# Single most critical/key/amazing food/ingredient **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 21, 2010, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/single-most-critical-key-amazing-food-ingredient/561478 "2010-11-21T21:57:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![tr0psn4j](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/958977/32.png) [@tr0psn4j](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tr0psn4j)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2010, 8:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/single-most-critical-key-amazing-food-ingredient/561478/21 "2010-11-22T08:51:22Z")
Salt dudes. It belongs in everything. ---
**Author:** ![Athena](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/35a633/32.png) [@Athena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Athena)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2010, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/single-most-critical-key-amazing-food-ingredient/561478/22 "2010-11-22T14:22:30Z")
I’ll take eggs over milk (including butter & cheese) any day. There are lots of substations for milk/butter/cheese, not so many for eggs. I can run out of milk in my house and go for days without it. Eggs? That’s an immediate trip to the store. Second to eggs, salt. I could probably learn to live without salt, but I’d rather not. Eggs are in everything - bread, pasta, baked goods, custards, pies, breakfasty-eggs, lasagna, and that’s just off the top of my head. Without eggs, a significant portion of what we consider normal food is gone or has to go through major changes. Plus, they’re just yummy on their own. Yay eggs! ---
**Author:** ![MsWhatsit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eb8c5e/32.png) [@MsWhatsit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsWhatsit)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2010, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/single-most-critical-key-amazing-food-ingredient/561478/23 "2010-11-22T14:34:03Z")
Eggs and milk make me think of breakfast foods, which makes my stomach churn unpleasantly, because I hate breakfast and most breakfast foods. Garlic, on the other hand, makes my mouth water. So I vote garlic. ---
**Author:** ![Skammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skammer/32/143_2.png) [@Skammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skammer)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2010, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/single-most-critical-key-amazing-food-ingredient/561478/24 "2010-11-22T14:53:27Z")
Salt, if we’re including single ingredients/seasoning. If we mean something you would eat alone, I’d vote for milk and it’s derivatives: cheese, butter, cream, yogurt… ---
**Author:** ![Chum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/3ab097/32.png) [@Chum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chum)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2010, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/single-most-critical-key-amazing-food-ingredient/561478/25 "2010-11-22T15:10:28Z")
Eggs _are_ awesome. And salt is definitely the most important seasoning. But I’m casting my vote for milk. I was vegan for a while, and life is simply not as grand with no ice cream or cheese. ---
**Author:** ![Galileo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/85e7bf/32.png) [@Galileo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Galileo)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2010, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/single-most-critical-key-amazing-food-ingredient/561478/26 "2010-11-22T18:18:53Z")
> [@Stoid](#): > > The way eggs contribute structure and texture to foods simply can’t be replicated by non-egg substitutes. If you doubt that, try eating vegan for very long and tell me you don’t miss them! I was a vegan for about a year and I didn’t miss eggs. I did miss ice cream, and, to a lesser extent, cream sauces and cheese. > [@Athena](#): > > Eggs are in everything - bread, pasta, baked goods, custards, pies, breakfasty-eggs, lasagna, and that’s just off the top of my head. I’m pretty sure that most bread and pasta does not contain eggs. Anyway, as an _ingredient_, salt is number one. I’d say that oil is number two. ---
**Author:** ![Bam\_Boo\_Gut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8c91f0/32.png) [@Bam\_Boo\_Gut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bam_Boo_Gut)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2010, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/single-most-critical-key-amazing-food-ingredient/561478/27 "2010-11-22T21:50:14Z")
> [@Galileo](#): > > Anyway, as an _ingredient_, salt is number one. I’d say that oil is number two. My first thought was slightly salted butter. ---
**Author:** ![PookahMacPhellimey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pookahmacphellimey/32/3175_2.png) [@PookahMacPhellimey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PookahMacPhellimey)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2010, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/single-most-critical-key-amazing-food-ingredient/561478/28 "2010-11-22T21:55:46Z")
I agree with salt. However, I would happily live without eggs but would have lots of trouble cooking without tomatoes. ---
**Author:** ![Peremensoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@Peremensoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peremensoe)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2010, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/single-most-critical-key-amazing-food-ingredient/561478/29 "2010-11-22T22:22:13Z")
Wheat flour. All the breads, and pasta too. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2010, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/single-most-critical-key-amazing-food-ingredient/561478/30 "2010-11-22T22:43:36Z")
> [@Stoid](#): > > Corn is major, but as far as food alone, it wouldn’t be missed the way eggs would be. Other than the occasional corn tortilla, I can’t think of a single food I eat regularly that contains corn. (ETA: OK, I guess you have corn syrup, although very little I eat has that, not out of any particular stance against it, it’s just that I cook pretty much every day. Still, it’s not “critical” in that regular sugar will do just as well in its place.) Not that it’s not a popular grain, I just don’t think it’s that major at all. Wheat would have to be far ahead of corn, I would think. Anyhow, as much as I try to watch the carbs, I think wheat would be my answer, too, although eggs is a good suggestion, as well. ---
**Author:** ![Athena](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/35a633/32.png) [@Athena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Athena)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2010, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/single-most-critical-key-amazing-food-ingredient/561478/31 "2010-11-22T23:19:19Z")
> [@Galileo](#): > > I’m pretty sure that most bread and pasta does not contain eggs. Fresh pasta is eggs & flour & salt. You’re right in that dried pasta generally doesn’t. Quick breads (banana bread, etc) all contain eggs, as do brioche, challah, and other richer breads. Heck, I made a pie crust recipe a week or so ago that had an egg in it. And some yeast breads that don’t contain eggs in the recipe are brushed with egg white before baking. I don’t think most people realize how much stuff has eggs in it. It’s really, really hard to cook without eggs - I’ve tried, for people with egg allergies. And that’s what always trips me up with vegan cooking. Eggs are everywhere! ---
