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The Controversial Ingredient J Kenji López-Alt Swears By For Meatballs

Few foods are as iconic and comforting as meatballs, and while you can easily fold them into anything from a sandwich to a plate of pasta, a great meatball should be tasty and tender enough to enjoy on its own. To get the flavor and texture to their decadent best, chef, food columnist, and cookbook author J. Kenji López-Alt uses a few different tricks. Known for his scientific approach to cooking, López-Alt takes a crack at making the perfect meatballs in his James Beard Award-winning bestselling cookbook "The Food Lab." While most of his process is similar to the traditional meatball recipe, one of the ingredients he adds to enhance flavor is anything but conventional.

Marmite, the polarizing British staple that fans lovingly spread on toast and many others avoid at all costs, is a brand of yeast extract. The dark, goopy spread is known for its sharp, salty, lightly sweet taste and is packed with umami goodness. This translates to a richer, meatier flavor in meatballs, which is why López-Alt includes it in his umami trifecta with soy sauce and anchovies. While it may sound outlandish to add them to meatballs, when used in measured amounts, these potent ingredients add lots of umami depth without imparting their own flavor to the dish. In fact, anchovies are one of the unexpected ingredients that can level up deviled eggs. Since Marmite is vegan, it is also a versatile pantry staple that adds depth to various dishes, and meatballs à la López-Alt is one of them.

Marmite is one of J Kenji López-Alt's umami bombs

In his cookbook, J. Kenji López-Alt refers to Marmite as an "umami bomb." The moniker is apt because of the spread's intense flavor (which is what makes it so polarizing). It contains high levels of glutamic acids and other compounds that make food taste meatier, similar to what's found in mushrooms but with a much stronger flavor. In his recipe, which yields about 30 meatballs, López-Alt uses only half a teaspoon of Marmite, along with a tablespoon of mashed anchovies and two teaspoons of soy sauce. It's essential to use these ingredients sparingly, and more doesn't translate to tastier meatballs. You don't want the taste of Marmite in your meatballs, only its umami notes. Meatballs should generally be delicate and not overly rich, so consider broiling them instead of frying them, or use a cooling rack to avoid greasy meatballs.

Even those who are not fans of Marmite will appreciate the added depth it brings to dishes. Soups, marinades, sauces, and gravies all benefit from a touch of yeast extract. It also enhances the flavor of cheese, so try adding a little to your mac and cheese or cream sauce for some added complexity. If Marmite sounds too exotic for your go-to pasta recipe, try the three-ingredient umami boost for pasta which consists of anchovies, olives, and garlic.

While Marmite is popular in the U.K. and several other countries, it can be difficult to find in some places stateside. In that case, a substitute like Gravy Master, which is similarly packed with umami goodness, also works well enough.