# Cheap, worse quality foods you (sometimes) prefer to their superior counterparts **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 5, 2013, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheap-worse-quality-foods-you-sometimes-prefer-to-their-superior-counterparts/673186 "2013-11-05T22:29:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![phantom\_lamb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/5f9b8f/32.png) [@phantom\_lamb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phantom_lamb)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2013, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheap-worse-quality-foods-you-sometimes-prefer-to-their-superior-counterparts/673186/1 "2013-11-05T22:29:34Z")
I tend to value good quality food but sometimes the cheap, plastic stuff really does it for me. Example: I kind of actually prefer soft serve ice cream (from the machine) to the chunky, rich, expensive high quality gelato. I prefer using those plastic orange American cheese slices in my grilled cheese sandwich rather than actual good quality cheese. Likewise, I really like that store-bought neon orange cheese dip for dipping nachos. It’s gross, cheap and crappy but I love it. Have anything to add/share? ---
**Author:** ![Trinopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2013, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheap-worse-quality-foods-you-sometimes-prefer-to-their-superior-counterparts/673186/2 "2013-11-05T22:31:13Z")
Still have never had better ravioli than the canned Chef Boy-Ar-Dee brand…and the even cheaper house brand is every bit as good. I’ve had much more expensive ravioli at Italian restaurants…and don’t like it anywhere near as much. Why pay five times the price for a product that I don’t like as much? Hand me the can opener! ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2013, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheap-worse-quality-foods-you-sometimes-prefer-to-their-superior-counterparts/673186/3 "2013-11-05T22:46:49Z")
For my money, Cheez-Whiz makes a better Philly steak sandwich than Provolone. And Velveeta makes a better cheese sauce than grated Cheddar. ---
**Author:** ![thisishowwepray](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7feea3/32.png) [@thisishowwepray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thisishowwepray)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2013, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheap-worse-quality-foods-you-sometimes-prefer-to-their-superior-counterparts/673186/4 "2013-11-05T23:02:57Z")
Store bought mayo, specifically Hellman’s. I prefer it to luxe mayo and even homemade in most contexts. ---
**Author:** ![Geek\_Mecha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ecae2f/32.png) [@Geek\_Mecha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Geek_Mecha)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2013, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheap-worse-quality-foods-you-sometimes-prefer-to-their-superior-counterparts/673186/5 "2013-11-05T23:16:14Z")
Kraft Grated Parmesan cheese. I bought fresh Parmigianno Reggiano once, and while it was fine, I didn’t find it a huge improvement. It’s not what I crave when I want cheese on stuff. I like pesto and I frequently buy Progresso pesto. I have made my own pesto from scratch before, and while it was good, it isn’t good enough for me to buy pesto ingredients and haul out the blender every time I want it. I also prefer canned or frozen veggies over their fresh or organic counterparts. ---
**Author:** ![Scarlett67](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scarlett67/32/7387_2.png) [@Scarlett67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scarlett67)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2013, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheap-worse-quality-foods-you-sometimes-prefer-to-their-superior-counterparts/673186/6 "2013-11-05T23:46:40Z")
Kraft macaroni & cheese. \ Hey, it’s easy, cheap, and tasty. Perfect comfort food. ---
**Author:** ![gaffa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e68b1a/32.png) [@gaffa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gaffa)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2013, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheap-worse-quality-foods-you-sometimes-prefer-to-their-superior-counterparts/673186/7 "2013-11-06T00:31:42Z")
> [@Geek\_Mecha](#): > > I also prefer canned or frozen veggies over their fresh or organic counterparts. You’re not alone. One of the amazing things I learned reading _Modernist Cuisine_ is that they agree. Both frozen and canned vegetables are generally more flavorful than fresh because they don’t spend all this time just sitting around like “fresh” ones do. Fresh is great - if you have your own garden. But otherwise your so-called “fresh” vegetables have been sitting around in a truck, processing plant, warehouse and store for _days_, while the frozen or canned version has been packaged in minutes or at most hours of being picked. ---
**Author:** ![scabpicker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scabpicker/32/8268_2.png) [@scabpicker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scabpicker)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2013, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheap-worse-quality-foods-you-sometimes-prefer-to-their-superior-counterparts/673186/8 "2013-11-06T00:35:15Z")
> [@Scarlett67](#): > > Kraft macaroni & cheese. \ Hey, it’s easy, cheap, and tasty. Perfect comfort food. Hear! Hear! I prefer my macaroni and cheese the way it was intended: from a box. ---
**Author:** ![Tethered\_Kite](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a5b964/32.png) [@Tethered\_Kite](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tethered_Kite)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2013, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheap-worse-quality-foods-you-sometimes-prefer-to-their-superior-counterparts/673186/9 "2013-11-06T00:47:34Z")
My mom used to serve us “pork cutlets.” I believe they were the cheek portion of the hog. Little, kind of gluey, chewy pieces of pork that she’d dredge in flour and brown really crispy in butter and lard. Whatever they sell as pork cutlets now is not the same. It’s more of a tough cut of pork run through a tenderizer. My husband’s mom used to serve beef heart to them. She got it free from the butcher. He still asks for it sometimes. She boiled it forever and chilled to slice cold for sandwiches. Then there was all that free pheasant, deer and fish. ---
