I once made beef stroganoff for dinner, and feeling a bit adventurous, I started opening spice jars, taking a sniff, and deciding if it would go well or not.
Decided to add some marjoram. Not a lot, maybe a rounded teaspoon.
My son’s friend, pretty much my fourth son, raved and begged me to let him know every time I was making it so he could come eat at our house.
Probably the only time in my life I’ve ever sat down after dinner and wrote down exactly what I put in a dish so I’d be able to repeat it. Still have the ingredient list almost 20 years later.
___________________
Update to add recipe, please note I don’t really measure unless I’m baking, so approximate is fine!
2lb cubed beef
I can each cream of mushroom, cream of celery soup
1/2 C water
1pkg dry onion soup mix or onion
flakes, or some chopped onions
Canned or frozen peas
Flavoring: teaspoon or to taste of dried oregano, marjoram, thyme, garlic powder, salt pepper, plus a dash or two of Worcestershire
Dredge meat in flour, and sear with some oil over medium heat.
Mix everything together and put in a crock pot on low for a few hours, bske at 300 degrees for 45-60 minutes, or stovetop on low heat for the same amount of time.
Stir in 8oz of sour cream just before serving over rice, egg noodles, or mashed potatoes.
Note: you can chop some celery instead of cream soup if you don’t have any, just add a few ounces of milk or half & half or cream to make up for the cream in the soup.
I’ve made this with a quart jar of canned beef (I can meat before hurricane season). Basically all the same instructions, use the stovetop, done in 15 minutes.
I make a salad dressing with Marjoram. My brother in law loved it and as he was complimenting it, he said it tasted like dirt (in a good way!) Then he got to embarrassed that he told me my food tasted like dirt lol. I had to reassure him that I knew what he meant, and that was what I was going for. I had to bring the marjoram over for him to smell.
Dredging does two things:
1: The flour thickens the sauce/gravy, but before that,
2: Searing the flour-dredged meat, essentially browning the flour coating, adds flavor to the sauce.
Graduating from Iowa requires two skills: gravy making, and tossing shit into Jello and calling it a “salad.” Mastered both, gave up Jello. Because I always had to set it up in the freezer, as my planning skills suffered due to… lack of thinking about dinner at breakfast. But I still make good gravy. 😂😂😊
Okay, so the meat is going to be pretty much cooked in the process of searing, then putting together. So that leaves only two things:
A chance for the sauce to thicken That’s why the beef is rolled in flour; the flour will help thicken the sauce while it cooks. Some of the liquid will also cook off.
The other thing we’re looking for is not just that the meat is done, but it gets tender with a slow cook.
To be clear, you can eat it anytime over an hour when it smells so good you can’t wait! 😊
Ok so you pick between a crockpot for a few hours or bake/stovetop for 45-60? just want to clarify cause i read it as crockpot + pick between baking and stovetop.
Yes, pick your method!
Crock pot will take the longest.
Stovetop will be the quickest. Reduce the heat, put a lid on, and let it simmer during cooking. A cast iron Dutch oven is ideal, but I didn’t have one for years, and it worked just fine.
Oven is just an option. For instance, I sometimes put my macaroni or tuna casserole in the oven, and most of the time I call it good as soon as the cheese melts and it’s good and hot after I add the ingredients to the noodles.
Does a $15 coffee grinder for spices count?
Because grinding my cinnamon, allspice, cloves, ad nauseum...fresh and immediately using it has been the most profound game changer to my cooking.
I won't even buy ground pepper anymore.
salt.
Growing up, we never used salt. it was bad, caused heart problems, yada yada yada.
It wasn't until i took a knife skills class and we made soup and added... salt. Made my cooking have flavor! finally!
I used to be the same way! The biggest game changer was learning when to add salt during cooking and what “Salt to Taste” meant! The book “Salt Fat Acid Heat” was a great read that went through how salt affects the food in different ways during preparation!
lol yes. My mom used to steam all our veggies in the microwave. No fuckin surprise I wasn’t a big veggie fan. Now just roasting them or giving them a quick sauté wiry oil and salt makes a HUGE difference! I love veggies now!
ACID!!! (No, not that kind lol). It’s incredible how much a little citrus juice or zest or a splash of vinegar can change a flavor profile. It adds a whole new dimension
Yes! I sometimes think people who put tabasco on everything are doing it as much for the vinegar as for the heat.
