Master List: Your "Secret Ingredients"
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Master List: Your "Secret Ingredients"
We asked. You answered (and then some).
Thanks for visiting The Bittman Project, a place where food is everything (or pretty close).
Remember the discussion thread where we asked all of you to share your favorite secret ingredients? The kinds of ingredients that can take your cooking to the next level and that you consider essential for your style of cooking. The ones you reach for again and again. The ones that bring your food to life. The ones you just can’t live without.
Well, an incredible number of you joined that conversation. Not only was it a blast, but the list you came up with is pretty epic. The team did our best to comb through the thread and pull out all of the ingredients you mentioned. Here they are, organized not-so-elegantly into four rough categories: condiments, spices, fridge/freezer, and pantry. We’ll just keep this list up on the website as a resource for any of you to peruse anytime. (And here’s a printable version in case you want it.)
Condiments
Sriracha
Doubanjiang
Fish sauce
Nuoc mam
Yuzu koshu
Gochujang
Sesame oil
Spicy chili crisp
Black vinegar
Fried chili in oil (Laoganma brand)
Cold Mountain koji paste
Ume plum vinegar
Sambal paste
Curry paste
Rice vinegar
Oyster sauce
Ponzu
Kewpie mayonnaise
Miso
Umeboshi paste
Spicy mango chutney
Masala paste
Tandoori paste
Course Dijon
Real Italian balsamic
Hellman's mayo
Sherry vinegar
White balsamic vinegar
Calabrian chile oil
Gremolata
Fig jam
Lea and Perrins
Caramelized onions
Saba
Tahini
Tzatziki
Harissa
Zhoug
Pomegranate molasses
Orange blossom water
Ginger juice
Maple syrup
Maggi
Mole negro
Aji panca paste
Homemade hot pepper jelly
Marmite
Liquid smoke
Crystal Hot Sauce
Frank's red hot
Chili pepper water
Sherry pepper sauce (from Outerbridge)
Spices
Cumin
Celery salt
Ground celery seed
Za'atar
Curry leaves
Smoked cinnamon
Aji amarillo paste
Adobo spice
Sichuan peppercorns
Smoked paprika
Hungarian paprika
Mushroom powder
Espresso crystals (some of you swear by this in tomato sauce)
Tony Cachere's creole seasoning
Herbes de Provence
Piment d'espelette
Aleppo pepper
Dried peanut powder
Better than bouillon
Everything bagel spice
Togarashi
Epazote
Vanilla
Tajin
Furikake
Kashmiri chili powder
Berbere
Nutritional yeast
Fennel seeds
Nutmeg
Ginger powder
Sumac
MSG
Old bay
Cardamom
Chaat masala
Svanuri marili (Georgian spice mix)
Asafetida
Nigella seeds
Black lime powder
Balinese long pepper
Powdered instant dashi
Hawaj
Zatarain's crab boil
Yerba santa
Panch phoron
Fridge / Freezer
Lime juice
Meyer lemon juice
Roasted garlic
Anchovies
Ginger
Pickled ginger
Pureed garlic and ginger
Capers
Preserved lemons
Pesto
Crispy fried onions
Pomegranate seeds
Warehouse size bag of chopped spinach
Fresh bay leaves
Avocado leaves
Kaffir lime leaves
Summer savory
Pickled onions
Dill pickle juice (to cook rice)
Tony Packo's sweet hot pickles
Sauerkraut
Poblano peppers
Frozen roasted hatch chilies
Bruno's wax peppers
Ancho, guajillo and chipotle pastes
Buttermilk
Milk Kefir
Goat cheese
Parmesan rinds
Cashew milk and cream
Sourdough starter
Rendered pork fat
Bacon fat
Frozen tofu
Frozen vodka (for baking)
Vegan magic bacon grease
Dried chorizo
Vegeta
Vincotto
Bottarga
Pantry
Almond flour
Chickpea flour
Confectioner's sugar
Sweet turbinado cane sugar
Palm sugar
Molasses
Red Clay's hot honey
Dried apricots
Candied ginger
Candied citrus
Dehydrated preserved lemon rind
Currants
Sauteed slivered almonds
Chia seeds
Coconut milk
Condensed milk
Nori
Wakame
Bonito flakes
Water chestnuts
Chipotles in adobo sauce
Achiote paste
Tamarind paste
San marzano canned tomatoes
Dried anchovies
Canned tuna
Canned mackerel
Truffle oil
Bragg's liquid aminos
Vermouth
Bitters
Master List: Your "Secret Ingredients"
Thank you for listing "Yumm sauce," but you may want to spell it this way: Yumm! Sauce