0

I am thinking of something like infiltration or adulteration, but for food. For example consider these sentences that should be compatible with the word being sought (as different parts of speech, of course):

The food at the restaurant tasted so good that it seemed like the chef _______ it with crack.

Even _______ the cake from this recipe with a small additional amount of sugar made it taste too sweet to be palatable.

The cookies were _______ with a small amount of chocolate and this made them absolutely irresistible.

I suppose the word “lace” would work, but I am looking for something with less of a negative connotation.

Improve this question
11
  • Not sure they're far enough from lacing but there's spiking and spritzing and spicing. – stevesliva Dec 18 '19 at 18:31
  • I came up with instilled and infused, as well. Perhaps a synonym of those words that also implied "a small but potent amount of" would work better. Something like sprinkled, but that implies that only the outside of the food was affected. – Michael Goldshteyn Dec 18 '19 at 18:46
  • 1
    a pinch of or hint of as in "the pastry had the hint of grated lemon rind" – Mari-Lou A Dec 18 '19 at 19:14
  • The second sentence doesn't make sense to me. Why would you add more sugar if it's already too sweet or sweet enough? – KannE Dec 18 '19 at 19:23
  • @KannE, depends on the context. Perhaps people tend to overdo it with sugar and this is a warning to others from the experience of the person that tried it. – Michael Goldshteyn Dec 18 '19 at 20:05
1

Enhance, Enhanced

This means ‘improved’ and can mean ‘added to’.

If you don’t like the result, (ie, it was not ultimately ‘an enhancement’), you can use the form: ‘When the recipe was enhanced with additional sugar, it unfortunately turned out too sweet’. Or ‘when we tried added sugar as a possible enhancement, it became too sweet, or overly sweet’.

Your examples:

  • The food at the restaurant tasted so good that it seemed like the chef enhanced it with crack.

  • Even enhancing the cake from this recipe with a small additional amount of sugar made it taste too sweet to be palatable.

Or, Enhancing the cake from this recipe with even a small additional amount of sugar, made it taste too sweet to be palatable.

  • The cookies were enhanced with a small amount of chocolate and this made them absolutely irresistible.

Advantages - a fairly neutral word, does not denote a negative addition like ‘laced’.

Improve this answer
1

In your first and third examples, seasoned would work well - "seasoned with crack" would certainly imply that's something's addictive (or chocolate, a habit with which I'm more familiar).

Your second example is actually a little different. Rather than adding a crucial tiny bit of something special as in your other cases, the cake is spoilt by adding an excess of a major ingredient. If it was ruined by the addition of a little black pepper, seasoned would still work.

In the first case, spiked would also work.

Improve this answer
0

When the substance involved is food, a common word choice for this context is sprinkle or more properly, sprinkling.

sprinkling (noun)
sprin·​kling | \ ˈspriŋ-kliŋ \
1: a limited quantity or amount : MODICUM
2: a small quantity falling in scattered drops or particles
3: a small number distributed at random : SCATTERING

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sprinkling

Sprinkle does imply that the small amount of added ingredient is dusted or scattered on the surface of the larger item or quantity of food, but is well understood even when the mechanism of applying the ingredient doesn't strictly adhere to the definition.

Improve this answer
2
  • See my comment to the question. I thought of this word as well, but without mixing in what was sprinkled, the implication is that only the outside of the food is affected. I am looking for a word that means that the entire volume of the food would contain the substance that was added without necessarily implying how this was done (as is the case with sprinkled). – Michael Goldshteyn Dec 18 '19 at 18:50
  • I see it now; I was probably already typing when you commented. I think this is a viable and factually correct answer (although maybe not the best possible answer). Although there is an implication of the ingredient being only on the outside if you use a word so closely related to sprinkle, the first definition of 'sprinkling' is just a small quantity or amount with no associated location. – Meg Dec 18 '19 at 20:37
0

For a positive connotation consider augment
defined by Oxford as:

Make (something) greater by adding to it; increase

Your sentences become:

  • The food at the restaurant tasted so good that it seemed like the chef augmented it with crack.
  • Even augmenting the cake from this recipe with a small additional amount sugar made it taste too sweet to be palatable.
  • The cookies were augmented with a small amount of chocolate and this made them absolutely irresistible.
Improve this answer
0

For some of your examples, you can

spice [it up]

Collins: 2. TRANSITIVE VERB
If you spice something that you say or do, you add excitement or interest to it. They spiced their conversations and discussions with intrigue.

For example

  • The food at the restaurant tasted so good that it seemed like the chef had spiced it up with crack.

  • The cookies were spiced with just a bit of chocolate and this made all the difference.

Granted, "spiced" is a little weird in the chocolate example, but as a stretch it could work. It would work very well with something a bit more unusual in the context, such as cloves. And spicing with chocolate can work great in a savory recipe:

  • Inspired by the Mexican traditional recipe for mole, I spiced my pot roast with a little bit of cocoa. Everyone loved it and no one could guess the secret ingredient. (I did make sure to ask all my guests about allergies, though.)

One more idea:

give some pizzazz with

pizzazz (American Heritage): n. Informal
1. Dazzling style; flamboyance; flair.
2. Vigorous spirit; energy or excitement.

Example:

  • I tried to give the cookies some pizzazz by increasing the sugar, but I overdid it and they just tasted saccharine sweet.
Improve this answer
-1

Annointed

Which is a word that literally means putting a sacred oil on someone’s head to bless them.

Poetic, and would allow the feeling that the addition of the ingredient makes the cake (or whatever) divine.

Your examples

  • The food at the restaurant tasted so good that it seemed like the chef annointed it with crack. (This one becomes funny, because of the contrast.

  • sugar example - it doesn’t really work for and this example doesn’t make sense to me anyway.

  • The cookies were annointed with a small amount of chocolate and this made them absolutely irresistible. (Works well as the ‘addition made them heavenly).

Example in use

‘A good quality Greek extra-virgin is my annointing oil of choice’ (for a joint of meat) - Simply Nigella, cookbook, Nigella Lawson

Improve this answer
0

Your Answer

By clicking “Post Your Answer”, you agree to our terms of service, privacy policy and cookie policy

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.