# Controversial Culinary Comments **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 2, 2018, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-culinary-comments/822328 "2018-10-02T18:49:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2018, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-culinary-comments/822328/21 "2018-10-02T21:00:09Z")
> [@](#): > > Quoth **kayaker** : > > Oh, and quinoa being boring is a plus. It forces you to add things to it to create an exciting dish. Nope, still doesn’t work. Rice, for instance, is also boring, but it’s fine, because it does a really good job of soaking up other flavors. But quinoa seems to actively repel flavor. No matter what you put in with it, you can never make quinoa not bland. And there are plenty of fruits and vegetables that taste much better wild or home-grown than they do from the grocery store, but in no other case is the difference as pronounced as with tomatoes. Any other food, and the grocery-store version will have more flavor than grocery-store tomatoes, or the fresh version will have less flavor than fresh tomatoes, or most often both. ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2018, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-culinary-comments/822328/22 "2018-10-02T21:09:39Z")
To borrow a line from someone in a previous thread, gourmet salt is salt with dirt in it. ---
**Author:** ![Bumbazine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bumbazine/32/362_2.png) [@Bumbazine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bumbazine)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2018, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-culinary-comments/822328/23 "2018-10-02T21:14:43Z")
From watching cooking shows on the Food network: Not everybody prefers their steak medium rare. (I do, but that’s neither here nor there.) Steaks cooked to another level of doneness _are_ properly cooked if that’s what the intended recipient wants. Eggs do not have to have runny yolks to be properly cooked. See above. schrachi - meh. It’s not all that and a bag of chips. Rather pedestrian actually. And while I’m thinking about it. Some people may be impressed with hot much hot food you can stuff into your mouth, but a lot of people secretly think you look silly and immature. Dijon mustard - ditto. Stop putting it in everything. Putting coffee in chocolate doesn’t make it richer, it makes it bitter. If you want ‘richer’ chocolate, use a better brand of chocolate. Re previous posts above: The corn we buy at the farmers’ stand that was picked that morning is way better than the stuff in the stores. So are the tomatoes. I love bacon, but not in everything. I like pineapple on pizza. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2018, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-culinary-comments/822328/24 "2018-10-02T21:20:52Z")
True, charcuterie is just a fancy word for “cold cut platter,” but goddamit is good charcuterie delicious! Give me some sausages, hams, pates, and whatever cured meats you got any day to go with my beers. There’s really very little that I prefer to that along with some bread and mustard to eat with my drink. I’m a good Polish boy, so give me all your cured and processed meat products! Head cheese and aspics, too! But there’s a lot of overpriced middling charcuterie out there. I don’t know about it being a _current_ thing, though – the peak popularity of that trend was maybe ten years ago around here. I do agree about the corn. Farm-fresh corn is delicious, but I’d be hard pressed to tell the difference between something literally picked that second vs earlier in the day, or even yesterday. My controversial culinary comment is that I’m not sold on this whole sous vide thing. I’ve like the stuff I’ve had sous vided well enough, but it hasn’t been the orgasmic mind-blowing experience it is for most people. I’m just happy enough with food cooked the regular way that does not require vacuum sealing and cooking times that sometimes extend into the days. Now, this is not to say my brother’s home cured and 48-hour sous-vided corned beef isn’t wonderful – but I’m fine with corned beef cooked the regular way (the home curing for me is the most important part. Brings me back to my love of charcuterie.) ---
**Author:** ![DavidwithanR](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/3bc359/32.png) [@DavidwithanR](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DavidwithanR)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2018, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-culinary-comments/822328/25 "2018-10-02T21:24:31Z")
I would rather have a really good pizza for which a coin toss is made to determine whether it has pineapple on it, instead of a mediocre pizza that guarantees my pineapple preference. (Which is without) ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2018, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-culinary-comments/822328/26 "2018-10-02T21:30:15Z")
Oh, and since when is “charcuterie” a thing? Last I knew, that was just an old-fashioned word for “butchery”. And **bumbazine** , while I agree in principle that competing over how spicy you can make something just for bragging rights is silly, sriracha doesn’t fall into that category. It’s got some heat to it, yes, and you won’t use it unless you like that, but it’s more about the flavor than just the heat. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2018, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-culinary-comments/822328/27 "2018-10-02T21:30:41Z")
> [@DavidwithanR](#): > > I would rather have a really good pizza for which a coin toss is made to determine whether it has pineapple on it, instead of a mediocre pizza that guarantees my pineapple preference. (Which is without) The weird thing is for me, back in the 90s when I was in college and even then thought Domino’s was absolutely the worst dog-shit pizza out there (an opinion I’ve since changed quite a bit after they’ve changed their recipes up) I discovered that I could actually tolerate it if there was pineapple on it. I don’t know what it was – maybe just the acidic component of the pineapple, or the sweet & sour element of it – but it actually gave the pizza some flavor. So, when a group of us cheap college students decided it was Domino’s for the night, pineapple and ham would be my vote for topping, which is so unusual for me, but the only Domino’s I could enjoy even as a cheap-ass college student. ---
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2018, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-culinary-comments/822328/28 "2018-10-02T21:32:55Z")
