The hall of mystery ingredients

[ouch]

I would like this thread to serve as a repository for your favorite "secret" ingredients- items that lend an air of distinction or level of complexity and authenticity that you find indispensible, but no one knows about except you. Whether it's a secret learned from grandma or picked up in the orient, what do you have in your cupboard that can only be revealed to B&B members?

[ouch]

Chinese food is easy to cook at home, but you may often find your dish differing from that of your local restaurant. A great ingedient to add heat and complexity to a variety of dishes is Har Har hot bean sauce. It's salty, spicy, and hot, and adds a great depth of flavor to dishes. A bottle should last ten years.
http://badgerandblade.com/gallery/displayimage.php?imageid=18582

[ouch]

This one is really hard to find, but if you can- buy a case.

People have gone completely nuts with hot sauces, and it's become a contest of whose sauce can be more ridiculously hot, with barely a thought given to flavor. The El Yucateco Chipotle hot sauce isn't as hot as their red and green bottled habanero sauces, but it's one of the most complex Mexican hot sauces you'll find. Great in chilis, moles, you name it.
http://www.hotsauce.com/v/vspfiles/photos/1912EL-2T.jpg

[tgarza]

mixed ground pepper powder containing 4 different Habanero's, scotch bonnet's, serano's and a tiny bit of naga Jolokia.

[redbike]

Not too unusual, but a nice addition to dry rubs for meats: smoked Spanish paprika.

[Scotto]

This one is really hard to find, but if you can- buy a case.

People have gone completely nuts with hot sauces, and it's become a contest of whose sauce can be more ridiculously hot, with barely a thought given to flavor. The El Yucateco Chipotle hot sauce isn't as hot as their red and green bottled habanero sauces, but it's one of the most complex Mexican hot sauces you'll find. Great in chilis, moles, you name it.
http://www.hotsauce.com/v/vspfiles/photos/1912EL-2T.jpg

I'm still Jonesin' after finishing our last bottle. Great stuff.

[professorchaos]

High quality anchovies...used early in the cooking process they add a complexity and depth to many foods.

http://www.igourmet.com/images/productsLG/scaliaanchovies.jpg

High quality salt.

http://www.touchofeurope.net/mm5/graphics/00000001/saltcamargue.jpg

[Shane]

Beets add a lot of richness and depth of flavor to most chocolate cakes.

[Obsessed]

People have gone completely nuts with hot sauces, and it's become a contest of whose sauce can be more ridiculously hot, with barely a thought given to flavor.

That's an excellent point.

[Jim]

Shhhhhh......Dry mustard.

Dont spread it around.

[CitizenDan]

Fee Brother's West Indian Orange Bitters

I bought this to use in cocktails, of course, but soon I was using it in vinaigrette's and marinade's and now I find myself using it in soups and other savory side dishes. I thinking about dashing some on vanilla ice cream!

70085

[Jim]

This one is really hard to find, but if you can- buy a case.

People have gone completely nuts with hot sauces, and it's become a contest of whose sauce can be more ridiculously hot, with barely a thought given to flavor. The El Yucateco Chipotle hot sauce isn't as hot as their red and green bottled habanero sauces, but it's one of the most complex Mexican hot sauces you'll find. Great in chilis, moles, you name it.
http://www.hotsauce.com/v/vspfiles/photos/1912EL-2T.jpg


I'm still Jonesin' after finishing our last bottle. Great stuff.

Most of the Chipotle sauces I have found have that artificial smoke flavor. Does this one?

I am a big fan of the Melinda's brand of hot sauce, very nice pepper flavor with acidity from lime juice rather than vinegar.

[ouch]

Fee Brother's West Indian Orange Bitters

I bought this to use in cocktails, of course, but soon I was using it in vinaigrette's and marinade's and now I find myself using it in soups and other savory side dishes. I thinking about dashing some on vanilla ice cream!

70085

Thanks! this is precisely the type of response I was looking for. It's unique, looks great, and something I never heard of.

[Sluggo]

This may be old hat to some, but it gets no better than Tony's for a seasoning salt

[Scotto]

Pomegranate molasses. Complex and sour. Try it in BBQ sauce, marinades, you name it.

