 September 16th, 2010
05:00 PM ET
5@5 is a daily, food-related list from chefs, writers, political pundits, musicians, actors, and all manner of opinionated people from around the globe. J.M. Hirsch is the cookbook author of a "High Flavor, Low Labor: Reinventing Weeknight Cooking." He is also the national food editor for The Associated Press. In the spirit of that same "high flavor" approach, he's here to promote those fairly commonplace ingredients to their full culinary potential. Time to give your pantry the old razzle dazzle. Five Uncommon Uses for the Most Common Pantry Ingredients: J.M. Hirsch 2. Jarred jalapeño pepper slices 3. Balsamic vinegar 4. Cinnamon 5. Jam and jelly Sneak in a common ingredient in an uncommon place? Reveal them in the comments. Is there someone you'd like to see in the hot seat? Let us know in the comments below and if we agree, we'll do our best to chase 'em down. |
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@FoodAllergyBuzz You have such a fantastic resource! So pleased to have come across it. 4:14 am UTC, February 23 2012
Nope, you're not nuts. More MLB ballparks are adding special accommodations for allergic patrons: http://t.co/PFgXOfgX 7:16 pm UTC, February 22 2012
National Margarita Day! National Margarita Day! National Margarita Day! http://t.co/QtlHoqMe 2:10 pm UTC, February 22 2012
Are you being served? Meet Tokyo's cosplay cafe butlers: http://t.co/DTlPmP1R 1:14 pm UTC, February 22 2012
Beans, Baby Jesus & the sweet flavors of King Cake: http://t.co/L1GMRSvX 10:41 pm UTC, February 21 2012
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i put plain yogurt on everything:
all dressed chips
rice with curried chickpeas
pita bread toasted with garlic and parmesan
apple sauce
mac and cheese
its my favorite.
Hot sauce is a great addition to sauces, gravies, ground meat, soups and yes, even fruit and baked goods. The key is restraint, because if people actually perceive heat where they don't expect it, they'll balk.
It's been years since I bought marinades.... I open the refrigerator/ spice cabinet and use whatever sparks my fancy. Same thing for BBQ sauce, glaze for ham, etc. Working with food is essentially chemistry, so little additions that may seem out of place to a recipe as a whole can often highlight the end result in flavor quite positively. For years I turned my nose up whenever I saw someone sprinkle salt on watermelon. Then I tried it......it was entirely different, it was wonderful and I always convince people to try it.
Some other common dishes that can be livened up are mashed potatoes, casseroles in general, hot breakfast cereals and vegetables. Again, restraint is key, for if you add too many things or too much of a particular ingredient, the subtle effect is lost.
Even boxed and prepared foods can not only be given extra flavor, but be made more healthy by simply adding chopped onion, potato, greens and minced garlic. This not only stretches your food dollar, but the added fresh foods absorb salt, so each serving now has less sodium. Take a banquet pot pie. Try baking a small potato and onion along with it and simply serve the pot pie on top of the opened potato, then put the cooked onion on top. Totally different meal, almost gourmet, and costs about $2.
For delicious creamy mashed potatoes that aren't simply laden with butter and milk, try 2 TBSP of sour cream (yes, even fat free) or 1 TBSP of mayo. Reduce the milk (or replace it with stock) reduce or eliminate the butter, and toss about 4-6 dashes of hot sauce. Salt, pepper to taste and 1/4 tsp or so of nutmeg. Blend as usual. Peoples eyes will glimmer with pleasure when they taste it. Beware using too much mayo.....sour cream is less detectable, I think it's the vinegar and egg in the mayo. Just a little though, will make the potatoes creamier.
Another hint regarding marinades: some feel that marinades "cover up" the taste of meats. This is because most commercial marinades are sugar and/or corn syrup based. Chemically, sugar will change meats flavor and texture to the negative. If you don't want to bother or don't have the time, simply dash some vinegar on your meat w/in a 1/2 hour of cooking it. The vinegar begins to breakdown all the connective tissue in the meat which results in even very cheap cuts of meat coming out noticeably more tender, and as the vinegar cooks off, the meats natural juices again become the dominant flavor. Nutmeg and cinnamon are favorites of mine to use in dry marinades for beef and pork. They make the meat zing, but are usually not individually detectable to the average diner. Put some orange peel in the pan at the gravy making stage, then remove it before serving. Wonderful under-layers of flavor are revealed. This is great for sauces to be served with beef, chicken or pork.
A hint for broiling fish: rather than butter or oil and lemon, very lightly salt and pepper the fish, then brush with mayo. Go lightly, loosen the mayo a tad w/ a teaspoon or two of milk first, then broil or bake as per the recipe calls. Your fish will be moist and flavorful, will brown ever so lightly and be a big hit. Even lo-fat mayo, such as the olive oil varieties out now will achieve the same end result.
Quick ham glaze: syrup or honey, fruit juice, a bit of ground nutmeg and cloves, balsamic vinegar, a TBSP of brown mustard, a few dashes of hot sauce and and 1-2 TBSP of french dressing. Reduce slightly on stovetop, let cool slightly, then slather away! Re-baste at least twice during baking of ham. It's sublime. Ham is salty and usually smoked (or smoke-flavored), so avoid salt and pepper entirely. Let the sweet and spicy glaze underscore the salty smokiness of the meat.
OK, now I'm really hungry!
I think cinnamon is very underrated. I use cinnamon, instant coffee and cumin as a rub for salmon. Squeeze lemon or lime at the end. And you are in heaven.
Hot Sauce, depends on which hot sauce you use, I like Dave's Insanity, but most people can't handle the heat. That is the key, just a few drops.
