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

Re: Re: What's your 'secret ingredient'?
 

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

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

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

Beer and Old Bay.:thumbsup:

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.

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.

Choclate in my Chili.

Garlic, white pepper in almost everything.

Garlic and Bacon.

LSD , pure flavor


hehehe

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.

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

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

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!

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 =)

Garlic and bacon. MSG gives me the trots.

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.

cilantro

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.

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

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

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. :)

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...

Beat me to it.

futurama referance

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

MSG

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.

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.

S&P…

It’s the absolute king of all seasonings!

If applied correctly, you can’t loose.

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

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

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......!

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.

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… :D

Sesame oil gives anything a nice smokey nutty flavor =D

Herbes de Provence

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...

That sounds pretty damn good!

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

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.

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. ;)

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.

Re: What's your 'secret ingredient'?
 

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.

/me looks at a list of poisons...hmmm...no msg...wait...there's alcohol, though.

I have often joked that the gov't could find me just by checking local garlic consumption, but that's not really my secret ingredient. I have several for different purposes:

For red meat, celery seed. Just a smidge. Seems to add body.

For spinach and salad dressing, pinch of nutmeg or allspice.

For pasta - throw a couple of chicken bullion cubes into the boil.

For chocolate anything - pinch of cayenne pepper.

For beer - couple 2 or 3 chinese hot peppers in a porter is a flavor enhancer. Coffee in stout.

Garlic Salt.

I get yelled at for using a gratuitous amount of black pepper in everything. I just like pepper - ok?

Tony Chachere's brand of Creole Seasoning has saved or perked up a lot of dishes I have made.

Here is a recipe for a fast dipping sauce:

1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup vinegar
4 garlic cloves
2 serrano chiles chopped

Simmer all the above at medium heat in a sauce pan until thickened to the consistency of Karo syrup. About 20 minutes.

Lots and lots and lots of garlic powder is my secret ingredient.

lately, marjoram. A very nice flavor it gives. other than that, cinnamon and chipotle. try chile spices in deserts. It is FANTASTIC! adds a slight kick at the end when all the sweet taste is on its way out.

Oregano. Can't go wrong with oregano, I add it in large quantities to almost everything I make.

Here's my list, somewhat by food type.

- garlic and fresh basil for Italian - and it's easy to grow your own basil

- sesame oil for asian foods

- ground rosemary for many dishes, especially pork

And one other little secret.... I keep those small four-packs of wines so I always have something to cook with and not waste a good bottle that I'd much rather drink!

sesame oil indeed, or just sesame. And oyster sauce- great for dark, less-crispy stir-fries, best with beef.
Or, when using chicken filet, just heat the chicken quickly over a hot fire, then turn down and add some soy sauce- keeps the meat more tender and moist.

Old Bay brand seasoning. You can't beat it for seafood.

the secret ingredient... is love.

I put Lawry's seasoning salt on most of the things I cook. It goes great with all types of meats.

KETCHUP + Garlic + Garlic bread seasoning + pepper fixes any problem you have with the microwave .. overcook a steak? put some ketchup and garlic on it and its good as new .. Dont like your spinach? put some garlic on it and imagine it being lettuce or something haha ketchup + garlic gets me through life when im eatting some of these vegetables that are super good for you but taste terrible

garlic, butter, olive oil, and serrano pepper... it that order

oh and NEVER use black pepper... use garlic pepper ;)

I could tell you what I put in my secret sauce but then it wouldn't be a secret! :D

Thyme is pretty much my universal spice. I use it on eggs, meats, and even some starches (mostly potatos). Garlic is another one that goes on just about everything. I use fresh garlic when I can but will always throw in a dash of garlic salt.

i either use Bullseye BBQ sauce, or lemon pepper.

oh- and if i'm actually making a sauce and need a bit of a kick, an eighth of a cup of rye.

garlic. I love garlic in anything that would taste good with it. Chicken, pasta, etc.

garlic, an italian must. always gotta have that garlic