# On the omnipresence of food-snobbery in everyday recipes **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** food-cooking\ **Created:** [December 22, 2023, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-the-omnipresence-of-food-snobbery-in-everyday-recipes/995007 "2023-12-22T20:28:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 8
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2023, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-the-omnipresence-of-food-snobbery-in-everyday-recipes/995007/141 "2023-12-26T15:30:41Z")
As I said, I’m not Jewish. It’s just what I’ve been told by a couple of Jewish people. Obviously different people do different things. Some are observant, and others are not. I know at least one Jewish person who likes rumaki. In any case, I now know that bacon salt is kosher. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2023, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-the-omnipresence-of-food-snobbery-in-everyday-recipes/995007/142 "2023-12-26T16:10:19Z")
> [@Dandan](#): > > Well, what the hey, I’ll give that a try, but it will be an uphill test, because I DO purchase that block cheese, it’s always in my reefer for eating out of hand, on crackers, so on, and it has a pretty noticeable flavor deficit. I meant in comparison to shredded. When I eat cheese by itself, I go with something decent from the deli. I figure any subtle flavors would get lost in the jalapeno taste. When I use Velveeta for breakfast sandwiches, it is for convenience. The egg and bacon provide the flavor. The cheese is the Lucerne store brand of Safeway. It is one of the store brands they do reasonably well, so they must get it from a good supplier. Ditto their ice cream, though after we visited the Tillamook factory we got hooked on Tillamook ice cream which is a lot better. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2023, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-the-omnipresence-of-food-snobbery-in-everyday-recipes/995007/143 "2023-12-26T16:27:07Z")
> [@Voyager](#): > > though after we visited the Tillamook factory we got hooked on Tillamook ice cream which is a lot better. My wife likes ice cream, and sometimes I get her Tillamook. We go through a lot of Tillamook Medium Cheddar. I tried a brick of store brand a couple/few months ago, and decided the Tillamook was worth the extra couple of dollars. American cheese (_not_ ‘pasteurised cheese food’ or ‘pasteurised cheese product’ like Kraft Singles – Pasteurised process cheese is actually real cheese) comes from Chef’Store. Virtually all of the other cheeses come from Trader Joe’s. TJ’s has a good variety of very good cheeses, and they’re inexpensive to boot. ---
**Author:** ![Al128](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/al128/32/16541_2.png) [@Al128](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Al128)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2023, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-the-omnipresence-of-food-snobbery-in-everyday-recipes/995007/144 "2023-12-26T21:32:56Z")
> [@susan](#): > > I’ve been using extra virgin olive oil since before you were born. that’s not under Q. … what could be interesting is … **what percentage of “overall meal recipes” called for “E.V.O.O.”, 50 years ago, 30 years ago, 10 years and today …?** my gut feeling is - the difference is statistically significant. ---
**Author:** ![Al128](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/al128/32/16541_2.png) [@Al128](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Al128)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2023, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-the-omnipresence-of-food-snobbery-in-everyday-recipes/995007/145 "2023-12-26T21:35:31Z")
reminds me a bit of the potatoes in the canary island … patatas arrugadas (wrinkley/shrunk potatoes) that are cooked in saltwater, until the water is all gone and the potatoes are left with a (sea)salt crust. [![](https://c8.alamy.com/compes/dpa3ex/tenerife-islas-canarias-salado-papas-arrugadas-patatas-cocidas-con-agua-de-mar-y-cocidas-con-hortalizas-locales-pepino-tomate-dpa3ex.jpg) ](https://c8.alamy.com/compes/dpa3ex/tenerife-islas-canarias-salado-papas-arrugadas-patatas-cocidas-con-agua-de-mar-y-cocidas-con-hortalizas-locales-pepino-tomate-dpa3ex.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2023, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-the-omnipresence-of-food-snobbery-in-everyday-recipes/995007/146 "2023-12-26T21:51:31Z")
Any good? ETA: Are they cooked in seawater? Or salted fresh water? ---
**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:** [December 26, 2023, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-the-omnipresence-of-food-snobbery-in-everyday-recipes/995007/147 "2023-12-26T22:03:33Z")
Huh. That’s quite similar to Syracuse salt potatoes here in the US. ---
