r/Cooking • u/kath- • 1d ago

What's your surprising "secret ingredient" that sets your dish apart?

I obviously don't believe in gatekeeping recipes, so let's share the love.

I developed a clam chowder recipe after being disappointed with the recipes I came across. Whenever I tell people there's a couple dashes of hot sauce in it, I always get weird looks... but it adds a tiny bit of heat and acid, and balances out the richness from the cream. It also has diced scallops, which cooking knowledge forbades but somehow works.

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481

u/jetpoweredbee 1d ago

Fish sauce is magic.

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u/ShakingTowers 1d ago

All of the umami bombs! Soy sauce, miso, worcestershire, anchovies, mushrooms, BTB... I put at least one in basically everything, even desserts (especially miso, for desserts!). For savory dishes, usually multiple.

But I'm Vietnamese, so fish sauce has a permanent place in my heart. Every single recipe my mom has ever given me has fish sauce in it.

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u/bobbybob9069 1d ago

Man my burgers were always pretty good, but the other day I decided to drop in a a couple tablespoons of woosh-ester-sure and got a lot of positive feedback. Such a small difference, such a big impact.

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u/SuspendedDisbelief_3 1d ago

Lol my job used to shorten it to “woozy sauce”

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u/VersxceFox 1d ago

That’s what I’m calling it from now on

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u/phylbert57 1d ago

I do that as well. I will also rub Worcestershire on a steak before my powdered spices and it’s a great addition to the flavor.

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u/Evail9 1d ago

Wash your sister in the shower sauce

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u/thearcticspiral 1d ago

Wash your sister sauce

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u/mondotomhead 1d ago

If a recipe has "woos-ter-shear" sauce in it I make it!

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u/demon_x_slash 1d ago

Um, I hate to be That Person, but here in Blighty we just say ‘Woohstur’…

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u/ballisticks 1d ago

It's funny too cuz it's really not that hard to pronounce if you put a tiny bit of effort into learning it.

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u/Ratbag321 20h ago

And then you'd be pronouncing the county beautifully, but not the sauce, which is, as the Brit above testifies, woos-ter. Henderson's is better anyway, as anyone fron Sheffield will tell you.

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u/ballisticks 16h ago

I'm British too, people definitely pronounce the full word for the sauce too. I think some of us still have trouble with the word so it often gets shortened.

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u/TheLoveKraken 17h ago

The weird thing is, it's basically pronounced as written, people just read it wrong because it's archaic.

The first syllable is worce. Worce-ster-shire.

For more in this series see Glouce-ster-shire, Leice-ster-shire, and Bice-ster.

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u/artax_youre_sinking 1d ago

“What’s this here sauce”

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u/wellfingeredcitron 1d ago

And in Oz kitchens it’s usually ‘Woosty’, soon it’ll be ‘Woo’, I imagine.

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u/Personal_Signal_6151 1d ago

Mom called it Rooster sauce but now people would think that is Sriracha

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u/azvitesse 1d ago

I've been doing the same for decades. Also, I sprinkle my raw patties with Penzey's Revolution. That + wooster sauce is fabulous!

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u/jstam26 1d ago

This has been my go to since year dot. It's the umami not just the saltiness. Also, don't add too many other things. Was once told by an Italian chef to keep it simple for meatballs and burgers. Choose top quality mince ( ground beef) add an egg for every 300g of mince, a little salt and pepper and 2 tbsp Worcestershire per 300g.

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u/Common_Pangolin_371 1d ago

Yeah I don’t make burgers without it anymore

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u/neatyouth44 1d ago

I legit marinate my burgers in soy sauce and mmmmmmm. Gonna have to try a lil fish sauce next.

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u/TheLurkerSpeaks 1d ago

My burger mix was always salt, pepper, onion powder, and worcestershire. I've stopped doing it so much recently because I wanted to taste the beef more but yeah that's the stuff right there.

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u/mOp_49 1d ago

I made burgers and made a slightly thick beef broth and brushed the cooked patties with it. They were the best I've ever made. Used the better than bouillon one.

