It gives the dish texture, mouth feel. A hard slice of cheddar might taste better, but the texture wouldn’t be the same.
Exactly what I was going to say.
mushrooms, at least the common varieties old in the US.
Eaten alone, they are very bland, with perhaps a vague nuttiness.
Eaten on pizza, it produces a je ne sais quoi synergy.
I’ve heard people say that so often that I wonder if they just can’t taste it.
Also, only cooked cucumber is tasteless: and that’s only if you cook it too fast or don’t let it brown at all.
I’m unsure of what people are talking about when they say “rice cakes”. Do they mean the agglomeration of puffed rice into disc-like patties, or do they mean dried omochi rectangles, which are also known as “rice cakes”. I’ve heard both described as “rice cakes”. I like the former, and barely tolerate the latter.
For me, the most tasteless food is konnyaku gel - it has a very, very, vague sense of salt, but that’s it.
The first one. The dry puffed-rice discs are commonly available in American supermarkets and are often part of weight-loss programs.
Everyone bitches about rice cakes, but I love them! They’re like big, fluffy crackers. My tasteless votes go to starfruit, instant cream of wheat and paprika, which I’ve heard is fabulous and multipurpose, but I, apparently, cannot taste it.
Me neither.
Another vote for rice cakes. Way back in the days of usenet I once made a post on alt.fan.cecil-adams asking if anyone actually liked them. I was surprised that a few people affirmed that they liked the taste of styrofoam.
Can’t taste paprika? I am nearly at a loss for words.
Of course, I’m one of those who tastes cilantro as a big mouthful of palmolive, so I understand not everyone interprets things the same. But to not taste it at all?
The SO loves it, I cannot taste it either, so I buy smoked paprika, then I can at least tell by the smoke flavor that I added it. It is, however, like sprinkles for savory foods. The pretty red at least looks good on potato salad or deviled eggs.
Can’t taste it at all. I promise. I always thought people used it as a coloring agent.
ETA: I have tried it straight. Can’t taste anything, just a powedery substance on the tongue and red residue on my teeth.
Star fruit probably has the most taste variance of any food that I have tasted. It can be unedibly sour, bland, or sweet, flavorful, and refreshing. But it seems like the odds of getting a good one are 1 in 10 or less.
My vote is for those styrofoam-like rice noodles that you sometimes get as a “bed” for your food at asian/asian fusion restaurants. They suck the flavor out of anything and give nothing in return.
For those who can’t taste paprika, you should try a good smoked paprika or pimenton de la vera.
How fresh is your jar of paprika? Like any other spice it loses taste with age.
I like the null flavored foods like cream of wheat, polenta, rice cakes, noodles - they absorb flavors when cooked properly with other ingredients, and make a nice neutral base for hot stuff like chili and curries.
Amen. You mean paprika has a taste?
What does it taste like?
From reading Wikipedia, I gather it’s supposed to taste like either sweet peppers or chili peppers or some member of the capsicum family, but I got nuthin’.
I wonder, do all you non-paprika tasting people, like me, like to eat really spicy food?
Yes. Honestly, I use paprika as a coloring agent only. Since I don’t put tomatoes in my chili, I use a lot of paprika to make it look more normal.
Others in my flavor-free category include:
Rice cakes (eww)
Pasta
Wheat bread
Cream of wheat or of rice
Instant potatoes
Bakers’ cheese
Like I said, the SO likes it and can taste it, so I buy good smoked paprika for him and go through it fairly quickly. The only thing I can taste of the smoked paprika is the smoke flavor.
Apparently, many varieties of animal penis. At least without chili sauce.