my secret ingredient

I have a secret ingredient that I love to use when I am cooking almost any savory dish. Soups, stews, eggs, pasta, meat, you name it! 

It is healthy, super cheap, and gives a real punch of flavor.

It's onion powder!!!!

You know when you taste something, usually at a restaurant, and it's just so delicious, but you can't quite put your finger on it? We know this little hole in the wall Japanese restaurant that we eat at once in a while. The flavors in their broth soup, vegetables, meat and sauces are so yummy and intense. The flavor is salty and savory, and you just can't get enough. Well, I'm 99.6% sure that what gives their food that amazing flavor is monosodium glutamate. That's why we only eat there once in a while. Ha. (Also, while reading about MSG, I discovered something called umami taste, which I knew nothing about. It's worth a read.)

But I have found, when I am cooking at home, that onion powder can be added to almost anything to give it a wonderful depth of flavor. It is similar, in a way, to what MSG does for dishes. You take a bite, and there is this delightful depth of flavor. And when combined with salt, it is just wonderful.

Here's a few examples of things to add onion powder to:

scrambled eggs
broth soups
sauteed veggies with butter
tomato sauce or marinara
guacamole
rice
mashed potatoes

Now my amazing culinary secret is out. Stop the presses.