# Foods you like prepared "wrong". **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 11, 2015, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-you-like-prepared-wrong/734231 "2015-10-11T01:18:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**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 11, 2015, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-you-like-prepared-wrong/734231/41 "2015-10-11T14:08:51Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > I’ve never heard of draining white rice. How can you? It will absorb as much water as you put in it, turning into paste if you use too much. Yeah, draining rice is not the usual method. It’s typically just add enough water (usually around twice or a little less by volume so it is completely absorbed when cooked.) That said, there is also the “pasta method” for cooking rice where you dump rice into way, way more water than you’d use for the normal preparation, let it cook until done, and then drain. I’ve seen this method used a lot around South Asian people and restaurants. ---
**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 11, 2015, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-you-like-prepared-wrong/734231/42 "2015-10-11T14:09:55Z")
> [@Biggirl](#): > > I like my scrambled eggs tinged brown. I like my Guinness ice cold. I like my Caesar salad anchovie-less and with chicken and my chili with meat. How is chili with meat wrong? 😕 Meat and chile peppers define chili (or at least the original forms of chili. The definition has since much expanded to include various spicy stews.) ---
**Author:** ![Omega\_Glory](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/7c8e57/32.png) [@Omega\_Glory](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omega_Glory)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2015, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-you-like-prepared-wrong/734231/43 "2015-10-11T14:11:35Z")
I like my chicken wingettes to be baked extra crispy, to the point that they stick to the baking sheet and the meat (not just the skin) crunches when you bite it. I poke several holes in sausages, like bratwurst, so that most of the juices drain out as they cook. Bacon should be cooked through, but not crispy. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2015, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-you-like-prepared-wrong/734231/44 "2015-10-11T14:12:35Z")
Undercooked French fries for sure. Chili without beans is sloppy joe mix suitable for sandwich making. ---
**Author:** ![FairyChatMom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fairychatmom/32/21906_2.png) [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2015, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-you-like-prepared-wrong/734231/45 "2015-10-11T14:23:06Z")
I like instant mashed potatoes. Not to the exclusion of real mashed potatoes, but sometimes I don’t have time to peel, boil, and mash, and the instant ones are done in about 5 minutes. And if you substitute sour cream for some of the milk, they’re quite tasty. I prefer my toast to be warmed bread. I quit eating canned veggies over 20 years ago - frozen or fresh are infinitely superior! ---
**Author:** ![Quimby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/22d042/32.png) [@Quimby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quimby)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2015, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-you-like-prepared-wrong/734231/46 "2015-10-11T14:58:36Z")
> [@actualliberalnotoneofthose](#): > > I’ll take the non-crunchy bacon. French Fries to me are supposed to be sort of limp, but not shoestring- so that’s a different thing I guess. I specified Shoestring because for steak fries or crinkle cut I do like some bite to them but for shoestring, earthworm strength it is. I am also on board with chewy bacon and (which someone else posted) lumpy mashed potatoes. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2015, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-you-like-prepared-wrong/734231/47 "2015-10-11T16:54:19Z")
> [@actualliberalnotoneofthose](#): > > I don’t eat cereal, but when I did I never put milk on it. I too don’t put milk on my cereal. Every workday AM I consume a cup of bran buds dry, washing it down with iced tea. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2015, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-you-like-prepared-wrong/734231/48 "2015-10-11T17:11:07Z")
I like a little melted butter and salt on my corn chex. I prefer butter to cream cheese on my toasted bagel. I especially hate the huge globs of cream cheese that many delis feel is required. Apparently a lot of people whip their mashed potatoes. It’s just wrong. I like mayo on my PB sandwich. I like mayo with my fries. I prefer my oatmeal savory, made with a bit of thyme, and topped with bacon and a fried egg. ---
**Author:** ![Sahirrnee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sahirrnee/32/13937_2.png) [@Sahirrnee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sahirrnee)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2015, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-you-like-prepared-wrong/734231/49 "2015-10-11T17:35:38Z")
> [@hogarth](#): > > We found a few like-minded souls in this old thread: > [Anyone else not like really moist chicken? - Cafe Society - Straight Dope Message Board](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=706834) and I posted there too :smack: ---
**Author:** ![Abracadebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f04885/32.png) [@Abracadebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Abracadebra)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2015, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-you-like-prepared-wrong/734231/50 "2015-10-11T18:10:14Z")
> [@Master\_Wang-Ka](#): > > I like chili with chopped raw onions, and beans are just fine. Topped with shredded cheddar. Mmm! Sharp cheddar. I instruct the server to tell the chef to cook my beef as rare as he can legally do so. Mashed potatoes must be lumpy and made with real butter, cream cheese, and sea salt. If creamy Italian dressing or Green Goddess is available for my salad, I’m good. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Girlfriend](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.girlfriend/32/193_2.png) [@Dr.Girlfriend](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Girlfriend)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2015, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-you-like-prepared-wrong/734231/51 "2015-10-11T18:24:40Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > Yes. None of this creamy sloppy nonsense. I mash potatoes until they are broken, then I stop. Yep, me too. My mashed potatoes have to still have some texture to them. I leave the skins on a lot of the time too. I also like my turkey dry with gravy. One year on Thanksgiving my brother-in-law brined and deep-fried the turkey. The meat was way too moist for me. I wound up heating up my leftovers in the oven to dry them out. ---
