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“No One Will Be Able To Guess The Secret”: 30 Best Secret Ingredients That Elevate A Dish’s Taste

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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!

To know more about cooking tips and tricks and their importance in the kitchen, Bored Panda reached out to a chef from Toronto, Eugene Wong, aka The Euge Food. He shared his kitchen secrets and gave some advice to those who feel uninspired in their cooking journey lately.

More info: The Euge Food | Instagram | TikTok | YouTube | X | Facebook

This post may include affiliate links.

#1

“No One Will Be Able To Guess The Secret”: 30 Best Secret Ingredients That Elevate A Dish’s Taste 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!

anon , Maddi Bazzocco / unsplash (not the actual photo) Report

Final score:

91points

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In this day and age, we want everything to be faster, easier, and more seamless. That goes for cooking, too. We like looking for cooking tips and tricks to reduce the time spent in the kitchen. We want that one secret ingredient to elevate the whole dish with just one small pinch. But is that actually viable? Should we be looking for shortcuts if we want hearty, delicious food?

"I believe that cooking hacks and tricks truly have merit if they provide real value," chef Eugene Wong tells Bored Panda. "They should help the cook save time and energy while also enhancing the end product in terms of flavor and overall culinary experience."

Eugene observes that a lot of content on social media platforms focuses on quick and easily digestible tips and tricks. "The problem is that creators are trying too hard to come up with a 'hack' for the sake of views and likes and not so much helping the person cooking."

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#2

“No One Will Be Able To Guess The Secret”: 30 Best Secret Ingredients That Elevate A Dish’s Taste What's the secret ingredient you add to tomato sauce? Pureed carrot if I'm trying to cut the acidity without sugar.

davy_jones_locket , Alesia Kozik / pexels (not the actual photo) Report

Final score:

81points

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#3

“No One Will Be Able To Guess The Secret”: 30 Best Secret Ingredients That Elevate A Dish’s Taste Adding a splash of orange juice to pumpkin or banana bread. The acidity really adds some brightness against the spices.

JMSidhe , Taryn Elliott / pexels (not the actual photo) Report

Final score:

75points

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However, Eugene still has some must-haves he would recommend for every home cook. As far as ingredients go, for him, it's garlic. But where essential kitchen tools are concerned, Wong names his trusty knife. "My tool of choice is the petty knife – a Japanese utility knife that is larger than a paring knife but smaller than a chef's knife. It's versatile, and I use it for 90% of my knife tasks."

Cooking for yourself at home every night can be exhausting. It's natural to lose inspiration and opt for takeout or some simple microwavable food once in a while. "Feeling uninspired often means you might be bored or too tired to cook, or perhaps, [you] lack the energy to try a new recipe," Eugene says.

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#4

“No One Will Be Able To Guess The Secret”: 30 Best Secret Ingredients That Elevate A Dish’s Taste 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.

chasing-the-sun , Douglas Muth / flickr (not the actual photo) Report

Final score:

70points

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#5

“No One Will Be Able To Guess The Secret”: 30 Best Secret Ingredients That Elevate A Dish’s Taste 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.

Professor_Burnout , Monica Turlui / pexels (not the actual photo) Report

Final score:

67points

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#6

“No One Will Be Able To Guess The Secret”: 30 Best Secret Ingredients That Elevate A Dish’s Taste When water is called for in a recipe, I use chicken broth instead. It has never not been way better.

envydub , Alex Bayev / pexels (not the actual photo) Report

Final score:

64points

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His solution to getting rid of the cooking block might surprise you. "I strongly recommend visiting a nursery and immersing yourself in the scents of fresh herbs like basil, thyme, rosemary, and parsley," he tells Bored Panda.

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"This can reinvigorate your sense of smell and spark ideas for ingredients and dishes that pair well with fresh herbs. It is not the same as trying to smell herbs at the grocery store that are in packets – you need the smell of the plants in the soil."

