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If you’re anything like us, food is one of the main things you think about throughout the day. There’s a lot of excitement to be found in planning the meal you make after work or what you’ll cook or bake for your family and friends over the weekend. However, we can sometimes get stuck in our little routines and default to the recipes that we know and love.
Recently, some home chefs took to a thread on the sprawling Cooking online group to share their unusual gastronomic discoveries. They opened up about the common household ingredients that they’ve overlooked so far, only to realize just how amazing they can be when used correctly. Smoked paprika, garlic, and capers are just the tip of the iceberg! Scroll down for some inspiration.
Smoked paprika. My parents only had the regular kind, but one time during college I grabbed smoked instead and never went back. The earthiness really rounds out and deepens the flavor of all kinds of foods, especially plant foods like vegetables, mushrooms, and beans.
Stock. Only recently did I learn to use it in lieu of water for things like cooking rice. Such a basic thing that I feel like every cook knows — but I didn’t.
Worcestershire sauce. Before I only used it sparingly and only if a recipe specifically called for it, then I found a pork katsu recipe that had it in the dredge along with tomato paste and it completely changed my world. It so often fixes the “it’s missing something” problem, and is great for adding depth of flavor to something simple.
Some common foods and ingredients aren’t as easily accessible or affordable as before due to macroeconomic shocks. For instance, getting a hold of cheap eggs in the United States is a real challenge these days. And the situation may get worse later this year. In short, the avian flu has caused a shortage of this ubiquitous food.
CNN reports that some retailers are limiting the number of eggs customers can buy. “Due to ongoing issues with the supply of eggs, we are currently limiting egg purchases to one dozen per customer, per day, in all Trader Joe’s stores across the country,” a company spokesperson told the news outlet.
Honestly? Yogurt.
Growing up in the US, I didn’t realize how many cultures have DELICIOUS dishes that are based on plain yogurt. And I’ll tell you something else, it is the BEST tenderizer for chicken ever. Mix some good spices in with that yogurt, slather it on your chicken in the morning, by lunch/dinner you have a super tender chicken that will stay moist. 1.4 BILLION Indians can’t be wrong, right? lol
I use it in smoothies. I add pistachios and honey for a quick breakfast. I add it to beans. I add it to eggs. I add it to gluten free baking recipes. It’s NUTS how much yogurt I use now.
Kroger said that some locations are choosing to limit the sale of eggs “based on availability” to two dozen per customer per trip. Costco also confirmed it is limiting the sale of eggs to three packages (usually sold in cartons of two or four dozen).
Some videos and photos on social media show American shoppers stocking up on as many eggs as they can get their hands on. In some states, consumers are showing prices reaching a mind-boggling $10 per egg carton.
Fresh herbs. Now I always have them in our garden in the spring and it blows my mind how they take any dish to the next level. I haven’t had much luck growing them indoors in the winter, though.
Meanwhile, Waffle House is adding a 50-cent charge for every egg that it sells at its restaurants. The company reported that it is “continuously monitoring egg prices and will adjust or remove the surcharge as market conditions allow.”
In the US, egg prices rose a whopping 14% from November to December 2024, as the avian flu ravaged the egg-laying bird population that year. The US Department of Agriculture expects the price of eggs to jump another 20% in 2025.
Fresh mint. For me, it went from being an ice cream flavor to being used three or four times a week. Not even counting in my daily smoothies.
I’m embarrassed to say avocado. It was always just something that I mushed into guac-y things, kind of a blank canvas for higher flavours.
Then I tasted a good one (and also realised how much fibre this creamy little miracle contains).
Now there’s bold avocado sliced on my Vegemite toast and sneaky avocado in my cakes. I love that stuff.
Ground Black Pepper! Growing up l never used it. Now later, l tried it and now season everything with it. I especially love it along with some salt on fried eggs, cucumber slices and potato salad.
