What's your secret ingredient you add to cooking , or baking ?

Mushroom powder.
Trader Joe’s 21-Seasoning Salute.
For baking, maple syrup.

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Almond extract instead of vanilla.

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Salt

Being sarcastic. I’ve had one too many home cooked meals by others that lacked this simple ingredient. Blinded by the warnings that salt is bad for you.

Edited to add the only secret ingredient I use is MSG. I don’t use it a lot but it can really make flavors pop.

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Like gregarious, in cooking, it is also anchovy related - nuoc mâm - it’s the magic sauce

In baking, a pinch of salt is like a spice.

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Do you have any favorite seafood or vegetable recipes that use mushroom powder? I’ve got a mess of dried shiitakes I was thinking of pulverizing.

I made a big batch of mushroom powder and it’s great added to many things. I assume it’s the glutamates

Smoked paprika

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Salt too – and I don’t even add much salt.

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I was visiting my wife’s parents and her mom asked me to taste her corn pudding before she popped it in the oven because it didn’t taste right. One bite and I knew she had used no salt. She admitted that she didn’t use it because it’s bad for you. I added salt and it came out okay. Too sweet but okay

Anything with a creamy sauce/gravy is enhanced by mushroom powder.

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Thanks. I’ll give it a try.

Love

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I want to puke.

*unless I’m cooking for CK then it’s spit! :stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye:

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Is mushroom powder homemade? I’ve never seen it on a store shelf…

How do you make mushroom powder?

You can grind dried mushrooms into powder, but I think most people just buy mushroom powder.

Mushroom powder is a healthy MSG substitute (so they say). Use in soups, stir fries and gravies, mushroom powder adds a good deal of umami.

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Adding love is why I add salt, or sugar or paprika or oregano or ancho chile powder. But the biggest way you add love is by adding time in just the right quantities. Not too much. Not too little. The Goldilocks principle.

CK, do you still need a bag? :slight_smile:

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It’s sentiment but true. I know someone who cook with love, she is extremely generous with ingredients with spice and big portion and thé time she spent in kitchen. Obviously she likes the people she is cooking.

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