# What one ingredient do you cook with, more than any other? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 21, 2016, 6:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-one-ingredient-do-you-cook-with-more-than-any-other/752794 "2016-04-21T06:49:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![stillownedbysetters](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/41988e/32.png) [@stillownedbysetters](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stillownedbysetters)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2016, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-one-ingredient-do-you-cook-with-more-than-any-other/752794/21 "2016-04-21T15:29:21Z")
Another vote for onions. I once broke up with a guy I was dating when he told me he hated onions and wouldn’t eat them in anything. I can’t cook without them, so I knew the relationship was never going to work. Butter/oil is a strong second choice. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2016, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-one-ingredient-do-you-cook-with-more-than-any-other/752794/22 "2016-04-21T15:34:20Z")
In order: Water, salt, pepper, olive oil, butter, onion, garlic, parsley, bacon. Ok, maybe bacon has to compete with other meats, but it’s a strong contender. ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2016, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-one-ingredient-do-you-cook-with-more-than-any-other/752794/23 "2016-04-21T15:38:13Z")
Cheese. I love cheese. I like onions too. ---
**Author:** ![Rachellelogram](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rachellelogram/32/8689_2.png) [@Rachellelogram](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rachellelogram)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2016, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-one-ingredient-do-you-cook-with-more-than-any-other/752794/24 "2016-04-21T15:45:41Z")
Salt by a long shot. Sunflower oil is a close 2nd. I used to use olive oil, but got tired of the low smokepoint. And I’m also more sure of what I’m getting with sunflower oil, after all the recent controversy over olive oil authenticity. ---
**Author:** ![xizor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xizor/32/102_2.png) [@xizor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xizor)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2016, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-one-ingredient-do-you-cook-with-more-than-any-other/752794/25 "2016-04-21T16:07:23Z")
I seem to add onion powder and spinach flakes to nearly any dish I prepare. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2016, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-one-ingredient-do-you-cook-with-more-than-any-other/752794/26 "2016-04-21T16:45:28Z")
> [@Rachellelogram](#): > > Salt by a long shot. Heh, you’re my opposite. We have a salt grinder on the table (my gf loooves salt) but I use very little of it in my cooking. ---
**Author:** ![dracoi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/90db22/32.png) [@dracoi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dracoi)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2016, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-one-ingredient-do-you-cook-with-more-than-any-other/752794/27 "2016-04-21T16:54:19Z")
To be honest, “can’t live without” and “cook with, more than any other” are probably two different responses. Crusty fresh bread, pasta, butter and cheese are all things I can’t live without. But some of those I only cook with a couple of times a week. Onions are probably a good bet for the single thing I use most often. Hmmm, possibly a better choice: when I do things like fried chicken, I keep the leftover oil in a jar in the fridge. I not only use it to fry more chicken, but I use it anywhere oil goes in a savory recipe, such as my sauteed onions or other vegetables. The hint of flavor makes everything better. Bacon grease would be a close second, but I use up bacon grease making the rest of breakfast so it’s never left over like chicken oil. ---
**Author:** ![Typo\_Negative](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/typo_negative/32/484_2.png) [@Typo\_Negative](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Negative)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2016, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-one-ingredient-do-you-cook-with-more-than-any-other/752794/28 "2016-04-21T16:58:31Z")
Almost every dish I make has onions, bell peppers, garlic, salt and pepper. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2016, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-one-ingredient-do-you-cook-with-more-than-any-other/752794/29 "2016-04-21T16:59:23Z")
Also, I forgot the secret ingredient, you know, the L word… Lard ---
**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:** [April 21, 2016, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-one-ingredient-do-you-cook-with-more-than-any-other/752794/30 "2016-04-21T17:46:37Z")
Oh, reading the above, if we’re including basics like salt and fat, of course salt is the one ingredient that is used in almost everything I cook. ---
**Author:** ![BeeGee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/b5a626/32.png) [@BeeGee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BeeGee)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2016, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-one-ingredient-do-you-cook-with-more-than-any-other/752794/31 "2016-04-21T17:52:22Z")
Garlic by a long measure. Onions might be second. The chicken base jar gets a work out, too. I use salt to brine chicken, but that’s about all I use it for. ---
**Author:** ![TheChileanBlob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thechileanblob/32/435_2.png) [@TheChileanBlob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheChileanBlob)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2016, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-one-ingredient-do-you-cook-with-more-than-any-other/752794/32 "2016-04-22T23:40:26Z")
Definitely cheese, then butter. ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2016, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-one-ingredient-do-you-cook-with-more-than-any-other/752794/33 "2016-04-22T23:45:07Z")
Carbon. ---
**Author:** ![CairoCarol](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cairocarol/32/3825_2.png) [@CairoCarol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CairoCarol)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2016, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-one-ingredient-do-you-cook-with-more-than-any-other/752794/34 "2016-04-27T00:29:23Z")
Onion, garlic, olive oil, and salt appear in practically every savory dish I make. Volumetrically it wouldn’t account for much, but a go-to flavoring I would really miss if I couldn’t have it anymore is Penzey’s Adobo seasoning. (I think it is a mixture of cumin, ground pepper, and onion and garlic powders.) In fact I have to keep myself from using it in everything, since I don’t want all my food to taste the same. Other go-to spices and herbs that I use constantly are basil, oregano, cumin, white pepper, dill, smoked paprika, and tarragon. ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2016, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-one-ingredient-do-you-cook-with-more-than-any-other/752794/35 "2016-04-27T00:44:29Z")
Beer. Not for the recipe; for me! ---
**Author:** ![Alice\_The\_Goon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ed8c4c/32.png) [@Alice\_The\_Goon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alice_The_Goon)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2016, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-one-ingredient-do-you-cook-with-more-than-any-other/752794/36 "2016-04-27T01:13:58Z")
Probably chicken. We seem to be on a heavy rotation of chicken, pork, and occasionally venison. Lots and lots of chicken. But butter, too. I always seem to be buying butter or thinking about buying butter. ---
**Author:** ![Tangent](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tangent/32/3098_2.png) [@Tangent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tangent)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2016, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-one-ingredient-do-you-cook-with-more-than-any-other/752794/37 "2016-04-27T02:15:48Z")
Heat. ---
**Author:** ![purplehearingaid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7bcc69/32.png) [@purplehearingaid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehearingaid)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2016, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-one-ingredient-do-you-cook-with-more-than-any-other/752794/38 "2016-04-27T02:39:47Z")
Sweet Onions and yellow Onions ! I like sweet onion in my salads and cook with yellow onions. I always have them in my house . ---
**Author:** ![snfaulkner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snfaulkner/32/433_2.png) [@snfaulkner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snfaulkner)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2016, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-one-ingredient-do-you-cook-with-more-than-any-other/752794/39 "2016-04-27T02:50:34Z")
> [@Grrr](#): > > Tony Chachere’s Creole Seasoning. My wife lives off this stuff. I like it too, of course, but not like she does. She gets reeeaaaal panicky when we start getting low. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2016, 4:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-one-ingredient-do-you-cook-with-more-than-any-other/752794/40 "2016-04-27T04:41:19Z")
> [@Alice\_The\_Goon](#): > > I always seem to be buying butter or thinking about buying butter. If that were the first sentence in a novel, I’d wanna read the rest. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-one-ingredient-do-you-cook-with-more-than-any-other/752794.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-one-ingredient-do-you-cook-with-more-than-any-other/752794.md?page=3)