This was a fun cookbook! The only downside is that some recipes have more hard to find or expensive ingredients, but since it doesn't boast itself as a budget cookbook I'll let it slide. Some of the secret ingredients were not that groundbreaking, but the recipes were fun anyways.

The bad thing I can say about this book is that I read through it while I was already super hungry and it made me even hungrier.

I am excited to try out some of these recipes, and I am finding lots of inspiration here for things to share for the holidays. Considering social distancing, I'm looking forward to making some of these treats, putting them in cute boxes, and dropping them off for relatives.

I greatly appreciate that the vast majority of this book is spent on the recipes themselves and not touching-but-unnecessary stories about how the smell of cardamom reminds you of your great-aunt Gertrude and winter mornings on the farm and on and on and on. (Seriously, who cares?) But I digress.

Highly recommended. I got a digital ARC of this but I plan on putting the hardback on my wish list.

I have a bunch of recipes from the book marked to try. It looks like a cookbook I would buy in print for sure.

I thought this project was tastefully laid out. Beautiful pictures, a secret ingredient for each recipe that elevates the dish. I look forward to making many more of these dishes.

The macaroni and cheese dish sounds interesting and tasty.

Not all the recipes have inexpensive ingredients but that didn’t bother me as I’m not a fan of most of those ingredients. Even though I may not make 1/3 of the recipes in this book due to food allergies in our family, I did find the title and the recipes different enough to warrant a copy of the book.

I was given a temporary advanced e-copy of the book by Netgalley and am not required to leave a positive review.

This is a must-have on every cookbook shelf for those who love cooking... and on every coffee table for those who only pretend to love cooking! Seriously, the photographs alone make your saliva glands work overtime, and by the time you start reading the recipes, you're totally in the mood for a home-made feast.

The recipes are easy and no fuss, and the secret ingredients pure genius. I mean, cinnamon scrolls with rosemary? Bring it on. Coffee in the vinaigrette? Sounds weird, but try it and you'll love it. And the secret ingredient used in a shortcut to lasagne will make you never want to cook traditional lasagne again.

I loved the clean layout of the book, they clear instructions, the sheer simplicity of the dishes, the perfect balance of the known and the exotic.

Buy this book as a gift to yourself, and use it. Invite friends and family. In the words of Jamie Oliver, "If you can eat with mates or friends or family, I mean, it's such a brilliant thing isn't it?"

It sure is.

The Secret Ingredient Cookbook is a very interesting home cook book to have. This is the type that takes known recipes, family favourites, and makes them shine thanks to an unusual ingredient and sometimes also a different way of preparing them. The tone of the writer is very pleasant, explaining how the idea for the book came about and how she worked at it. She shares her tricks to make things even easier in the home kitchen, she talks about her family life, how her children particularly liked some recipes, which makes those one some I particularly want to try as a parent of picky eaters. There is a sense of family legacy being passed on that I really enjoy.
The recipes are explained clearly and simply. We can see they were retested many times by different sets of eyes. Almost all of them have very appealing pictures. Even better, they look good without looking overly complicated. In fact this is really a no fuss book and I would recommend it to beginners too, those who just want to make more family meals.
There are some very unusual secret ingredients which actually make a lot of sense and I can’t wait to try them out. Despite not being a big breakfast person I am really tempted by the rosemary apple cinnamon buns, and the condensed milk granola. They really speak to me. I crave the pretzel knots, and the simplified versions of American Asian take out. Probably because I love Thai and Chinese food so much.
There are few more luxurious recipes, like the champagne strawberry pancakes, and I might be in the minority here, but they don’t really take my fancy. I think apple cider would make a better “secret ingredient”. Perhaps because I don’t get the whole alcohol thing for breakfast. But also because pancakes don’t have a luxurious feel to me. Crepe on the other end… but I already like them with rum.
A lot of recipes play on the sweet/savory scale, which my household is moderately a fan of, but that can easily be changed by sweetening most recipes a little less. But that’s of course a question of taste. There are also a number of dipping/dunking recipes, typical of America and Australia, and while they look tasty, my husband and my son hate touching food, so I know they are a hard sell if I don’t tweak it somehow into more of a plated food. Again those are all about personal preferences.
Most of the recipes here are very affordable, featuring white meats, cheap nutritious ingredients like beans with easy to find “secret ingredients”. The book is lovely and I think it will be perfect for beginning home cooks, families who want to step out of bland tastes, presented better and healthier.

I love the premise of this cookbook - one "different" ingredient tat just doesn't fit in the recipe but that makes the recipe so much better as traditional recipes. Some of the recipes lived up to expectations and some were just a little bit basic. I did not feel that the secret ingredients were always so different from the norm. I received this arc for an honest review.

I like the magazine-ish style of the whole book. It's vibrant, laidback yet bubbly with a lot of useful, interesting tips and zany ideas on cooking.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an unbiased review.