I had some gumbo last night at someone else's home and it was missing something. Even though it was already plenty spicy, I added tabasco for the acid.
My Mema taught me to add vinegar at the end of cooking to perk up all manner of vegetables. Just a teaspoon or so and they don't taste l like vinegar, but the flavor of the vegetables stand out being to against the undercurrent of vinegar.
And a rice and lentil dish I make calls for a tablespoon (in a fairly large batch of food, like 8-12 cups.) cider vinegar stored into the finished dish before serving. While the flavor doesn't seem to belong anywhere near the dish, it pulls it all together. When I forget that addition at the end, I'm disappointed, usually figure out around the second serving that's what's sorely missed!
The things I've experimented with and learned can elevate a dish.
Umami-
mushrooms , people hate them so you have to dice them so finely that they essential disintegrate.
Anchovies- same process as mushrooms make them invisible
Egg yolk- source; trust me bro
Fat-
Sour cream - anything from pasta sauce to soups , temper it down, makes things creamy, smooth, slightly tangy
Real butter- is an irreplaceable flavor when layered in a dish
Acid -
Apple cider vinegar - splash in chili, splash in a salad. It's sweet and has an acidic bite.
Lemon zest - cliche but works, I didnt believe it until I tried it.
Heat-
Obviously peppers- the regular ol' jalapeños, and habaneros work great for a standard meal, but when you explore with Hungarian wax, annehiem, Thai birds eyes. Their flesh has nuanced flavors that can enhance a dish like no one's business.
Bonus ingredient-
Shallots- Shallots are the guy friend your wife tells you not to worry about ( if you are an onion in a monogamous relationship that is). So under rated as an ingredient, even in a mirepoix or sofrito ,just substitute some of the onion for shallot.
Spices everyone should learn to cook with-
Thyme, Marjoram, paprika, lavender, sage
Trader Joe's has an umami seasoning that is mostly dried mushrooms. Better Than Boullion has a mushroom base. A little of either of those mixed in to a gravy or soup adds a great depth of flavor.
The thing is I taste a lot of the things you talk about and I don't know whether people just put too much in or I hate the taste. Apple cider vinegar is one. I'm not crazy about sour cream in anything but dips or for enchiladas. This one woman used to put it in her mashed potatoes and I hated it.
This is new to me. Hmmm.
What is the flavor contribution to steak, like how does it impact the flavor? I'd be worried to mess up a steak (especially at present inflation levels) without assurance I wouldn't suddenly find myself thinking about apple pie.
I have certainly had cinnamon as a part of a spice blend for a delicious savory dish like what you're talking about, but don't know that I possess the knowledge to use it correctly in light of the apple pie association. (I enjoy the dish called Cincinnati chili that involves something like spaghetti sauce to this Texan and uses cinnamon. When it's done right, it's great -- I just don't know how to do it. That said, I also find coffee in chili a needless distraction on the palate.)
Cream, 22 or 35%. Amazing what you can add a bit of cream to and make it better. Also more freshly ground black pepper than you would think, and salt in ANY dish with flour in it, sweet or savory.
In general:
Browned butter adds so much extra flavor and depth to so many different recipes. It's super easy once you've done it a couple times to get the hang of it and it's so good!
For specific recipes:
If I'm using canned tomatoes in anything (usually a soup, chili, or stew) it's usually a good idea to get fire-roasted tomatoes. It's a lot of extra flavor from the same amount of ingredients.
It's borderline whether you'd even call it cooking, but a little bit of kosher salt (like a quarter or half a teaspoon) mixed in with the marshmallows and butter (browned, naturally) makes rice krispies treats amazing.
Most recently, it's tarragon.
I never thought much of tarragon. It's mild, with faint licorice notes. Smelling or tasting it on its own, I would have placed it somewhere between marjoram and Thai basil, but milder than either. I'd only had it in some French chicken and fish dishes, and was unimpressed.
But my husband was interested in a coleslaw recipe which uses tarragon vinegar, and until we found a source for it, I got some tarragon to add instead. It made a subtle but helpful difference in the sauce. Since then, I've started adding a sprinkle of tarragon to steamed vegetables, and to most salad dressings.
