5 ms·
My impression is that you only get this nonsense when people are being competitive about cooking rather than actually caring about eating nice food. There are
by t43562 4y ago
My impression is that you only get this nonsense when people are being competitive about cooking rather than actually caring about eating nice food.
There are shortcuts that work and shortcuts that don't work so well and IMO it's an incredible waste of time to put effort into something that doesn't make a difference.
FWIW my best tricks (which I learned from other people):
1 - to make pancakes (English style i.e. thin) use self raising flour anyhow because it cooks through better. 1 egg per 100g flour and at least 125% liquid to flour ratio. If you want to be fancy you can grind up oats and substitute them for about 40% of the flour and there's a minor improvement in taste and I feel it's very slightly healthier perhaps.
2 - Worcestershire sauce makes mince dishes better - e.g bolognaise or the filling for Shepherds pie. With it, you can stick to very basic ingredients and still get a good result (e.g. fried onions and ketchup/tomato paste).
- jerkstate 4y agoWorcestershire sauce is my secret weapon in burgers, chili, and other meals with ground red meat! such great umami flavor!
- skyyler 4y agoFor things that the spicy undertones wouldn't work well with, consider trying fish sauce. It's even more intense with the umami boosting ability. It's practically liquid MSG. I recommend Red Boat 40°N to people unfamiliar with it as an ingredient, it's basically "first press" and has a clean and pure flavour. Cheaper fish sauces can be very fishy. Good fish sauce won't make the final dish taste fishy unless you use an extreme amount.