Secret Ingredient Share

amother

Turquoise

Tue, Jan 28 2020, 9:26 am

amother [ Blush ] wrote:

Now when you use pure vanilla extract. I skip all vanilla sugar or imitation extract and use fragrant pure vanilla extract only.

Vanilla extract can also be too much. Yes, a big problem is that many people use artificial vanilla sugar and don't realize that it's much stronger and flatter than natural vanilla sugar. But too much vanilla extract is also sickening, and vanilla is overrated in general. It doesn't do anything to deserve to be the default flavoring that gets included in all recipes, any more than cinnamon, mint, lemon zest, almond or hazelnut flavoring. Vanilla is not neutral and should not be treated as such.

tichellady

Tue, Jan 28 2020, 7:36 pm

FranticFrummie wrote:

TOASTED sesame oil has a much more intense flavor than regular, and it's a more complex flavor, too. You only need two or three drops to make a huge impact in flavor. If you are trying to reduce oil without sacrificing your Asian recipes, this is the one you want.

Asafoetida https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asafoetida is a nasty smelling, bitter tasting ingredient, that makes all Indian food amazing. It brings out the character of all the other spices, and gives everything a "brightness" about it. You only need 1/4 teaspoon for a big pot of curry, but you really can't cook without it. It's just not the same

Asafoetida is also mentioned numerous times in Jewish literature, such as the Mishnah.[15] Maimonides also writes in the Mishneh Torah "In the rainy season, one should eat warm food with much spice, but a limited amount of mustard and asafoetida."[16]

I do not like Asafoetida. I really tried to like it and couldn’t stand it. It is so intense and the smell was very off putting. Does the smell not bother you?