Our Lips Are Sealed
Every good home chef has a few tricks up their sleeve when it comes to cooking. And that includes some seriously surprising “secret” ingredients that they add to their signature dishes. We’ve scoured the internet for the best ones—and even some of our own team of culinary experts have let their owns secrets slip in this list of surprising add-on ingredients that’ll elevate any dish.
Smoothies
Whipping up a smoothie is pretty much a no-brainer activity in the kitchen.
Some fruit, maybe some greens, some liquid, and maybe some yogurt if you’re feeling fancy—but there are a few kitchen staples that home chefs swear by when it comes to your morning smoothie. The first is any flavoring you’d use when making a dessert—think fresh ginger, herbs like mint, or vanilla extract.
The second—and most important/surprising? A pinch of salt.
It’ll enhance all the sweet flavors in your smoothie the same way it does to cookies in baking.
Guacamole
Who doesn’t love serving up a giant bowl of fresh guacamole when having a party? One Martha Stewart approved tip is to go for garlic powder instead of fresh garlic—but the secret ingredient that consistently wows crowds? A dollop of mayo will make your guac extra creamy and boost the flavors.
Meat Sauce
To avoid drawing the ire of the Italians, we won’t mess with Bolognese sauce. But, if you happen to be making a basic meat sauce with canned tomatoes, tomato paste, or any variation, you might expect us to suggest adding sugar to cut the acidity. But our “secret” here might surprise you—on top of the sugar, add a healthy glug of soy sauce to cut the sweetness and deepen the color and flavor of your meat sauce.
Rice Krispie Squares
If you’re already a convert to the Smitten Kitchen method of making Rice Krispie treats, please scroll ahead—but if not, we’re about to change your life. Try browning your butter before adding your marshmallows, vanilla, and Rice Krispies.
It’ll deepen the flavor and add toasty caramel notes. And don’t forget a pinch of salt!
Pulled Pork Tacos
If you’re slow-roasting or braising pork shoulder to make pulled pork tacos, you might reach for cumin and chipotles while preparing the liquid for the pot. Consider adding some brewed coffee or a teaspoon of cocoa to make a richly-flavored sauce.
The bitterness helps cut the richness of the meat.
Gravy
Speaking of pan sauces—many home chefs swear by adding a pinch of instant espresso to their gravy as it cooks down and thickens. It adds richness and depth.
Macaroni And Cheese
Controversial opinion: A béchamel-based macaroni and cheese can be delicious, but it doesn’t make for great leftovers. If you’re team “no roux” and make a sauce out of milk, butter, and cheese, try adding a tablespoon…or half a can…or a full can…of Campbell’s condensed tomato soup. It’ll help the sauce emulsify and stop the cheese from separating. Yes, it comes out a bit more “rosé” than a by-the-book mac, but it’s delicious nonetheless.
Chowder
When it comes time to thicken a creamy chowder, many home chefs will reach for cream or a roux.
But one amazing suggestion for a secret ingredient is to use instant mashed potatoes instead. It makes total sense, if you think about how good potatoes are in chowder. Just start with a little—you want a thick soup, not an accidental lobster mash.
Stews
There’s nothing like a big bowl of rich, hearty stew on a cold winter’s day…or even a brisk spring day! To lighten up the flavor of your favorite rich stew, add anywhere between a teaspoon or a tablespoon of vinegar—and you can match your vinegar choice to the stew itself! Try balsamic or red wine vinegar for a beef stew, rice vinegar in a curry, or white vinegar in any stew with cabbage.
Chile
Chile con carne is one of the best low-effort, high-reward dishes out there, and there are a number of things you can sneak in there to deepen the flavor. One unexpected suggestion from a home chef is to add molasses for a hint of sweetness.
French Fries
Another home chef swears by adding the tiniest bit of chopped tarragon to his homemade French fries.
He says it doesn’t even need to be enough so that there’s green flecks on every fry—the aroma that’s released when the fresh tarragon hits the hot fries will add a little extra *something* to every bite.
Tzatziki
There’s nothing like a dollop of homemade tzatziki on souvlaki and other grilled meats. One way to add a lemony flavor without watering it down?
A healthy pinch of sumac, which is inexpensive and had a citrusy flavor. Just make sure you prepare your tzatziki a few hours in advance, to give the garlic and sumac time to infuse the yogurt.
Brownies
Whether they’re from scratch or from a box, you can zhuzh up your brownies by adding brewed coffee or instant espresso powder to deepen the chocolate flavor. If you’re feeling really adventurous, try a pinch of cayenne powder.
Chicken Salad
There are many ways to add an extra little “something” to chicken salad—one of our favorites is curry powder in the mayo. But one home chef had a suggestion that even we found surprising…and intriguing. They suggested adding a drop or two of liquid smoke to chicken salad.
Chocolate Chip Cookies
There might be as many recipes for chocolate chip cookies as there are people on Earth—and everyone has their favorite. One popular variation comes from Milk Bar chef Christina Tosi, who adds—surprise, surprise--milk powder to hers, along with some extra butter to offset drying out the batter.
Fruit Salad
If you’re looking to liven up a homemade fruit salad, whether you’re eating it plain or spooning it over pound cake or ice cream, try a crack or two of fresh ground black pepper. It’ll add a little something extra that might leave your guests puzzled—but buyer beware: Kids will likely NOT be fans.
Ravi Talwar, CC-BY-SA-4.0, Wikimedia Commons
Potato Salad
To add an extra hit of flavor to a mayo-based potato salad, try celery seed. It’s the type of addition that stuns guests—they can tell that there’s a secret ingredient, but they can’t quite put their finger on what it is.