[professorchaos]

This may be old hat to some, but it gets no better than Tony's for a seasoning salt

Oh yes, I do love some Tony Chachere's.

[ouch]

In your local Asian market, you'll likely find 10,000 soy sauces. Most range from atrocious to quite good. Here's one to keep your eyes open for-
http://www.thaifoodandtravel.com/images/kimlan.jpg

At around five bucks a bottle, it's quite a bit more than the typical bottling, but it has a very smooth flavor. Great for drizzling and dipping sauces.

Kimlan also makes a killer sesame oil.
http://www.everlastinginc.com/productimage/021881.JPG

[Sullybob]

Not too unusual, but a nice addition to dry rubs for meats: smoked Spanish paprika.

+1. This is a great ingredient to pick up a dish.

Ground cayenne. I add a little to all kinds of dishes, soups, rice, potatoes, meats, etc, not to give the dish heat but to give it a little zip.

I also have an embarrassingly large collection of different salts.:redface: It is a sickness. Several years ago my wife got me a large jar of Fleur De Sel for Christmas, I was thrilled, her mother thought we were both quite insane.

Professor, I have that exact container of salt. I like to use it as a finishing salt.



Infused oils are a great way to get more flavor into a dish.

[Brodirt]

A replacement for lemon, lime, orange, pineapple....whatever:

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41GPUwdeu2L._SS500_.jpg

[SiBurning]

I like to hide in plain site. Make things so complicated everyone just ignores my recipes. Made chili the other day with 3 kinds of chili peppers, plus allspice, cinnamon, clove, corriander seed, cumin seed, mustard powder (Jim knows the deal), Hungarian paprika (anything else is useless), molasses, worcestershire sauce, a few herbs, and of course...

homemade veal jelly (still under construction)
http://img196.imageshack.us/img196/2037/glaced.jpg

The secret is the 17 pounds of meat that went into that quart or so of glace.

[Leche]

People have gone completely nuts with hot sauces, and it's become a contest of whose sauce can be more ridiculously hot, with barely a thought given to flavor.

Ain't that the truth. A seasoning I don't use a ton of but always glad to have it...

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/9/90/Old_bay_seasoning.jpg/300px-Old_bay_seasoning.jpg

[Fnord5]

For pho, springrolls(dipping sauce) and stir fry, you gotta have Fish Sauce.
Works great at adding a little depth of flavor to sauteed chicken too.
This is my go-to brand.
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3141/2718799690_593c0a7c85_b.jpg

[Luc]

Annatto seeds (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Annatto), aka Achiote, aka Poor man Saffron. When red is needed in Mexican and Thai cuisine, that's what the recipes recommended.

I read somewhere for fish sauce that you need 'Nhì' on the bottle to make things like salad dressing. If it doesn't have 'Nhì', it's for cooking.

+1 on Spanish paprika!

[Hughies_online]

Add ground chillies to everything. It improves on the flavor.

[thunderball]

For Japanese food, good dried katsuo (bonito or skipjack tuna). You can buy it pre-shaved in bags but it just ain't the same:

the genuine article:
http://i154.photobucket.com/albums/s257/nuskool73/images.jpg

shave it up with a katsuobushi kezuriki:
http://i154.photobucket.com/albums/s257/nuskool73/images-1.jpg

and voila!
http://i154.photobucket.com/albums/s257/nuskool73/images-2.jpg

you then boil it to make katsuodashi which is an essential ingredient in many Japanese soups and sauces:
http://i154.photobucket.com/albums/s257/nuskool73/soba_tuyu13.jpg

but I prefer it straight up on rice:
http://i154.photobucket.com/albums/s257/nuskool73/kzrk_p4.jpg

or on okonomiyaki:
http://i154.photobucket.com/albums/s257/nuskool73/images-3.jpg

they are sometimes called 'dancing fish flakes' because they move as they rehydrate:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bAdttwNc0Mw

[Confuzius]

http://www.celtnet.org.uk/images/amchoor.gif
Amchoor. Dried, powdered green magno. Picture it as salt but for sour instead of salty. It adds a citrus-y sourness without extra liquid. Great in chili, soups, sauces etc. Also opens up the doors for interesting vinaigrettes.

