# Ingredients that make anything taste good?



## baking fool (Jun 23, 2007)

What are some ingredients that can make anything taste good when added to a dish? (if there such a thing?) I'm thinking of stuff like onions, garlic, honey... maybe maple syrup. Can anyone think of others?


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## ironchef (Jun 23, 2007)

baking fool said:
			
		

> What are some ingredients that can make anything taste good when added to a dish? (if there such a thing?) I'm think of stuff like onions, garlic, honey... maybe maple syrup. Can anyone think of others?


 
Salt is the ONLY thing that you can add to most any food to improve it's flavor, even sweet foods like fruit and chocolate.


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## GB (Jun 23, 2007)

You beat me to the punch IC.


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## kitchenelf (Jun 23, 2007)

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.


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## ironchef (Jun 23, 2007)

kitchenelf said:
			
		

> 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.


 
I love working with those flavors too KElf, but they're both cuisine and flavor specific. You need to be looking for a certain end result to use either because they have such distinct flavors that they can either accentuate or totally ruin a dish. They're both one of those flavors where it will depend if a person likes the taste of it or not. The one herb that I think can be used in more dishes than most is thyme. In can be used in mostly any European cuisine, Latin cuisine, Contemporary American cuisine, and in many Asian dishes too. Soy, citrus, and thyme go very well together. With citrus, lemon is probably the most universal.


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## kitchenelf (Jun 23, 2007)

You mean I can't just think of me?????    Yes, I was totally thinking of only my tastebuds with those two ingredients.  Those were the only two things I could think of that I actually use quite a bit without having of a certain cuisine in mind......only thinking of my.


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## pdswife (Jun 23, 2007)

Love......


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## baking fool (Jun 23, 2007)

i think some people took me a bit too literally. I also think salt is the only thing that can improve the flavour of ANY dish. What I was really wondering was if anyone could think of stuff that seem to be in A LOT of dishes (like onions and/or garlic).


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## Caine (Jun 24, 2007)

Ketchup!

...........


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## skilletlicker (Jun 24, 2007)

baking fool said:
			
		

> What I was really wondering was if anyone could think of stuff that seem to be in A LOT of dishes (like onions and/or garlic).


 Chiles/peppers: They're key in Indian, Asian, Mediterranean and American (North and South) cooking.


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## AllenOK (Jun 24, 2007)

baking fool said:
			
		

> What I was really wondering was if anyone could think of stuff that seem to be in A LOT of dishes (like onions and/or garlic).



That's exactly what I do.  I put onions and garlic in just about everything.  Yummy!


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## Andy M. (Jun 24, 2007)

A squirt of lemon juice will freshen the taste of fruit dishes.

Mire poix; onion, carrots and celery; sweated as a flavor base for many dishes adds a depth of flavor.


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## auntdot (Jun 24, 2007)

Maybe not everything but I would be lost without soy sauce, worcestershire sauce, and hot sauce.


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## TATTRAT (Jun 24, 2007)

Bacon. Everything is better with bacon.


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## *amy* (Jun 24, 2007)

Whipped cream.



			
				TATTRAT said:
			
		

> Bacon. Everything is better with bacon.


 
(And, there's always room for J-e-l-l-o. )


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## Jikoni (Jun 24, 2007)

Cardamoms and nutmeg enhance the taste of beef stews, Dhania (Cilantro) for all stews and yes, as Ironchef mentioned, dhania and lime are best mates, they go down well together. Rosemary for chicken, Garlic for just about everything. Parsley to enhance the freshness of your mouth ! Plenty plenty plenty of great food marriages.


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## obiwan9962 (Jun 24, 2007)

lol @ amy 

yep salt is very important to bring forth flavour
i do use salt, soy and sometimes fish sauce interchangeable
most of my vegan soups i feature in the restaurant i sub soy sauce for the salt and they are amazing


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## college_cook (Jun 24, 2007)

Baking fool, that's a pretty tough question to answer.  There are lots of ingredients that are in lots of foods, but that's usually due to the cooking style or specific regional cuisine that the dish in question comes from.  For example, one thing you could add to Asian dishes that could enhance the flavor is soy.  Soy is a pretty major building block for Asian flavors, and works well in other cuisines as well, but, you won't find much soy in classical French cooking, for example.  Just like you aren't likely to find Indian curry in German sausages, or any other example.

