Ingredients that make anything taste good?

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salt,garlic,ginger,ground black pepper,lime,white vinegar.suger,honey.
 
GB said:

And another AMEN BROTHER!

I make and use clarified butter in a lot of my cooking at home. I'll also use whole butter as well, depending on what I'm making.
 
I bet the Salt is the only universal thing that can be added to anything and by anybody. Even people that do not like salt add some salt to whatever is cooking. The rest is very subjective. I hate nutmeg and never cared for bacon.

Salt indeed is the only right answer.
 
sage. my staple seasoning, 'cept that garlic. pepper, seasalt. my other staples.
soup bases, they approve of those at culinary school!! that's a main seasoning with soups or sauces when they're tasteless. i learned if your flavor's insufficient, dive to that soup base before Chef tastes your meal if you like your eardrums to work.:ermm: :LOL:
 
luvs said:
soup bases, they approve of those at culinary school!! that's a main seasoning with soups or sauces when they're tasteless. i learned if your flavor's insufficient, dive to that soup base before Chef tastes your meal if you like your eardrums to work.:ermm: :LOL:
you mean the powder stuff? i worked at a restaurant that put chicken soup base in everything. it wasn't real fancy though; i would call it the neighbourhood pizza/pasta place. i've thought of putting onion soup base (for flavour & salt) in stuff before but never have because i thought stuff like that was sort of an 'easy way out'.
 
nah, ours was a paste that you chilled. enhancing a dish is fine with me. if you add base, so be that. my cooking school is kinda very prestegious, so if they teach that base is fine, i'll concur.
 
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Universally added to food to increase taste...

MSG - Monosodium Gultamate

It is added to a lot of stuff...check the ingredient lists on your sauces and prepared foods. Soy sauce has it, bbq sauce has it, worscestershire has it, even salad dressings have it.

You can buy pure MSG in a bottle. It is not a spice with its own flavor but an amino acid that causes to certain taste buds to "fire" or activate. It is sold under the trade name Ajinomoto.

hth
 
luvs said:
nah, ours was a paste that you chilled. enhancing a dish is fine with me. if you add base, so be that. my cooking school is kinda very prestegious, so if they teach that base is fine, i'll concur.
paste like bases are fine even for fine dining
i make sure chicken is the first ingredient say if it is chicken paste
same for beef
clam base is a good add in for seafood sauces if used delicately
chipolte paste does not pack the heat that real chipolte does
lobster paste ....meh rather use the real shells
same with shrimp paste
 
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(candies-marshmallow, nougat, caramel +++), dip in chocolate
(sour salad dressing), add a little honey or sugar
(crust for pasties), add a little sugar for taste and browning (grandma taught me)
(green goddess dressing), ground up anchovies (mmm)
(asparagus), summer savory
(meats), garlic
salt-moderation, minimalization, but I love it.
~blissful
 
I made some beef stew the other day and the recipe call for 1 tablespoon of a dry Barbecue Seasoning to be mixed with the flour to dredge the stew meat. It really gave the stew a very different taste. It had a little kick to it. Very good.
 
Salt was going to be my #1 choice but oddly another couple ingredients that can be used in sweet or savory dishes is cilantro and lime. I've just got a "thing" for those two flavors. They are a great addition to fruit i.e., fruit salsa, or just some fresh fruits, like watermelon, and pineapple, and they add so much flavor to chicken, pork, fish, etc.

But that one certain thing would have to be salt.

Cilantro is a very difficult flavor... certainly NOT universally loved, and all those people to whom the stuff tastes like soapsuds actually have a sensitivity to it... Lime, while not nearly so versatile as lemon, is another story, but I think it's fairly cuisine-specific.

Thyme is (imho) the most universal herb flavor after parsley. and Marjoram is very much used in Europe.
 
Realizing, out of the gate, that I am in tall company here, I make a lot of use of Adobo. I put it on veggies, beef, pork and fish. I do not necessarily use a lot of it, sometimes just a hint. I find that it adds a different taste in different foods.

Maybe just me, but, I do like it.

AC
 
Many foods can be improved (to my tastes anyway) with mushrooms, onions, garlic, and tomatoes (not necessarily all together, but that combination does definitely work for any tomato based meals).

I like thyme in tomato based foods.

As already pointed out, for desserts (and hot chocolate), you can't go wrong with whipped cream!

:)Barbara
 

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