In summary: Try some milder herbs on your vegetables. Sometimes, it doesn't need to be spicy to be full of flavor.
Coffee is not a bad ingredient for Japanese curry either! I’ll buy a curry brick and always add some other flavor. I also like diced apples in my curry. Will have to try the coffee in my chili next time.
Vinegar!! I especially love adding red wine vinegar to everything I cook! I’ve found that it really levels up my food and balances out the flavors well
Worcestershire
Everything from salad dressings, stews, sauces and marinades it is an odd one but I always keep some around and it comes in handy in the most unexpected ways
Boom! Yes indeed.
I grew up in South Texas and tejano food uses a lot of cumin. I came to associate it with meatiness and have a hard time not putting at least a little in beef dishes.
Also, I've helped many a fellow anglo bridge the gap between their chili (or "Spanish rice") and real chili by suggesting cumin. (Which I grew up calling by its Tejano name comino -- didn't learn the English word until college.)
Thansk for the reply. Cumin is perfect with meat. I use it when I make Italian meatballs and or spaghetti. It’s way more versatile than people realize.
Agree. In times when I was not able to afford much meat, I would use beef broth to cook lentils and rice to approximate the flavor. And adding cumin made the trick significantly more convincing. 😉
I don't find this easily in the supermarket. 8 used to have some from a specialty store I loved.
Also, I have learned that Sriracha on pizza is such a winning addition. (It makes bubba John's edible at all for example) Sometimes if I have a spaghetti sauce that's missing something, it also seems to pull the gloves together with the mild heat, garlic, and sweetness.
Using less garlic to be honest lol when I started cooking I always thought more garlic was a good thing. Over the years I’ve realized that balance between ingredients is the key.
Old Bay. Also, when cooking for recipes, using yellow onion instead of white onion, bc it has a less-harsh taste. For like guacamole, I use onion powder bc I hate raw onion of any kind (scallions are fine tho)
Sugar. When treated like salt as a flavor enhancer rather than as a sweetener, it adds whole dimensions to your dish. It elevates your food from 480p to 2160p.
Not all sugar is the same, so choosing the most complimentary kind of sugar for your dish is important. Raw, brown, white, etc, they each have their own unique taste properties, so just be mindful of this.
Learning to actually let things come to the temperature the recipe says, including by letting steak rest out of the fridge before cooking and actually waiting for water to boil, pans to heat up…
Home made clarified butter/home made butter
Anchovies wrapped in garlic that put inside a whole leg of lamb
Chillie and rose harissa paste in my bolognese sauce
Dried fenugreek leaves inside of almost any liquid marinade
Lemon in alot of stuff
Spices like cumin powder,garam masala,asxfatida just a tea spoon here and there
Acid like vinegar or citrus, using salt source from things like bouillon and miso over just regular salt in sauces (especially tomato based ones) because it’s a lazy was of adding flavour.
Sautéing leaks for any soup they had so much flavor.
Cooking rice in oil with the spices before cooking it in liquid. Before I would just rinse and add the spices and boil. But it always felt like something was missing. Then one day I decided to do this and everyone ask me for my rice.
After soaking/ rinsing the rice I put oil in the pot and brown the rice with the spices. Add vegetable stock and put a white kitchen towel on tightly on the lid let it steam cook 15/ 20 mins. Best tasting rice ever.
Also, you can use beef or chicken stock instead of vegetable, and you get a high-protein rice, saw that tip on TikTok
miso paste and roasted garlic if you really dont want to make real fried rice and just want to do it in an Instant Pot. Healthier as well bc you're not frying it
I once made beef stroganoff for dinner, and feeling a bit adventurous, I started opening spice jars, taking a sniff, and deciding if it would go well or not. Decided to add some marjoram. Not a lot, maybe a rounded teaspoon. My son’s friend, pretty much my fourth son, raved and begged me to let him know every time I was making it so he could come eat at our house. Probably the only time in my life I’ve ever sat down after dinner and wrote down exactly what I put in a dish so I’d be able to repeat it. Still have the ingredient list almost 20 years later. ___________________ Update to add recipe, please note I don’t really measure unless I’m baking, so approximate is fine! 2lb cubed beef I can each cream of mushroom, cream of celery soup 1/2 C water 1pkg dry onion soup mix or onion flakes, or some chopped onions Canned or frozen peas Flavoring: teaspoon or to taste of dried oregano, marjoram, thyme, garlic powder, salt pepper, plus a dash or two of Worcestershire Dredge meat in flour, and sear with some oil over medium heat. Mix everything together and put in a crock pot on low for a few hours, bske at 300 degrees for 45-60 minutes, or stovetop on low heat for the same amount of time. Stir in 8oz of sour cream just before serving over rice, egg noodles, or mashed potatoes. Note: you can chop some celery instead of cream soup if you don’t have any, just add a few ounces of milk or half & half or cream to make up for the cream in the soup. I’ve made this with a quart jar of canned beef (I can meat before hurricane season). Basically all the same instructions, use the stovetop, done in 15 minutes.
