What's your favorite "secret ingredient," for anything?

[Sparkly]

Tonight I made sole almandine for the first time in ages. My secret ingredient in that has always been Worcestershire sauce.

I remember a pancake recipe with beer as the secret ingredient, that amazing ziti and asparagus dish Husb posted that includes an essential 1/2 tsp of brown sugar, and impromptu dishes with little pinches of wasabi or chipotle or fennel or whatever... I always find it fun to challenge people ("people" = just Husb nowadays) with, "Guess the secret ingredient!"

So what's the most unexpected thing you add to something or other (especially one that leaves people guessing)?

[politicat]

1. Vegemite/Marmite

It's really excellent for giving a rich, beefy flavor to non-meat dishes.

Soy sauce in soups works the same way if I use just a little.

[Sparkly]

2. I gotta try that!!

I always put soy sauce in my vegetarian split-pea soup, so I know what you're talking about!

[Warpy]

5. Don't say that to an Aussie

Telling them that there are uses for Vegemite outside the disgusting thin spread on toast that they eat sends them into fits.

I've been telling people for years that I fooled people with a seitan stir fry by using Vegemite as one of the ingredients in the sauce. They invariably identified the seitan as meat and some vegans wouldn't take my word for it that it was the Vegemite they were tasting.

Cinnamon and allspice are also good in fake meat dishes.

The key to all of these is having a very light hand so that nobody will be able to identify exactly what you did to make it taste so good.

[mike_c]

3. anchovies maybe, or fish sauce (liquid anchovies)....

I use a lot of capers, too. And balsamic vinegar.

[The empressof all]

4. At Holiday time I slip in quite a bit of eggnog

It goes in the Pumpkin Pie, the whipped yams, and even the creamed spinach.

When I make Chili for a crowd I slip in a bit of unsweetened chocolate

I put pureed onions in my meatloaf and even my hamburgers. I process them until they are mush so no one even knows they are there yet you get that wonderful onion juice flavor. (My daughter doesn't like the texture of onions in her food yet she eats them regularly when I mush them before I add them)

[eleny]

6. Soy sauce in tomato sauce

[wryter2000]

7. Nutmeg

When I make white sauce for pasta (such as caneloni), a tiny bit of freshly grated nutmeg gives an interesting flavor. I'm not sure it's secret, because you can detect it.

[Tab]

8. I like fish sauce and cinnamon and caraway seeds

Fish sauce, properly used, rounds out a dish, although it's subtle, so it's not that you taste it specifically, but just that the dish tastes "right".

Cinnamon I like to add in unusual places - it's a spice that people forget about, and yet it makes a nice addition. I use it on Thai food sometimes, you don't expect it, but it "feels right".

Caraway seeds aren't "secret" in that they're obvious, but I like caraway, and people don't always expect them, and it's interesting where you can use them - even in salads - that people wouldn't think you would.

[yellowdogintexas]

9. buttermilk. I used to share recipes with my friends when I lived

in Boston, and it seemed everything hat buttermilk in it.

Well I am a Southern cook, and I want buttermilk biscuits, buttermilk cornbread and good chocolate cake made with buttermilk. Oh Yeah don't forget buttermilk pie.

I also put cilatro into my homemade chili. Gives it a real kick.

And Worcestershire sauce( only Lea and Perrins, naturally) is a wonderful secret ingredient.

[GoneOffShore]

10. Nutmeg

In potatoes, especially with cheese.

Instant coffee in chili along with bitter chocolate.

Ground black pepper with sliced strawberries.

[chefgirl]

11. Nutmeg is one of my favorites too

Gotta be fresh grated nutmeg, though.

My other favorite secret ingredient is Cavender's Greek Seasoning. I dont think I've found anything yet that it wasn't good in/on/with.

I use it in mashed potatoes, my son loves it sprinkled on his grilled cheese sammiches, its excellent on pork, and even a dash of it in a honey yogurt fruit salad dressing that I make.

I've used it in so many things I can't begin to remember, and people are always asking me what that flavor is that they don't quite recognize, but seems to add that perfect little 'something'.

