# The Most Under/Over rated Foods **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** food-cooking\ **Created:** [April 8, 2026, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-under-over-rated-foods/1029125 "2026-04-08T18:33:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![pkbites](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pkbites/32/204_2.png) [@pkbites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pkbites)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2026, 6:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-under-over-rated-foods/1029125/41 "2026-04-09T06:11:41Z")
And now for the sacrilege: Overated: Bacon! Either too chewy or too crispy, too fatty, Loaded with sodium and it isn’t that great tasting. When it comes to unhealthy processed meat I prefer pepperoni. Underrated: Ketchup! It’s like tomato wine. Get the good stuff with no corn syrup and low to no vinegar content that’s graded no less than USDA Fancy. ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2026, 6:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-under-over-rated-foods/1029125/42 "2026-04-09T06:43:52Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > I guess i think of beans as an entree. My husband often serves beans. (Or lentils, or chickpeas) I usually prepare hunk-o-meat. Something to think about, though. Honestly, I never thought of beans as an entree. To me, they’ve always been a side dish. Years ago, I spent probably far too much time at a British-style pub back in Toronto, where a steak and mushroom pie with a side of beans or mushy peas (your choice) made a tasty and filling meal. Mostly, I chose beans on the side, but opted for mushy peas a few times. They’re a little unusual to my North American taste, but I found them to be actually quite good. For me, an underrated entry would be the humble Bacon-Lettuce-Tomato sandwich. Sure, they’re what is served in every truck stop, every diner, and every sports bar; but they require so few ingredients and are so simple to make that it is difficult to mess them up. Even if they’re not on the menu, any diner etc. worth its salt can make one if you ask; and they are easy enough to make at home with the same results as any diner. Great for breakfast, lunch, or as a light dinner, accompanied by some sort of fried potatoes; they are so versatile that they can satisfy hunger at all hours. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2026, 11:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-under-over-rated-foods/1029125/43 "2026-04-09T11:19:38Z")
> [@pkbites](#): > > Overated: Bacon! > > Either too chewy or too crispy, too fatty, Loaded with sodium and it isn’t that great tasting. When it comes to unhealthy processed meat I prefer pepperoni. I’ll agree with you. Well, I don’t like pepperoni, and i do enjoy some nice crispy bacon. But it’s not the food of the gods. It doesn’t improve everything. I don’t understand the esteem it’s held in. ---
**Author:** ![Thumper668](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thumper668/32/20803_2.png) [@Thumper668](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thumper668)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2026, 11:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-under-over-rated-foods/1029125/44 "2026-04-09T11:23:53Z")
I think the internet is largely responsible. Bacon is one of the few foods that most people like, so it was easy for it to become a meme. I love bacon, but I have to agree it is now overrated ---
**Author:** ![Moonrise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/moonrise/32/14764_2.png) [@Moonrise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moonrise)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2026, 12:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-under-over-rated-foods/1029125/45 "2026-04-09T12:35:08Z")
> [@california\_jobcase](#): > > Mayonnaise as a condiment is lousy. The thing with mayonnaise is that the store-bought glop has very little to do with the home-made version. While this is true of many types of food, the difference between industrial and traditional mayonnaise is so huge that they’re almost different products. When I was a kid, my grandmother sometimes made mayonnaise and fries when we stayed with her for the evening. Simple as it was, this was some of the best food I’ve ever had. Actually, I would eat the home-made mayonnaise by the spoon, it was just so unbelievably yummy. So, home-made mayonnaise is my pick for underrated food. That, and hummus. It’s supposed to be a side dish, but I can eat it with nothing else. > [@ParallelLines](#): > > Overrated: Truffles. I’m not one of those that find them pungent and disgusting, but while they’re pleasant enough, they’re so overpriced for what you get that they’re a huge “why bother?” for me. Especially because in many cases diluted elements are being added to dishes for the poshness rather than as an actual flavor (like gold foil). Yes truffles. Very overrated. So expensive but the taste is both weird and meh to me. Sure, it’s distinctive but really nothing special, particularly at that price. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2026, 12:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-under-over-rated-foods/1029125/46 "2026-04-09T12:55:41Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > Lobster. Overrated and egregiously expensive in restaurants, yet we sign up for “lobster week” at a local restaurant every year, because my wife loves it. I like a good lobster dish every now and again, but it’s almost into cult territory these days. I mean, even in non tourist-trap Maine in the summer, it’s _still_ outrageously expensive. At half the cost, it would be a good deal, but where it is? You’ve got to really, really love lobster. I’ve also thought that steak is overrated. I also like a good steak every now and again, but at least around here, there’s a segment of the population for whom it is the ne plus ultra of fine dining. So there’s an overabundance of steak places around here in drag as fine dining places, when they’re really just old-school steakhouses with a few fine dining touches. For my part, give me something that requires an actual chef, not some goon running a grill/broiler. ---