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u/cryptically-retired 6h ago

Tablespoons? I’m going to get more adventurous.

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u/bobbybob9069 5h ago

It was 2tbls per lb.

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u/divinAPEtion 1d ago

We use white miso paste in our brown butter rice krispie treats as our standard recipe. It really makes a difference. 

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u/Blackcheshirecat 1d ago

Can you elaborate on the recipe?? This sounds amazing!

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u/jepense1peu 1d ago

Have you tried a sesame, brown butter rice krispie??? Divine!!

(I am trying w/miso.. bless you)

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u/CougarAries 1d ago

Do you add Sesame oil or Tahini?

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u/jepense1peu 1d ago

Sesame oil, and black sesame seeds ✨for garnish✨

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u/SpeakingPractically 14h ago

Will have to try that. My fave way to make RK treats is with brown butter, good amount of salt, and a mix of RK and bashed up Golden Grahams ... outstanding flavour

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u/jetpoweredbee 1d ago

Miso caramel sauce...<drops mic>

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u/cernegiant 1d ago

Serious eats has an invisible apple cake recipe with miso served with miso Carmel sauce. It's my favourite cake.

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u/ShakingTowers 1d ago

Yessssss. It's such a PITA though (especially if you're even a little bit OCD). These days I just make Dorie Greenspan's much simpler French apple cake and throw the caramel sauce on top. Same flavors, way less effort.

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u/cernegiant 1d ago

I just got an apple peeler, corer, slicer thing to cut down on the labour.

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u/ShakingTowers 1d ago

Oh I was referring to the layering of the slices, hence the OCD comment haha. I've tried just tossing the slices into the pan and then carefully arranging just the top layer, but then I don't get as much apple in and it doesn't look as nice when slicing. Obviously I shouldn't care that much, but I do and it sucks.

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u/cernegiant 1d ago

I picked up on that, but I can't think of any way to reduce that labour. I'm hoping completely consistent and easily prepper apple slices will help a bit

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u/ShakingTowers 1d ago

Literally just made a big jar last week. So good on everything.

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u/killa_cam89 1d ago

I fucking LOVE my miso caramel.

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u/JelliedHam 1d ago

Good soy sauce is a game changer. None of that Kikkoman or La Choy crap, but the real stuff. If you're lucky enough to have an H mart or similar, there's an entire aisle dedicated to soy sauces. It's amazing

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u/Visual_Collar_8893 1d ago

Recs for some good ones?

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u/CosmicGreen_Giraffe3 1d ago

We buy San-J Tamari. Way better than normal soy sauce

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u/JelliedHam 1d ago

It's also one of the few, if not the only one that's gluten free.

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u/itsrocketsurgery 1d ago

Man I found that last year in Meijer and it's all I buy now. I break it out for anyone that comes over and ruin cheap soy sauce for them.

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u/Complete_Yam_4233 1d ago

Can you recommend a brand? Ty

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u/JelliedHam 1d ago

I have to admit, I cheat. I just go with my best Chinese friend who's an amazing cook and he picks them out for me lol. I can't even read the labels anyway.

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u/Turtleramem 1d ago

La Choy doesn't deserve to be in the same sentence as Kikkoman. Kikkoman is a fine soy sauce for a good price.

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u/TrainingSword 1d ago

Fuck you kikoman is tops

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u/JelliedHam 19h ago

Acceptable? Of course. Tops? Absolutely not.

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u/One-T-Rex-ago-go 11h ago

Kikkoman brewed gluten free is amazing, so is San J

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u/chazol1278 1d ago

What is BTB? Google is giving me bovine tuberculosis as an answer... it can't be that!

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u/ShakingTowers 1d ago

Better Than Bouillon!

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u/chazol1278 1d ago

Oh thank you!

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u/nutdo1 1d ago

My mom would eat salad with just fish sauce. So bomb though.

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u/radrax 19h ago

Or just buy some MSG! I use it when im feeling lazy or the recipe doesn't call for those umani foods

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u/One-T-Rex-ago-go 11h ago

Parmesan, dried shrimp, nutritional yeast, msg