It's become my guacamole secret ingredient.

[ouch]

For pho, springrolls(dipping sauce) and stir fry, you gotta have Fish Sauce.
Works great at adding a little depth of flavor to sauteed chicken too.
This is my go-to brand.
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3141/2718799690_593c0a7c85_b.jpg

Three crabs- that's my brand of choice, as well.

[arghblech]

Three crabs- that's my brand of choice, as well.

Good ol' Three Crabs.

[Scotto]

Good ol' Three Crabs.

That is what I keep in my cabinet as well. Great stuff.

[The Knize]

Great suggestions. I agree re good salt, anchovies (small amounts to keep it subtle and secret), good soy sauce, red pepper or hot sauce (can be a very subtle and small addition to all sorts of things really bring up flavor even when one is not tasting it as hot pepper), demi-glace, Old Bay (keep it light to keep it hidden, but probably really not that versatile).

I have not tried fish sauce as a sort of flavor enhancer. I find that to be pretty strong stuff. Lawrey's season salt does better than I would have thought on meats.

Lemon juice often helps as a secret ingrediant. Often bring the acidity of food up a notch brings out flavor and just a little bit of lemon juice has a freshness to it.

I truly hate to admit this one, but sometimes a bit of garlic powder seems to do wonders. I guess here I am talking about adjusting flavors at the end of preparing a dish, where one is looking for just a bit more earthy flavor to a dish than one has.

Fresh ground pepper tastes different depending on when it is added to a dish. Even just a little at the end can add aroma that comes across as no just pepper. White pepper is more subtle if one does not want the pungency of black pepper.

[arghblech]

Another great secret ingredient is booze. I once used some cheap mescal to liven up a gazpacho that was missing something. Apparently the something it was missing was crappy mescal. Just a touch really helped.

[professorchaos]

+1. This is a great ingredient to pick up a dish.

Ground cayenne. I add a little to all kinds of dishes, soups, rice, potatoes, meats, etc, not to give the dish heat but to give it a little zip.

I also have an embarrassingly large collection of different salts.:redface: It is a sickness. Several years ago my wife got me a large jar of Fleur De Sel for Christmas, I was thrilled, her mother thought we were both quite insane.

Professor, I have that exact container of salt. I like to use it as a finishing salt.



Infused oils are a great way to get more flavor into a dish.

Precisely how I use it! If you ever make caramel, say for an apple tart, sprinkle some on the caramel after drizzling. The crunchy, minerally saltiness provides a nice contrast to the sweet caramel.

[The Knize]

Precisely how I use it! If you ever make caramel, say for an apple tart, sprinkle some on the caramel after drizzling. The crunchy, minerally saltiness provides a nice contrast to the sweet caramel.

Excellent point. The French do not make salt caramels for nothing. Salt water taffy is there for a reason, too. A little salt in a sweet dish can bring the flavors out and the salty crunch is great for all sorts of things as an extra touch.

Amchoor sounds very interesting. Something different from lemon to bring up the acidity. Actually, sometimes vinegar adds depth where one might usually reach for lemon. Wine does, too, although frankly my experience with wine is not all that positive. It has to be the right varietal or it can add flavors that do not work so well.

I have not done much with it, but alcohol is a flavor intensifier for sure. That is why vodka in cream tomato sauces works and why bloody Maries are so flavorful, even apart from the spices, horseradish, etc. I would say that alcohol has an affinity for tomato. Probably for citrus, too.

[Sullybob]

Precisely how I use it! If you ever make caramel, say for an apple tart, sprinkle some on the caramel after drizzling. The crunchy, minerally saltiness provides a nice contrast to the sweet caramel.

Salted caramel is wonderful all by itself....:biggrin: Its also great on vanilla ice cream.

[Jim]

Most of the Chipotle sauces I have found have that artificial smoke flavor. Does this one?

I am a big fan of the Melinda's brand of hot sauce, very nice pepper flavor with acidity from lime juice rather than vinegar.


:a38:

[ouch]

:a38:

Melinda's is a good bet.

