In cooking, it would seem that the difference between a professional and an amateur does not matter as much as in many other areas of human activity. For example, you are unlikely to trust an ordinary fan of flight simulators at the controls of an aircraft during your flight, and you definitely don’t want to go for a medical consultation with a dude who has reviewed all the seasons of House M.D.
On the other hand, how often does it happen that meals prepared by home cooks are no less tasty than the best samples from famous and expensive restaurants? Or are training and experience game changers here too? Netizens from this viral thread in the AskReddit community are trying to find the answer to this question.
More info: Reddit
#1
Acid. If you feel like something needs salt, but when you salt it, it still needs something, it’s usually missing acid.
Image source: stellamae29, Mike Mozart
#2
Butter (specifically quantity)
Image source: jp11e3, Felicity Tai
#3
Smoked paprika. Great taste and adds a lot of depth to the flavor of rubs and stews.
Image source: Quirky-Mongoose-8223, Christine Olson
#4
White pepper, it adds this lovely flavor that enhances any savory dish, and can be found at any grocery store. You can also get white pepper mixed with MSG at any Asian supermarket just about, it’s really good in potato dishes!
Image source: Acceptable_War4993, Tuanminhcom
#5
Fresh herbs
Image source: LazyMans, alleksana
#6
Coffee in chocolate cakes
Image source: brittanyrose8421, Chevanon Photography
#7
Professional chef here: Time and timing.
My partner absolutely loves cooking, but is super impatient. Often, they’ll try to remake a recipe that I’ve already cooked for them, but they dump everything into the pan, either at the same time or too early. They’re very confused about why their food doesn’t turn out like mine.
Image source: thoughtofdysfunction, Enikő Tóth
#8
Shallots
Image source: Ravi_AB, Tim Sackton
#9
Not an ingredient. But taste your food as you go. I watch people cook and they never taste. Taste as you go. Adjust seasoning.. then when it’s done you won’t have a surprise disaster or under seasoned mess.
Image source: Angsty_Potatos, cottonbro studio
#10
Umami is used by chefs, but under utilized by home cooks. Some examples are Worcestershire, parmigiana, miso, anchovies. By themselves may be too harsh, but blended into a sauce will add much more depth to the existing flavors.
Image source: Admirable-Ad-1895, jules
#11
Thyme
Image source: Mean-Accountant7013, Michele Dorsey Walfred
#12
Squeeze bottles of commonly used liquids. My dad was a professional chef and had a few squeeze bottles – high smoke point oil, olive oil, water, vinegar – always ready at home. Makes it a lot easier when you need to add a quick splash of oil or something to deglaze a pan
edit: also, OXO squeeze bottles rock. I have another brand that were about the same price as OXO and they feel so cheap
Image source: patlaska, Southern Foodways Allia
#13
Homemade stock
Image source: Dirtydumpling, bob walker
#14
So as a sous chef, I work very closely with my head chef, and take note of just about everything he does.
So here’s some things that may seem like a “no duh” but you’d be surprised how under utilized it is.
Butter and heavy cream. Salt. Acids, like lemon, lime, vinegars etc. Fresh ingredients. Mustard, specifically brown mustards. Eggs. Onions, shallots. Peppers of all forms.
Most of those sauces you like at restaurants? Probably have mustard or some other s**t you wouldn’t expect, eggs and some form of cream. Lots of salt.
It’s not necessarily that any of those ingredients are uncommon or even under utilized, it’s that they’re not used to make a whole flavor profile.
Getting a truly spectacular flavor for something isn’t necessarily exotic ingredients, it’s about balancing ingredients to hit flavor profiles that are well rounded.
If anything, I’d say that what is really lacking in most home cooks arsenal is technique. Technique far out paces any kind of ingredient you could use.
It’s honestly 70% technique, 25% ingredients and 5% patience. At least in my opinion.
Image source: BigTayTay, Bill Smith
#15
Meat thermometer. Quit overcooking the proteins. This is the difference between juicy or rubber chicken.
Image source: ScottyBondo, fiat luxe
#16
MSG
Image source: SignificantDrawer374, Douglas Muth
#17
Whole spices. The difference between whole allspice, nutmeg, fennel, pepper, and ground versions is…noticeable!
I buy whole and use a mortar and pestle as I go. Fresh flavors definitely pop.
Image source: MoonpieTexas1971, brookpeterson
#18
Cayenne pepper-to Enhance flavors. Too many folks assume it is only used to make dishes spicy.
Image source: Forever-Retired, James Diedrick
#19
Tomato paste in a tube for steak sauces etc
Image source: Slainlion, Greta Hoffman
#20
Anchovies. It’s the reason tomato sauces at Italian restaurants always taste so damn good!
Image source: Majestic_Electric, Paul Asman and Jill Leno
#21
Clarified butter
Image source: laughingBaguette, Joy
#22
Low water content butter. ( Irish butter, French butter). More expensive but mikes above regular butter. When I was a teen, I worked in a small French resturaunt. Heavy cream and stupid amounts of butter were used. Fresh everything. No cans of anything. Tomato sauce made from bushels of fresh tomatoes every day.
Image source: Dmunman, Neil Conway
#23
Demi glace
Image source: sparkchaser, Moongroow
#24
Sumac…….my life changed after trying that with vegetables like onions and carrots in a salad form.
Image source: Pitzpalu_91, liz west
#25
Not really an ingredient, but warm plates. Putting your warm food on a warm plate automatically elevates the atmosphere and doesn’t drain any heat from the food, while also keeping your food warmer for longer.
Just put your plate in the microwave for a minute.
Edit: For everyone concerned about damaging your microwave – even empty, one minute won’t harm it. 2-3 minutes is still typically going to be fine. Ceramic plates don’t absorb quite as well as food, but they do absorb some, which extends that safe duration even more. But you’re only putting it in there for 1-2 minutes, where you’d be fine even with an empty microwave. The damage comes from parts overheating, so there’s also no risk of damage over time unless you do it repeatedly quite a number of times.
If your oven doesn’t have a built-in plate warmer, you can buy standalone ones for under 20$ (a brief price check on google found one for 18$ CAD). Many have said hot water, and that’s also an option, I just prefer a microwave because it’s easier, faster, doesn’t waste water, doesn’t need to be dried off, and my water tends to take several minutes to get hot. But if you’re heating a large stack, a hot water bath maybe even topped off with a boiling kettle will be faster.
Image source: SeaofBloodRedRoses, Jer Chung
#26
Vinegar
Image source: GlitteringRough4599, Mike Mozart
#27
Maldon salt for finishing
Image source: CommunicationHeavy28, sousvideguy
#28
– Vermouth and cognac – who stocks those?
– Japanese mayo and the thicker soy sauce (I’m looking at you, SamTheCookingGuy)
– Nutmeg in seed form
– Cream of tartar
– Chives – I’m sorry, can’t we just use the green parts of green onions and chop them up?
Image source: HCIP88, cyclonebill
#29
Verjus
Image source: Ok_Watercress_7801, Noble Handcrafted
Follow Us