#7

“No One Will Be Able To Guess The Secret”: 30 Best Secret Ingredients That Elevate A Dish’s Taste Baking powder on your chicken skin for extra crispness.

dalore , Angela Bailey / unsplash (not the actual photo) Report

Final score:

60points

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#8

“No One Will Be Able To Guess The Secret”: 30 Best Secret Ingredients That Elevate A Dish’s Taste Lemon zest in garlic butter, specifically for garlic bread. It's an absolute game changer, even just a little bit.

DreadandButter , Diliara Garifullina / unsplash (not the actual photo) Report

Final score:

60points

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#9

“No One Will Be Able To Guess The Secret”: 30 Best Secret Ingredients That Elevate A Dish’s Taste I add instant mashed potatoes to soup to thicken it up if it turns out too thin.

PeachasaurusWrex , Gio Bartlett / unsplash (not the actual photo) Report

Final score:

59points

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#10

“No One Will Be Able To Guess The Secret”: 30 Best Secret Ingredients That Elevate A Dish’s Taste Espresso powder when baking with chocolate. It intensifies the chocolate flavor.

LeoMarius , Dids . Report

Final score:

58points

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#11

“No One Will Be Able To Guess The Secret”: 30 Best Secret Ingredients That Elevate A Dish’s Taste 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)

helenfeller , Grooveland Designs / unsplash (not the actual photo) Report

Final score:

57points

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#12

“No One Will Be Able To Guess The Secret”: 30 Best Secret Ingredients That Elevate A Dish’s Taste 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.

Jerkrollatex , Aliona Gumeniuk / unsplash (not the actual photo) Report

Final score:

54points

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#13

Cook your rice in broth instead of plain water. Total game changer.

shinobi500 Report

Final score:

54points

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#14

When you're making mashed potatoes boil garlic cloves with the potatoes.

Snatch_Pastry Report

Final score:

51points

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#15

Nutmeg in white sauces or soups.

Final score:

51points

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#16

“No One Will Be Able To Guess The Secret”: 30 Best Secret Ingredients That Elevate A Dish’s Taste 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

AriMeowber , Megumi Nachev / unsplash (not the actual photo) Report

Final score:

50points

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#17

“No One Will Be Able To Guess The Secret”: 30 Best Secret Ingredients That Elevate A Dish’s Taste I’ve replaced salt in 75% of my cooking with mushroom extract powder from the Asian market, it still seasons but bumps the umami.

GranaVegano , Karolina Grabowska Report

Final score:

49points

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#18

“No One Will Be Able To Guess The Secret”: 30 Best Secret Ingredients That Elevate A Dish’s Taste 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.

anon , Sorin Gheorghita / unsplash (not the actual photo) Report

Final score:

48points

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#19

“No One Will Be Able To Guess The Secret”: 30 Best Secret Ingredients That Elevate A Dish’s Taste 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

skakkuru , Polina Tankilevitch / pexels (not the actual photo) Report

Final score:

46points

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#20

“No One Will Be Able To Guess The Secret”: 30 Best Secret Ingredients That Elevate A Dish’s Taste 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.

Grendels-mum , Nathan / flickr (not the actual photo) Report

Final score:

44points

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#21

“No One Will Be Able To Guess The Secret”: 30 Best Secret Ingredients That Elevate A Dish’s Taste I add sour cream to my boxed Mac n cheese. Makes it creamier and so rich.

anon , Barbara G / pexels (not the actual photo) Report

Final score:

42points

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#22

“No One Will Be Able To Guess The Secret”: 30 Best Secret Ingredients That Elevate A Dish’s Taste 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.

My friend introduced it to me as Newfie Cake. All you need is one box of Betty Crocker (or similar alternatives) and instead of eggs and milk, one can of 7-Up. I HAVE used it in a brownie and muffin mix, and have had good success.

anon , Daniel Report

Final score:

41points

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#23

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.

Final score:

39points

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#24

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.