-chef-

[Wordie]

15. Oh, Cavender's is great...so tasty.

I've used it on lot's of things. It's particularly good sprinkled on Lamb Chops before grilling.

I've tried to deconstruct it so I can make my own version: I know it has thyme and pepper and a few other typical greek spices, but I've not managed to get it quite right yet. Thanks for reminding me, I may give it another try.

[troubleinwinter]

21. Greek seasoning sounds intriguing!

What sort of stuff is in it? On grilled cheese sounds good?

Where do you get it?

[chefgirl]

25. Its YUM

As was said in a previous post, its got pepper and thyme, onion, garlic, etc, etc... I've tried duplicating it too, and haven't been able to.

I buy it in the grocery store, but only recently have been able to find it here in Maine. I discovered it years ago when I lived in South Carolina, and when I ran out of it, and was living back up North, I looked everywhere for it, and couldn't get it.

If you see it, buy some and try it. It's not like anything else I've tasted.

-chef-

[grasswire]

12. I've been adding vanilla lately ...

to odd things. To roasted sweet potatoes in a chipotle paste, to a shrimp dish, to a spicy corn chowder.

Also, once in a while I add some rosewater to a creamy sauce or dish -- people never can quite identify it. Lemon mint rosewater custard comes to mind.

[Brewman_Jax]

13. Cayenne pepper

in desserts as well as main dishes. I put it in sweet potato and pumpkin pie and bread pudding, just one knife-tip. Adds a little zing. :9

[Shakespeare]

14. A splash of coffee in beef gravy.

Seriously, try it. It's generally an ingredient for red eye (pork) gravy, but it lends excellent flavor to beef gravy.

[Tab]

16. I've heard people like to put coffee in chili too

get that sort of "secret ingredient" taste.

[bettyellen]

17. i use rum or whiskey instead of vanilla when baking or in sweets....

sometimes whiskey adds a butterscotchy flavor that i like. i've also thrown shots or rum into a bag of coffe beans once or twice.
sometimes vanilla seems too....

[troubleinwinter]

18. Celery seed.

?????!!! What a weird thing! I discovered that it gives a marvelous flavor to anything ya might put celery into. Best in summer salads like potato salad. Bumps up that celery/green taste. If you are in such a rush and don't have celery, it will step in, and 'ups' the flavor.

[NMDemDist2]

19. celery seed is one of my favorites too, it does add a nice "something"

to almost anything

[troubleinwinter]

20. Here's how I learned about the delightful taste of celery seed...

A family friend is a very well-known, multi-award-winning cookbook author. He made a contract with a company to sell his (best in the entire world) bar-b-que sauce. He could not give us (nor print in his books) the complete recipe, because of the contract. He told my mother that there was one ingredient missing in the book. Drove my mother (best cook) nuts. One day she said, "I figured out what it is: celery seed." She then made his sauce, and she seemed to be right.

I don't know if she was right or not, but I'd never heard of it before. Got some, and I love using it for many things for its intense fresh and tangy taste.

[anitar1]

22. I use celery seed, dried celery or minced fresh celery leaves.

Love the taste. Even a little celery salt on chicken before baking it.

[troubleinwinter]

23. Yes!!! The leaves have all the flavor!

I have never tried celery salt, but now I will... sounds good on chicken!

[grasswire]

24. that's weird....

...because for years I've been making Sunset magazine's recipe for oven barbecued ribs, and an important ingredient is celery seed. Catsup, brown sugar, vinegar, worcestershire sauce, lemon juice and sliced lemons, onion, celery seed, salt and pepper. It's a delicious recipe.

I've used it forever in potato salad, too, as another poster mentioned. Mayo, dill weed, a bit of yellow mustard, a bit of sugar, diced onion, cubed potatoes, eggs, black olives, diced celery, and some celery seed. My Connecticut grandmother's style.

[wiggs]

26. Small amount of cardamom in

...cake batter

...apple pie

...cobblers

...fruit salad

nice, unusual flavor not easily recognizable by most.

[fortyfeetunder]

27. Old Bay seasoning

I can't use it as often, but I love to use it in seafood, poultry, homemade salad dressing, potato salad, french fries...

If I can find a salt-free variety, I'd be in hog heaven!