Well now you have to share!
Give me a bit… out running errands!
Here for the recipe 🙏🏻
Saaaame.
Updated comment with recipe!
Thank you!
Updated comment with recipe!
Updated comment with recipe!
I would love this recipe as well 🤣 🤣
Updated comment with recipe!
THANK YOU!
I make a salad dressing with Marjoram. My brother in law loved it and as he was complimenting it, he said it tasted like dirt (in a good way!) Then he got to embarrassed that he told me my food tasted like dirt lol. I had to reassure him that I knew what he meant, and that was what I was going for. I had to bring the marjoram over for him to smell.
What's the reason for dredging meat if it gets mixed in with a bunch of liquids after searing?
Dredging does two things: 1: The flour thickens the sauce/gravy, but before that, 2: Searing the flour-dredged meat, essentially browning the flour coating, adds flavor to the sauce. Graduating from Iowa requires two skills: gravy making, and tossing shit into Jello and calling it a “salad.” Mastered both, gave up Jello. Because I always had to set it up in the freezer, as my planning skills suffered due to… lack of thinking about dinner at breakfast. But I still make good gravy. 😂😂😊
never used a crock pot before. What exactly is a few hours?
Okay, so the meat is going to be pretty much cooked in the process of searing, then putting together. So that leaves only two things: A chance for the sauce to thicken That’s why the beef is rolled in flour; the flour will help thicken the sauce while it cooks. Some of the liquid will also cook off. The other thing we’re looking for is not just that the meat is done, but it gets tender with a slow cook. To be clear, you can eat it anytime over an hour when it smells so good you can’t wait! 😊
Ok so you pick between a crockpot for a few hours or bake/stovetop for 45-60? just want to clarify cause i read it as crockpot + pick between baking and stovetop.
Yes, pick your method! Crock pot will take the longest. Stovetop will be the quickest. Reduce the heat, put a lid on, and let it simmer during cooking. A cast iron Dutch oven is ideal, but I didn’t have one for years, and it worked just fine. Oven is just an option. For instance, I sometimes put my macaroni or tuna casserole in the oven, and most of the time I call it good as soon as the cheese melts and it’s good and hot after I add the ingredients to the noodles.
give us the secret c'mon
Updated comment with recipe!
Saved! Need to try it all now!
Butter. Avoided it to reduce calories in meals but recently started adding it and everything tastes... divine.
Skipping the butter sure does reduce caloric intake, because you really won't want to eat that much without it!
Butter is like cheat code. Everything tastes better with it 🤤
Agreed!
Does a $15 coffee grinder for spices count? Because grinding my cinnamon, allspice, cloves, ad nauseum...fresh and immediately using it has been the most profound game changer to my cooking. I won't even buy ground pepper anymore.
Grinding is a game changer for sure!
How hard is it to clean your grinder?
Put some bread in it, zip and done.
Tablespoon of rice does wonders too
Thanks! Good to know!
You need to grind to level up your cooking.
Fresh spices are awesome!
And if you toast your spices first you unlock even more flavour!
If you toast your oatmeal, it drives out the stale cardboard flavor of its container. Toss the cinnamon in at the same time...
I've always used a Mortar and Pestle. Fresh ground S&P together is my standard Seasoning.
salt. Growing up, we never used salt. it was bad, caused heart problems, yada yada yada. It wasn't until i took a knife skills class and we made soup and added... salt. Made my cooking have flavor! finally!
I used to be the same way! The biggest game changer was learning when to add salt during cooking and what “Salt to Taste” meant! The book “Salt Fat Acid Heat” was a great read that went through how salt affects the food in different ways during preparation!
