History Main / SecretIngredient

* Plankton's schemes in ''WesternAnimation/SpongeBobSquarePants'' revolve entirely around discovering the secret ingredient of the Krabby Patty at business rival Mr. Krabs' The Krusty Krab. At one point (after overtaking the restaurant with the help of his millions of hillbilly brethren), Plankton finds out that the secret ingredient is actual plankton ([[GoMadFromTheRevelation Plankton and his family do not take the news well]], except for Cousin Clem who can't read), but Mr. Krabs reveals that it wasn't the real secret ingredient, [[CrazyPrepared just a fake one used to dupe Plankton]]. Another episode involves the entire restaurant going into lockdown as the secret ingredient is air-lifted in.
** As a gag, the fake recipe plankton reads does include "love" as an ingredient, but not as ''the'' secret ingredient. Judging by how Plankton reads it normaly, it seems this is a standard ingredient.

** [[TheSimpsons "We need more Secret Sauce. Put this mayonnaise in the sun."]]

* [=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). [[note]] This troper can attest to rosemary and pepper, as reported by their brother when he worked there and said they were identifiable in the seasoning flour mix. Salt and garlic were also revealed on ''Hamish and Andy's Gap Year'' by an American couple whom the duo were rowing around Venice in a gondola, in return for Hamish 'accidentally' knocking Andy into the water. [[/note]] The actual "secret" to the flavor, however, is more about KFC's particular technique for pressure-frying the chicken.

If the secret ingredient is humans, see TheSecretOfLongPorkPies, or IAteWhat if the ingredient is not intended to be food. A common twist is for the secret ingredient to either be something ludicrously common, or flat-out nonexistent. For intangible ingredients (often "love"), see InsubstantialIngredients. If the ingredient is kept secret to prevent viewers from recreating dangerous items themselves, it's AndSomeOtherStuff.

* [=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 actual "secret" to the flavor, however, is more about KFC's particular technique for pressure-frying the chicken.

[[folder:Live -Action TV]]

* Invoked but ultimately averted with the "Secret Ingredient Soup" in ''WesternAnimation/KungFuPanda'': Po's (adoptive) father eventually reveals that there ''is'' no "secret ingredient" apart from its maker's skill. [[spoiler:It's this bit of information that helps Po understand the wisdom of the Dragon Scroll.]]

** In "In Bender's Big Score", Bender, at one point, travel's through time, and comes back with [[UsefulNotes/KentuckyFriedChicken the Colonel's]] secret recipe: "chicken, grease, salt."

If the secret ingredient is humans, see TheSecretOfLongPorkPies, or IAteWhat if the ingredient is not intended to be food. For intangible ingredients (often "love"), see InsubstantialIngredients. If the ingredient is kept secret to prevent viewers from recreating dangerous items themselves, it's AndSomeOtherStuff.

** Coca-Cola has one more advantage than its secret recipe, however. They're the only company legally able to import great numbers of de-pharmaceuticalized coca leaves, which are still used as flavoring a century after cocaine was removed from the recipe.

* ''Literature/GeorgesMarvelousMedicine'': George accidentally makes a medicine that makes everybody grow to enormous proportions. He uses all medicines he can find on his parents' farm and in their kitchen, except from the ''medicine cupboard, because his parents had forbode him to open it, because it contained stuff that could kill you and he had promised them that he would never do it''. Later when he tries to recreate the stuff the new medicines don't have the desired effect, because there's always some ingredients missing, and as his mother puts it: ''you also need to put the exact same amount of everything in there.''

Have you ever noticed how Auntie Alice's food always tastes so much better than anyone else's? It might be simply because Alice is a better cook, but it might be because of a Secret Ingredient she uses.

** In 2006, [[TheRival Pepsi]] was approached with an offer [[http://www.foxnews.com/story/2006/07/06/pepsi-alerted-coca-cola-to-stolen-coke-secrets-offer/ to sell them Coke's recipe]] - [[WorthyOpponent which they immediately reported to Coca-Cola]], arranging a sting with law enforcement.

* In ''WesternAnimation/TheDickTracyShow'' episode "Cooked Crooks," Joe Jitsu impersonates a famous French chef to fool Mumbles and Stooge Viller, who are out to steal the chef's famous recipe for chocolate la googoo. Joe adds ingredietnts like diced antelope's hooves and diced bee's knees to the mix then pulls out a box of a secret ingredient. When Stooge and Mumbles get a hold of the ingredient, they add it to the mix which explodes on them. The secret ingredient is revealed to be gunpowder.

* ''ComicBook/{{Asterix}}'': The magic potion of the Gauls that gives them invincible powers also contains a secret ingredient. Over the years the reader has learned some of the ingredients, but not all of them and it seems to be that new stuff is just added in there at random, such as lobster, mistletoe (''Asterix the Gaul''), reasonably fresh fish (''Asterix and the Great Crossing'') and petroleum (''Asterix and the Black Gold'').

* ''ComicBook/{{Asterix}}'': The magic potion of the Gauls that gives them invincible powers also contains a secret ingredient. Over the years the reader has learned some of the ingredients, but not all of them and it seems to be that new stuff is just added in there at random: oil, for instance (''Asterix and the Black Gold'').

* A comparable level of secrecy surrounds the recipe for Scotland's favourite soft drink, Irn Bru. One of the ingredients is known to be ''quinine'' of all things.

* In a Disney/DonaldDuck comic book story, he insisted on putting ketchup on all of Daisy's cooking, much to her annoyance, because it just didn't taste as good as Grandma Duck's food. When Daisy checks with Grandma, it turns out the old lady's secret ingredient is... ketchup, which she puts in everything.
* ComicBook/{{Asterix}}: The magic potion of the Gauls that gives them invincable powers also contains a secret ingredient. Over the years the reader has learned some of the ingredients, but not all of them and it seems to be that new stuff is just added in there at random: oil, for instance (''Asterix and the Black Gold'').
* ComicStrip/{{Nero}}: In ''De Man Zonder Gezicht'' professor Adhemar gives a man without a face a face. He needs the others to bring him the following ingredients for his potion: 1) Some tears of a Mexican virgin 2) A sneezing fit from a sjabrak tapir and 3) an autograph from UsefulNotes/{{Mao Zedong}}.

[[folder:Fan Fiction]]

[[folder:Films -- Animated]]
* Invoked but ultimately averted with the "Secret Ingredient Soup" in ''WesternAnimation/KungFuPanda'': Po's (adoptive) father eventually reveals that there ''is'' no "secret ingredient" apart from its maker's skill. [[spoiler: It's this bit of information that helps Po understand the wisdom of the Dragon Scroll.]]

[[folder:Live Action Television]]

* When [[Series/TheRedGreenShow RedGreen]] makes "Possum Lodge Fire Engine Chili," the secret ingredient is kerosene.

[[folder:Web Video]]

* In ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'':

-->'''Frink:''' According to the gas chromatograph, the secret ingredient is... love?! Who's been screwing with this thing?

* In ''WesternAnimation/TheFairlyOddparents'', Timmy opens a lemonade stand that gains great success because of the secret ingredient: Cosmo's sweaty socks. The problem starts because, it turns out, fairy sweat makes the lemonade grant people's wishes.

* In the ''WesternAnimation/HeyArnold'' episode "EatingContest", the competitors were eating stuffed peppers made by Arnold's grandmother. When Stinky passed out, Helga asked Arnold if his grandmother stuffed the peppers with socks, to which his grandfather indignantly cried "That recipe was suppose to be a secret!"