Who doesn’t know this: the sauce is okay – but literally not quite “round”. Or the vegetables: Which ingredient is missing if broccoli, zucchini or kohlrabi appear a bit bland? Every cook and every hobby cook has them: real jokers that help with seasoning and flavoring in these moments. For her cookbook “Taste Boosters from All Over the World”, Stefanie Hiekmann looked intensively at kitchen jokers that bring a lot of oomph and flavor to the plate. The result is a treasure chest about the secrets of seasoning, flavoring and refining in the kitchen. Stefanie Hiekmann has developed more than 50 sophisticated recipes for everyday cooking – so the boosters can be tried out and tested immediately in your own kitchen at home.
“My daughter used to love eating pasta with butter and parmesan – that was every day! It’s just a taste that you grow up with,” says Cornelia Poletto in an interview with Stefanie Hiekmann in “Taste boosters from all over the world”. Parmesan is one of the top chef’s absolute favorite ingredients and is an indispensable part of her kitchen, both professionally and privately: whether for a creamy, spicy risotto, as a “kick for various sauces” (and therefore as a natural flavor enhancer!), for pasta, lasagna or simply on its own for snacking: the Italian hard cheese has something magical and is a must-have in Cornelia Poletto’s fridge.
There is a reason why anchovies are one of the basic ingredients in two globally popular kitchen classics: Anchovies are an integral part of the American Caesar dressing or the Italian pasta puttanesca. No wonder: the fermented fish give dishes an intense, umami-rich and salty taste that can hardly be replaced or imitated by other ingredients. In Hiekmann’s book, top chef Lisa Angermann also reports on Königsberger Klopsen, in which anchovies are a mandatory ingredient for her personal favorite variant. Also exciting: Anchovies are often used to season strong mayonnaise variants. Another tip from top chef and TV face Lisa Angermann: a meat-free carbonara version in which she replaces the strong bacon with equally strong anchovies – exciting!
One of Zurich’s top chef Elif Oskan’s pantry favorites is pomegranate syrup. Hardly a day goes by in her restaurant “Gül” when the sour, fruity juice of the pomegranate is not used. Elif Oskan has Turkish roots, which can also be found in the kitchen of her restaurant “Gül”. Pomegranate syrup is a classic in Turkish cuisine. It is one of the magic ingredients for strong marinades, vinaigrettes, salads and dips. But there are no limits to creativity here, as Elif Oskan describes in an interview with Stefanie Hiekmann: “There are no rules. I think it’s important that you understand what the product is and what it can do.” For pomegranate syrup this means: a syrup whose taste is reminiscent of particularly fruity balsamic vinegar – only significantly denser in taste and firmer in consistency. Great: Use pomegranate syrup to season lentils in salads or vegetable stir-fries.
A touch of sweetness is just as important as salt in many dishes – only the right balance of saltiness, sweetness and acidity makes a meal literally “round”. Exciting: Instead of refined sugar, many chefs rely on liquid alternatives, such as agave syrup, honey or even golden brown maple syrup. This is also the case for star chef Sascha Stemberg from Velbert: “If I take maple syrup, a little mustard, a dash of grape seed oil, a nice, aged apple balsamic vinegar or pear balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper – you have a wonderful vinaigrette!”. Maple syrup is indispensable for Sascha Stemberg – neither professionally nor privately. His insider tip for at home: Add a dash of maple syrup when making sauces for stews. I prefer the dark and therefore even more intense version of the syrup – a real sauce booster!
“In my many travels, India impressed me the most,” says top chef Thomas Bühner. And: “In India I said for the first time that I regretted not being able to cook better vegetarian or vegan food… Everything was just so delicious.” A spice mixture that has been one of Thomas Bühner’s absolute favorites ever since is tandoori. He particularly likes combining the reddish and curry-like mixture with potatoes. Tandoori can be used as a paste or dry spice mixture. For a fish dish, he used tandoori as powder and mixed flour and tandoori to make a crust for the red mullet, Bühner reports in “Taste Boosters from All Over the World”. Not only is the intense taste in the wafer-thin breading surprising at the table, the color is also a real eye-catcher! Bühner’s tip for at home: Simply season potato or vegetable pancakes with tandoori.