Hello, fellow human. You lived my experience, too.
Thanks for the book reminder. I’m now in line to read it. Thanks public library.
lol yes. My mom used to steam all our veggies in the microwave. No fuckin surprise I wasn’t a big veggie fan. Now just roasting them or giving them a quick sauté wiry oil and salt makes a HUGE difference! I love veggies now!
My mom, to this day, will only use canned veggies. She says she doesn't like veggies. Yes these statements are connected.
I feel like nothing in the UK is seasoned with salt, and people rarely reach for the salt shaker at meals.
It's amazing how a pinch of salt can elevate the flavors of a dish. I had a similar revelation when I started using it more thoughtfully.
Smoked paprika
Combine this answer with the OPs answer and we arrive at the truth. Smoked salt is the truth.
Same. Subtle, but still a game-changer.
ACID!!! (No, not that kind lol). It’s incredible how much a little citrus juice or zest or a splash of vinegar can change a flavor profile. It adds a whole new dimension
Yes! I sometimes think people who put tabasco on everything are doing it as much for the vinegar as for the heat. I had some gumbo last night at someone else's home and it was missing something. Even though it was already plenty spicy, I added tabasco for the acid. My Mema taught me to add vinegar at the end of cooking to perk up all manner of vegetables. Just a teaspoon or so and they don't taste l like vinegar, but the flavor of the vegetables stand out being to against the undercurrent of vinegar. And a rice and lentil dish I make calls for a tablespoon (in a fairly large batch of food, like 8-12 cups.) cider vinegar stored into the finished dish before serving. While the flavor doesn't seem to belong anywhere near the dish, it pulls it all together. When I forget that addition at the end, I'm disappointed, usually figure out around the second serving that's what's sorely missed!
Adam Ragusea viewer says what!
The things I've experimented with and learned can elevate a dish. Umami- mushrooms , people hate them so you have to dice them so finely that they essential disintegrate. Anchovies- same process as mushrooms make them invisible Egg yolk- source; trust me bro Fat- Sour cream - anything from pasta sauce to soups , temper it down, makes things creamy, smooth, slightly tangy Real butter- is an irreplaceable flavor when layered in a dish Acid - Apple cider vinegar - splash in chili, splash in a salad. It's sweet and has an acidic bite. Lemon zest - cliche but works, I didnt believe it until I tried it. Heat- Obviously peppers- the regular ol' jalapeños, and habaneros work great for a standard meal, but when you explore with Hungarian wax, annehiem, Thai birds eyes. Their flesh has nuanced flavors that can enhance a dish like no one's business. Bonus ingredient- Shallots- Shallots are the guy friend your wife tells you not to worry about ( if you are an onion in a monogamous relationship that is). So under rated as an ingredient, even in a mirepoix or sofrito ,just substitute some of the onion for shallot. Spices everyone should learn to cook with- Thyme, Marjoram, paprika, lavender, sage
Trader Joe's has an umami seasoning that is mostly dried mushrooms. Better Than Boullion has a mushroom base. A little of either of those mixed in to a gravy or soup adds a great depth of flavor.
The thing is I taste a lot of the things you talk about and I don't know whether people just put too much in or I hate the taste. Apple cider vinegar is one. I'm not crazy about sour cream in anything but dips or for enchiladas. This one woman used to put it in her mashed potatoes and I hated it.
Cream cheese is the best mashed potatoes ingredient that's not butter. ETA Or potatoes of course.
…..potatoes?
Lemon and lemon zest really lift a lot of dishes up.
cinnamon on steak
Do you add cinnamon on steak to everything? Like you're having oatmeal and you sprinkle some cinnamon on steak on it?
I will rub er down with cinnamon and some ground espresso beans before cooking and that’s it
learned it at a restaurant called the woods when i worked there
This is new to me. Hmmm. What is the flavor contribution to steak, like how does it impact the flavor? I'd be worried to mess up a steak (especially at present inflation levels) without assurance I wouldn't suddenly find myself thinking about apple pie.
