Are there any comfort foods that just don’t do it for you? I’d have to say one of mine is mac and cheese. I like it, but I just don’t get the love for it. My homemade version is always a hit with others. It doesn’t matter if it’s mine, someone else’s, store bought, or from a restaurant I’m very neutral about it.
On the other hand, I love making a big pot of beef stew. A nice warm bowl of it is comforting. My daughter loves mac and cheese, but isn’t a fan of stew.
What comfort foods do you enjoy and which don’t you get the fuss about?
I loathe mac & cheese. I don’t know what it is. I love pasta. I like cheese. Something about that combo just turns me off, though. Maybe it’s because I’m such a carnivore that the thought of eating pasta with no meat repels me. But I can enjoy or pasta dishes without meat. Maybe because they use some sort of tomato-based sauce, like marinara, and that helps.
I’d much rather have a big bowl of beef stew, personally.
But my personal comfort food is raw cookie dough. I know I shouldn’t eat it because of risk of salmonella, etc., but I love it. I have a slight allergy to eggs, too, so I’m doubly not supposed to eat it. But I do anyway.
Applesauce doesn’t generally do it for me. I mean, sure, it’s harmless. But I would never seek it out.
All other comfort foods I can think of, I’m probably a fan of if they are well made. Mac’n’cheese, mashed potatoes, fresh bread and butter, pudding … mmmm.
My favorite comfort food is probably chicken and dumplings, but I like so many other one-pot dishes from different cultures it’s hard for me to decide. I’d be equally happy with lamb stew, chili concarne, beef Stroganov, Hungarian gulyas, lasagna with ricotta cheese, and anything else you might plunk down in front of me.
One thing I absolutely cannot abide is tofu. Fans of tofu claim it absorbs the flavor of whatever else you cook with it, but it doesn’t. It’s slimy, tasteless glop that adds nothing whatsoever to a dish. In college, I could always tell when tofu was on the menu because the cafeteria reeked with the odor of burned rubber. Fast forward a couple of decades, and I had a girlfriend with whom I celebrated each Valentine’s Day at a Chinese restaurant. She would invariably order chunks of tofu swimming in hot pepper oil with a serving of braised frogs’ legs on the side. Yeccch!
The first Christmas after my father died, the family was pretty much scattered to the four winds and I found myself alone. Some friends of mine invited me over for Christmas dinner and I had visions of turkey, ham, or something along those lines, but they were having meatloaf. A damned Christmas meatloaf. Turns out they eat their Christmas dinner on Christmas Eve.
I hate meatloaf. The singer is delightful, but I’ve never cared for the dish. My mother used to tell me it was the same as a hamburger but didn’t have an answer when I asked why we couldn’t just have hamburgers. While I don’t hate mac 'n cheese, I’m indifferent to it. I’ll eat it once or twice a year, but otherwise I can do without it.
As far as comfort foods go, one of my favorites is biscuits & gravy. I can eat that stuff for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. As long as there’s room in my belly I’ll answer yes to biscuits and gravy.
I am afraid Kraft Mac & Cheese is proustian for me, and yes comfort food. I do think that Popeyes also has good Mac & Cheese.
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On the other hand, I love making a big pot of beef stew
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Good stuff, along with some nice crusty bread. Even the canned stuff is okay.
Yep, same here. Meh.
Grilled Cheese with tomato soup is a good solid comfort choice, but if i have some good tomatoes on hand, I just add slices to the sandwich as it is frying.
I use to do that “chicken” noodle soup that is dried and come sin packets? With lots of crackers? But it has faded for me, along with Campbell’s version.
I’m not all that crazy about chocolate. I won’t turn it down if it’s the only treat available, but if given a choice between a chocolate dessert and something with vanilla cream like an eclair or a custard-filled doughnut, I will take one (or both) of those, thank you.
I like Stouffer’s frozen mac & cheese. Don’t follow the directions, however, which say to nuke it halfway, stir, then finish. Nuke it straight through from the beginning-- I think it’s six minutes (or is it nine…?). Anyway, then you get these yummy, toasty bits around the edge of the container.
Not a Mac and Cheese fan. My favorite comfort food is homemade chile. And a bit of magic occurs when Chili is added to Mac and Cheese - it becomes almost tasty if not good.
/jk