Recipe variations that ruin a dish for you

[silenus]

@DrDeth

In any case, the DL one is iconic, as it’s pretty rare nowadays to find on a menu and many who have had the DL version say it is the best.

Disneyland serves a pretty good MC, but the best one I’ve ever had is served up by Pea Soup Andersen’s in Buellton, CA. With raspberry preserves.

[apollonia]

@campp

I’ll probably get flamed for this, but: Pizza with pineapple as a topping. Why, why, WHY???

I also don’t understand what applesauce has to do with pork chops. Not disgusting or anything, but seems weird to me.

Pork and apples is a very, very old and traditional preparation. Recipes for roast pork and applesauce date back to the eighteenth century, and probably much further than we can trace. I’ve heard it attributed to the fact that pigs are traditionally slaughtered in autumn when apples are being harvested, but I think it’s more likely that fatty pork goes well with a slightly tart applesauce.

[Annie-Xmas]

@Shoeless

My wife is doing the Weight Watchers thing, so basically any recipe I make has to be made with low-fat or fat-free ingredients, which usually taste like ass compared to their fat-full counterparts.

True story: I was with a group of people and they started talking about the “best” diet foods. I kept quiet. Finally one of them turned to me and said “Annie, you’re thin. What do you think?” I said “I think real food tastes better.” There was a minute of dead silence, and then someone said “You know, you’re right.” I don’t think that thought had ever occurred to them before.

For me, it’s adding anything to good food to give it another flavor. Like strawberry cheesecake.

[Two_Many_Cats]

@LVBoPeep

French Dips only require 3 ingredients- a good French roll, roast beef and plenty of slightly salty au jus. It does not come with ciabatta bread, grilled onions, cheese or horseradish sauce.

The old hotel in town makes this perfectly. All the other restaurants that try to put some twist on it and it only results in disappointment.

AMEN! I cannot find a place that understands that putting mozzarella on a French Dip completely ruins the sandwich.

[Patx2]

I like my Mac and cheese just like that, macaroni and cheese. Please do not put vegetables or anything else in it. I don’t care if you serve other things on the side, but do not mix anything in with the Mac and cheese.

[actualliberalnotoneofthose]

@Lemur866

And the only reason lemon/lime juice is a key ingredient is that without that it’s just slices of avocado–which is completely fine. Plain avocado is just fine as plain avocado, but it’s not guacamole.

If your guacamole is sliced I think you are doing it wrong.

[Infovore]

@Annie-Xmas

True story: I was with a group of people and they started talking about the “best” diet foods. I kept quiet. Finally one of them turned to me and said “Annie, you’re thin. What do you think?” I said “I think real food tastes better.” There was a minute of dead silence, and then someone said “You know, you’re right.” I don’t think that thought had ever occurred to them before.

Yep. I just started Weight Watchers (for the second time, after I was an idiot and gained back my weight due to playing too much WoW). I have never denied myself anything I want while on WW. The trick is to only have it when you really want it (which is way less than I might have thought) and be mindful of portions.

Of course, it helps that I’m not much of a foodie so I’m happy with simple recipes (that helps a lot–I honestly don’t know how foodies do WW) but I’ve never had any trouble sticking to my daily points and still having my little indulgences.

For my entry for the OP, I’ll go with pineapple on pizza too. That’s an abomination. I also don’t like nuts in things that don’t need nuts (like chocolate chip cookies).

[DrDeth]

@Patx2

I like my Mac and cheese just like that, macaroni and cheese. Please do not put vegetables or anything else in it. I don’t care if you serve other things on the side, but do not mix anything in with the Mac and cheese.

Well, yes, I mostly agree, but I had some with bacon once and that was pretty tasty.

[Lemur866]

@actualliberalnotoneofthose

If your guacamole is sliced I think you are doing it wrong.

My point is that plain avocado with nothing is pretty damn good. It’s not guacamole. Adding lime juice–ok, and salt–is what turns it into guac. Sure, add some salsa type stuff in there. That’s fine. But any other fatty/creamy ingredient is just wrong, because that’s exactly what guacamole doesn’t need. It’s like saying, hey, let’s pep up that steak by adding a chicken breast on top.

[Iggy]

Chili should not have whole tomato chunks. Chili should get its texture from beef and perhaps beans. Some finely chopped onion is fine, for flavor but not huge chunks of a quartered onion.

But please, for all that is right and holy about chili, no damn corn. And no big slimy chunks of tomato. Puree that tomato or just use tomato paste when making the chili base.

[LVBoPeep]

@Two_Many_Cats

AMEN! I cannot find a place that understands that putting mozzarella on a French Dip completely ruins the sandwich.

Exactly- and also, I would like more than 2 Tbsp. of Au Jus…that would be nice…

[Patx2]

@DrDeth

Well, yes, I mostly agree, but I had some with bacon once and that was pretty tasty.

I do like bacon, but I still think I’d prefer it on the side. I will admit though, that bacon in Mac and cheese is not as horrendous an idea as putting other items in it.

[Skywatcher]

Alfredo with way too much nutmeg. Bleh!

@Soylent_Juicy

Nuts in anything. It’s disconcerting to be eating a nice soft loaf or cake then have some weird crunchy thing in your mouth. Especially walnuts.

I feel the same way about tuna salad. No crunchy stuff like onions or celery with my tuna, please.