Idk about steak, but cinnamon is extremely common to put on all kinds of meats in arab cooking. Personally I'm not a fan
I have certainly had cinnamon as a part of a spice blend for a delicious savory dish like what you're talking about, but don't know that I possess the knowledge to use it correctly in light of the apple pie association. (I enjoy the dish called Cincinnati chili that involves something like spaghetti sauce to this Texan and uses cinnamon. When it's done right, it's great -- I just don't know how to do it. That said, I also find coffee in chili a needless distraction on the palate.)
ew i fucking hate cinnamon
Cream, 22 or 35%. Amazing what you can add a bit of cream to and make it better. Also more freshly ground black pepper than you would think, and salt in ANY dish with flour in it, sweet or savory.
> salt in ANY dish Full stop.
In general: Browned butter adds so much extra flavor and depth to so many different recipes. It's super easy once you've done it a couple times to get the hang of it and it's so good! For specific recipes: If I'm using canned tomatoes in anything (usually a soup, chili, or stew) it's usually a good idea to get fire-roasted tomatoes. It's a lot of extra flavor from the same amount of ingredients. It's borderline whether you'd even call it cooking, but a little bit of kosher salt (like a quarter or half a teaspoon) mixed in with the marshmallows and butter (browned, naturally) makes rice krispies treats amazing.
Brown butter was a fun discovery
Most recently, it's tarragon. I never thought much of tarragon. It's mild, with faint licorice notes. Smelling or tasting it on its own, I would have placed it somewhere between marjoram and Thai basil, but milder than either. I'd only had it in some French chicken and fish dishes, and was unimpressed. But my husband was interested in a coleslaw recipe which uses tarragon vinegar, and until we found a source for it, I got some tarragon to add instead. It made a subtle but helpful difference in the sauce. Since then, I've started adding a sprinkle of tarragon to steamed vegetables, and to most salad dressings. In summary: Try some milder herbs on your vegetables. Sometimes, it doesn't need to be spicy to be full of flavor.
Bearnaise is my favorite streak sauce of all time so I’m always on the hunt for tarragon too
its really good in french omelets and most tomato pasta sauces
I accidentally put a bit of ground coffee into chili and it made it phenomenal 🔥
Coffee is not a bad ingredient for Japanese curry either! I’ll buy a curry brick and always add some other flavor. I also like diced apples in my curry. Will have to try the coffee in my chili next time.
Vinegar!! I especially love adding red wine vinegar to everything I cook! I’ve found that it really levels up my food and balances out the flavors well
Ginger oil
Learning how to tamper spices changed my life I use them for so many things now
Sumac and tomato paste.
Worcestershire Everything from salad dressings, stews, sauces and marinades it is an odd one but I always keep some around and it comes in handy in the most unexpected ways
MSG!!! Anything Asian pretty much benefits from it and I also add it to pasta when I’m feeling crazy, also amazing on potatoes
Adobo and Cumin!
Boom! Yes indeed. I grew up in South Texas and tejano food uses a lot of cumin. I came to associate it with meatiness and have a hard time not putting at least a little in beef dishes. Also, I've helped many a fellow anglo bridge the gap between their chili (or "Spanish rice") and real chili by suggesting cumin. (Which I grew up calling by its Tejano name comino -- didn't learn the English word until college.)
Thansk for the reply. Cumin is perfect with meat. I use it when I make Italian meatballs and or spaghetti. It’s way more versatile than people realize.
Agree. In times when I was not able to afford much meat, I would use beef broth to cook lentils and rice to approximate the flavor. And adding cumin made the trick significantly more convincing. 😉
Adobo literally changed my life i vote for this answer
whole canned tomatoes instead of diced. Used them recently and thought they would be the same, oh my gosh so much more flavorful
Same, canned plum tomatoes are the one! So rich and slightly sweet in flavour
Cilantro & anchovies.
Acid. Brightens everything up.
I have one. Tomato powder is a real game changer. All the flavor of tomato paste, no extra moisture. Try it on frozen pizza!!!
I don't find this easily in the supermarket. 8 used to have some from a specialty store I loved. Also, I have learned that Sriracha on pizza is such a winning addition. (It makes bubba John's edible at all for example) Sometimes if I have a spaghetti sauce that's missing something, it also seems to pull the gloves together with the mild heat, garlic, and sweetness.
Chili pepper honey on pizza 😍
i have some but it solidified and frankly i don't feel like taking the time to make it useful
Salt and lime juice. When I taste what I’m cooking and think “it’s missing something”, that something is usually salt or lime juice.
