1 yr. ago • 100%

What ingredients or dishes lived up to the hype for you?

I finally was able to find leeks at the grocery store for a reasonable price, since nearly every store near me has them in the "organic super food" section at $5 a stalk.

I turned it into some incredibly delicious Leek and Potato (And onion, I didn't read the recipe closely) soup.

I think I cursed myself, because now I'm going to be wanting leeks even more

41 comments

Lemon. Just love it so much.

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- Permanently Deleted
  
  4
- I got so hooked on the taste of fresh lemon that I planted 2 lemon trees in my yard. Bring it on!!
  
  2
  
  Oh no! Better watch out for the lemon stealing whores!
  
  2
Spanish smoked paprika. Saffron. Ramps. One day I’m going to find a recipe that uses all of them and then I’ll eat nothing else.

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- Sounds like its paella time
  
  8
  
  May give that a try next may. I put down ramp seeds last year in the patch of forest behind my house, but no luck yet.
  
  2
For me it was real parmesan. I didn't realise how bad the packet stuff was until I bought a block of aged parmesan, now I can never go back.

The rind goes well in soup stock too

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- It's like night and day....I don't even think the kraft stuff is parmesan at all really. Still bomb on pizza though
  
  Ever since I worked at a hippie grocery store and was taught about what GOOD fresh organic food looks like and tastes like, it's impossible for me to go back to things like that, or frozen bags of green giant veg, or pre sliced or shredded cheese and so on. I'll still eat frozen pizza and nuggies and fast food but as far as cooking for myself, never again
  
  3
Rice vinegar, if it counts. Gives a tangy zip to lots of things.

14
- It counts majorly. Seasoning any savory dish with a little rice vinegar, sesame oil, and soy sauce puts in on a whole other level.
  
  3
- Try malt vinegar on fresh cut fries.
  
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Msg

Edit: and real peanut butter (crushed peanuts w/ peanut oil)

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- Crazy Richard's peanut butter
  
  2
- My local grocery store has a cool section where you can make your own nut butters from their bulk nuts. Haven't had a chance to try it yet but could be cool to try some different combos
  
  1
Avocado! As a kid I hated the slimy texture and practically bland taste, but now I love how creamy it makes many dishes and how it can mellow out very bold flavors

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Black vinegar and dark soy sauce. I started fiddling around preparing more chinese/asian foods and these Sauces just have SUCH depth and strong flavor, I love it

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- Tsuru Bishio Kioke Shoyu is life-changing.
  
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- I love dark soy sauce!
  
  Been experimenting with different kinds of fungus the past few months, mostly because they take less time to work their magic (like the one in tempeh), but I will definitely try fermenting my own soy sauce at some point. Everything else I tried to make myself so far has been way better than store bought products. If that's true for soy sauce too...
  
  Commenting just to drop a link of the process in case you are interested.
  
  1
In season tomatoes from the farmers market or garden. I went from "ew, raw tomatoes" to "omg, delicious".

9
Salivating uncontrollably while reading the comments..

So, since it's not mentioned yet, I 'll go with mushroom powders. Flavor and properties depend on which kinds of dried mushrooms are used, but they are just an incredible ingredient to add!

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Asafoetida. When uncooked, the smell fits the hype of the various names from around the world: stinking gum, devil's dirt, devil shit, satan's shit, etc. Cooked, it tastes and smells like a very umami cross between garlic & leeks. Common in Indian cuisine, particularly vegetarian dishes.

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- Oh yeah! I have a tiny jar in my pantry. It's great!
  
  1
There are so much delicious recipes with leeks : leek and potato soup, leek chowder, leek pie (with or without salmon), leek fondue (works great with smoked sausages), cold leeks and vinaigrette. It can also be used in couscous..

If you have the chance to get a whole plant, use the green part for the soup/chowder for a stronget vegetal flavor and the white part for other recipes.

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Definitely caramelized onions and roasted garlic. Especially on anything red meat or potato. Totally worth the time.

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Don't know about "hype" but recently cabbage has become something i always have in the fridge. It stays fresh for very long (at least compared to lettuce), in almost every place where lettuce is normally used i prefer cabbage, cheap, nutritious and versatile, easy to throw in soups, stews or whatever you are cooking.

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- Kimchi!
  
  3
- streamed cabbage with a little salt over it for a veg side, is my new superpower in my dieting regimen
  
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Don't forget about the potential to prank your dad or kids about a leek in the basement, or under the sink.

Pancetta is probably mine. We use that shit all the time now.

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Galangal. It actually does completely change the flavor, more so than makrut lime leaves.

Cacio e Pepe. Simplest dish, can be tricky to get right, but so good when it all comes together.

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Georgian green beans is awesome

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Fish sauce (the good stuff--Red Boat)

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- I'll add Matiz's "Flor de Garum" to the list of good fish sauces. The herbs used give it some extra flavor. It's a lot pricier in the US though!
  
  2
- i can't find any fish sauce where i live. do you go to a specific kind of shop for it, or is it just available at the grocery store ?
  
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  I mostly get it from small, local Asian grocery stores, but I have ordered it online before as well.
  
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Oh I went to a fancy Japanese restaurant once and spent waaay too much money to try tuna belly sushi. Somehow it was worth the price.

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Parsley.

And oregano.

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Dashi powder. It’s the missing ingredient that made my homecooked japanese dishes taste just not good enough.

Kimchi on my second time. I realized I just had bad kimchi when I tried it years ago. Now I can afford authentic and fresh kimchi, I put it on lots of stuff.

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- You'll have a second kimchi awakening when you switch to home made :)
  
  I've never seen store bought that can compare, barring actually being in Korea.
  
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Pork floss. It's crazy delicious

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Obligatory:

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Kosher salt

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