Sometimes, a dish is just one ingredient away from perfection. Just ask your grandma – she probably honed the perfect family recipe for years before discovering the one thing that took it from delicious to heavenly scrumptious.
Yet not all things that we eat have to have such a rich history. Sometimes, we might just want to make that cup of hot cocoa taste a little bit better. We here at Bored Panda are foodies, too, so we’ve compiled a list of the best cooking hacks that rely on one secret ingredient. Want to know how you can improve your cooking game by adding just one thing? Scroll down and find out!
#1
Adding salt to hot chocolate. It doesn’t make it salty at all, but it makes it somehow more chocolatey. Everyone always says my hot chocolate is the best, but I just use prepackaged with milk and a dash of salt!
Image credits: anon
#2
What’s the secret ingredient you add to tomato sauce? Pureed carrot if I’m trying to cut the acidity without sugar.
Image credits: davy_jones_locket
#3
What is your favorite seasoning for popcorn? Kraft Mac & Cheese packets.
Image credits: pm-me-souplantation
#4
Adding a splash of orange juice to pumpkin or banana bread. The acidity really adds some brightness against the spices.
Image credits: JMSidhe
#5
I add instant mashed potatoes to soup to thicken it up if it turns out too thin.
Image credits: PeachasaurusWrex
#6
Substitute some of the liquid in Belgian waffles with seltzer or some other benign-flavored carbonated beverage (like ginger ale). Result: super airy, fluffy waffles.
Image credits: Professor_Burnout
#7
Try putting a decent amount of butter in a red sauce. It will taste twice as good and no one will be able to guess the secret.
Image credits: anon
#8
Baking powder on your chicken skin for extra crispness.
Image credits: dalore
#9
MSG powder: a sprinkling can really elevate a dish. But people can be so afraid of it because they’ve been fed misinformation about its health effects. So unless a guest specifically mentions an allergy, I’ll keep adding MSG to my food without telling anyone.
Image credits: chasing-the-sun
#10
I’ve replaced salt in 75% of my cooking with mushroom extract powder from the Asian market, it still seasons but bumps the umami.
Image credits: GranaVegano
#11
I save all the scraps of my vegetables — onions, garlic, bell peppers, carrots, celery, herb stems, tomatoes, mushrooms — and collect them in a freezer bag and when it’s full I turn it into stock and then use that stock to replace the water while cooking rice, quinoa, lentils, etc.
Image credits: Grendels-mum
#12
Espresso powder when baking with chocolate. It intensifies the chocolate flavor.
Image credits: LeoMarius
#13
I add sour cream to my boxed Mac n cheese. Makes it creamier and so rich.
Image credits: anon
#14
Friend of mine taught me to put herb and garlic cream cheese in my mashed potatoes. Tried dill pickle on my own and if you’ve never had dill pickle mashed you are in for a treat
Image credits: AriMeowber
#15
If a cake recipe calls for milk and eggs; a can of 7-Up (soda) works equally well. The cake is extra moist and light.
Image credits: anon
#16
I’ve recently discovered the wonderful world of anchovies! I’ve been adding them to nearly all of my savory dishes. Really takes the complexity up a notch by incorporating an umami-ness. My family doesn’t know, cause if they did they wouldn’t eat it. When I can’t find the jarred ones, I settle for the paste. I’ll usually add it when sautéing my garlic in butter. Unless you’re allergic, you should give it a try!
Image credits: poopieschmaps
#17
I use olive brine/pickle brine to add flavour to a lot of dishes like casseroles, stews, etc. It adds a nice depth of flavour
Image credits: skakkuru
#18
Adding mayonnaise to eggs when scrambled, omelet, or quiche. It increases their volume and makes them light and fluffy.
Image credits: AlcuinCorbeau
#19
A tiny amount of tarragon in fries (frozen or homemade), not enough that you get flecks of green on every fry, just a bit enough to get the aroma but people usually have a hard time wondering why the fries taste so good.
#20
I worked at Jimmy John’s for a while and they had us use a little soy sauce in the tuna salad. I’ve been making it that way ever since (10 years)
Image credits: helenfeller
#21
When water is called for in a recipe, I use chicken broth instead. It has never not been way better.
Image credits: envydub
#22
I use flavored coffee creamer (usually Hazelnut, but sometimes French Vanilla) in the egg batter when making French Toast.
#23
Thai fish sauce whenever I am making anything and need to add umami.. I also use it in rubs for roasts or brisket because it adds a flavour similar to dry aging.
#24
I keep parmesan rinds in my freezer for stock, sauces, and stews. I just throw it in after everything else to simmer. It makes a remarkable difference especially in tomato sauces.
#25
Adding a little cornstarch when I’m whisking eggs for scrambling. Makes them super fluffy.