The El Yucateco stands alone, to my mind, but good luck finding it. :frown:

[Fnord5]

Melinda's is a good bet.

The El Yucateco stands alone, to my mind, but good luck finding it. :frown:

I could probably find it for ya, one of the guys at work brings it in for his lunches.

Also, Tapitio is one of my favorites.

[Jim]

Melinda's is a good bet.

The El Yucateco stands alone, to my mind, but good luck finding it. :frown:


http://www.hotsauce.com/El-Yucateco-Chipotle-Hot-Sauce-p/1912el.htm

http://www.mexgrocer.com/3108.html

[professorchaos]

Salted caramel is wonderful all by itself....:biggrin: Its also great on vanilla ice cream.

All I need is a spoon!

[professorchaos]

One I had forgotten, apparently rather popular with old school French chefs. When finishing sauces, before salting, add a little Roquefort.

[du212]

Precisely how I use it! If you ever make caramel, say for an apple tart, sprinkle some on the caramel after drizzling. The crunchy, minerally saltiness provides a nice contrast to the sweet caramel.Another recipe with salt:

- Macadamia nuts toasted + solid caramel (a little) + Maldon Salt

[The Knize]

One I had forgotten, apparently rather popular with old school French chefs. When finishing sauces, before salting, add a little Roquefort.

I had never heard that one. Sounds great. Instant earthinies and complexity. An obvious one is buter. The best you can get. No sauce is worse off for a swirl of good butter. Enriches. Makes silkly. Pulls together in all respects. Heavy cream is similar but not as versatile.

[professorchaos]

I had never heard that one. Sounds great. Instant earthinies and complexity. An obvious one is buter. The best you can get. No sauce is worse off for a swirl of good butter. Enriches. Makes silkly. Pulls together in all respects. Heavy cream is similar but not as versatile.

You are good! The way it was described to me is instead of finishing a sauce with all butter (monte au beurre), use mostly butter and some Roquefort. But that is French cooking for you - plenty of butter. Works particularly well at the end of a wine and demi-glace reduction.

[Sullybob]

Melinda's is a good bet.

The El Yucateco stands alone, to my mind, but good luck finding it. :frown:

You could always try the source
http://www.elyucateco.com/


My favorite hot sauce supplier,

http://www.mohotta.com/category/Hot-Sauce/5

Half way down the page, they carry the whole line.

[airplanedoc]

Pat O'Brien's Hurricane Mix to add some sweetness to Pork or Chicken. I throw a dash in with jerk marinade. Gives a bit of a pink color and a familiar flavor no one can quite put their finger on.

I also use the appropriate vanilla for what ever I am making
I recomend Nielsen-Massey. they make a excellent sample pack

[Kouros]

Accent or MSG makes everything taste better.

I also use Plugra, which is European butter, for its higher fat content than American butter. This is a secret of finer restaurants.

[ouch]

Accent or MSG makes everything taste better.

I also use Plugra, which is European butter, for its higher fat content than American butter. This is a secret of finer restaurants.

Plugra is good. It may be European styled butter, but it's made in the good old USA.

[Clockwork John]

I use a lot of scotch whisky when I cook. If I have a bottle that has been sitting, mostly empty, long enough that it has oxidized and the flavor has turned, I'll designate it my "cooking" bottle.

It definitely adds a subtle, unique flavor to almost any recipe, in much the same way liquid smoke or worchestershire sauce does.

If you want to add subtle smoky, spicy, and possibly fruity flavor to your cooking, try throwing in a few ounces of scotch.

I use it in stews, potato dishes, rice...

[djktrumpet]

Make your own stock.
Each time I do a roast - chicken mostly, but lamb, beef, pork etc are all good - I save the bones, and keep them in the freezer. Then, when I've got 2 or 3 lots, I dump them in a pan with water, bring to the boil, and simmer for several hours - the longer the better. It's best to keep it just at simmering point, ie not quite bubbling, but 'smiling' as the French say. Then, when you think it's done, strain off the bones, and divide it up into useful portions, and freeze. Then just use instead of stock cubes or other bought stock substitutes.
You can ring the changes on this - add vegetables like carrot, onion, celery, herbs - if you want to be really flash, after you've strained off the bones, put the stock back in the pan and gently reduce it down and down until it starts to thicken - this is essentially what pro cooks call 'demi glace' - you can freeze this in ice cube trays and just pop out a cube when needed to give depth and complexity to sauces.
(Yes, yes, I know 'real' demi-glace is more complicated than this - look up Larousse Gastronomique or one of the other classic French manuals if you want all the guff - but essentially it's just a highly concentrated stock).

