History Main / SecretIngredient

* [=KFC's=] "eleven herbs and spices" (which, for the record, are probably something like ground oregano, chili powder, ground sage, basil, marjoram, pepper, salt, paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, and monosodium glutamate).
* The "secret formula" for Coca-Cola.

* In ''CourageTheCowardlyDog'', the secret ingredient in all of Muriel's cooking is vinegar.

* The "secret formula" for Coke.

* The secret sauce on a [=McDonald=]'s Big Mac.

* [=KFC's=] "eleven herbs and spices" (which, for the record, are ground oregano, chili powder, ground sage, basil, marjoram, pepper, salt, paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, and monosodium glutamate).

** Marge's secret ingredient for pork chops is salt.

* Used in [[TheElderScrollsVSkyrim Skyrim]] during the Dark Brotherhood penultimate quest. You imitate a world-known chef and have to cook a meal; at the end of the cooking, you can tell the cook helping you to close her eyes as you add "secret herbs" to the recipe. [[spoiler: It's actually poison since your target is the guy who will eat the meal.]]

* On ''{{Angel}}'', Angel once drinks a cup of blood with an unusual taste. He's told "the secret ingredient is otter."

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Futurama}}'', "The 30% Iron Chef": After Bender wins a cooking competition using drops from a crystal flask filled with "the essence of pure flavor", Professor Farnsworth runs a chemical analysis and announces the mystery liquid is "Water! Ordinary water!" Immediately after Fry concludes that all Bender needed to cook well was confidence, the professor adds, "Yes, ordinary water, [[spoiler:laced with nothing more than a few spoonfuls of LSD.]]"

* Reversed on ''IronChef'', where the ingredient is a secret ''from'' the chef, not a secret ''of'' the chef's.
** Same situation on ''{{Chopped}}''.
* ''BuffyTheVampireSlayer''. In "Doublemeat Palace" there's much talk of the secret ingredient in the Doublemeat Burgers. Buffy starts to suspect that it's [[TheSecretOfLongPorkPies the fast food workers themselves]]. [[spoiler:Subverted when it turns out the company is using soy product and the secret ingredient is only beef flavouring.]]

* The secret sauce on a McDonald's Big Mac.

* Cooking show chef Emeril always adds a dash of "essence". Bam! However, given how Emeril Lagasse has [[http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/emeril-lagasse/emerils-creole-seasoning-essence-recipe3/index.html made the recipe for "essence" publicly available]], this is less a SecretIngredient and more a Trademark Ingredient.

* Played with in ''TalesOfVesperia'' during the following skit where Yuri talks about his [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7wLjrwPgyD0 "secret ingredient"]]. But gets averted by Rita's skit, when she threatens to use her own [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v1PaXlDjy5U secret ingredient!]]

* Played with in ''TalesOfVesperia'' during the following skit where Yuri talks about his [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7wLjrwPgyD0 "secret ingredient"]]. But gets averted hard by Rita's skit, when she threatens to use her own [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v1PaXlDjy5U secret ingredient!]]

* ''{{Arthur}}'': Arthur & Buster enter a cooking competition and bake a cake; their secret ingredient is double the amount of chocolate the recipe calls for. Then DW accidentally uses up all the baking powder.
* ''{{Futurama}}'', "The 30% Iron Chef": After Bender wins a cooking competition using drops from a crystal flask filled with "the essence of pure flavor", Professor Farnsworth runs a chemical analysis and announces the mystery liquid is "Water! Ordinary water!" Immediately after Fry concludes that all Bender needed to cook well was confidence, the professor adds, "Yes, ordinary water, [[spoiler:laced with nothing more than a few spoonfuls of LSD.]]"

* Invoked but ultimately averted with the "Secret Ingredient Soup" in ''KungFuPanda'': Po's (adoptive) father eventually reveals that there ''is'' no "secret ingredient" apart from its maker's skill.

* TruthInTelevision. Just a pinch of the right herb or spice can work wonders on a meal, it's no surprise some may want to monopolize on it. However, usually the secret ingredient will be something simple, like a dash of herbs de provence, or a bit of lavender, rather than something exotic. Since the average consumer has an exaggerated impression of the secrecy, however, a company can deny revelations by spiteful former insiders or an attention seeker who just happens to get it right.

* ''BuffyTheVampireSlayer''. In "Doublemeat Palace" there's much talk of the secret ingredient in the Doublemeat Burgers. Buffy starts to suspect that it's [[ImAHumanitarian the fast food workers themselves]]. [[spoiler:Subverted when it turns out the company is using soy product and the secret ingredient is only beef flavouring.]]

* ''{{Superman}} - LastSonOfKrypton''. Clark Kent makes a bet with his rival Steve Lombard that his mother's (Mrs. Kent's) soft drink was the best drink ever. While on the planet Oric, he obtains a spice so powerful that a drop of it added to his mother's drink would make it irresistible to the human palette.

* This was inverted at the end of the ''BackAtTheBarnyard'' episode, "Chez Pig". When all of the barnyard animals ask Pig for the secret ingredient of his grandma's Truffle Pies, Pig finally gives in but when he reveals the secret ingredient, [[SoundEffectBleep a duck shows up and quacks]], completely drowning out what Pig said. However, the other animals are heard exclaiming in disgust, implying that the secret ingredient was actually disgusting.

* {{Angel}} once drinks a cup of blood with an unusual taste. He's told "the secret ingredient is otter."

* "Sugar! Spice! And everything Nice! These were the ingredients chosen to create the perfect little girls. But Professor Utonium accidentally added an extra ingredient to the concoction... ''Chemical X''. Thus, ''ThePowerpuffGirls'' were born!"
* In ''TheSimpsons'', Marge's secret ingredient for pork chops is salt.

[[AC:RealLife]]
* TruthInTelevision. Just a pinch of the right herb or spice can work wonders on a meal, it's no surprise some may want to monopolize on it. However, usually the secret ingredient will be something simple, like a dash of herbs de provence, or a bit of lavender, rather than something exotic. Since the average consumer has an exaggerated impression of the secrecy, however, a company can deny revelations by spiteful former insiders or an attention seeker who just happens to get it right.
* [=KFC's=] "eleven herbs and spices" (which, for the record, are ground oregano, chili powder, ground sage, basil, marjoram, pepper, salt, paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, and monosodium glutamate).
* The "secret formula" for Coke.
* Cooking show chef Emeril always adds a dash of "essence". Bam! However, given how Emeril Lagasse has [[http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/emeril-lagasse/emerils-creole-seasoning-essence-recipe3/index.html made the recipe for "essence" publicly available]], this is less a SecretIngredient and more a Trademark Ingredient.