Macaroni Salad
Speaking of picnic hits, nothing goes quite as fast as a creamy macaroni salad when there a crowd.
To liven it up a little take a cue from the New York Times and add some brine from a jar of capers along with some lemon zest and juice. People WILL ask you for the recipe afterward.
Fettucine Alfredo
When making this creamy Italian-American favorite, try adding the smallest pinch of nutmeg—fresh, if possible. This is a “secret” ingredient that also works in another rich, cheesy favorite, macaroni and cheese.
Pan-Fried Meats And Seafood
It’s a no-brainer to coat pork in mustard before cooking it—but why let other proteins in on the fun? Season your chicken, fish, or shrimp with salt and then add a Dijon or grainy mustard.
Let it sit for a few minutes before frying. The heat mellows the bite, and the mustard helps create a nice crust.
Benreis, CC-BY-SA-4.0, Wikimedia Commons
Chocolate Cake
As in brownies, many people will use coffee to deepen the flavor of their chocolate cakes. But another fun switch which gives warmth is to substitute bourbon for any vanilla in the recipe.
It has the same toasty vanilla flavor, but with added depth from the charred oak barrels its aged in.
Tomato Soup
This one may come as no surprise to anyone who loves Indian food, but one home chef recommended a unique way to add a little extra “something” to tomato soup—curry powder. It’s apparently a “once you try it, you’ll never go back” cooking hack.
Santhosh Varghese, Shutterstock
Coffee
This is an old diner trick—or perhaps, an old wives tale—but it’s intriguing nonetheless. Add the tiniest bit of salt to coffee grounds to cut the bitterness and enhance the fruity or caramel flavors of your coffee.
Carrot Cake
When baking your next carrot cake, sub maple syrup extract for vanilla extract to give your finished product a more rounded flavor. This substitution also works for yellow cakes and anywhere you’d want a caramel-tinged flavor.
Banana Bread
Speaking of adding depth of flavor to classic baked goods, try adding a tiny bit of white miso paste to your next batch of banana bread instead of salt.
The tiny, imperceptible hit of umami plays against the warm flavor of baked bananas really well.
Burgers
One home chef swears by a dusting of onion powder on both sides of his burger patty before grilling or frying. Considering how the sweetness of onion enhances the flavor of beef—but also how its moisture can inhibit browning—it makes total sense.
Quiche
When preparing a savory quiche—the perfect lunch, in our opinion—add a layer of mustard on the bottom crust before pouring in the egg mixture. It creates a beautiful contrast to the richness of the baked eggs.
Mashed Potatoes
There are so many different “secret” ingredients that home chefs use to mix things up when they make mashed potatoes—and they all sound delicious. One recommended subbing half sour cream and half chicken stock for the milk in your favorite mash recipe. Another suggested stirring in a puck of Boursin for creaminess and flavor.
Pancakes
Less of a secret ingredient and more of a different approach to a staple ingredient, home chefs recommend separating your eggs when making pancakes. First, you add the yolks and mix to combine. Then, you whip the whites until peaks form and fold them in the batter for a tall yet light and fluffy stack.
Tomato Sauce
Many people recommend using sugar in tomato sauce to help cut the acidity—but if you, like me, already find tomatoes a touch too sweet, try baking soda. It’ll have the same effect, minus the added sweetness.
Caramelized Onions
Everyone has their own method for caramelizing onions—salt vs no salt, sugar vs no sugar, etc. One way to amp up the flavor of caramelized onions is to add splash of dry vermouth to the pan.
It adds the same kind of flavor hit that wine does when its cooked down.
Leftover Pizza
Does water count as a secret ingredient? It sounds wild, but running water over your leftover pizza and then baking it in a toaster oven is one of the best ways to reheat it—keeping it crispy where you want it to be, and moist where you want it to be. This technique also works for stale baguette.
Angel Food Cake
It’s hard to mess with perfection—but we’re willing to try. Classic angel food cake uses vanilla for flavoring. Our suggestion? Don’t sub it—keep it in—but also add a little rose water for an ever-so-delicate addition to the fluffy, light dessert.
Scrambled Eggs
Like chocolate chip cookies, there are as many variations to scrambled eggs as there are humans walking the Earth.
But one suggestion for a secret ingredient just keeps coming up when it comes to scrambled eggs: cornstarch. Home chefs say it produces an extra-fluffy scramble.
French Toast
If you’re a fan of flavored coffee creamers, this one’s for you. Use your favorite one—oatmeal cookie-flavored oat creamer, I’m looking at you—in place of milk in your favorite French toast recipe.
Sheila Fitzgerald, Shutterstock
Roux
If you frequently make recipes using roux as a base, you could probably put one together in your sleep.
But did you know that butter doesn’t have to be the only fat you use? You can put one together with whatever fat you have on hand—for example, bacon drippings.
Egg Salad
Love deviled eggs but feel weird about the fact that they make it so easy to polish off a dozen eggs in one sitting?
Add a dash of paprika to your egg salad for sandwiches, and bring the joy of that classic deviled egg flavor to your lunchbox.
Roast Turkey
One of the most annoying things about roasting a chicken or turkey is that it’s hard to get that picture-perfect brown, crispy skin on the outside without overcooking the inside. That’s why former Bon Appetit chef Christina Chaey uses Kikkoman soy sauce on her roast turkey. It not only seasons the meat, but also aids the browning process.
Pumpkin Bread
To offset the warmth of the spices used in pumpkin bread, considering adding a tablespoon or two or orange juice in place of any of the liquids in your recipe. This can also work to elevate the flavor of banana bread, carrot cake, and zucchini bread as well.
