Ingredients You Don't Like to Admit Using

I sometimes flip through old cookbooks and inevitably there are shorcuts - Best of Bridge sorts of things or cookbooks telling harried housewives how to make 5 minute dinners for hungry kids, and they use packaged or tinned ingredients that us 'real cooks' would normally eschew, or would at least be reluctant to admit. You know the sort of thing - Tuna Helper, crumbling corn flakes on top of stuff etc.

I am going to admit to one in the hope that it will encourage others to come out of the closet.

I have been known to grab a tin of Campbell's cream of mushroom soup to make a fast sauce rather than work from scratch after a hard day at the office (I know some of you indolent types may have to imagine any sort of day at the office, but bear with me).

What shortcuts have you taken that actually work out pretty well even if you wouldn't normally advertise your secrets? A sneak addition of some Lipton dried onion soup mix to some sour cream? Or.....?

My true confession .... at times when I want a truly crisp breading for schnitzels or othersuch is to use Kellog's Corn Flakes. They crush so easily into tiny little crumbs and make a far crisper crust than will any of my home-made breadcrumbs.

I do know if I'm really embarrassed, but since I can longer find an easy source of fresh tofu and have been reduced to buying the supermarket brands I can no longer eat them without an extremely overpowering (and delicious!) Chinese fermented bean paste or chili sauce. Not at all my usual food philosophy, but hey, dinner is not always about philosophy!

[Robin Garr]

Heinz 57 Chili Sauce as a "secret ingredient" that provides umami in a lot of Asian dishes, and some non-Asian dishes, too. And an even more guilty pleasure, a dollop of the same over cottage cheese.

I'm also not loath to using reconstituted Minor's "bases" as a quick substitute for serious broths or stocks. They're one hell of a lot better than bouillon cubes!

We use premade pizza crusts. They come in a three packs from a bakery up in Maine, and they sell them in our local supermarket. Not worth the hastle to make our own. That's why we call our pizza "semi-homemade."

Here are my go to quick picks:
Oven Fry - a great product to make oven fried chicken
Knorr Bernaise Sauce - great product, I add fresh tarragon and lemon...everyone asks for the recipe
Campbell's cream soups for a lot of recipes, not often, but I keep in on hand for "those days".
Corn flakes, for crumb toppings
and so much more

Really, what is the difference between using tomato paste, tomato sauce, mustard, ketchup, pickles, canned tomatoes, canned beans, Panko, and the products you all mentioned. If we make everything from scratch, we would be in the kitchen all day. It just seems so silly to me. I have other things in life to take care of, besides cooking.

Ah, Bill, I appreciate the idea behind the question but I think it is flawed: For the story to be good, the substitution must outrageous, but most folks here would not stand for a substitution that isn't good and close to the original intention.

The one that probably bothers me the most is using jarred pasta sauce as a base. I'll add enough stuff to jazz up the flavor, but I can't help but feel that we'd do better if I made batches of my own and froze it. Maybe some day....

I use cornflakes to make a crisp topping on top of tuna mornay (which I make from time to time when there's nothing else in the pantry and I can't be bothered thinking). I also own up to making a fake satay sauce substitute by melting together a cupful of Beerenberg brand tomato sauce (which is like the old fashioned home made tomato sauce that my mother and grandmother used to make) with a big blob of crunchy peanut butter and a pinch of chilli powder. 'S not the real thing but it tastes not too bad with stir fried veges and steamed rice. I suppose it's a bit down market but I don't pretend it's anything other than it is.

The one that probably bothers me the most is using jarred pasta sauce as a base. I'll add enough stuff to jazz up the flavor, but I can't help but feel that we'd do better if I made batches of my own and froze it. Maybe some day....

We make our pasta sauce in four cup batches. Only use two cups for the pasta dish for the two of us. Then the other cups go into the fridge and we use one cup for the pizza base.

Canned Campbells Connsume as a base for my Au Jus for prime rib.

[Jenise]

Canned Campbells Connsume as a base for my Au Jus for prime rib.

That's two of us. Also, instant mashed potatoes to thicken some soups (but no other use, I promise).

Ah yes, I forgot to mention the beef consume. I use it as well for Au jus and Au jus sandwiches. I doctor it up a bit, sometimes adding wine, herbs, depending on what I am using it for.
Jenise, I never thought of using instant mashed potato flakes to thicken soups. I've never even used that product. I have thickener from Minor’s, which works well. How would the potato flakes differ?

[Jenise]

Jenise, I never thought of using instant mashed potato flakes to thicken soups. I've never even used that product. I have thickener from Minor’s, which works well. How would the potato flakes differ?

Not familiar with the Minors stuff, but I guess you'd have to try the potato flakes yourself to understand and compare. They just dissolve and have a potato flavor that is compatible with many things already in many soups. I actually learned this from some famous chef though I no longer remember who--apparently it's commonly done.

i use the pre prackaged pillsbury pie crusts. people ask how i make my crust. i sometimes tell them.