Jalapeno peppers, remove all the seeds and the heat goes too.
I'll take my semi-sweet chocolate plain, why mess with a good thing?
Cinnamon? What we buy that is called "Cinnamon" really isn't true Cinnamon, its a close substitute.
PB&J, if you want to mess with that, leave the jam and jelly and substitute cold sliced sweet onion and fresh sliced garlic on the peanut butter. It gives it a bit of a bite and the onion and garlic are good for you and better then jam or jelly. If you are afraid of that try honey and peanut butter.
And a few more, ginger snaps will help the nausea the next morning after a night out.
Lots of garlic people, its good for you and if by chance you are stuck in the wilderness, its a shot term antibiotic, even Pin worms hate the stuff if your are unfortunate to run into those. Look it up.
mix together peanut butter & jelly, and eat with tortilla chips. sounds crazy, but really yummy – salty, crunchy, creamy & sweet... all in one!!
try a little grape jelly in your next pot of baked beans... really good and goes well with anything bbq
Peanut butter on your bacon hamburger. Sounds weird, Tastes amazing.
Put peanut butter (crunchy) and hot sauce in your stir fry, adds a great satay flavour hit.
Fresh ginger . . . in soups, stews, salads, smoothies . . . you name it! It adds a freshness and perks up the taste while giving the dish just a little bit of an exotic flavor . . . It's tastes very different than ground ginger of gingerbread fame! PS: Great article here! For a fun flavor experiment with cinnamon, see my food blog at http://fivesensefoodie.blogspot.com/
I've been putting just a dash of Vietnamese cinnamon (This stuff is almost spicy) into my chilli for yearsand everyone allways wants to know what I do thats so different but great.
Try a little bit of nutmeg in a breading batter for things like shrimp, oysters or chicken. Brings a strange warm flavor almost no one will be able to pick.
Home made Mac and Cheese. A basic bechamel sauce, add a teaspoon of nutmeg, 3 slices of chopped rendered bacon, and 1/2 a small can of diced jalepeno peppers. THEN add the cheese then pour the whole thing over your favorite noodles and bake.... YUMMY!
I used lavender the other day – but I cant remember what, must have been the vodka. Oh – not "in" the vodka, just the vodka keeps me from remembering. On second thought that does sound kinda good, and if you cant drink it its probably good cologne.
There is a lavender vodka and a few other weird combos too, read it the other day.
If I remember right, one was cotton candy vodka. Yuck!
Lavendar (the flowers, finely broken up) add a great flavour to scones (mix a tsp into mix when preparing, bake and serve with jam & cream) or add same to vanilla ice cream.
Peanut butter, crunchy, liberally slathered on either a toasted bagel or english muffin, sprinkled also liberally with Tabasco (Frank's spiked with Dave's Insanity is also very tasty).
Fresh ground black pepper on ripe sweet cantaloupe.
Cream cheese on a craker and smothered with Jalopeno jelly.
I love red pepper jelly and cream cheese crackers. I've never tried jalapeno jelly. I bet it would be great too!
additional uses for balsamic vinegar – a tablespoon or so in spaghetti sauce, beef stew, pot of beans... brings out the flavors!
Hot sauce will add flavor to soup? This article should be called. Come waste 5 minutes of your life.
Its:
This article should be called 'Come Waste 5 Minutes of Your Life'. No need for a comma between called and come.
It must be tough being forced to read articles against your will...I feel for you, I really do.
I thought this article would actually be helpful. This is all common knowledge.
Yes, hot sauce does add flavor to soup, hence the reason the author points it out above. I think it is funny how it is a "waste of 5 minutes" when the hot sauce was at the top and you still took the time to comment stupidity in the comment list. ;) Funny guy.
Mix chopped green olives into large curd cottage cheese and serve with wavy potato chips.
Nutmeg. It's known for coffee and hot chocolate, but it's amazing in almost anything. Add it to a stir fry and even an alfredo sauce for a unique, rich flavor.
I use nutmeg a lot in my recipes-a gorgonzola/tomato/spinach pasta dish that I make just isn't the same unless it has the nutmeg in it.
I add a touch of nutmeg to ricotta in all its Italian applications. Its the little bit that is missing from your lasagna that you just can't put your finger on.
Nutmeg in mashed potato = heaven
Yup! I use nutmeg in spaetzl (german noodly dumplings) that mixed with the black pepper gives the noodle a great depth and warmth...perfect addition to this already comfort type food!
Try grape jelly cooked in a Cheddar cheese omlette, YUMMM!!!
absolutely!! I love this combination!
Grape jelly is also awesome with yellow mustard as a cocktail sauce for little smokies mini dogs or meatballs...I didn't believe it until my best friend showed me and now I love 'em when we have parties!
Melt a few tablespoons of jalepeno jam and drizzle over fresh, ripe honeydew melon. Heaven!
Jalapeno Jam?!?!?!?! NEVER thought of that. Stupid youth. I will now seek.
Pepper on vanilla ice cream....You'll be surprised how good it is..........
Wow - someone sure cleared our comments unless it was just me. Asking about teriyaki - very popular burgers is Asia and Hawaii.
Jdizzle is dumb, yo.
I are stoopid like rotten mushroom.
Hot sauce and Jalapenos go on everything for me. Best pizza? Canadian Bacon and Jalapenos. I'd put Frank's hot sauce on Ice Cream if I got the chance. Girlfriend is the same way. Makes for some spicy make-outs.
thats hot!!!
:P
Def should round out that pie with some pineapple