**Author:** ![Spud](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spud/32/347_2.png) [@Spud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spud)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2015, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-you-like-prepared-wrong/734231/52 "2015-10-11T18:44:37Z")
For my wife… practically everything. She likes her steak well done. She thinks chicken should be dry. She thinks bacon is fine in the microwave. Anything prepared in the oven she sets the timer several minutes less than what is called for. “Toast” for her is barely warmed bread. I know some will side with her, but for veggies she wants them just barely steamed. I’m a good Southern boy so know that the green beans should be cooked with the onions and bacon for a good long time, not just passed briefly over some steaming water. For me… I make the guys at the deli cringe whenever I come in a and order peppered beef on an onion roll… with Mayo. ---
**Author:** ![Trinopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2015, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-you-like-prepared-wrong/734231/53 "2015-10-11T19:46:58Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > Yeah, draining rice is not the usual method. It’s typically just add enough water (usually around twice or a little less by volume so it is completely absorbed when cooked.) That said, there is also the “pasta method” for cooking rice where you dump rice into way, way more water than you’d use for the normal preparation, let it cook until done, and then drain. I’ve seen this method used a lot around South Asian people and restaurants. The latter was how I was taught to do it “right.” As you say, just like pasta. And I don’t drain pasta, either: I’ve figured out how much water will get absorbed, and only use that much. ---
**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 11, 2015, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-you-like-prepared-wrong/734231/54 "2015-10-11T20:01:40Z")
> [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](#): > > I’ll be right over! 😉 Too late! ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2015, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-you-like-prepared-wrong/734231/55 "2015-10-11T20:08:01Z")
A few of my own idiosyncracies, which may or may not overlap with those mentioned above; I find that French fries are best when they’re cooked crispy, then left to sit (as under a heat lamp) for just long enough that they start to become soft again. I order my steaks well-done, unless I’m at a quality steakhouse where I’m going to be paying top dollar, in which case I’ll ask for it about halfway between medium and medium-well. I cook my pasta for several minutes past “al dente”. I can’t eat baked beans without first stirring about a spoonful of generic yellow mustard into them. I take my Philly cheesesteaks with pepperjack cheese. And ranch dressing. And a squeeze of orange. And pepperoni. I like skins in my mashed potatoes, but I prefer the flesh itself to be whipped to the point of lumplessness, and mixed with a generous amount of chili oil. I refuse to eat a hamburger that has any type of cheese on it other than bleu cheese, unless it is an open-faced chili burger, in which case sharp cheddar is mandatory. I take my pastrami sandwiches on sourdough. I absolutely detest the presence of ice cubes in any beverage that does not contain hard liquor. ---
**Author:** ![lorene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/65b543/32.png) [@lorene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lorene)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2015, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-you-like-prepared-wrong/734231/56 "2015-10-12T03:09:27Z")
I sometimes eat my sushi with wasabi and ginger, which evidently is a terrible thing to do. Actually, I’ll dip a slice of ginger in soy sauce, then lay it in the piece of sushi before popping it in my mouth. ---
**Author:** ![mbh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a6a055/32.png) [@mbh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mbh)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2015, 3:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-you-like-prepared-wrong/734231/57 "2015-10-12T03:55:54Z")
As I get older, I seem to prefer steaks cooked longer. I used to order steaks medium-rare. Lately, I have had to order them medium-well, in order to get what I consider to be medium. Some of the ritzier restaurants in my town advertise their dry-aged steaks. The few times I tried them, my knee-jerk reaction was, “They are cleaning out the refrigerator, and trying to get rid of stuff that is on the verge of spoiling.” I prefer the cheaper un-aged version. I prefer the bread served in cheaper restaurants to the hard, dry rolls served in the fancy places. (I know the baguette is French, but it is not the be-all and end-all of the baker’s art.) Scrambled eggs should not be slimy. When not scrambled, I don’t mind a soft yolk, but the white should be thoroughly cooked. ---
**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 12, 2015, 4:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-you-like-prepared-wrong/734231/58 "2015-10-12T04:30:50Z")
> [@mbh](#): > > Lately, I have had to order them medium-well, in order to get what I consider to be medium. Interestingly, I often find I have to order a degree of doneness lower (but this varies by restaurant) to get the doneness I prefer. I find that most places, when they err, err on the side of overdone, not the other way around. This is especially so with burgers. Most places where I order a 1/2 pound burger to medium rare, I get what I’d consider medium. I have to either ask straight-up for rare, or plead with the instruction “medium rare, but please err on the side of rare” to get what I consider medium rare. ---
**Author:** ![Alpha\_Twit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alpha_twit/32/265_2.png) [@Alpha\_Twit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alpha_Twit)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2015, 11:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-you-like-prepared-wrong/734231/59 "2015-10-12T11:53:24Z")
I like my burgers cooked completely through - no trace of pink in the middle at all. Almost any soup you put in front of me will get crushed crackers, corn chips or Fritos added to it until it turns into a thick mush. Bacon must be thick sliced and very, very well done/crisp. Heresy though it may be, I like ketchup on smoked brisket. ---
**Author:** ![Dendarii\_Dame](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bbce88/32.png) [@Dendarii\_Dame](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dendarii_Dame)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2015, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-you-like-prepared-wrong/734231/60 "2015-10-12T13:37:57Z")
I like poached eggs cooked long enough that you could bounce them off a wall. Seven minutes, minimum. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-you-like-prepared-wrong/734231.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-you-like-prepared-wrong/734231.md?page=4)