**Author:** ![Al128](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/al128/32/16541_2.png) [@Al128](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Al128)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2023, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-the-omnipresence-of-food-snobbery-in-everyday-recipes/995007/148 "2023-12-26T22:11:03Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > Any good? > > ETA: Are they cooked in seawater? Or salted fresh water? historically in seawater … they have plenty, they are an island Nowadays, for higene reasons, some might cook them in sweetwater and then **add sea-salt** → _facepalm_ ---
**Author:** ![Dandan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a87d85/32.png) [@Dandan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dandan)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2023, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-the-omnipresence-of-food-snobbery-in-everyday-recipes/995007/149 "2023-12-27T00:22:53Z")
> [@Voyager](#): > > When I eat cheese by itself, I go with something decent from the deli. Two words here, “decent” and “Deli”. Also, no Safeway. I simply have no good choices, which is painful after about 25 years back in Baltimore. Dan ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2023, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-the-omnipresence-of-food-snobbery-in-everyday-recipes/995007/150 "2023-12-27T13:29:00Z")
> [@Al128](#): > > that’s not under Q. … what could be interesting is … **what percentage of “overall meal recipes” called for “E.V.O.O.”, 50 years ago, 30 years ago, 10 years and today …?** > > my gut feeling is - the difference is statistically significant. 50 years ago - probably no olive oil at all unless you’re cooking Italian. 50 years ago when I was in grad school and cooking for myself I don’t think I even owned a bottle of it. We have some cook books from 50 years ago, 60 years ago, even a few from 100 years ago, and the ingredient lists are way different from what you see today. ---
**Author:** ![Guapo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ed655f/32.png) [@Guapo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guapo)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2023, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-the-omnipresence-of-food-snobbery-in-everyday-recipes/995007/151 "2023-12-27T14:42:18Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > No, you don’t understand: It’s literally the exact same stuff. The jar labeled just “Salt” and the jar labeled “Premium Sea Salt” both came out of that mine. They just stick different labels on it. Completely incorrect. You are describing rock salt like they put on roads for deicing. Table salt is made by making a brine from rock salt, removing magnesium and other impurities, then recrystalizing it, and adding iodine. Sea salt is made by evaporating ocean water. It is almost all sodium chloride, but it does have other minerals in it. Some people think that the iodine affects the taste. Kosher salt is usually uniodized. It has a larger grain size that is appropriate for koshering meat (removing all the blood). The size and shape of salt grains dramatically affects measurements. Table salt can weigh up to twice as much as a coarser salt per unit volume. That said, using expensive salts is pretty much an affectation in recipes. Uniodized kosher salt is perfect for most uses. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2023, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-the-omnipresence-of-food-snobbery-in-everyday-recipes/995007/152 "2023-12-27T15:36:21Z")
One of the many roundabouts on the island of Sint Maarten/Saint Martin has a statue recognizing “The Salt Pickers”, women/children/senior citizen slaves the Dutch used to collect salt for the 400 shiploads taken during the peak year. > **[Salt Pickers Monument | | Alluring World](https://www.alluringworld.com/salt-pickers-monument/)** > > The Salt Pickers Monument, also known as Salt Pickers Roundabout or simply as Salt Pickers, is a bronze memorial that is dedicated to the people who were used to exploit salt deposits, and it is located on a roundabout in Philipsburg, the capital... ---
**Author:** ![jnglmassiv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f07891/32.png) [@jnglmassiv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jnglmassiv)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2023, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-the-omnipresence-of-food-snobbery-in-everyday-recipes/995007/153 "2023-12-27T16:00:13Z")
> [@Guapo](#): > > Sea salt is made by evaporating ocean water. Like it or not, what we buy as ‘sea salt’ is often mined. ---
