What secret ingredient will you divulge here and now? I worked at a restaurant in

[applegrove]

the mountains. The recipes were all shared, and we all took turns baking with the exception of one thing on the menu: glazed lemon loaf. The owner would bake it at night and let us glaze it the next day. It was very popular. The secret I found out years later was mixing lemon jello christals (a tiny bit) in with the loaf. What a letdown.

[Justice wanted]

1. I can see how that could be a let down with the type of ingredient.

[applegrove]

2. We made soup and bread from scratch. We ate a turkey for dinner and then it would be turkey soup

the next day (no electricity). It was such a wholesome place to work. I was shocked I tell ya! SHOCKED!!!

[HopeHoops]

3. "Is it oregano? No, no, NO! Is it parsley? No, no, NO! It's ME GANJA!"

[UTUSN]

4. Another let down: Olive oil. Back before the cooking revolution mania took the media waves

Our family recipes seemed different to others, like olive oil (a bit to mitigate the mayo) in the potato salad, plus olives (not so secret to the eye), and in everything. Then during the hippie health food years, olive oil became more trendy, plus other types. So it's a let down NOW because it's all over the place or outdated/replaced.

The bigger news has been how adulterated much of it is coming from Europe since there were no or few standards enforced and how, back to the ancient of days it was a commodity controlled by mafia type cartel battles, like drugs or black oil these days. That maybe the U.S. (California) olive oil is more defineable.

I think I'm rambling...

[Ron Obvious]

5. Big Mac sauce...

I can't vouch for absolute authenticity, but I got this from a friend of mine and it does taste authentic:

BIG MAC Special Sauce

Ingredients:

1/4 cup KRAFT Miracle Whip
1/4 cup mayonnaise
2 Tablespoons,heaping, WISHBONE deluxe French salad dressing (the orange stuff)
1/2 Tablespoon HEINZ sweet relish
2 teaspooons, heaping, VLASIC dill pickle relish (Heinz dill relish also works)
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon dried, minced onion
1 teaspoon white vinegar
1 teaspoon ketchup
1/8 teaspoon salt

Mix everything very well in a small container. There better be no streaks! Microwave 25 seconds, and stir well again. Cover, and refrigerate at LEAST 1 hour before using.( to allow all of the flavors to "meld". ) Makes nearly 1 cup...enough for about 8 burgers.

[saras]

6. Sugar and fat

When I had to make food to please middle-class Americans, I would just dump white sugar and extra fat into everything. Works every time, gives that "restaurant food" vibe that people can't name but instantly recognize.

Seriously - turn a half gallon of homemade chili into the "commercial stuff" by adding a cup of oil and a half cup of white sugar. Disgusting but true. Fixes up homemade pad Thai too, turns it from hippie food into restaurant food.


When I was a kid, the secret ingredient to improve cake mixes was a package of instant pudding, but then the cake manufacturers caught on to that one.