What's your coolest new ingredient?

[skilletlicker]

Sodium Alginate and Calcium Chloride. I've only been playing around with it, haven't used it on any dishes in the restaurant yet but it's cool stuff. Basically, the sodium alginate is a gelling agent that can be used at cold temperatures. When combined with a calcium chloride solution, you can create spheres of liquid, and when the spheres are immersed in the solution they gel on the outside but still retain their liquid in the middle. It's pretty neat stuff.

I've been avoiding chemicals since the discover of the pervasiveness of sodium chloride.
But seriously, say what?

 

[gmuir]

I think its been around a while but ive just picked it up, lemon pressed olive oil, drizzled over some tasty roasted japanese pumpkin, not bad at all for an afternoon snack.

 

[stargazer021]

Very very close indeed, Michele, it is prosciutto!! I also had thought I wouldn't like it either, and the quality is also crucial. Prosciutto di San Daniele is the absolute best, followed closed by Prosciutto di Parma. I only eat these two. The generic brand of prosciutto only tastes of a "salted raw pork".

Urmaniac13, you have given me something to reconsider regarding prosciutto! We visited Little Italy while in NY City and had prosciutto on a pizza. It was terrible. Maybe it wasn't one of the better prosciuttos because it did taste like raw bacon.

 

[JDP]

Forgot to mention my latest ' play around with' ingredient.
Smoked paprika. Just love the suff. It enhances so many dishes that need ' warming' and I most often use with pork, fish, soups and potatos. There are two varieties, hot or sweet. Both are superb and I highly recommend you give them a try!

I whole heartedly agee on the smoked paprikas. I make a simple rub with Red sea salt, hot smoked paprika and granulated garlic. It's great on meat, poultry, seafood and veggies.


JDP

 

[kimbaby]

hmmm I have re discovered soy sauce lol
since I am pregnant I have weird cravings...
I love it on cabbage and rice thus far...

 

[Veloce]

It's not a new grocery item, but it is a new ingredient for us. We couldn't find zwieback toast for the crust of our ricotta cheesecake so we used a package of Stella D'oro anisette toast instead. (whizzed in the FP, mixed with half a stick of melted butter). The cheesecake is still cooling, but based on how it smelled when it was baking I am optimistic about the result.

 

[Aunt Lisa's Kitchen]

I know it's not "new" but I could put avocado on anything now that I finally tried it a year ago. Haven't met a sandwich yet that isn't improved with avocado.