What are some ingredients that you’ve previously ignored in the kitchen that you’ve learned to love, dear Pandas? What were your most interesting discoveries?
On the flip side, what are some ingredients that you simply can’t make yourself embrace, no matter what?
We’d like to hear all about it in the comments. And feel free to share what you’re making for dinner tonight, too!
Anchovies. Everyone hates anchovies, but that’s because they tried to eat one whole or ordered them on pizza one time. But add them to pasta sauce and they are delicious salty flavor-enhancers. You will NOT taste ‘anchovies’ if it’s done properly.
Cooking with alcohol in general, but mostly wine. Growing up, my mom always said it was unnecessary and didn’t make a difference with taste. She was wrong.
Ooooh confit tomatoes. If lil cherry tomatoes go on a good sale I’ll buy a TON, throw them in the oven swimming in olive oil. Makes the oil taste better, the tomatoes last WAY longer, and then you can use both as lovely condiments on basically anything.
Butter. It was never served at my parents house. I recently started putting butter in my food and it’s really good. Eggs and butter are literally amazing. Ohhh and browning butter in a skillet gets it really nutty. Browned butter with homemade bread is stunning.
For me it is leeks. I always thought that they are these giant green onions but now I tried a leek soup with them and really loved the flavor. Gonna use them in more dishes from now on.
The only answer for me is MSG. Have gone back to it after decades of avoiding it, and am so happy I did. Even my homemade mayo gets a pinch!
Dill. Such great flavor. Fresh is better but a high end dry works.
Can be put in meatballs, on chicken or fish, in sauces/gravy, pasta and potato salads. I just love it!!
Jackfruit! I’m a white American so this was not common growing up, but I discovered it and I’m obsessed. My favorite ways to prepare it are in a BBQ sauce or I’ll cook it in some seasonings and liquid smoke then add it into a veggie soup – that’s how I make my “chicken” noodle soup actually.
I also cook a variety of recipes with cabbage, tofu, and beans.
We never had rice growing up. I had it one time with my dad when I was little but that was it. I love rice! It’s so versatile and goes with almost everything! You want sweet breakfast? Sweet milky rice. Savory dinner? Stew over rice. Don’t feel like cooking? Rice, frozen veggies, can of chicken in the rice cooker. Done. It’s cheap, easy to find, filling and nutritional. It still baffles me that we grew up poor and struggling but never once bought or used rice!
Growing up, we always had fresh onions. It wasn’t until I was out on my own that I discovered Onion Powder! While I still cook with fresh onions, onion powder has its own unique taste. Now most everything I cook gets a hint or coating of onion powder.
Heavy cream! I got it once for a recipe few years ago and now it’s a kitchen staple for me. I make sure to always have a carton in the Fridge.
Instant ramen seasoning packets. Save them and use them as a flavor booster for many other foods. It’s the trick to life-changing mashed potato gravy. I make my gravy with butter, flour, water, and a packet of beef or chicken ramen seasoning.
Capers. My parents were decent cooks but these little jewels of taste bombs evaded their cooking for years. I actually thought they were some sort of strange seafood something or other. Now I love them and dump them in all manner of sauces, stews, and salads and as a sprinkle of umami on many of my seafood and white meat dishes.
Mayo. Growing up neither of my parents liked it. So, I never ate it, except in tuna fish sandwiches. At some point I was introduced to all the many things it’s a base for/in, and realized subsequently that it’s very tasty!!
Miso paste. I use it so often in all kinds of things. Chicken, fish, Brussels sprouts, soups, salad dressings, mixed with mayo for a sauce with a little honey and lemon. Adds great flavor.
Cornstarch. I cook a lot of Chinese food and even if I knew that it’s a common ingredient I just thought it wasn’t that necessary. But boy does it make a difference.
Nutritional Yeast. I got it on a whim at Trader Joe’s after seeing a few YouTube videos lauding its savory cheesy flavor. Now I put it on everything from popcorn to steamed veggies!