Thank you NetGalley, Kelly Senyei and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt for the ARC of The Secret Ingredient Cookbook. This is my personal review in exchange for this ARC.

I am a cookbook nut. The title alone was enough for me to want this book.
First off, I have to say it was so fun to read this cookbook! The pictures added so much to the book. It made me even more excited to make several of these recipes over the holidays for my family.
The breakfast recipes will be a great fun surprise for everyone! The Bacon egg and cheese toast cups I am sure are going to be a huge hit. The mornings are going to smell so good!
There are so many fantastic recipes in this book and so many of the “secret ingredients” really are fun and I have a lot of them in my pantry or fridge all the time. Just to use them in these recipes adds so much for me.
I am so looking forward to treating my family to these recipes.

I spend four days a week working in a library. I’ve looked at so many cookbooks and they almost always disappoint me. The Secret Ingredient Cookbook had so many great recipes and helpful tips and techniques. My favorite recipe is the Caprese Antipasto Salad with fried mozzarella. I want to run to the store now to get the ingredients! Another interesting tip is adding vanilla extract to your fruit salad. Also, Ms. Senyei suggests putting a damp paper towel under your cutting board so it won’t slip will cutting. I would definitely recommend this cookbook.

While I found a few interesting recipes to try and some useful kitchen shortcuts in this cookbook, I wasn't overly impressed with the concept. Sometimes I thought the author tried a little too hard to squeeze an unexpected ingredient into every recipe. Despite what the author maintained on the "Welcome!" page, I thought some of these were gimmicks, especially since no one secret ingredient was used more than once (as a secret ingredient). It felt a little forced sometimes.

A wonderful addition to my cookbook shelf! So many recipes to try, we have been trying a new one every three to four days and still have many to go. We've had perfect results following the easy recipes and have not had to add another shelf to the pantry....the recipes all use standard ingredients most kitchens already have. The idea of kicking up the recipe results with a secret ingredient is pure genius!

Fun cookbook to read and experiment with, my son and I had a good time choosing with recipes to try. Many family friendly recipes included but it does have adult beverage recipes at the end of the book that look interesting as well.

Fantastic cookbook.plenty of choice and flavours.
Only tried a few but all been well reciieved in our house

This book was interesting and there were some delicious recipes in it that I tried and enjoyed.
The food photography was beautiful and lots of helpful hints about each recipe.
It just did not fit into my families love of southern food, but I’m going to keep sneaking a dish in my dinner rotation every month anyway!

I don't know if I liked this book or not. It would not open on my Kindle in any of the formats offered. This has happened to me with other galleys.

This is a beautiful cookbook with some gorgeous pictures which I always love. We eat with our eyes, right? This book starts off with some great tips that were new to me: proof dough in the dryer!?! And then we get into the recipes which their secret ingredients are this cookbooks niche. Most of the recipes sounded, and looked, scrumptious. Sometimes the secret ingredients peaked my interest and I'm looking forward to trying them ie Waffles with Ginger Ale, Brussel Sprouts with Fish Sauce, others the secret ingredients weren't that secret but still great recipes, and others totally lost me: Crème Brulee with Corn!?!?

I would absolutely recommend giving this book a go and expand your taste horizons. Maybe just not with the Crème Brulee.

I would like to thank you Houghton Mifflin Harcourt and #NetGalley for allowing me to review an advanced copy of #TheSecretIngredientCookbook.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an e-arc of this cookbook in exchange for an honest review.

I have mixed feelings about this one. I was super excited to read it and try out recipes... in the beginning. The writing was funny and relatable. The photos were nice and the recipes sounded interesting, but every single one required special ingredients that had to be purchased before making the recipe. This wasn't even just the "secret ingredient," but it was always something. For me, that took away the joy of cooking any of them. I initially was waiting to rate this book and write the review until trying one of the recipes, but the added steps mean that even though I've now bought the ingredients, the excitement has vanished. Most people will never be able to just whip up one of these recipes, they'll always have to make a shopping list first and that ruins a lot of the fun personally.

Overall a good read, but unfortunately won't be a go-to cookbook for me.

I really love the concept of this beautifully designed cookbook!
Most of them take 30 minutes or less - which is great! The book is divided into sections and each recipe is easy to follow. The recipes are soo yummy and you just want to try them all in one sitting! I hope they will turn out like the pictures. What REALLY drew me to this cookbook was the secret ingredient idea for each dish and let me tell you.. it really does work magic! You need to try them!

I really love the concept of this cookbook! The Secret Ingredient Cookbook has a lot of familiar family friendly recipes but Kelly Senyei has added on special ingredient to make it taste a little extra special. Lots of great ways to try and add a little more flavour or just a twist on a classic. The champagne pancakes are definitely on my wish list next time we make brunch!