# What vegetables are good in chili? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 30, 2005, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-vegetables-are-good-in-chili/287492 "2005-01-30T23:28:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2005, 7:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-vegetables-are-good-in-chili/287492/21 "2005-01-31T07:16:41Z")
> [@Aesiron](#): > > - > > Great consistency\*? That’s what most people \*hate \*about it. It’s Satan’s snot. Ergh. How are you cooking it? I take fresh (or, if that’s not available, frozen) okra, chop it into about the shape/size of a piece of “Double Bubble” gum - maybe slightly smaller - and pan-fry it with cornbread mix. Nothing snotty or slimy about it. It’s a slightly firm, dry texture. ---
**Author:** ![ccwaterback](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/df705f/32.png) [@ccwaterback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ccwaterback)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2005, 8:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-vegetables-are-good-in-chili/287492/22 "2005-01-31T08:33:17Z")
Let’s see, (No, no, no) spinach beets parsnips turnips peas rutabaga leafy veggies asparagus broccoli potato any green colored bean (Now, just a touch of one of more of these if you dare, but don’t murder the base.) whole kernel corn celery zucchini carrots okra any non-green colored bean string beans (green colored bean exception) (And from the bizarre … a pinch of one or more of these.) cinnamon cigar ashes gunpowder ---
**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2005, 10:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-vegetables-are-good-in-chili/287492/23 "2005-01-31T10:45:46Z")
> [@ccwaterback](#): > > cinnamon Don’t put this in your pot. Put it on your meat while you’re browning it, and use a VERY small amount. If it tastes like cinnamon, you used too much. The first try will almost certainly be a disaster. Try again, and use less. > [@ccwaterback](#): > > cigar ashes > gunpowder Are you serious? ---
**Author:** ![Ephemera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8baadc/32.png) [@Ephemera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ephemera)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2005, 11:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-vegetables-are-good-in-chili/287492/24 "2005-01-31T11:03:33Z")
> [@Cisco](#): > > How are you cooking it? I take fresh (or, if that’s not available, frozen) okra, chop it into about the shape/size of a piece of “Double Bubble” gum - maybe slightly smaller - and pan-fry it with cornbread mix. Nothing snotty or slimy about it. It’s a slightly firm, dry texture. I’ve no idea how my mom cooked it but I never liked it or its flavor so I’ll never be fixing it on my own. If I happen to run across it at someone’s house or by some cruel twist of fate, it winds up on my plate at a restaurant, I’ll give it a try then but otherwise, I’ll have to take your word for it. ---
**Author:** ![Scumpup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce73a5/32.png) [@Scumpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scumpup)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2005, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-vegetables-are-good-in-chili/287492/25 "2005-01-31T16:43:09Z")
I’ve had chili with hominy. It was good and didn’t give the dish an overall “corny” flavor. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2005, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-vegetables-are-good-in-chili/287492/26 "2005-01-31T17:25:33Z")
> [@Scumpup](#): > > I’ve had chili with hominy. It was good and didn’t give the dish an overall “corny” flavor. The general consensus among chiliheads is that chili broth (if you call it that) should have a thick consistency, like ketchup, not a soupy consistency, like the chili at Wendy’s (which I like, by the way). Usually this is achieved just by cooking it for a long time and reducing the liquid, but some recipes call for thickening agents – masa harina flour (a form of cornmeal), or crumbled saltines. I’ve never heard of using hominy, but I don’t see why it wouldn’t work. But this thread is about vegetables – thickening agents would belong in a different thread. 🙂 ---
**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:** [January 31, 2005, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-vegetables-are-good-in-chili/287492/27 "2005-01-31T17:35:55Z")
(re: cinnamon) > [@Cisco](#): > > Don’t put this in your pot. Put it on your meat while you’re browning it, and use a VERY small amount. If it tastes like cinnamon, you used too much. The first try will almost certainly be a disaster. Try again, and use less. > Are you serious? I’ll take correct answers for $1,000 Alex. ---
**Author:** ![Scumpup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce73a5/32.png) [@Scumpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scumpup)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2005, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-vegetables-are-good-in-chili/287492/28 "2005-01-31T17:46:53Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > The general consensus among chiliheads is that chili broth (if you call it that) should have a thick consistency, like ketchup, not a soupy consistency, like the chili at Wendy’s (which I like, by the way). Usually this is achieved just by cooking it for a long time and reducing the liquid, but some recipes call for thickening agents – masa harina flour (a form of cornmeal), or crumbled saltines. I’ve never heard of using hominy, but I don’t see why it wouldn’t work. > > But this thread is about vegetables – thickening agents would belong in a different thread. 🙂 Uhhh…IME hominy doesn’t function as a thickening agent. Neither the chili with hominy nor the menudo with same that I’ve had could be at all described as “thick.” ---
**Author:** ![bouv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bc8723/32.png) [@bouv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bouv)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2005, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-vegetables-are-good-in-chili/287492/29 "2005-01-31T17:49:08Z")
> [@ccwaterback](#): > > gunpowder So in the Chili Cookoff episode of The Simpsons, when Mr. Burns is making Old Fashioned Salt Peter chili, it mgiht actualyl be tasty?!?!? ---
