OI, you know when you are cooking something an it is just not quite tasting the way you want it too? well what do you do? personally it is during times like this that i go for my go to ingredient. so OI what is that one thing that you put in all your dishes to round em out an bring em up to par.

for me it is apple cider vinegar. i find the tartness is perfect for balancing out almost any flavor combination i am playing with. it is also one of the main ingredients in all my marinades. something about the vinegar, just makes food magic.

so OI, share your go to tool

Apple cider vinegar...? Interesting...

"go to ingredients", well I can't think of just one. But a few things I tend to use often are:

chorizo and garlic - anything that is sauteed in butter or oil, can usually be spiced up by first sauteeing chorizo and/or garlic first. Or if you sautee a steak, and you want to make a pan sauce afterwards... before deglazing the pan, I will sautee a bit of crushed garlic and maybe some chorizo too until its well browned, then deglaze the pan and continue with the sauce. Always turns out great...!

I'm with you on garlic, sambob. The chorizo around Wyoming, however...unless I get it from a specialty shop, I don't bother. It's nothing to write home about.

I like apple cider vinegar, since it adds a bit of acidity as well as sweetness to some earthier dishes (ham hocks & beans immediately comes to mind). I also tend to use it when I'm looking for a different acidity than lemon juice, since lemon juice is so often used. The cider vinegar can provide that same "perk" in the flavor, but also draw the palette out a bit since it's...well, different, it seems.

Basil and oregano are my go to spices. There are very few things that are not improved with good basil and oregano.

The last one, which I try not to do often, is bacon grease. I keep a jar of it in the fridge so I have it on hand. I don't often use it because its essentially pure saturated fat, but man, does it make a mean roux. Yesterday, since I was doing a baked mac and cheese dish with bacon and ham in it, I used bacon grease to lubricate my casserole dish rather than olive oil or (even lazier) non-stick spray. Bad for me? Absolutely. Add amazing flavor? Most definitely.

Yes, garlic goes into almost everything I make.

Instead of salt, I've started using powdered chicken stock. Pure MSG I know, but it adds some much needed flavour to an otherwise bland dish.

*ObZ

So you don't season your cooking? Or does the powdered chicken stock have salt in it (whatever powdered chicken stock is!)?

Butter. Fixes anything.

Salt and Pepper.
Paprika.

Should I have said boullion? Yeah it's pretty salty. Basically the equivalent of those soup mix packets in ramen.

I use it along with some salt or as a salt replacement, depends on my mood. It's actually really nice to use while cooking steak.


*ObZ

lots of freshly ground pepper, and a squeeze of lemon juice.

oh, and chili flakes. I like things that have a bit of heat.

garlic, oregano, tomato sauce

peanut sauce.

goes with anything savoury

Lemon juice/wine vinegar to give dishes some acidity and bite.

Paprika and ground mustard I use in a lot of sauces. Paprika I like to sprinkle on top of dishes because I think it looks nice. Ground mustard just adds a whole other dimension to food when used right. Next time you make macaroni and cheese(real baked Mac and cheese, not kraft), add a few teaspoons of ground mustard to the cheese sauce. Same goes for au gratin potatoes. I also like adding it to hot sauces for wings, or on any seasoning I'm making for pork.

Lately, I've been using a little mix of cumin, black peppercorn, coriander, sugar, and salt. It adds a splash of flavour to a few quick dishes.

might i add horseradish cream

Paprika and Cayenne.