Krinklie Report

Final score:

32points

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#25

“No One Will Be Able To Guess The Secret”: 30 Best Secret Ingredients That Elevate A Dish’s Taste 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!

poopieschmaps , Leeloo The First Report

Final score:

32points

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#26

You have to brown the butter, no one ever takes the time to brown the butter.

Final score:

28points

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#27

“No One Will Be Able To Guess The Secret”: 30 Best Secret Ingredients That Elevate A Dish’s Taste What is your favorite seasoning for popcorn? Kraft Mac & Cheese packets.

pm-me-souplantation , Lisa Fotios / pexels (not the actual photo) Report

Final score:

25points

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#28

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.

BuyTheBeanDip Report

Final score:

24points

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#29

“No One Will Be Able To Guess The Secret”: 30 Best Secret Ingredients That Elevate A Dish’s Taste 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.

Life_On_the_Nickle , https://unsplash.com/photos/brown-cookies-on-round-brown-bowl-kID9sxbJ3BQ / unsplash (not the actual photo) Report

Final score:

20points

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#30

“No One Will Be Able To Guess The Secret”: 30 Best Secret Ingredients That Elevate A Dish’s Taste Adding mayonnaise to eggs when scrambled, omelet, or quiche. It increases their volume and makes them light and fluffy.

AlcuinCorbeau , Annushka Ahuja / pexels (not the actual photo) Report

Final score:

18points

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Note: this post originally had 62 images. It’s been shortened to the top 30 images based on user votes.

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Kornelija Viečaitė

Hi there, fellow pandas! As a person (over)educated both in social sciences and literature, I'm most interested in how we connect and behave online (and sometimes in real life too.) The human experience is weird, so I try my best to put its peculiarities in writing. As a person who grew up chronically online, I now try to marry two sides of myself: the one who knows too much about MySpace, and the one who can't settle and needs to see every corner of the world.

Hi there, fellow pandas! As a person (over)educated both in social sciences and literature, I'm most interested in how we connect and behave online (and sometimes in real life too.) The human experience is weird, so I try my best to put its peculiarities in writing. As a person who grew up chronically online, I now try to marry two sides of myself: the one who knows too much about MySpace, and the one who can't settle and needs to see every corner of the world.

Kotryna Br

Kotryna is a Photo Editor at Bored Panda with a BA in Graphic Design. Before Bored Panda, she worked as a freelance graphic designer and illiustrator. When not editing, she enjoys working with clay, drawing, playing board games and drinking good tea.

Kotryna is a Photo Editor at Bored Panda with a BA in Graphic Design. Before Bored Panda, she worked as a freelance graphic designer and illiustrator. When not editing, she enjoys working with clay, drawing, playing board games and drinking good tea.

What do you think ?

Cowws 6 months ago

These were fun! Thanks for posting!

7points

Anony Mouse 6 months ago

Not "hacks". Just ingredient substitutions and tips. These have all been posted here dozens of times anyway.

6points

Vonny 6 months ago

I learn something new when I read these kinds of posts. Example, last wk. made popcorn ( nuked a bag ) it needed more seasoning. I couldn't think of anything to add. Then I read the mac & cheese packet, or Old Bay Seasoning might work. Worth a try next time.

5points

Alison Marchand 5 months ago

Said it above, but try chicken bouillon powder 🙂 just add it before/instead of adding salt as the bouillon itself can be salty enough

0points

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Cowws 6 months ago

These were fun! Thanks for posting!

7points

Anony Mouse 6 months ago

Not "hacks". Just ingredient substitutions and tips. These have all been posted here dozens of times anyway.

6points

Vonny 6 months ago

I learn something new when I read these kinds of posts. Example, last wk. made popcorn ( nuked a bag ) it needed more seasoning. I couldn't think of anything to add. Then I read the mac & cheese packet, or Old Bay Seasoning might work. Worth a try next time.

5points

Alison Marchand 5 months ago

Said it above, but try chicken bouillon powder 🙂 just add it before/instead of adding salt as the bouillon itself can be salty enough

0points

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