A fun little cookbook that has some twists on old favorites and what could be new ones.
I enjoy reading cookbooks more than I do actually using them so I did not try out the recipes but they looked good, sounded clever, and are no doubt very intriguing.

This cookbook does a great job at including kid-friendly, adults-(probably)-only, and DIY to everyone’s own tastes. About half of the recipes have pictures. And each recipe has a blurb to introduce Ryan’s reasoning for including it. Many of the recipes also have notes at the end for substitutions and other tips. It’s a great cookbook to give as a gift to new families or more established families who may need some new staples.

A great cookbook. Wonderfully creative recipes that toss in an ingredient that most of us would never think of adding. Easy to follow well written recipes accompanied by beautiful photographs make this book a must have. I’ve made quite a few of the recipes and they’ve been big hits. This also helps me to be more creative in my own cooking and to think about more creatively in general when cooking. I am really glad to have had the opportunity to preview this cookbook. It is a lot of fun and pretty too! It is a wonderful addition to anyones library, but given the times we are in and spending much more time in our kitchens this just helps to make it each meal more fun.

This is my kind of cookbook! Not only are the pictures stunning, the recipes are easy to read and follow and contain easily accessible ingredients.

Exactly what I look for in a cookbook- quality photos, easy to follow recipes featuring every day items (the secret ingredients in this case are very common if not every day staples) and food you would *want* to make. Well done.

When I picked up The Secret Ingredient Cookbook by Kelly Senyei, I fully expected it to be a gimmicky, fun little cookbook to read with some strange recipes I'd never really make. Boy, was I wrong! This is a well-thought out, gorgeously illustrated cookbook with real recipes that happen to have a twisty little ingredient. Fish sauce in your roasted brussels sprouts? Zucchini in your potato croquettes? Yes! I have so many secret ingredient recipes bookmarked and I can't wait to try them all. The recipes are straightfoward and should not pose any problems for the average home chef. All the ingredients are simple to source, and no special equipment or skills are required.

Thanks so much to NetGalley and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt for providing me with an ARC in return for my honest opinions.

5/5
***Special thanks to NetGalley and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review***

I love this!! It is so much fun. This is a perfect family cookbook because I feel like there is nothing that adventurous kids like more than little *surprises* in their meals... and if they help you make the food I find that they are a lot more likely to try new foods and flavors.

I ended up making the savory caramel corn (which was awesome) and plan to make the caramel-apple cinnamon rolls.

I highly recommend this book AND it was super was to use as an e-book!!! A lot of times I end up having trouble with the formatting but not with this book.

I truly enjoyed most of the recipes I decided to try from this book. I’ve even made some of these recipes multiple times already. I love the large variety of dishes offered and how each one has that one secret ingredient that makes them stand out. All in all I’m so happy I came across it.

I loved this cookbook! I love cooking, and enjoy both following recipes and tweaking them to my own likes and what I have on hand. I loved the idea of this book, where Ms. Senyei presents well known and well loved classics, but adds a secret ingredient that takes them over the top. The week I read this, I made the caramelized onion dip (I almost ate the entire dish at one go), cacio e pepe (now a regular in my dinner rotation), and the honey-roasted cauliflower and broccoli (delicious). There are at least ten other recipes on my to-be-made list for 2021. Beautiful photographs, well written recipes (many of which are easy), but I do have one complaint--there's no nutritional information provided. I've become so accustomed to checking the sodium levels that I was surprised and disappointed not to find them listed after each recipe. Otherwise, a delightful cookbook I can heartily recommend to novices and experienced cooks alike.

Now THIS is my style of cooking...homey, rustic and sometimes unexpected. The photographs are practically edible! Should be scratch and sniff. The author, a chef who also considers herself a home cook, has been experimenting and the result is a beautiful array of gorgeous and practical dishes with secret ingredients which make sense. Many are unexpected and new to me which I love. Her tips are well worth learning, too, such as ripening bananas quickly to freezing fresh herbs in olive oil.

