# 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:** 5
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2026, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-under-over-rated-foods/1029125/81 "2026-04-10T02:18:01Z")
> [@Tamerlane](#): > > Not only do I dislike the lingering odor/taste of lighter fluid myself, but I once had a front-seat view to my father (PhD in physics from Cornell) blowing up an almost empty can in his hand trying to squeeze the last few drops out over open flame. As a volunteer ranger, i saw this too often. I had to tell them to add the fluid to a some charcoal not in the BBQ, then add the soaked briquette to the BBQ- assuming the BBQ had 'gone out"- which often it hadnt really. I saw many singed arms and eyebrows. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2026, 9:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-under-over-rated-foods/1029125/82 "2026-04-10T09:21:22Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > 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. Are we talking fresh, or canned? Nothing like nice Mediterranean baked sardines, whether what I think of as Portuguese-style (with a tomato sauce), Greek-style(lemon and garlic and herb crust), Moroccan-style (stuffed with chermoula) or any other way. But that needs fresh. ---
**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:** [April 10, 2026, 9:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-under-over-rated-foods/1029125/83 "2026-04-10T09:36:26Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > There are people who actually get excited by baked potatoes. I can’t, for the life of me, understand why. Drier than rice, blander than quinoa, not nearly as satisfying as bread. A baked potato is much like a wedge salad. It’s merely a delivery mechanism for foods that you wouldn’t eat on their own. You can’t eat a pile of sour cream and cheddar cheese and green onions and butter, but toss it on a baked potato and you’re good. If you tried to eat a bowl of bacon bits, tomatoes, chopped egg, bleu cheese, and buttermilk, you’d get looked at cock-eyed, but dump it on a chunk of iceberg and you’re 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 10, 2026, 12:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-under-over-rated-foods/1029125/84 "2026-04-10T12:13:54Z")
I’m talking in-the-can snack type things (well, they’re also good in a pasta). I don’t know if I’ve had fresh grilled sardines or not, but I’ve had and prepared grilled mackerel, and that stuff is fantastic. But I’m talking simple joys in the pantry for myself, something I could pop open when I get the munchies around lunchtime and not feel guilty for eating. ---
**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 10, 2026, 12:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-under-over-rated-foods/1029125/85 "2026-04-10T12:18:31Z")
> [@Tamerlane](#): > > Few and far between are the meats I judge superior smoked. Never any kind of fish or poultry, like not ever. Pork shoulder and ribs are at best about roughly equivalent and at worst slightly inferior. Steaks, tri-tip and most other cuts of red meat are frankly better grilled or roasted. About the only thing I’ll agree is best smoked is beef brisket. > > I’m very generally perfectly fine with smoked meats. You serve a smoked turkey for Thanksgiving and I’ll happily eat it without complaints. But is it better or even fully as good as an oven-roasted turkey? No, it is not. For that matter oven-roasted turkey also beats fried 🙂. Ooh, i agree! At the place we go for summer vacation, the chef built a smoker. The first year he used it for _everything_. That was a sad year, food-wise. He still uses it for the Sunday lunch turkeys. We used to have roast turkeys, now it’s smoked. It’s fine. But i always think, “this would be better if it didn’t taste smoky”. ---
**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 10, 2026, 12:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-under-over-rated-foods/1029125/86 "2026-04-10T12:24:40Z")
Hmm. I don’t especially want to eat a mound of sour cream and cheddar cheese, either, although i will eat the stuff that falls out of my taco. But the taco is superior in every way. I get meat and beans, too. And it’s all wrapped in a delicious crunchy corn chip (go sue me, i like crunchy corn taco shells) instead of a bland baked potato. Iceberg lettuce is underrated. Crunchy, refreshing, and i rather like the flavor of the lettuce. I’m another fan of canned Norwegian sardines, the little ones that would grow up to be something like a mackerel. Greasy and rich and just sitting there at room temp, waiting for the moment i want to eat them. A very satisfying lunch on toast or flatbread. ---
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2026, 12:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-under-over-rated-foods/1029125/87 "2026-04-10T12:33:41Z")