**Author:** ![obfusciatrist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/4af34b/32.png) [@obfusciatrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/obfusciatrist)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2013, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheap-worse-quality-foods-you-sometimes-prefer-to-their-superior-counterparts/673186/10 "2013-11-06T01:34:38Z")
Chocolate. I don’t like dark chocolate at all and when it comes to milk chocolate I’m usually fine with crappy mass market American stuff. I’ve had amazing ramen and know where to get it. But most of the time I’m perfectly happy with Nissan to which I’ve added a couple things. ---
**Author:** ![HubZilla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ccd318/32.png) [@HubZilla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HubZilla)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2013, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheap-worse-quality-foods-you-sometimes-prefer-to-their-superior-counterparts/673186/11 "2013-11-06T02:28:13Z")
I prefer Instant Grits over regular grits. Especially the Quaker cheese grits. Should I run, not walk, away? ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2013, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheap-worse-quality-foods-you-sometimes-prefer-to-their-superior-counterparts/673186/12 "2013-11-06T02:38:52Z")
Hell, no. Who has the time to cook regular grits? Instant will do 9 times out of 10. Ditto Kraft Singles in a grilled cheese sandwich and Kraft Dinner when you want mac & cheese. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2013, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheap-worse-quality-foods-you-sometimes-prefer-to-their-superior-counterparts/673186/13 "2013-11-06T02:44:12Z")
When I was a kid, we only ever had Log Cabin, Mrs Butterworth or the other brands of commercial pancake syrup. So as an adult on my own, I bought a bottle of real grade A maple syrup once, and was surprised to find that I didn’t like it. I figured that I was just used to the commercial stuff. ---
**Author:** ![squeegee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/squeegee/32/14537_2.png) [@squeegee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squeegee)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2013, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheap-worse-quality-foods-you-sometimes-prefer-to-their-superior-counterparts/673186/14 "2013-11-06T02:46:22Z")
> [@Geek\_Mecha](#): > > Kraft Grated Parmesan cheese. I bought fresh Parmigianno Reggiano once, and while it was fine, I didn’t find it a huge improvement. It’s not what I crave when I want cheese on stuff. +1. I like both the “real” stuff and the Kraft, but I like that the Kraft stuff has some volume to it that soaks up the sauce a little when I dump a couple of tablespoons onto a plate of spaghetti. That same amount of the real deal would be an overpowering amount of Parmesan flavor. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2013, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheap-worse-quality-foods-you-sometimes-prefer-to-their-superior-counterparts/673186/15 "2013-11-06T02:53:56Z")
I want my grits to be real, my Cream of Wheat to be real, my kasha to be real, but I prefer instant oatmeal. ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2013, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheap-worse-quality-foods-you-sometimes-prefer-to-their-superior-counterparts/673186/16 "2013-11-06T02:57:32Z")
Boones farm and arbor mist wine have always tasted better than anything more expensive I’ve tried. And no beer I’ve tried is as good as PBR which is about $14 for a 30 pack. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2013, 3:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheap-worse-quality-foods-you-sometimes-prefer-to-their-superior-counterparts/673186/17 "2013-11-06T03:02:53Z")
> [@Tethered\_Kite](#): > > My mom used to serve us “pork cutlets.” I believe they were the cheek portion of the hog. What a waste of a good pork jowl; they really should be made into guanciale! [Quote=Geek Mecha] I like pesto and I frequently buy Progresso pesto. I have made my own pesto from scratch before, and while it was good, it isn’t good enough for me to buy pesto ingredients and haul out the blender every time I want it. [/quote] Pesto freezes pretty well, so it’s worth making a big batch and freezing it in smaller portions. ---
**Author:** ![PastTense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pasttense/32/14550_2.png) [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2013, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheap-worse-quality-foods-you-sometimes-prefer-to-their-superior-counterparts/673186/18 "2013-11-06T03:06:10Z")
I prefer the lean mean to the highly marbled meat with all the fat in it–yet the highly marbled meat has the high quality grades. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2013, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheap-worse-quality-foods-you-sometimes-prefer-to-their-superior-counterparts/673186/19 "2013-11-06T03:20:32Z")
> [@Scarlett67](#): > > Kraft macaroni & cheese. \ Hey, it’s easy, cheap, and tasty. Perfect comfort food. Screw that, you snooty fool. 😃 [I’m not kidding when I say I greatly prefer the cheap Mac and Cheese they sell at Aldi.](http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BW3aDm7WASk/T_xTUKFV-LI/AAAAAAAAAqU/JhwaeRM2YFc/s1600/P1130641.JPG) ---
**Author:** ![Kansas\_Beekeeper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/c37758/32.png) [@Kansas\_Beekeeper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kansas_Beekeeper)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2013, 3:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheap-worse-quality-foods-you-sometimes-prefer-to-their-superior-counterparts/673186/20 "2013-11-06T03:46:34Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > When I was a kid, we only ever had Log Cabin, Mrs Butterworth or the other brands of commercial pancake syrup. So as an adult on my own, I bought a bottle of real grade A maple syrup once, and was surprised to find that I didn’t like it. I figured that I was just used to the commercial stuff. There’s threads on the SDMB about maple syrup, but basically A is just lighter, not better. I prefer grade B maple syrup over A. Wikipedia explains it some: > **[Maple syrup](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maple_syrup)** > > Maple syrup is a sweet syrup made from the sap of maple trees. In cold climates, these trees store starch in their trunks and roots before winter; the starch is then converted to sugar that rises in the sap in late winter and early spring. Maple trees are tapped by drilling holes into their trunks and collecting the sap, which is processed by heating to evaporate much of the water, leaving the concentrated syrup. > Maple syrup was first made by the Indigenous peoples of Northeastern North Amer... [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheap-worse-quality-foods-you-sometimes-prefer-to-their-superior-counterparts/673186.md?page=2)