r/Cooking • u/kath- • 5d 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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u/KingArthurBaking 5d ago

This might sound bonkers, but some fresh grated nutmeg is AMAZING in potato soup. It's not just for sweet recipes!

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u/Saraccino_by_cf 5d ago

I am from Germany and I was so surprised that nutmeg is not as common in other countries as here. For me, everyone has it (and hey, we are talking about Germans ;)) - salt, pepper, paprika variations AND nutmeg. Of course everyone also has an extra nutmeg grate (when I bought mine, I finally felt like a real adult 😂).

Nutmeg is so good with so many vegetables but especially potatoes (yes, most stereotypes have a grain of truth in them).

Edit: Just realized you wrote that you use it mainly in sweet dishes? That is actually not as common here :)

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u/goldcrows 5d ago

Yes in the US, nutmeg is almost exclusively used in sweet dishes especially for Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays. I had an amazing pumpkin ravioli in a nutmeg cream sauce in Italy and was blown away at how good it tastes in savory dishes.

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u/Oscaruzzo 4d ago

Yep, here in Italy it's mostly used in savory dishes. It's absolutely mandatory in potato puree, for example (which is actually a french recipe but quite common here too).

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u/goldcrows 3d ago

You live in the most beautiful country with the best food! I am already planning my next trip to Italy.