Cartoon characters hating on brussels sprouts and broccoli stopped me from eating my favourite veggies for years.
Pink Himalayan Salt. Just a fine grind makes things that are great absolutely spectacular!
Cabbage. Growing up it was only used in three things: sauerkraut, coleslaw, and boiled with corned beef.
Now I’ve got a head in my fridge pretty much always and I’m constantly finding new soup and sauté uses.
I avoided eggplants like I owed them money when I was younger. Now I use them for everything, rolls, stuffed, lasagna, and cream cheese with baba ganoush is my new mayo.
Mushrooms! Common for most but I didn’t grow up eating them much, I was raised on simple Cuban food and not even a lot of those recipes either. For some reason, I thought I didn’t like them for a long time, I don’t think my parents did so we didn’t eat them much. I add them to a lot of my cooking nowadays. I simply slice and pop them in the microwave for 90 seconds with water, salt and pepper then add them to whatever I’m eating. I love them and buy a large container almost weekly, my partner doesn’t eat nearly as much but I’ll have them as a snack if I’m feeling up to it.
Mirepoix. Does that count as an “ingredient”? Outside of a chicken pot pie I never bothered starting a dish with a mirepoix. I discovered the precut frozen bags at my local Kroger and bought one on a whim. Was scrounging for a way to use an aging butternut squash and ended up making a banging vegan curry with just the mirepoix, a can of tomatoes, roasted and mashed squash, curry and coconut milk. Made me finally realize what building flavor was all about.
I discovered harissa and pomegranate molasses the past few years and they are both fantastic.
Vinegar. There are so so many and so many different ways to use it. Vinegar is a secret slayer in the kitchen. It brightens and it’s darn good for you.
I don’t know if it’s common in the states, but chili crisp! OMG, it makes everything better.
Red wine vinegar.
Not just for salad dressing and marinating/pickling veggies.
I always add a tbsp to most stews. It’s really valuable in more bold, complex recipes like tagine. Just add a little at the end and it brightens the dish wonderfully.
Ground coriander seed was a light sprinkle on a beef roast but otherwise ignored in the spice cabinet. That was until we were served buttered jasmine rich with a tiny touch of coriander powder. I now use it as a regular option for many recipes.
Basil. I enjoyed pesto pasta but would always default to marinara or Alfredo if it was available. One day my mother made pesto from scratch and I was blown away at how much better it was, started growing basil and never looked back.
Vegetable oil. I used to always use it for cooking in a pan, but lately my mom told me to add a bit of oil and salt to blanched greens like bok choy and it makes a huge difference.
Also as a marinade. Soy sauce, oil, corn starch on beef? Yum.
Its so subtle but it makes food taste so much better.
Whole milk. I grew up with 1/2% and I enjoyed it. Once I tried whole milk I could never go back. Anything that requires milk is better when you don’t needlessly water it down.
Weirdly my parents were pretty good cooks, but we rarely used garlic in my home growing up. Now it’s a staple. Most good, savory dishes have a few garlic cloves and an onion in them.
Mini sweet peppers. I buy a bag every week now and we use them all. Great in scrambled eggs. I use them in trinity instead of green pepper. On top of pizza with sausage. Snack on them raw with ranch. Add to stir fries. So many uses.
Bay leaf. it makes such a big difference. i can’t tell you what that difference is but i love it lol.
Maggi. Saw it everywhere growing up, and never thought to use it… fried some steak strips today with a dash of Maggi and it was 10/10.
Fennel seed. A great licoricey flavor that I use on some pastas and salads. Usually, I will crush them to powder in a mortar and pestle.
White pepper. For some reason I thought it was just a different color pepper with the same heat/taste, rather than it’s own thing.
Olive oil – I always thought the flavour was way too strong, but whenever I run out and have to substitute with vegetable oil I realise I miss the taste of the oil in the dish.
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