**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:** [April 9, 2026, 1:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-under-over-rated-foods/1029125/47 "2026-04-09T13:24:46Z")
> [@bump](#): > > I’ve also thought that steak is overrated. I like a good steak. My major beef (ha!) with it is that a dinner for two at a decent steak house is in the $200 range. I’d rather have a burger. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2026, 1:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-under-over-rated-foods/1029125/48 "2026-04-09T13:31:39Z")
I like a good steak, and i like a good lobster. But there’s an awful lot of mediocre to bad lobster sold, and it’s very meh. Truth be told, i like crab even more than lobster. But both are only good fresh, and i live near good lobster territory, and not near good crabbing territory. The best crabs I’ve had were dungeness, from Portland Oregon through Vancouver, BC. So my shellfish treat is lobster. At least restaurant steak is usually very good. ---
**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:** [April 9, 2026, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-under-over-rated-foods/1029125/49 "2026-04-09T13:43:30Z")
I’m with the lobster crew. Never really cared much for it, and definitely don’t care for it at the prices it goes for. As much as I enjoy steak about four times a year, I find it over-rated, as well. And, also, at today’s prices, forget about it. I’d rather have beef shank or chuck roast, though I almost bought some rib roast at $6.99/lb to cut into steaks (but the deal ended yesterday. ☹ ) ---
**Author:** ![Eonwe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eonwe/32/240_2.png) [@Eonwe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eonwe)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2026, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-under-over-rated-foods/1029125/50 "2026-04-09T13:51:33Z")
Over rated? IPAs (beer style). While the peak craze is past, shelves and tap lines are still overwhelmingly filled with IPAs. They can be fine. There are some that are excellent and I will choose over other options. But the major focus of that style, which seems to be “hop forward and juicy… as much as possible” is just… not that good. ---
**Author:** ![Thumper668](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thumper668/32/20803_2.png) [@Thumper668](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thumper668)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2026, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-under-over-rated-foods/1029125/51 "2026-04-09T13:57:36Z")
I’m a steak lover, but the range can vary from almost inedible (cooked past 140F) to rapturous. A couple examples: I was recently treated to dinner at a very upscale Manhattan steakhouse and ordered a strip sirloin cooked rare. The cook was perfect, and it was served on a very hot plate to hold the temperature. But in spite of the significant expense and extravagant presentation, to be honest it wasn’t any better than a $20 strip at a Longhorn. On a recent trip to the grocery store I found 2 extra thick (2" plus) bone-in ribeyes at a heavy discount. I reverse-seared them on an offset smoker, i.e. smoked to 100F internal temp and then seared on direct heat. Those were probably the best steaks I’ve ever eaten, and they cost me less than $50. My p[oint being that as much as I love steak, it can border on overrated. I’ll still eat it even if it’s so-so, but not if it’s cooked past medium. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2026, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-under-over-rated-foods/1029125/52 "2026-04-09T14:11:09Z")
> [@Procrustus](#): > > I think lobster is a good example, as I _like_ it, (and will eat it gladly) but still think it’s overrated. I agree. I like lobster a lot but in the category of things from the ocean that aren’t fish it’s far down the line. I much prefer a good crab or scallop dish. Lobster is good but overrated. > [@Chefguy](#): > > It’s very hard to find a really good authentic taco, so I tend to agree with this. But there is a place close to us that serves killer birria tacos, with corn shells that are dipped in the broth and fat from the stew pot and then fried on the grill. Damn, but those are good! I think authentic is overrated. Authentic doesn’t equal good. I’ve tried multiple authentic Mexican restaurants near me run by authentic Mexican people and they are just ok. The best food I’ve found is in Tex-Mex place that’s attempting to expand into a franchise. Not authentic to what you would find south of the border but it’s really tasty. I don’t agree that wine is overrated. I think expensive wine is overrated. I’ve had very expensive wine that was very good. I’ve also had cheap wine that I enjoyed a lot. You don’t have to empty your wallet to find something you like. At a bar I find the house wine to be enjoyable most of the time. I think cantaloupe is underrated. I think the problem is there is a very short window where it is perfectly ripe. Outside of that window it’s not great. ---
