Don't tell anyone, but when I cook I use...

[Chris Amirault]

Now and then I'll dash in a few drops of Maggi seasoning for the glutamates.

Last night, to give a dish (brussels sprouts with coriander & lemon) a bit more tang, I sprinkled in a bit of citric acid.

No need to broadcast it to everyone eating, of course.

You?

[Mjx]

Hah. I use Herbamare... which contains MSG, and I know it, even though it isn't listed (doesn't have to be, when it's part of another ingredient).

[Anna N]

Hah I am worse- I use MSG straight up!

[patris]

Hah I am worse- I use MSG straight up!

Sing it, sister. Nary a hunk of meat gets cooked in my house without a sprinkling of Accent with the salt and pepper.

[Marlene]

You and me both!

[BadRabbit]

I use MSG, nitrite\nitrates, and bacon fat (when other healthier fats would do) without apology.

[gfweb]

Bacon Fat! I keep a jar in the fridge.

[Panaderia Canadiense]

I sometimes use instant mushroom-cream sauce powder when I'm too lazy or exhausted to make the real thing....

[Kerry Beal]

Knorr chicken or beef stock powder.

[BadRabbit]

Also, I often use Goya Jamon seasoning in my greens instead of ham hocks and fatback despite the fact that I know my grandmother looks down from heaven disapprovingly every time I do it. I regularly get raves from my extended family when i do so and they would be appaled if they new I skimped on the pork fat (I usually throw a few chunks of ham in to throw them off).

Edited May 16, 2011 by BadRabbit (log)

[avaserfi]

I have a jar of MSG in with my spices too. Its an ingredient no different than garlic powder or pepper to me. In the proper situation it adds the umami kick I want without other unnecessary flavors that you can get from other umami rich ingredients such as mushrooms, soy or Parmesan.

[Busboy]

Liquid Smoke. Garlic powder.

I am intrigued by the MSG junkies. Ethnic markets where I live sell it by the bag. Maybe I'll give it a whirl.

[BadRabbit]

Liquid Smoke. Garlic powder.

I am intrigued by the MSG junkies. Ethnic markets where I live sell it by the bag. Maybe I'll give it a whirl.

What's wrong with those two?

There are plenty of times when garlic powder works better than fresh (e.g. rubs) and liquid smoke is just smoke solids suspended in water.

[EllenC]

Ground Dried Mushrooms. I also use garlic powder and onion powder. And I use eel sauce anytime someone else would use steak sauce or bbq sauce - say in homemade hamburgers or meatloaf. Don't tell my daughter. The idea of eating eel sauce makes her want to hurl.

[HungryC]

Kitchen Bouquet, just for the caramel coloring. Hey, we eat with our eyes, too.

[BadRabbit]

And I use eel sauce anytime someone else would use steak sauce or bbq sauce - say in homemade hamburgers or meatloaf. Don't tell my daughter. The idea of eating eel sauce makes her want to hurl.

Until you posted this, I had no idea that eel sauce actually had eel in it. I always assumed it was just named that because it was traditionally used with unagi, kind of like wing sauce doesn't actually contain wings.

[Chris Amirault]

Ground Dried Mushrooms.

Agreed. Background in so many things...

[gfweb]

No eel in eel sauce as far as I know. I think its just mirin, soy and vinegar and probably sugar.

[BadRabbit]

No eel in eel sauce as far as I know. I think its just mirin, soy and vinegar and probably sugar.

I looked and the bottled sauce definely says "eel extract" on it.

http://www.gourmetsleuth.com/Dictionary/E/Eel-sauce-6714.aspx

[karlos]

A recipe

[the old cook]

Oh yes! Bacon Fat, why do people turn up their noses at such a lush treat?

Also, agree about Kitchen Bouquet. It is great to add a touch of brown if needed for soups/gravies.

Also, don't frown....but Knorr's Hollandaise sauce mix, if in a hurry.

[ScoopKW]

"Better than Bouillon" brand base. (The less sodium version is OK in a pinch -- for boiling potatoes, etc. Anything where I don't want to use the homemade stock.)

Minor's demi-glace. I hate making demi -- all that work and all those bones for a quart of base that lasts a couple months. Minor's is OK for most applications.

[Lisa Shock]

Patak's curry pastes -not always, just when I am in a hurry or can't get to the market to get all the fresh spices I need -I live fairly far from the nearest market with Indian produce

Old Bay Seasoning -my family moved to Maryland when I was 10, and it's a flavor that resonates for me in certain dishes

And, yes, I use liquid smoke and granulated garlic as well as onion powder -but, those are pure, real ingredients with specific uses.

[gfweb]

I use dark brown caramelized sugar liquid I get at the Korean market to darken sauces. It has absolutely no taste and a couple drops really brown things up.

[andiesenji]

I use potato flakes to thicken cream soups, particularly potato soups, that are too thin because the flakes really don't add any apparent flavor and certainly none of the "floury" flavor one gets with that.

I use mushroom powder, onion powder, garlic powder, etc.