> [@Mama\_Zappa](#): > > Hey - I lurves me some licorice. > > But HELL, even I’d never put it on pizza 🙂 Heard the movie was pretty good (never seen it, though). ---
**Author:** ![california\_jobcase](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9d8465/32.png) [@california\_jobcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/california_jobcase)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2026, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-under-over-rated-foods/1029125/88 "2026-04-10T16:13:34Z")
Pepperoni does have a decent amount of anise in it. ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2026, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-under-over-rated-foods/1029125/89 "2026-04-10T16:21:24Z")
Italian sausage has fennel which is licorice-like. I didn’t realize pepperoni had anise - I don’t detect that at all. ---
**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 10, 2026, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-under-over-rated-foods/1029125/90 "2026-04-10T17:37:36Z")
Ham is overrated. I can tolerate it very thinly sliced on a hoagie with other meats, but a slab on a plate is a version of hell for me. As Dorothy Parker supposedly said: “Hell is two people and a ham.” Why it’s associated with Easter is a mystery to me, but I wish someone had chosen spaghetti instead. ---
**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 10, 2026, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-under-over-rated-foods/1029125/91 "2026-04-10T17:49:18Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > Why it’s associated with Easter is a mystery to me According to [allrecipes.com](http://allrecipes.com): “Ham is traditionally served on Easter because, many years ago, pigs were slaughtered in the fall and the meat was cured during the winter. The ham was ready to eat by springtime, which made it the perfect main dish for Easter.” I’m with you on this because even though we have no interest in Easter we always end up with a free one in the spring that sits in the fridge for a week until most of it gets chucked. We do try to use it as an ingredient (pea soup, cordon bleu, mac and cheese, etc.) but when ham is what’s for dinner I need a huge glob of strong mustard just to choke it down. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2026, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-under-over-rated-foods/1029125/92 "2026-04-10T19:02:54Z")
For some things, that’s absolutely true. I’ve met a surprising number of people who claim not to like seafood, until they actually have _good_ seafood, at which point they change their tune. I suspect that something similar is going on with a lot of these foods. But there are other dishes that are overrated by the fervor/adoration they get in relation to their difficulty, etc… That’s why steak was my example. With the right tools and raw materials, they’re not very hard to do, and they’re kind of unimaginative. There are far more interesting, subtle, and skillful dishes out there than a big slab of beef, although you’d never know it if you looked at the DFW restaurant scene. ---
**Author:** ![Idle\_Thoughts](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/838e76/32.png) [@Idle\_Thoughts](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Idle_Thoughts)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2026, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-under-over-rated-foods/1029125/93 "2026-04-11T00:49:18Z")
I have not yet read the whole thread, so I apologize if this answer has already been said, but for years and years and years I never tried brussel sprouts. Brussel sprouts is one of those foods you only ever hear bad things about usually. I had never even tried them and I thought that I would dislike them simply because everybody else seemed to. I am 46 years old. I first tried brussel sprouts when I was 45, last year, when I was in a psych hospital for a while. I tried brussel sprouts for the first time and I was amazed at how they tasted. People dislike this? How? Are they tasting the same food that I’m tasting? Brussel sprouts are delicious. I love them. Since then I have had them many times, I will often seek them out intentionally to have them. I have even had them unsalted and unseasoned and unbuttered, and they are just as good. Brussel sprouts get a bad reputation, in my opinion. If any person is like me, they simply never tried brussels sprouts because they feared they would dislike them due to the bad press that they get. In my opinion, they are actually delicious and yummy. Definitely underrated. They get a bad rap and I feel that it’s undeserved. ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2026, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-under-over-rated-foods/1029125/94 "2026-04-11T01:31:16Z")
