...to ask you for your simple or strange...

[Mollie85]

... additions to food to make an otherwise edible dish a culinary masterpiece?

Back story - on the phone to my dad lamenting that I can't get my gravy as thick and tasty as I remember it having been growing up. I always remembered the red Bisto jar on the worktop. Which yes, I use but add the juices, which is what I thought dad did...

"A dollop of Heinz".

That's the secret to the fantastic gravy... I was expecting tales of marrow or some random herb or spice... but no, tomato sauce

Yes I've just made a cup and dipped a three slice s of bread in it for my supper. Childhood in a cup...

Anyone got any other tips? My friend has just informed me that her mum told her she used to mix a raw egg into mash...

Chocolate in chilli (high cocoa chocolate though not any of your Cadburys shit)

My granny put egg into mash, I bloody loved that, my mum refused to do it and it was such a treat.

Ah I've heard about chocolate in bolognese to negate the acidity of the tomatoes...

I always find the addition of a can of mushy peas can make a very tasty ingredient to most dishes.

Marmite in bolognese/chilli/casseroles.
Just a small spoonful really adds flavour.

Engevita yeast flakes added to things gives an extra cheesiness flavour.

You can add sugar to counteract the acidity of tomatoes, high content cocoa is to add richness

Tip of a teaspoon of mustard powder, same again of cayenne pepper, grind of nutmeg and plenty of black pepper to add flavour to a white sauce/cheese sauce/bechamel/call it what you will

Small squeeze of ketchup in your homemade guacamole and your homemade salsa (for reasons above!)

Cinnamon in chilli.

Great thread idea btw OP!

Yes to the marmite in tomato sauces, as well as a splash of milk.

Thanks- just a boring Saturday night eating Bisto and bread from a mug watching Netflix

If I can find a simple way to make a dish more appetizing - I'm all for it

I put cinnamon in cottage pie.

Teaspoon of sugar on cooked tomatoes. So roasted tomatoes, ragu, chilli, bolognaise.

At the end of cooking just before you dish up. Makes them more tomatoey. Like the tomatoest tomatoes.

A little nutmeg grated in to mashed potatoes is delicious

Not very exotic and I'm sure this is done by loads of people - a big spoon of pesto in any tomato based sauce is lovely.

I also mix pesto with olive oil and a splash of balsamic vinegar for a really nice avocado and tomato salad dressing.

I like pesto......

Cinnamon in the egg/milk mix when you do French Toast/eggy bread. Then serve it with that precooked crunch bacon and maple syrup!!!

Garlic salt in everything!

Must try the pesto tips!

I was also thinking 'marmite', yummy. And Worcestershire sauce, which is apparently a source of umami!

A splodge of Daddies brown sauce in almost any stew, casserole, spag bol etc. Always Daddies, never, ever HP!

Large dessertspoonful of whole grain mustard in macaroni cheese.

Mainstream but grated cheese improves pretty much any shit meal

Salt works well too

My dads is (usually in response to stews/corned beef hash etc)
"Have you put salt and pepper in?"
"An oxo cube?"
"Lea and perrins?"
"Ah well it's fucked then. Cook it for another hour to check

Some that I do
Pancetta cubes in beef stew - great if your beef is a bit lean as it gives the fat to make it tender and flavour
Peri peri salt on roasted kale. Addictive
Peanut butter powder stirred into Greek yoghurt
Hot milk always has cinnamon

My favourite chilli recipe has 2 tsp of cocoa powder and 1tbsp of molasses. It's really rich (and not at all chocolatey!).

DH does the raw egg in mash thing. I can't bring myself to try it, it makes me feel sick!