago that there is no difference between the glutamate found in it and that found in all other foods. It's usualy used as a flavor enhancer for meats, is a known migraine trigger for some, and the inspiration for the japaneese word umami, which describes a meaty or savory taste.

I use it primarily as a partial substitute for salt when brineing chicken and seafood.

msg makes my head hurt...

sesame oil (just a few drops add amazing flavour)

any kind of tea (green, fruit teas, herbal....in stir frys, stews, sauces... it's great!!!)

i know a number of people who get headaches from MSG....

I'm not one of them, but I don't use it as a seasoner. There are plenty of other seasonings out there without having to resort to MSG.

And real chinese food.... it doesn't have MSG.

I like to use garlic and semsame oil a lot...dunno but yum yum. Yes, MSG is Really bad for you.

Bacon and butter! These make everything better!

Some people are allergic to MSG, but you have to realize that some people are also allergic to eggs, wheat, and sugar. MSG is a naturally occuring chemical in foods. Originally, MSG was recognized by a Japanese scientist as a "fifth" flavor in soup broth that didn't fit into the typical categories (bitter, sweet, salt, sour). He devised a way to single out this fifth flavor and that's how we got MSG.

Google: monosodium glutamate
http://www.msgfacts.com/
Is MSG Safe?

http://www.internationalrecipesonlin...ionary.pl?4546
http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monosodium_glutamate

oh forgot to include my secret ingredient....

sambal oelek.

Balsamic vinegar. It's very mild but has a nice tangy taste. Adds a lot to pasta salads, potato salads, is an excellent salad dressing along with oil (much better than regular oil and vingegar), is good on most cooked and raw vegetables, especially tomato-and-cucumber salad.

Garlic, Balsamic Vinegar, a good sea salt are always good. For the Balsamic Vinegar, it can get really pricey to get the "good" stuff, but it's totally worth it.

GARLIC GARLIC GARLIC...
not really all that secret, but it never fails to impress me.

Sambal Oelek and Sambal Badjak are one of mainstays too.

Gotta be white pepper for me. Makes everything taste better, gives it that "kick."

Garlic baby! Can't get enough of it.

i use insane amounts of garlic in my cooking. when people see me cook they get freaked but I use it in such a way that it does not overpower my meals but compliments them.

Gotta agree with Chipotles. Yum!

Chicken and Fish
 

Italian salad dressing does wonders. Let it marinate.

Worcestershire sauce. I use it on everything I can.

Oh, and I definitely agree with Chipotles too. Tabasco makes a new Chipotle Hot Sauce that is great!

Mmmm garlic.

white pepper and Cajun Seasoning.



How does Garlic Icecream taste? I cant really see it as "refreshing" like other icecreams.

It's kind of salty and leaves a garlicky after-taste. It's actually not as bad as it sounds. There is a place here called Polly-Anne's that sells all sorts of exotic flavoured ice cream. It's a quaint little ice cream shop that stays open as late as 11pm! There are about 100 flavors to choose from, and if you're feeling indecisive, there is a wheel of available ice cream flavors that you can spin to help choose for you. If it lands on "Free" you get free ice cream, but there is a catch: if it doesn't land on what you want, you have to buy it anyway. Mmm, ice cream.

so its more savory then refreshing?

It's more novel than anything else, so I'd have to say neither.

Not really a "secret" ingredient, but I use garlic and mushrooms in just about everything.

Garlic, balsamic vinegar, and FRESH basil, i grow a bit and it just tastes so much better then store bought or the freeze dried stuff

The secret ingerdient in my bloody mary's is Steak sauce. Mmmm Mmm A1!

Another vote for Worchestershire sauce. Makes just about everything tastier. And my secret Bloody Mary ingredient, in addition to that, is a dash of pickle juice.

I second the MSG stuff, it gives my wife really bad migranes.. Speaking of migranes, I need to go get the refill on my Maxalt :o