> [@Idle\_Thoughts](#): > > People dislike this? How? Are they tasting the same food that I’m tasting? Well historically, no. Starting in the mid-1990’s the compounds associated with natural bitterness in brussels were discovered and new varieties began to be bred to reduce that traditional bitterness associated with them. Gradually these newer improved varieties pushed out the old by the 2000’s. Modern sprouts are much sweeter, milder and nuttier than the ones I had as a kid or your parents ate. That was shift #1. Shift #2 was away from a standard American culinary tradition of boiling the shit out of sprouts to roasting them, which further helps to naturally sweeten them. So the boiled, bitter brussel sprouts of my youth are a long way from the delicious sprouts you first tried last year. When I was a kid, garbage. Today, delicious. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2026, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-under-over-rated-foods/1029125/95 "2026-04-11T01:59:34Z")
There is literally a YouTube channel for everything! This one popped up in my “suggested” feed recently. > **[Sardine Expedition](https://www.youtube.com/@SardineExpedition/)** > > Hi! I'm Heather! Come along as I try sardines and other canned fish! ---
**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 11, 2026, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-under-over-rated-foods/1029125/96 "2026-04-11T02:13:31Z")
Plain brussel sprouts are not great. When they are roasted correctly and fancied up they can be heavenly. One of my favorite steakhouses has a roasted brussel sprout with sweet chili glaze and bacon that is the best thing on the menu. ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2026, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-under-over-rated-foods/1029125/97 "2026-04-11T03:22:46Z")
Quoting (and editing) Jim Gaffigan: “If it wasn’t for bacon, no one would even know what a water chestnut was. Bacon bits make a humdrum salad or potato the best part of the meal - like fairy dust. Bippity! Boppity! Bacon! **Even frying bacon sounds like applause.** And you can’t tell me the popularity of Kevin Bacon isn’t related to his name. ‘The new Kevin Bacon movie sounds delicious…’” ---
**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 11, 2026, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-under-over-rated-foods/1029125/98 "2026-04-11T03:37:09Z")
> [@Tamerlane](#): > > Shift #2 was away from a standard American culinary tradition of boiling the shit out of sprouts … Very true. When I was a kid, my mother would boil the crap out of frozen Brussels sprouts, then wonder why my sister and I hated them. They had no taste left, except for “bitter and more bitter.” Years later, my (now ex) wife made a point of getting fresh Brussels sprouts, doing something with them involving herbs and spices, and roasting them. They were delicious. ---
**Author:** ![Smid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/838e76/32.png) [@Smid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smid)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2026, 9:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-under-over-rated-foods/1029125/99 "2026-04-11T09:43:21Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > Why it’s associated with Easter is a mystery to me, This is only true in America, I only found out this was a thing when visiting friends in Detroit Easter 24, never once seen Ham served at Easter elsewhere (UK, Belgium, Germany, Ireland, where I’ve lived, and they serve Ham with EVERYTHING in Germany). ---
**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 11, 2026, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-under-over-rated-foods/1029125/100 "2026-04-11T17:20:24Z")
> [@ParallelLines](#): > > If your expectation is the generic, often over/undercooked Russet potato, which is then “elevated” by an overwhelming number of toppings - it’s totally overrated (especially at some “Potato bar” places). A perfectly cooked Russet, or other variety, seasoned with a few, quality ingredients can be sublime however! Timely, because we just had my sister’s birthday dinner last night at a local steakhouse we’ve going to since we were little kids. Their steaks are dried-aged for 90 days (I think?), but we always rave about the baked potato, because it’s always perfectly cooked. Fluffy, not dry. I like both butter and sour cream, and the sour cream is homemade. Just amazingly good for such a simple item. But I’ve also had mindblowingly good creme brulee. I still dream about one I had at a restaurant on the Big Island when I was in Hawaii ages ago. Sadly, the next time I went back, that restaurant was gone. > [@Thumper668](#): > > Then I learned to scoop them out and make twice-baked potatoes with a little bit of butter and fresh chives and it was transformative. Not a fan of twice-baked. It messes with the texture. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-under-over-rated-foods/1029125.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-under-over-rated-foods/1029125.md?page=6)