**Author:** ![Ephemera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8baadc/32.png) [@Ephemera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ephemera)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2010, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/single-most-critical-key-amazing-food-ingredient/561478/32 "2010-11-23T00:44:21Z")
> [@Athena](#): > > I could probably learn to live without salt, but I’d rather not. Unlikely. Our bodies require it for proper functioning. ---
**Author:** ![Athena](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/35a633/32.png) [@Athena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Athena)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2010, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/single-most-critical-key-amazing-food-ingredient/561478/33 "2010-11-23T00:48:19Z")
> [@Hades](#): > > Unlikely. Our bodies require it for proper functioning. True - but I’m guessing that there’s enough natural salt around to keep us going without adding salt to food. I tried to explain this once to a friend of mine who had decided he was allergic to salt but he was having none of it. ---
**Author:** ![iamnotbatman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/858c86/32.png) [@iamnotbatman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iamnotbatman)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2010, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/single-most-critical-key-amazing-food-ingredient/561478/34 "2010-11-23T01:00:17Z")
Can someone explain to me _how the fuck_ they expect me to function without my morning cappuccino? Think I can substitute a fuckkng fritatta on top my espresso?? Seriously. ---
**Author:** ![purplehorseshoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/purplehorseshoe/32/2996_2.png) [@purplehorseshoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehorseshoe)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2010, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/single-most-critical-key-amazing-food-ingredient/561478/35 "2010-11-23T02:44:30Z")
Since everyone is hopping onto the egg/salt/milkcheesebutter bandwagons, I’m gonna be a maverick: \*\* Chicken broth\*\*. Pretty much anything boiled in water is better in chicken broth\* and it’s wonderful all on its own. But really, rice, quinoa, amaranth, potatoes, pasta … all of it better if boiled in some tasty, tasty chicken broth. \*I thought of an exception as I was typing: tea. Tea leaves should not be steeped in broth. But I think that’s it. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2010, 7:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/single-most-critical-key-amazing-food-ingredient/561478/36 "2010-11-23T07:07:23Z")
Onions. I put them in everything that’s not sweet. ---
**Author:** ![iamnotbatman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/858c86/32.png) [@iamnotbatman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iamnotbatman)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2010, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/single-most-critical-key-amazing-food-ingredient/561478/37 "2010-11-25T19:38:57Z")
> [@purplehorseshoe](#): > > Since everyone is hopping onto the egg/salt/milkcheesebutter bandwagons, I’m gonna be a maverick: > \*\* > Chicken broth\*\*. > > Pretty much anything boiled in water is better in chicken broth\* and it’s wonderful all on its own. But really, rice, quinoa, amaranth, potatoes, pasta … all of it better if boiled in some tasty, tasty chicken broth. > > \*I thought of an exception as I was typing: tea. Tea leaves should not be steeped in broth. But I think that’s it. 🙂 I _hate_ it when people put chicken broth in rice. Rice has a wonderful simple taste that I think is ruined by chicken broth. As an extreme, imagine if chicken broth were used in a nice bowl of Japanese short grained rice ::shudder:: Same goes for some of the other examples you mentioned. Pasta boiled in chicken broth? The horror! ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2010, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/single-most-critical-key-amazing-food-ingredient/561478/38 "2010-11-25T19:45:07Z")
Corn feeds much of the world. If not for corn, Native Americans would have likely died out on their own, the pilgrims might have starved to death, and the Aztec empire would likely not have existed. It’s everywhere still today, usually in the form of corn syrup and silage for livestock. Salt was the only way that food was preserved back in the day. It was more precious than gold and often reserved for nobility for seasoning. It’s still ubiquitous in nearly every prepared/canned food on the market. ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/46a35a/32.png) [@Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_T-Bonham.net)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2010, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/single-most-critical-key-amazing-food-ingredient/561478/39 "2010-11-26T02:53:18Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > It was more precious than gold and often reserved for nobility for seasoning. This seems like quite an exaggeration. How could something as common as salt be that precious? Three-quarters of the earth is covered in salt water – easy enough to evaporate that to get salt. And salt mines are common on the other 1/4 of the earth. And salt is a food item (not a seasoning) that is mandatory for the human body to function. Any nobility that reserved salt to itself would soon have no living serfs to serve them! Ridiculous. ---
**Author:** ![iamnotbatman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/858c86/32.png) [@iamnotbatman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iamnotbatman)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2010, 6:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/single-most-critical-key-amazing-food-ingredient/561478/40 "2010-11-26T06:17:47Z")
> [@t-bonham@scc.net](#): > > This seems like quite an exaggeration. > > How could something as common as salt be that precious? Three-quarters of the earth is covered in salt water – easy enough to evaporate that to get salt. And salt mines are common on the other 1/4 of the earth. > > And salt is a food item (not a seasoning) that is mandatory for the human body to function. Any nobility that reserved salt to itself would soon have no living serfs to serve them! Ridiculous. I think **Chefguy** is confusing salt with pepper and other spices, which at times _were_ worth more than their weight in gold. Nonetheless, salt was worth a lot more than it is now – due in part to its crucial utility in food preservation. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/single-most-critical-key-amazing-food-ingredient/561478.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/single-most-critical-key-amazing-food-ingredient/561478.md?page=3)