Secret Ingredients

Every chef and baker has an arsenal f secret ingredients. These are what makes dishes snap and sweets pop. They add more than just flavor, they bring out the other flavors as well. What are they though? Some special culinary fairy dust or potion that's just sprinkled in? No. They're just everyday foodstuffs that manage to give extra fillip to dishes.

Sometimes the sneaked in stuff is good for you. That was the premise of a cookbook by Jessica Seinfeld, Jerry's wife. She managed to sneak healthy greens into brownies and cookies making them not only tasty but finally nutritional as well. This idea is great for moms of picky eaters. For more a more grown up version you can sneak healthier greens along with veggies in a nice grilled chicken or Cobb salad. Sometimes it's not to make a food better for you but better tasting. Melissa Clark of the Times Dining section swears by anchovies. Slip one into saucepan and you have a better than ever dish. the anchovy fillet melts and then creates a more improved taste for the dish.

if you don't want to experiment whole hog as it were you can start off with spices. tarragon is a wonderful addition to eggs or any chicken salad. It rescues the dish from the chicken's sometimes blandness, giving it a spark. Celery seed is a flavor enhancer too. Just sprinkle some in to any pork dish and it creates a wonderful and fresh taste. Cumin is also good in a dry rub mix for steaks and chops. it gives an exotic air to ordinary barbecued meat. You could also add spices to baked goodas a swell. Some bakers add saffron to yellow cake recipes to give the cake color and taste. Candied ginger is great not only in muffins and cookies but also amps up butter cream icicng.

Secret ingredients are what makes recipes pop. They give dishes that special taste that makes them unique. Add a little something here and there to your next meal for surprising yet fun results!