**Author:** ![TruCelt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trucelt/32/523_2.png) [@TruCelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TruCelt)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2023, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-the-omnipresence-of-food-snobbery-in-everyday-recipes/995007/154 "2023-12-28T00:07:45Z")
> [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](#): > > Diamond Crystal® kosher salt was developed over 130 years ago using a craft evaporation process that creates unique hollow, multifaceted salt crystals. Unlike other kosher salts, Diamond Crystal® does not use additives nor mechanical compaction and it’s still crafted in the same facility it was originally crafted. It even contains 53% less sodium by volume compared to table salt Most importantly, Diamond is considered the standard in testing kitchens and restaurants. If a recipe doesn’t specify, they are surely using Diamond. I have seen professional chefs ruin a dish on Top Chef because they were using a salt they weren’t accustomed to and either over or under salted it. It very definitely does make a difference. ---
**Author:** ![CairoCarol](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cairocarol/32/3825_2.png) [@CairoCarol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CairoCarol)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2023, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-the-omnipresence-of-food-snobbery-in-everyday-recipes/995007/155 "2023-12-28T01:15:42Z")
May I add the obligatory “I can make it better and cheaper at home” post now? Our beaches have lots of lava rock flats with indentations from bubbles that burst while the lava was liquid. Especially during winter, sea water collects and evaporates in these little pools, creating delicate salt panes. I collect this salt and purify it (by dissolving it in boiling water and straining it 2-3 times, to remove the little rocks and shells and stuff), then evaporate it in the oven. Voila! Homemade sea salt from Hawai’i! It’s not actually better. And it really isn’t cheaper, given the huge amount of labor that goes into making it. But dammit, I do it anyway. It’s fun. ---
**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:** [December 28, 2023, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-the-omnipresence-of-food-snobbery-in-everyday-recipes/995007/156 "2023-12-28T01:45:21Z")
I’ve seen the cooking show contests. Chopped, Top Chef, Iron Chef. The tasters are fond of saying to chefs, pro or not they’ve under salted. It’s a standard complaint. Personally I think the judges may have burnt their tongues too often. They literally use handfuls of salt if you watch closely. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2023, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-the-omnipresence-of-food-snobbery-in-everyday-recipes/995007/157 "2023-12-28T03:08:57Z")
> [@TruCelt](#): > > Most importantly, Diamond is considered the standard in testing kitchens and restaurants. If a recipe doesn’t specify, they are surely using Diamond. Can you cite this? ---
**Author:** ![TruCelt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trucelt/32/523_2.png) [@TruCelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TruCelt)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2023, 7:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-the-omnipresence-of-food-snobbery-in-everyday-recipes/995007/158 "2023-12-28T07:55:26Z")
> [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](#): > > Can you cite this? It’s the sort of thing you get a feel for after reading hundreds of cook books and watching tons of cooking shows, talking and typing with professional chefs, and trading recipes with restaurant owners. If you google it and check fifteen or twenty answers, I’m sure you’ll see, but I can’t think of any one cite that would convince you. ---
**Author:** ![Al128](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/al128/32/16541_2.png) [@Al128](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Al128)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2023, 10:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-the-omnipresence-of-food-snobbery-in-everyday-recipes/995007/159 "2023-12-28T10:34:01Z")
> [@TruCelt](#): > > Most importantly, Diamond is considered the standard in testing kitchens and restaurants. If a recipe doesn’t specify, they are surely using Diamond. in what geography? def. not true on a wider (global) scale … ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2023, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-the-omnipresence-of-food-snobbery-in-everyday-recipes/995007/160 "2023-12-28T14:10:54Z")
> [@TruCelt](#): > > If you google it and check fifteen or twenty answers, I’m sure you’ll see, but I can’t think of any one cite that would convince you. How on earth would I Google for recipes that don’t specify the salt they’re using, but they are secretly using diamond brand kosher salt? This sounds like nonsense to me, but I am open to evidence that it is not. It sounds like you don’t have anything other than a gut feeling, though. Which is fine! I just don’t share that feeling. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-the-omnipresence-of-food-snobbery-in-everyday-recipes/995007.md?page=7) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-the-omnipresence-of-food-snobbery-in-everyday-recipes/995007.md?page=9)