Now, the recipes! I've made several recipes from this book already including Shake 'n' Bacon Bites (amazing), Fruit Salad with Lemon Dressing (to which I added poppyseeds and her secret ingredient), Caramelized Onion Dip (the secret ingredient really makes it exceptional), Pan-Fried Feta with Lemon-Honey Dressing (oh, my!), Super Greens Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette (again, that special ingredient really made it pop) and Caramelized Brussels Sprouts. Wow. Tomorrow's lunch will be Garlicky Cheese Bread.

Senyei suggests adding strawberry jam to egg sandwiches...I really like jam with savoury egg dishes. I've made pancakes with fizzy water but not what is suggested here. Berry Breakfast Pastries with cardamom (underrated in my opinion) would be fabulous. Can't wait to make the Bacon-Wrapped Dates with that special something. The Sheet Pan Barbecue Meatballs are also on my list...looking forward to adding that bit of zip! Tonight we are having the Sweet and Sour Cucumber Salad with the secret ingredient we just happen to have on hand from Christmas along with the Beef Bulgogi Lettuce Wraps. OK. The 30-Minute Macaroni and Cheese looks even better when you see the ingredients.

These recipes aren't posh, nor are nearly all the ingredients. Experimenting with cooking with the goal to enhance is so gratifying and fun so this book is my wheelhouse. The recipes are not daunting so I recommend this book for anyone, including new cooks. Experienced cooks can learn as well. I really enjoyed some "aha!" moments.

My sincere thank you to Houghton Mifflin Harcourt and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this wondrously inspiring book in exchange for an honest review. Much appreciated.

This is a neat thing. The secret ingredient. Sometimes the secret ingredient changes the taste profile for example it adds the sweet into the 'sweet and savory', sometimes it makes it fluffy, Yogurt seems to be a facorite secret ingredient.
By learnign what the secret ingredient does to the dish, you also learn new cooking principles that you can customise into your next dish.
The core of it is that you can always take a dish further with the addition of another one, well chosen ingredient. It pushes the creativity of the chef. If its something not easy to place, then it makes for a fun game of asking those who are enjoying the food, to guess what might the ingredient be.

Such a fun and creative approach! We have a couple of family recipes that we've improved with secret ingredients (homemade brownies need a dash of almond extract!) so this was right up my alley. The pineapple juice risotto and the friend mozzarella balls in a caprese salad both jumped out at me, but there are also great tips and tricks, like using the dowel ends of wooden spoons as guides for your rolling pin so that whatever you're rolling out ends up all the same thickness. Loved it!

Omg I really love it this books, I can’t wait for make all recipes, thank you so much for this chance for read that e-book.

Appealing cookbook with clear recipes, strong organization, mouthwatering photos, and a surprising twist to each dish that changes or enhances the flavor profile. This is a book I would seriously consider purchasing for my own use upon publication.

I found this cookbook to be super interesting! I haven't tried all the recipes, but I do find the secret ingredients very interesting for some of them. The ones I have tried have been quite good! The recipes are easy to follow and the colour photographs for each recipe are excellent. I would definitely recommend this one.

I love reading cookbooks and really enjoyed reading this one. Each recipe has a secret ingredient and they all seem very interesting. The photography is terrific of the prepared recipes. I tried the pork carnitas with the cocoa powder as the secret ingredient. The recipe was easy to follow and delicious.

This is a beautiful book with some very delicious recipes. I really liked the Crunchy Coconut Granola (I substituted unsalted cashews for the almonds) and the Simple Skillet Lasagna

Such amazing recipes and tips! I love learning the “special secret” ingredient that makes recipes a crowd favorite, and this book didn’t disappoint! Definitely some will be added to my recipe book!

I received a free copy of this book (in e-book form) in exchange for a review.
I thought the idea of swapping out basic ingredients with healthier options would be clever.... the only problem was that the recipes showcased in this book were a little on the unique side already. I guess I had hoped it would be basic recipes with a new twist, but they were all things I don't make and would never make in the first place. Cool concept--just disappointing in this rendition.

The photography within the cookbook is brilliant! I enjoyed the cohesion throughout the book that picked up elements of the color blue throughout each page. Within the first few pages, there is a guide for essentials to have within the pantry and refrigerator, which could benefit those who need extra assistance when it comes to cooking. Additionally, it includes resourceful tips that could help a cook at any level.