Building flavor in a dish really depends on what you want the dish to be, and finding the best way to introduce the appropriate flavor.  For example, if I wanted I dish to be spicy, I wouldn't add cream to it, because cream will partially mute flavors.  If I wanted to serve halibut with a saffron-vanilla beurre blanc (delicate fish with a delicate sauce), I would not choose to serve mashed potatoes loaded with bacon, garlic, cheddar, and chives as my side dish.

Did you have a more specific type of cuisine you were looking at?  That might help the rest of us give you a more directed answer.


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## baking fool (Jun 24, 2007)

college_cook said:
			
		

> Did you have a more specific type of cuisine you were looking at?


 
not really... I was just trying to find out what ingredients people would be 'lost without' as auntdot said & that's all.


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## AllenOK (Jun 25, 2007)

TATTRAT said:
			
		

> Bacon. Everything is better with bacon.



Amen, brother!  I can understand that!


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## GB (Jun 25, 2007)

Butter      .


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## sarah (Jun 25, 2007)

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


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## GB (Jun 25, 2007)

Cheese                      .


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## AllenOK (Jun 25, 2007)

GB said:
			
		

> Butter      .



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.


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## CharlieD (Jun 25, 2007)

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.


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## luvs (Jun 25, 2007)

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.


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## baking fool (Jun 25, 2007)

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.


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'.


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## luvs (Jun 25, 2007)

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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## tropical cooker (Jun 26, 2007)

*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


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## obiwan9962 (Jun 26, 2007)

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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## YT2095 (Jun 26, 2007)

a Beer (or wine) just a little bit before you eat.


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## blissful (May 23, 2008)

(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


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## quicksilver (May 23, 2008)

*   (Kitchenelf, you'll like this one. How could you forget?)*



*COCKTAILS!!!!!*​


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## JoAnn L. (May 23, 2008)

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.


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## Michelemarie (May 24, 2008)

fresh herbs can liven up alot of things..................


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## ChefJune (May 24, 2008)

kitchenelf said:


> 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.


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## Adillo303 (May 24, 2008)

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


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## Caine (May 24, 2008)

*amy* said:


> Whipped cream.


 
especially good on a baloney sandwich!


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## Dave Hutchins (May 24, 2008)

Garlic, fennel, cumin, caraway, sweet basil are my principle seasoning agents that go into most of my cooking these days


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## Barbara L (May 25, 2008)

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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## ChefJune (May 25, 2008)

my "secret ingredient" is dried Herbes de Provence.  comes in a jar in the spice section of your grocery store, or you can order it online at Vanns Spices


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## AllenOK (May 29, 2008)

I would be lost without onions and garlic as a staple in my foods.

At work, lately, I've been using shallots and garlic for many things, and I've even been keeping a melange of minced fresh thyme and rosemary in one of my reach-ins.  Just a pinch adds a lot of flavor to many things.

Now that we have some Tex-Mex items on the menu, I've been giving those a squirt of lime juice to help the flavor.

I have begun experimenting with Herbs de Provence as well.  I have a small bottle of the mix that I mixed up myself.  I have most of the herbs for that on hand anyway, with the only exception being savory.  There's one grocery store in town that carries savory, and it ain't cheap.  I may resort to growing my own if I notice that I really start using Herbs de Provence.


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## LadyCook61 (May 29, 2008)

ChefJune said:


> my "secret ingredient" is dried Herbes de Provence. comes in a jar in the spice section of your grocery store, or you can order it online at Vanns Spices


 thanks for that link, I just ordered some spices.


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## Jeff G. (May 29, 2008)

ChefJune said:


> my "secret ingredient" is dried Herbes de Provence.  comes in a jar in the spice section of your grocery store, or you can order it online at Vanns Spices




I love this stuff... I use it along with steak seasoning and Emerils when I roast meats, add it to vegetables, in soups... great stuff...


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## expatgirl (Jun 3, 2008)

agree with all the ingredients that's been posted.......I also think that a roux is wonderful ingredient for gumbos, etouffes, and shrimp creoles.  Also, incorporating homemade beef and chicken broths into recipes.........


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## Maverick2272 (Jun 10, 2008)

I find that if people don't like the taste of my food, I just feed them some beer or wine until they like it! Doesn't work for kids though...


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## shortchef (Jun 10, 2008)

Garlic if it's savory, cinnamon if it's sweet.  I'm surprised nobody mentioned cinnamon, it makes so many dishes delicious.


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