[silenus]

It all depends on how you are serving the tuna salad. On a sandwich - no celery. In a tomato - celery. Eaten as a dip with Ruffles - definitely celery.

[Omega_Glory]

@Skywatcher

Alfredo with way too much nutmeg. Bleh!I feel the same way about tuna salad. No crunchy stuff like onions or celery with my tuna, please.

Celery is fine with me, but not relish. Same with topping breaded fish with tartar sauce.

[nearwildheaven]

@Annie-Xmas

True story: I was with a group of people and they started talking about the “best” diet foods. I kept quiet. Finally one of them turned to me and said “Annie, you’re thin. What do you think?” I said “I think real food tastes better.” There was a minute of dead silence, and then someone said “You know, you’re right.” I don’t think that thought had ever occurred to them before.

For me, it’s adding anything to good food to give it another flavor. Like strawberry cheesecake.

Someone on another website started a thread titled “This ice cream tastes like ass!” She described a frozen dessert that was 150 calories in a pint, and how she had just wasted $5 or so on this nasty stuff.

A little Google search revealed a product that was, as I put it, the inverse of Antarctic Infinity, and ever since, every time I see Arctic Zero in a freezer, I think of this thread. :o

Want 150 calories of ice cream? Figure it out and have that much of the real thing. You’ll be much more satisfied.

Out of morbid curiosity, I Googled “gluten free seitan” just to see if such a thing existed, and ended up starting this thread.

http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=829998

If you don’t know, real seitan (pronounced see-tan) is MADE OF gluten. :dubious:

[Ukulele_Ike]

@Iggy

Chili should not have whole tomato chunks. Chili should get its texture from beef and perhaps beans. Some finely chopped onion is fine, for flavor but not huge chunks of a quartered onion.

I made chili last week, and for the first time used a 10-oz can of Ro-tel diced tomatoes and green chiles. (Classic Texas brand) Even though the tomato didn’t entirely break down, it was soft enough not to spoil the chili.

Ordinarily I agree with you…I dont like TOO much tomato in my bowl of red, usually an 8-oz can of generic sauce or a few squirts of tomato paste from a tube to a pound of meat. But the Ro-tel was pretty good.

[John_Mace]

@Lemur866

My point is that plain avocado with nothing is pretty damn good. It’s not guacamole. Adding lime juice–ok, and salt–is what turns it into guac. Sure, add some salsa type stuff in there. That’s fine. But any other fatty/creamy ingredient is just wrong, because that’s exactly what guacamole doesn’t need.

Is there something in Leviticus about not mixing different fatty substances? I don’t add sour cream in my guac when I make it, but guac and sour cream are often served together with Mexican food (at least in CA) and when they are, it’s hard to avoid some miscegenation. It can be kinda tasty!

It’s like saying, hey, let’s pep up that steak by adding a chicken breast on top.

Or wrapping a slice of bacon around a pork chop. Or prosciutto around shrimp!

[Tzigone]

@AHunter3

I like a very simple ambrosia. It contains orange wedges (very carefully sliced out from the membrane divider-thingies so it is only the soft insides of the orange). It contains grated coconut.

Your favorite recipe may be just as time-honored, but if it calls for the inclusion of cherries, grapefruit, marshmallows (bleah!), or anything else that isn’t oranges and coconut, I will consider it ruined and I won’t be interested in eating it.

I have actually never heard of ambrosia without marshmallows. Maybe it’s regional? Doesn’t matter, as I dislike coconut and am not a fan of marshmallows in general (though rice krispy treats made with a big scoop of peanut butter mixed in are great), and so do not eat ambrosia.

When I look up ambrosia, it says fruit salad, so having only one fruit must not have been the original? I guess? Or does coconut count as a second fruit? Like I said - doesn’t really matter, since I’m not eating it either way.

[janis_and_c0]

@Jack_Batty

I won’t be able to put my finger on this one, because I’m not really sure the proper way to prepare this dish but … Chicken Tikka Masala.

I saw it prepared on some food show or another - maybe Guy Fee-Eddy - I it sounded and looked delicious. I’d heard of it, but never seen it before. Sounded interesting. I found some Tikka Masala simmer sauce and gave it my best shot and it was really good, but I wanted it prepared like it’s supposed to be prepared. So I ordered some take-out from the one Indian restaurant in my town and I don’t know what the fuck I got. The sauce was some weird beige color and I got three souffle cups with some esoteric sauces that I had no idea what to do with. I started doing some dipping and then I figured maybe I was suppose to dump it all together and goulash that shit. Wasn’t a good idea.

Anyway, I still haven’t had it proper, just my shitty simmer sauce version.

tikka masala

chicken parts
butter
yogurt
I can tomato paste
1 onion, sliced
garlic (fresh)
Garlic Powder
Ginger
Cumin,
Garam Masala
milk
sugar
lime
milk
1 bay leaf
fresh parsley
Marinate chicken in yougurt, cumin, ginger, red pepper,
garlic pwdr & 1 t GM overnight

broil in oven for 10 mins, flip then 10 more minutes
Meanwhile,
saute onions,1 bay leaf & garlic in butter
add tomato paste & milk
add about 3 quarters cup plain yogurt
add 1 t sugar & lime juice
add same spices used in marinade
add veggies & stir in sauce.
add parsley
adjust ingredients for taste
Let simmer & pour over chicken.

Not sure how “authentic” it is… but it’s delicious.