#26
Cook your rice in broth instead of plain water. Total game changer.
#27
Nutmeg in white sauces or soups.
#28
Save and freeze bacon grease then use it to cook a variety of foods. Popcorn is one of those foods.
#29
Nutmeg in mac and cheese. Molasses in chile. Dash of acid in anything rich (not a secret but it feels like one!)
#30
Funny enough, but I love to add some kind of dark syrup, whether that be malt syrup or maple. I think sweetness is really underrated in a lot of cooking. I often add just a touch, but it can be a real level-upper to a lot of dishes.
#31
Worked In a very high end restaurant that locally became quite well known for its cheesecake. It was just cream cheese and marshmallow fluff blended together and put in store bought graham cracker crust.
#32
Toll House recipe, use Kerrygold salted butter, and add toffee bits (heath brand “bits o brickle” in US stores) as the final secret ingredient. The nutty toffee adds the most amazing flavor, and no one can ever guess where it comes from, even if they spot the Toll House recipe.
#33
Jello vanilla pudding powder substitutes half of my sugar in cookies! It keeps them super soft for days and gives them almost a cake interior.
#34
When making banana bread, I use overripe bananas. Nothing unusual, right? Nope. But what takes it to the next level is I first freeze the bananas—for days, for weeks— and then thaw when it’s time to bake. I read somewhere that freezing bananas make them sweeter.
#35
Adding a touch of baking soda to grits or polenta cuts the cooking time in half.
#36
Place an ice cube on the dish you are microwaving to add moisture while reheating. The ice won’t melt but it will steam your food (especially useful for rice)
#37
Grate a piece of toast if you’re out of breadcrumbs.
#38
My mashed potato gravy is butter, flour, water and a Ramen packet. Usually beef, chicken, or creamy chicken depending on the protein.
#39
I put extra egg yolks in my scrambled eggs. So if I am making eggs for two people I may use four whole eggs and add two egg yolks.
#40
I learned to use Sodium Citrate to make a cheese sauce. It lets the milk and cheese mix together smoothly, basically producing homemade Velveeta. It’s revolutionized my mac n cheese game
#41
A splash of vinegar in the water to boil potatoes for either potato salad or for roasting after boiling.
#42
Lemon zest in garlic butter, specifically for garlic bread. It’s an absolute game changer, even just a little bit.
#43
I never tried mixing butter and soy sauce in the same dish until I was in my late twenties, but once I tried it, it quickly became one of my favorite flavor combinations. It’s excellent in just about any savory dish. It works especially well with mushrooms.
#44
If your soup/stew is too salty, a splash of vinegar usually balances it out.
#45
Toss noodles in toasted sesame oil after they’ve drained. Takes them to another level.
#46
Cocoa powder for tomato sauces and chilis. Wooster for virtually any stew or soup. Soy sauce for hamburger meat. Red vinegar on boiled greens, from spinach to turnip greens.
#47
Duck fat. Crazy delicious to cook potatoes, peas, mushroom with it. I even use it to cook fried eggs etc. You can use it in combination with other high smoke point oils as well to give it another dimensions while deep frying.
#48
Mustard and mustard powder. Adds complexity to lots of dishes where you wouldn’t expect it
#49
I add marmite to dishes to add umami and salt.
#50
Shallots shallots shallots. They elevate any dish and take olive oil based pasta sauces to a whole new level.
#51
Whenever I need to caramelize onions I always add water to the pan and cover with a lid to steam the onions first. Eventually the water cooks off and you’re left with very soft onions which saves you like 20 minutes for a big batch.
#52
Balsamic vinegar. A little bit in or on literally anything will improve it. It’s most reliable for soups and sauces, though
#53
Dissolve your cinnamon in vanilla before adding eggs and milk to your batter for French toast. The cinnamon will incorporate so much better instead if just sitting on top of the mixture.
#54
If I cook anything that requires breadcrumbs, I use chicken flavored StoveTop stuffing. I also use them as mini croutons in my salad.
#55
When I bake, I grease my pans, but instead of using flour to coat it, I use granulated sugar. It makes the edges sweet and crunchy, and saves me from needing to use icing or frosting.
#56
When you’re making mashed potatoes boil garlic cloves with the potatoes.
#57
Replace your ricotta with béchamel in your lasagna.
#58
You have to brown the butter, no one ever takes the time to brown the butter.
#59
Bay leaf in lots of soup and sauces. It’s not an in-your-face difference, but if it’s not there something will feel like it’s missing.
#60
Egyptian falafel are made with fava beans, which makes tastier, crispier and lighter falafel than chickpeas
#61
Never use chicken breasts and always substitute chicken thighs. Seriously, they’re a little fattier sure but make chicken dishes taste amazing vs average.
#62
Miso in everything.