**Author:** ![Askia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/96bed5/32.png) [@Askia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Askia)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2005, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-vegetables-are-good-in-chili/287492/30 "2005-01-31T17:57:56Z")
> [@Aesiron](#): > > I’ve no idea how my mom cooked it but I never liked it or its flavor so I’ll never be fixing it on my own. If I happen to run across it at someone’s house or by some cruel twist of fate, it winds up on my plate at a restaurant, I’ll give it a try then but otherwise, I’ll have to take your word for it. Actually, **Cisco** has a point. Fried okra is pretty good, right up there with fried green tomatoes and cajun blackened catfish. But to me, okra cooked in stews or soups is unpalapable to me unless there’s lots of tomato puree/paste/sauce to cut down on the slime that WILL develop. Also have any of you harvested fresh okra? I used to help my great grand uncle Hubbard harvest his garden when I was very young. It’s leaves and stems are prickly, bulbous and stings like a sonavabitch, probably another reason why I never cared fo eating it. I understand milk cuts down on the slime considerably. I wonder how it’ll do in a quiche? ---
**Author:** ![ccwaterback](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/df705f/32.png) [@ccwaterback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ccwaterback)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2005, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-vegetables-are-good-in-chili/287492/31 "2005-01-31T22:05:46Z")
> [@Cisco](#): > > Are you serious? I swear I had a chili cookbook that had recipes including gunpowder and/or cigar ashes. I can’t seem to find a cite online though. ---
**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:** [January 31, 2005, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-vegetables-are-good-in-chili/287492/32 "2005-01-31T22:19:45Z")
The turkey chili recipe I use has carrots in it. I dice them up very fine. I’m not sure it does anything for the taste but it can’t hurt. ---
**Author:** ![Ephemera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8baadc/32.png) [@Ephemera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ephemera)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2005, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-vegetables-are-good-in-chili/287492/33 "2005-01-31T22:21:46Z")
> [@Askia](#): > > Actually, **Cisco** has a point. Fried okra is pretty good, right up there with fried green tomatoes and cajun blackened catfish. But to me, okra cooked in stews or soups is unpalapable to me unless there’s lots of tomato puree/paste/sauce to cut down on the slime that WILL develop. > > Also have any of you harvested fresh okra? I used to help my great grand uncle Hubbard harvest his garden when I was very young. It’s leaves and stems are prickly, bulbous and stings like a sonavabitch, probably another reason why I never cared fo eating it. > > I understand milk cuts down on the slime considerably. I wonder how it’ll do in a quiche? Well, my mom does fry it, I just don’t know how. And it’s still disgusting. ---
**Author:** ![Sarah\_W](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b38774/32.png) [@Sarah\_W](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sarah_W)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2005, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-vegetables-are-good-in-chili/287492/34 "2005-01-31T22:50:49Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > Okra is **Satan’s Vegetable** Fried okra’s pretty darn good, I say. ---
**Author:** ![ouryL](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ouryl/32/6067_2.png) [@ouryL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ouryL)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2005, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-vegetables-are-good-in-chili/287492/35 "2005-01-31T23:42:49Z")
[Corn](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=297764&highlight=corn) ---
**Author:** ![UncleRojelio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/unclerojelio/32/3160_2.png) [@UncleRojelio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleRojelio)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2005, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-vegetables-are-good-in-chili/287492/36 "2005-02-01T00:14:51Z")
I don’t care what else ya’ll call it, if it’s got more than tomatoes, chilis, and onion in it, it AIN’T chili! Period! NO beans, carrots, okra, tofu, etc! And if you have to eat okra, fry it ferchrissakes. ---
**Author:** ![ccwaterback](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/df705f/32.png) [@ccwaterback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ccwaterback)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2005, 3:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-vegetables-are-good-in-chili/287492/37 "2005-02-01T03:10:42Z")
[Scrumptious SPAM™ Spring Chili](http://www.hormel.com/kitchen/recipe.asp?id=832) ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2005, 5:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-vegetables-are-good-in-chili/287492/38 "2005-02-01T05:42:28Z")
I’ve never actually had okra in chili, but it sounds pretty darned good. I might just try it one of these times. Corn works OK in chili, but it’s just a filler. Corn’s True Calling with chili is as the cornbread you serve on the side. And I used to to think that green beans are odd in chili (or would have, had I thought about it), but one of my aunts makes a vegitarian chili which includes green beans, and it’s absolutely wonderful. Tomatoes, various peppers, garlic, onions, and various beans are, of course, essential, and various other herbs and spices might be a good idea. And just brainstorming, but how about olives, or avacados? ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2005, 5:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-vegetables-are-good-in-chili/287492/39 "2005-02-01T05:44:54Z")
> [@ccwaterback](#): > > [Scrumptious SPAM™ Spring Chili](http://www.hormel.com/kitchen/recipe.asp?id=832) :eek: If you ever travel through Texas, you’ll be lynched! And no jury would, or should, convict the mob! ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2005, 5:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-vegetables-are-good-in-chili/287492/40 "2005-02-01T05:49:51Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > And just brainstorming, but how about olives, or avacados? I’ve seen olives mentioned, but only in vegetarian recipes. As for avocadoes, the chili books I’ve read say they might be served diced as a topping to be added at the table – but use only the dark, pebbly-skinned Hass avocado; the smooth, light-skinned Florida variety has too mild a flavor and would be overwhelmed by the flavor of the chili. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-vegetables-are-good-in-chili/287492.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-vegetables-are-good-in-chili/287492.md?page=3)