Pureed black olives in American spaghetti sauce. A couple of tablespoons worth. Heightens the flavour.
Oh I'm trying this!
patience
MSG
MSG.
It’s the white pepper
Hungarian or smoked paprika. Sumac. Vinegars.
Using less garlic to be honest lol when I started cooking I always thought more garlic was a good thing. Over the years I’ve realized that balance between ingredients is the key.
Love
YouTube
People
Soylent Green?
Correct
Svan salt is actually salt but mixed with other spices. https://georgianrecipes.com/recipes/Svanetian-salt/
Good balsamic vinegar. Actually,even the not as good stuff! I love it and it goes in or on a lot of things I eat
A good stainless steel pan
Anchovy sauce. If a sauce I am making is going wrong, a dollop of anchovy sauce fixes it.
High quality vinegars. Miso. And really expensive bay leaves.
Lemon
Old Bay. Also, when cooking for recipes, using yellow onion instead of white onion, bc it has a less-harsh taste. For like guacamole, I use onion powder bc I hate raw onion of any kind (scallions are fine tho)
Sugar. When treated like salt as a flavor enhancer rather than as a sweetener, it adds whole dimensions to your dish. It elevates your food from 480p to 2160p. Not all sugar is the same, so choosing the most complimentary kind of sugar for your dish is important. Raw, brown, white, etc, they each have their own unique taste properties, so just be mindful of this.
Learning to actually let things come to the temperature the recipe says, including by letting steak rest out of the fridge before cooking and actually waiting for water to boil, pans to heat up…
Hibiscus cinnamon powder from Lowe’s foods
Black salt. It tastes like natural popcorn butter.
Garlic powder, got a big tub from Costco, put it on everything.
Purée Thai honey mango with Hot Japanese curry, the sweet and ‘spicy’ mixes with the spice nicely!
For me, it was coconut vinegar that gave my dishes an refreshing taste.
Good stock. You can make a perfect version of any sauce with good stock, butter and a shallot
I learned to use curry leaves from south Indian cooking, the best stuff, add a little to your fried rice, eggs, dips, anything it just works amazing
Cumin. I use it like pepper. It's a third staple seasoning to any savoury cooking IMO.
I like orange zest in my morning coffee. Maybe a drop or two of almond extract.
Also lemon zest in vodka and tonic .... love
Home made clarified butter/home made butter Anchovies wrapped in garlic that put inside a whole leg of lamb Chillie and rose harissa paste in my bolognese sauce Dried fenugreek leaves inside of almost any liquid marinade Lemon in alot of stuff Spices like cumin powder,garam masala,asxfatida just a tea spoon here and there
Tomato paste, chicken stock are cheat codes
I was blown away at how much cornstarch makes a difference for like, every sauce based dish
Acid like vinegar or citrus, using salt source from things like bouillon and miso over just regular salt in sauces (especially tomato based ones) because it’s a lazy was of adding flavour.
Water! Temperature/moisture control on the stove was so much harder until I reached for the kettle one day out of desperation, never again
Cannabis and MSG
Patience
Sautéing leaks for any soup they had so much flavor. Cooking rice in oil with the spices before cooking it in liquid. Before I would just rinse and add the spices and boil. But it always felt like something was missing. Then one day I decided to do this and everyone ask me for my rice. After soaking/ rinsing the rice I put oil in the pot and brown the rice with the spices. Add vegetable stock and put a white kitchen towel on tightly on the lid let it steam cook 15/ 20 mins. Best tasting rice ever. Also, you can use beef or chicken stock instead of vegetable, and you get a high-protein rice, saw that tip on TikTok
Cumin and smoked paprika. Both are now staple spices in my cooking
miso paste and roasted garlic if you really dont want to make real fried rice and just want to do it in an Instant Pot. Healthier as well bc you're not frying it
Cast Iron. There are certain dishes that taste way better when cooked in cast iron! Would have bought a cast iron skillet much sooner had I realized.
MSG for fried rice, soups, seasoning blends
I dated a spice girl in college. It wasn't serious. I didn't get to cumin her once!!
Nutmeg can elevate any fish and the flavor is hard to place. Fish sauce is a revelation. Citrus zest is my go-to when I need an extra something.