We use premade pizza crusts. They come in a three packs from a bakery up in Maine, and they sell them in our local supermarket. Not worth the hastle to make our own. That's why we call our pizza "semi-homemade."

..."semi-homemade" is the most embarrassing part of this admission, Carl, considering its namesake

We likewise have found some locally produced crusts that are quite good oven crusts. They won't replace homemade when going over charcoal, however.

[Jenise]

i use the pre prackaged pillsbury pie crusts. people ask how i make my crust. i sometimes tell them.

The stuff that comes in the little sticks that you roll out or the ones already in the aluminum tins? I remember using the former when I was a kid. It had a distinctive flavor that I didn't know enough to mind then but would now--probably from the packaging materials as much as anything. That kind of thing would be a lot better now considering the improvements in packaging.

well, now they come rolled up and you just unroll them and they really don't seem to have any distinctive taste nowadays. no one has been rude enough to say so anyway.

I tried as long as I could to hold out on this confession -- however, I admit to keeping a few jars of Bartolli pasta sauces and adding my own touches to make tomato based spaghetti or lasagna sauces on occasion. Ooooh, Lawd, I feel better!

Cheetos, those wonderfully cheesey cracker like things, made a wonderful addition to roasted broccoli. Add great mouth feel and just enough crunch and cheese for perfect enjoyment.

They have to be broken up a bit, and that gives me enough cheese to satisfy the finger licking good instinct.

Darned if a New York restaurant didn't steal the idea, according to a note I saw in "New York" a while ago.

http://nymag.com/restaurants/recipes/inseason/51991/

Their recipe is awfully rich to my taste; I just use a little easily meltable cheese and the Cheetos. Haven't had the nerve to use Velveeta, yet, but I'll bet it would be good.

By the way, the Comments are priceless, ranging from "It may sound rather gross, but it was quite a treat." to this masterpiece:

"GHASTLY... when did stoners start writing menu items? This disgusting homage to the worst of american cuisine (ungodly amounts of cheese and puffed fried cheese 'product' snacks) is simply pathetic. That it is a popular sidedish at one of Manhattan's more elegant eateries speaks to the vile habits of the portly people who occupy said island. Just a bunch of fat people with no taste who have emigrated to the coast for work. No wonder steak restaurants continue to dominate the epicurean landscape in NYC. bleh and blech!!!."

Regards, Bob

[Jenise]

well, now they come rolled up and you just unroll them and they really don't seem to have any distinctive taste nowadays. no one has been rude enough to say so anyway.

You just unroll them? That's a product I wasn't even aware of! Frozen, then? Sure could be handy.

I tried as long as I could to hold out on this confession -- however, I admit to keeping a few jars of Bartolli pasta sauces and adding my own touches to make tomato based spaghetti or lasagna sauces on occasion. Ooooh, Lawd, I feel better!

There is nothing, absolutely nothing shameful about this Jo Ann. I do it and I bet most on this site do it too, or have done it. I have grandchildren who would not appreciate that I spent a few hours in the kitchen making marinara sauce from fresh garden tomatoes, even some adult relatives and friends. As long as the jarred sauce is good quality, and you can add some fresh ingredients, herbs, wine, mushrooms and produce a very tasty dish that everyone eats with gusto, what difference does it make? Sure, I make most of my own sauces, because I love to cook and mess around in the kitchen, but when you don't have time or are cooking for those who don't care, so what. In fact, I am housing and cooking for a 22 year old grandson, and his best buddy for 17 days beginning Thursday. They are here from Ohio, and want to hike, fish, and explore before going into the Navy, so you can bet that my meals are going to be easy, tasty, healthy, but I will certainly be getting all the help I can get from some prepared products, because these guys don't care. And because I want to have time to talk with them, play with them, and laugh with them.

i use the pre prackaged pillsbury pie crusts. people ask how i make my crust. i sometimes tell them.

The stuff that comes in the little sticks that you roll out or the ones already in the aluminum tins? I remember using the former when I was a kid. It had a distinctive flavor that I didn't know enough to mind then but would now--probably from the packaging materials as much as anything. That kind of thing would be a lot better now considering the improvements in packaging.

LOL, I gave up making my pie crust dough years ago, when this good product came out..no one knows. Guess who told me about it? The elderly Italian fellow who lives next door to me who makes everything from scratch at 87 years old. His wife made the best darn pies I have ever eaten and that is what she used.

[Jenise]

I tried as long as I could to hold out on this confession -- however, I admit to keeping a few jars of Bartolli pasta sauces and adding my own touches to make tomato based spaghetti or lasagna sauces on occasion. Ooooh, Lawd, I feel better!

Good for you. Don't you feel better now? Have to admit that I would actually welcome the in-a-pinch convenience if I tasted a sauce I liked--I tried 2 or 3 while we were under construction, and none appealed. No matter what the flavor was supposed to be, they all had a rather strong, rancid onion backnote that I didn't care for where I would have appreciated just tasting tomatoes.