**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:** [April 9, 2026, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-under-over-rated-foods/1029125/53 "2026-04-09T15:27:58Z")
Oh, absolutely agreed. IPAs are what got me into craft brews back in the early 2000s, and I do love them, but there are still way toooooooo fricking many of them. There’s just no way to differentiate them in such a crowded market, so I generally would stick to what I know when it came to IPAs and order almost anything else when I’m out because I have had enough IPAs in my life. For underrated, I already mentioned beef shanks, though not specifically as an underrated food, but as a beef cut I mostly prefer to steak. Beef cheek also fits into this category, but is not as well-known. I actually want to shut up about this, lest what has happened to flank and oxtails happens to them. For vegetables, I find kohlrabi underrated. I might also put rutabaga in that pile. For the last year and a half I have been on a Turkish lebneh kick that has yet to abate. It’s like a cross between a light cream cheese and a Greek yogurt. The mouthfeel is a bit more buttery and rich than Greek yogurt, and it’s not as sour. There are many lebnehs that have that strong yogurt tang to them, but the Turkish stuff I’ve bought (Içim and one other brand) have a very muted sour kick to them that puts me more in the mind of something like a soft, spoonable cream cheese than a yogurt. Sardines are another one for me. Also been on a kick for the past year and a half. I can’t get sick of the little fishies. Mackerel, as well. ---
**Author:** ![chela](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chela/32/21582_2.png) [@chela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chela)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2026, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-under-over-rated-foods/1029125/54 "2026-04-09T15:38:15Z")
Keep these guys in mind @pulykamell if you’re out and about at any farmers markets this summer or near the food hall in the Old Post Office. Hummus pitas labneh carrot dip and more all excellent. > **[Home | laimoon](https://www.laimoonchicago.com/)** ---
**Author:** ![Seanette](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/seanette/32/9139_2.png) [@Seanette](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Seanette)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2026, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-under-over-rated-foods/1029125/55 "2026-04-09T16:11:00Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > For the last year and a half I have been on a Turkish lebneh kick that has yet to abate. It’s like a cross between a light cream cheese and a Greek yogurt. The mouthfeel is a bit more buttery and rich than Greek yogurt, and it’s not as sour. There are many lebnehs that have that strong yogurt tang to them, but the Turkish stuff I’ve bought (Içim and one other brand) have a very muted sour kick to them that puts me more in the mind of something like a soft, spoonable cream cheese than a yogurt. This sounds like something I’d want to try. How hard is it to find? I’m in Sacramento, CA, if it matters. ---
**Author:** ![sciurophobic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cab0a1/32.png) [@sciurophobic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sciurophobic)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2026, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-under-over-rated-foods/1029125/56 "2026-04-09T16:21:03Z")
> [@jnglmassiv](#): > > Same with steaks & chops. Large wet muscles, barely seasoned, barely cooked that people LOVE are almost always a pass for me. Agree. I would rather have something like short ribs or bulgogi. Even a really good cheesesteak. ---
**Author:** ![sciurophobic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cab0a1/32.png) [@sciurophobic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sciurophobic)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2026, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-under-over-rated-foods/1029125/57 "2026-04-09T16:27:34Z")
> [@Thumper668](#): > > like licorice or pineapple on pizza. There’s no such thing as licorice pizza, other than the defunct Southern California [record store](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Licorice_Pizza_(store)) chain and the movie it was named after. ---
**Author:** ![carrps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carrps/32/2957_2.png) [@carrps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carrps)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2026, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-under-over-rated-foods/1029125/58 "2026-04-09T16:37:32Z")
> [@Thumper668](#): > > In my house a small squeeze bottle of Heinz ketchup lasts a year. A large jar of Hellman’s mayo lasts about a month. Sounds like my house. But the ketchup bottle would probably last two years. And end up being thrown out for being too old. > [@nearwildheaven](#): > > As for butterscotch, that seems to be something of a “grown-up” flavor. It was my favorite flavor of pudding since I was a little kid. There’s a restaurant (JAR) in Hollywood that has a to-die-for butterscoth pudding. I also always got the butterscotch sundae (with Dutch chocolate ice cream) at the late lamented Wil Wright’s. It was real butterscotch, not the overly sweet thin stuff you get most places nowadays. My underrated item is real butter. I _love_ butter. Even when I was about four years old I knew the difference, and I vowed that once I was paying for my own food, margarine would never pass my lips again. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2026, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-under-over-rated-foods/1029125/59 "2026-04-09T16:46:28Z")
Under-rated—-a Baked Potato. It hits the spot, and is tasty. Over-rated—Creme brulee. It’s just custard. So what? ---
**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:** [April 9, 2026, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-under-over-rated-foods/1029125/60 "2026-04-09T16:49:31Z")
Do you have a Muslim community? That’s where I always find it. I was specifically turned on to the Turkish type by a shopkeeper as I was perusing the five brands of lebneh they sold, in addition to their homemade product. I see Icim lebneh is available on Amazon for me, but $40 for 1 kg total. I typically buy it at around $6-7 for 500g. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-under-over-rated-foods/1029125.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-under-over-rated-foods/1029125.md?page=4)