Making stock is cheap, and fun - it makes your house smell nice (!) and will make your cooking taste nice too.

[TSWebster]

I don't think this stuff is sold outside of Australia.

Cornwell's Lancashire Relish is my ultimate secret sauce, it adds just the right level of zing to most anything and is also awesome splashed over some freshly fried eggs.

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/__v4nth5_ki0/SPkJxFEOpCI/AAAAAAAAHfE/-BgemPgtWP8/s400/Ingred+3+-+link+5+-+Condiment+-+Lancashire+Relish.jpg

[Kouros]

homemade veal jelly (still under construction)

+1 Veal stock beats the pants off all others and is a secret of finer restaurants.

[arghblech]

Wow, does stock really count as a secret? :eek:

[The Knize]

Wow, does stock really count as a secret? :eek:

I would say that demi-glace does. Probably veal stock, too. But how many folks make their own stock and know what a difference it can make no matter which "flavor" it is? So, I'm thinking it counts!:wink2:

[SiBurning]

I would say that demi-glace does. Probably veal stock, too. But how many folks make their own stock and know what a difference it can make no matter which "flavor" it is? So, I'm thinking it counts!:wink2:

Is it a secret? No, but try tossing a healthy spoon of essence or a really good bone broth into a ragu or hamburger and see if people don't wonder at your cooking.

I don't know if I could tell the difference, but enough that I do make several different types. Or at least classify them this way. Lately, it's been mostly single or double veal stocks, beef essence, and broth. Broth isn't necessary for stocking the kitchen, but it comes almost for free when making other things like raviolis or hot pockets. My earlier post has a picture of a double veal stock, nicely jellied with zero reduction time. I might reduce half of it to hard rubber just to make sure it lasts, since I don't know the shelf life at this wetter consistency. The rubber version can survive a year or more in a cold fridge.

[ouch]

Wow, does stock really count as a secret? :eek:

I suppose there are different levels of secrecy. To my wife, the oven is a secret.

[Sullybob]

I suppose there are different levels of secrecy. To my wife, the oven is a secret.

Sounds similar to my wife. The dishwasher is a secret to her.

[Fnord5]

Sounds similar to my wife. The dishwasher is a secret to her.

Isn't she the dishwasher........:ohmy::a11:

[Sullybob]

Isn't she the dishwasher........:ohmy::a11:

Bada dum!!!!

:lol::lol::001_tongu:001_tongu

Great reply.

[WittyAg]

Balsamic vinegar. For whenever you need something to add that extra kick without making it too sour, too hot, or too salty. Once I discovered this I almost never use plain white vinegar anymore. Works very well in vinaigrettes and in making sauces like homemade barbecue sauce.

http://www.ptccom.com.ph/products/campagna%20balsamic%20vinegar%20500ml.jpg

[kingfisher]

I am a big fan of the Melinda's brand of hot sauce, very nice pepper flavor with acidity from lime juice rather than vinegar.

Melinda's is the best hot sauce in the world. It's carrot based, too, which is another thing that adds flavor. Absolutely my favorite.

[kingfisher]

Oh, and my secret is Ajishio (90% salt, 10% monosodium glutamate). Comes from Japan.

I know some people have a cow about monosodium glutamate, but Ajishio makes every savory dish on earth taste better.

[ouch]

Oh, and my secret is Ajishio (90% salt, 10% monosodium glutamate). Comes from Japan.

I know some people have a cow about monosodium glutamate, but Ajishio makes every savory dish on earth taste better.

I love MSG. I think it's one of the reasons Chinese food doesn't taste as good as it did years ago (that, plus the fact that it's being cooked by a kid instead of a guy with 40 years behind a wok).