Buy whole nutmegs and grate them yourself. The flavor is incomparable, and the price is actually cheaper than pre-ground.
Freshly-ground pepper.
Tiger Sauce is the ultimate Secret Ingredient.
When you need an hors d’ouvre fast, pour Pickapeppa Sauce over a block of cream cheese.
Yours?
Use an egg slicer to slice fresh mushrooms
When making fried chicken, mix flour and corn meal together—in about equal amounts—to use for the breading. Makes for a much crispier coating. Also, season the chicken BEFORE you coat it as well as after. Yum.
Bags of frozen. chopped onions and green peppers are invaluable - you can buy them in bags solo, or in a combination called “seasoning blend.” I also freeze my own, when I need half an onion, I chop the whole thing and freeze what I don’t use. Ditto for parsley, peppers, celery, etc.
Used half a can of tomato paste? Drop the remaining half a can by spoonfuls onto waxed paper squares, freeze, then fold up the waxed paper into little envelopes around the frozen paste. Toss 'em into a ziploc bag.
I grow a lot of herbs in the summer, then pick the leaves and freeze them in gladware containers. Some, like basil, turn black, but still taste fine.
I’m sure I’ll think of more…
To help reduce the basil’s chance of turning black, chop it, put it into small servings in an ice cube tray, carefully add water to each compartment, and freeze. Then pop out the cubes and store in freezer bags.
A bachelor can cook most anything he really wants on a George Foreman grill.
Absolutely on both your counts. Freshly ground pepper (I like mine coarsely cracked in a mortar with a pestle) is incomparable to that musty, dusty preground stuff.
Let’s see…off the top of my head:
Unless you have access to high quality tomatoes in season (whether at a farmer’s market, a good grocery, or you grow them in your backyard), use a dependable brand of canned tomatoes for your saucing and stewing needs. This is one case where I prefer a canned fruit or vegetable. Greenhouse winter tomatoes are an abomination unto Og.
Store-bought mayonnaise can be perked up with a squirt of lemon juice and/or extra virgin olive oil (I like Frantoia) beaten into the jar. Of course, homemade mayo is preferable, but in a pinch this works.
There is no reason to ever use Kraft Parmesan cheese or any other Parmesan that comes in a can. None. Find a nice, but affordable, pecorino romano or other sharp hard aged cheese (heck, it could be domestic parmesan) if Parmesan-Reggiano is too expensive, but please don’t ever use that sawdust masquerading as cheese.
Including asparagus! Marinate it in a little Italian dressing first. Yum.
If you’re marinating tofu, get the water out first. My prefered method is wrapping the tofu block in some paper towels, sandwiching it between two plates, and putting some cans on the top. Wait ten minutes. The tofu will soak the marinade right up and be much yummier.
Brining (shrimp especially)
Kosher salt
Roasting vegetables (beyond potatoes)
Building layers of flavor every chance I get
I always put about 4 cloves of garlic in when boiling potatoes to mash them, and they get mashed right in, adding a mellow garlic flavor
Premixing the seasonings, bread crumbs, eggs, etc, before mixing w/ ground meat when making meatloaf or meatballs…keeps the mixture from getting tough due to overhandling
A French press coffee pot makes terrific frothed milk. Dump in heated milk, plunge like a m@t#&rf#@ker, dump into an attractive pitcher. Profit!
BB&B carries the latest in oven/hot mitts. Thin, good to 500 degrees, dishwasher safe, and have a rubberized grip palm.
Microplane makes about the best damn kitchen tool you’ll ever buy.
Don’t over-saute the garlic.
Canned mushrooms are vile. Never, ever use them. It’s easy to cut your own and they taste a million times better than tinned ones.
Gotta be careful about that, though. Wrong kind can either kill ya or make ya see Karana…or so I’ve heard…from other people…
Put just a little bit of sugar in your coleslaw.
Well I wasn’t advocating cutting one’s own 
. It’s just if you’re already in the grocery store, pick up some mushrooms while you’re there.
When cooking hamburgers in a pan, poke a hole in the center. It will cook through but still be juicy – nearly as good as grilled.
Salt is rarely necessary when cooking. Really. It just makes things taste like salt. Exceptions: fried potatoes and bread (needed to control rising).
The key to Chinese stir fry: freshly grated ginger. Oyster sauce is good, too.
And strawberries too.
I respectfully disagree. Salt is the single most important factor in cooking aside from the application of heat. It assists in the Maillard reaction, which causes gentle browning down to deep caramelization. Salt also works in concordance with other flavorings and brings out the flavor of other ingredients.
It is also utilized in brining, which tenderizes meat by osmosis.
Don’t knock the salt.
I would have to strongly agree with you, as well. Salt acts like a flavor amplifier and many foods do not taste right undersalted. Salt is as important an ingredient as any other and should not be skipped except for health reasons, in my opinion.
Another tip: I normally only use microwaves for reheating, but I’ve found they’re quite awesome for steaming vegetables. For asparagus, I wrap a bunch of spears in a damp paper towel, microwave on high for 2 minutes, and they turn out just as good, if not better than steamed on the stove top.
or orange juice.