I don’t believe in the old adage don’t cook with anything you wouldn’t drink. If some leaves a six pack of Bud at my house, the only thing I’m going to use it for is boiling hot dogs or shrimp. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2018, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-culinary-comments/822328/29 "2018-10-02T21:33:14Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Oh, and since when is “charcuterie” a thing? Last I knew, that was just an old-fashioned word for “butchery”. Around here, mid-2000s. There was also a pretty popular book – at least among the cooking and chef-y type community – called [Charcuterie](https://www.amazon.com/Charcuterie-Craft-Salting-Smoking-Curing/dp/0393058298) that came out in 2005 that was reflective of the state of the trend and popularity at the time. It is a wonderful book, by the way and highly recommended it if you want to do anything from homemade bacon or duck prosciutto (both very easy) to more complex things like salami. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2018, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-culinary-comments/822328/30 "2018-10-02T21:39:33Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > And **bumbazine** , while I agree in principle that competing over how spicy you can make something just for bragging rights is silly, sriracha doesn’t fall into that category. It’s got some heat to it, yes, and you won’t use it unless you like that, but it’s more about the flavor than just the heat. Yes. Sriracha isn’t a particularly hot sauce. It’s just very garlicky and sweet with a bit of heat to it. Of course, how you perceive that heat depends on what you’re used to, but it’s not hot for the sake of being hot or anything. To me, it’s around Tabasco sauce level in heat, maybe a little bit less spicy than that. I’m not a big fan of it, as it skews a bit too sweet for my tastes, but I do have some in the house for mixing with mayo. I do like it mixed with mayo as a sandwich spread. Actually, now that I think of it, maybe Sriracha fits the OP’s bill for me. ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2018, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-culinary-comments/822328/31 "2018-10-02T21:45:59Z")
Salted butter has about 1/4 tsp of salt per stick. If the recipe only calls for a few tablespoons of butter, just use regular butter and salt to taste. If your recipe calls for a stick, use 1/4 tsp less salt. If it calls for five or six sticks (I’m lookin’ at you, Prudhomme…), you have other things to worry about than salt. ---
**Author:** ![RobDog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f07891/32.png) [@RobDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RobDog)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2018, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-culinary-comments/822328/32 "2018-10-02T21:55:24Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > … > > 1. Eggplant is under appreciated. I bought two nice eggplants from the farm market near us this morning. One I’m going to stuff, the other I’ll slice, salt, rinse, dry then grill… You might want to skip the salting and rinsing. Most modern cultivars don’t need it. I grew some Ronde de Valence this year that absolutely didn’t. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2018, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-culinary-comments/822328/33 "2018-10-02T22:24:08Z")
I’ve never seen any improvement by letting meat rest before you eat it, other then the fact it’s not hot. There is no difference in how juicy they are. Meat does not need to be salted before grilling. It tastes better without it. And there are very few dishes that need any salt. American cheese is an abomination. It’s the simplest way to ruin a hamburger. ---
**Author:** ![Ulfreida](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ulfreida/32/8014_2.png) [@Ulfreida](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulfreida)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2018, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-culinary-comments/822328/34 "2018-10-02T23:10:05Z")
> [@Icarus](#): > > I suppose that last one is not really that controversial… > > How about this one? > > We need a moratorium on french fries. Yeah, they’re crispy and salty and greasy, but they are just too overdone as an option. Can we please try using our collective imaginations and come up with some alternatives for general consumption? Maybe something that is a little healthier? NO. Sometimes they are the only edible thing on a fast food menu for me since almost all american fast food makes me retch. Except french fries. Do not take french fries away from me. ---
**Author:** ![Ulfreida](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ulfreida/32/8014_2.png) [@Ulfreida](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulfreida)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2018, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-culinary-comments/822328/35 "2018-10-02T23:16:00Z")
There is a reason about the corn. In the 1980’s several breeding breakthroughs combined to produce fresh-eating corn which was both unusually sweet and had a much longer shelf life – that is, the sugars did not turn quickly to starch starting the moment it was picked. It took awhile for this type of corn to completely dominate the market but it does now, and the taste doesn’t vary much from an hour old to a week old. ---
**Author:** ![Ulfreida](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ulfreida/32/8014_2.png) [@Ulfreida](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulfreida)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2018, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-culinary-comments/822328/36 "2018-10-02T23:18:25Z")
If you want tomatoes that taste good you have to buy at a farmer’s market or grow your own. They don’t ship well. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2018, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-culinary-comments/822328/37 "2018-10-02T23:27:47Z")
> [@Ulfreida](#): > > If you want tomatoes that taste good you have to buy at a farmer’s market or grow your own. They don’t ship well. That one I don’t think is controversial. 🙂 ---
**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:** [October 2, 2018, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-culinary-comments/822328/38 "2018-10-02T23:31:31Z")
> [@Ethilrist](#): > > Salted butter has about 1/4 tsp of salt per stick. If the recipe only calls for a few tablespoons of butter, just use regular butter and salt to taste. If your recipe calls for a stick, use 1/4 tsp less salt. If it calls for five or six sticks **(I’m lookin’ at you, Prudhomme…)**, you have other things to worry about than salt. And Rubuchon. That’s the secret to his silky-smooth potatoes - 50/50 potato and butter. Rooster Brand (Huy Fong) isn’t the best sriracha. That honor goes to [Yellowbird’s Blue Agave Sriracha.](https://thrivemarket.com/p/yellowbird-blue-agave-sriracha?utm_source=google&utm_medium=pla&utm_medium=pla&utm_source=google&utm_campaign=Shopping_CL0_Decile&utm_content=856262005167&utm_term=na&ccode=WELCOME&ccode_force=1&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIuL2ygPXo3QIVgWZ-Ch3ijQCSEAQYAyABEgJg7_D_BwE) ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2018, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-culinary-comments/822328/39 "2018-10-02T23:36:47Z")
I like Velveeta I am sorry I do, can’t help it.🙂 ---
**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:** [October 2, 2018, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-culinary-comments/822328/40 "2018-10-02T23:51:34Z")
Velveeta has its place. Nothing better as a base for Mac & Cheese, for example. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-culinary-comments/822328.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-culinary-comments/822328.md?page=3)