“No One Will Be Able To Guess The Secret”: 30 Best Secret Ingredients That Elevate A Dish’s Taste

In this day and age, we want everything to be faster, easier, and more seamless. That goes for cooking, too. We like looking for cooking tips and tricks to reduce the time spent in the kitchen. We want that one secret ingredient to elevate the whole dish with just one small pinch. But is that actually viable? Should we be looking for shortcuts if we want hearty, delicious food?

"I believe that cooking hacks and tricks truly have merit if they provide real value," chef Eugene Wong tells Bored Panda. "They should help the cook save time and energy while also enhancing the end product in terms of flavor and overall culinary experience."

Eugene observes that a lot of content on social media platforms focuses on quick and easily digestible tips and tricks. "The problem is that creators are trying too hard to come up with a 'hack' for the sake of views and likes and not so much helping the person cooking."

However, Eugene still has some must-haves he would recommend for every home cook. As far as ingredients go, for him, it's garlic. But where essential kitchen tools are concerned, Wong names his trusty knife. "My tool of choice is the petty knife – a Japanese utility knife that is larger than a paring knife but smaller than a chef's knife. It's versatile, and I use it for 90% of my knife tasks."

Cooking for yourself at home every night can be exhausting. It's natural to lose inspiration and opt for takeout or some simple microwavable food once in a while. "Feeling uninspired often means you might be bored or too tired to cook, or perhaps, [you] lack the energy to try a new recipe," Eugene says.

His solution to getting rid of the cooking block might surprise you. "I strongly recommend visiting a nursery and immersing yourself in the scents of fresh herbs like basil, thyme, rosemary, and parsley," he tells Bored Panda. 

"This can reinvigorate your sense of smell and spark ideas for ingredients and dishes that pair well with fresh herbs. It is not the same as trying to smell herbs at the grocery store that are in packets – you need the smell of the plants in the soil."