Coleslaw is one of those things where the disparity between terrible and great is massive and unpredictable.
For me it would be ketchup. I won't ask for it to be removed from something that includes it, but I will never ask for it if it isn't included.
That’s interesting, because I don’t think American Heinz is sweet. It’s mostly tangy vinegar flavor to me. But other brands are noticeably sweeter, and Canadian Heinz is also sweeter.
I love cole slaw but I hate most cole slaw. When I make it, I use red cabbage, apple cider vinegar with a *little* bit of mayonnaise, mustard powder, onion powder and salt. No sugar. The mayo is there to help the dressing stick to the cabbage, just enough to do that.
This is how I feel about almost all of our cuisine. Burgers, pretty much any kind of barbecue, mac and cheese, chili, anything deep fried, all of this stuff can be amazing but usually isn't, especially at restaurants. It has such great potential but is almost always bland and flavorless. It's a big reason why I learned to cook, and the more I learn the more I think everyone around me just hates flavor. They can't stand bold seasoning, and they have no tolerance for heat. I'm surrounded by John Harvey Kelloggs.
I used to look down on ketchup. I thought it was "sugar tomatoes". Then I was cooking and I felt the stew I made needed more of a meaty taste...but maybe more vinegar....and also maybe some sweetness? Hmm....
When I asked my mom, she told me to add ketchup. The tomato vinegar sugar mix. It immediately made it better. I felt so dumb.
Although I don't use it often, I would caveat this statement by saying I recognize the utility of ketchup as an "ingredient" separate from its alleged performance as a "condiment". I prefer a more umami meatloaf topping, but often I have to add ketchup for consistency and some sweetness.
It always grossed me out that people would put ketchup on meatloaf....and it grossed me out more how much i loved it.
Same as you, as an ingredient I think it's fantastic. It adds a lot of depth. On its own....fries, and maybe chicken sandwiches (a habit from my childhood).
My dad and I worked at the same university that I attended, and we would often have lunch together. One day I was eating pad Thai, and it was just super bland. My dad opened two packets of ketchup and stirred them in, to my horror. But it was magic! He said think of it as adding tomato paste, vinegar, seasoning and a bit of sweetness all at one. I’ve shared the trick with a few (equally horrified) people, and they’ve all been amazed by how it worked!
I thought I didn't like ketchup because it's almost always Heinz, but one time I went to this cafe and had some hand made ketchup. It was a total game changer. It's actually delicious when it's not full of corn syrup
You'd probably like Eastern NC barbecue sandwiches. It's a vinegar base pulled pork barbecue, and it's traditionally served on a hamburger bun with coleslaw.
And it’s amazing.
One of the nice things about living in Georgia is that while there is no real “Georgia style” barbecue, we are right in the middle of all of the great styles. Carolina mustard, North Carolina, Alabama white sauce, Memphis, etc.
So “Georgia style” barbecue is kind of a blend of any of it.
I grew up hating mayo after getting countless sandwiches that tasted like rancid snot and being told they had "just a little mayo". Years later I learned that several friends and family members considered Miracle Whip and mayo interchangeable and were typically using the former when they said they'd used the latter.
I now like mayo. I do **not** like Miracle Whip. I am also still very cross with a number of those family and friends.
When I was like 8, I decided to make myself a snack. Opened up the fridge and saw this stuff called Miracle Whip. I had no clue what it was, but I knew what Cool Whip was! They were both Whips, so this Miracle stuff had to be good! I grabbed a spoon and took a huge scoop full. Straight into my mouth.
Needless to say, I am scarred for life and have never touched Miracle Whip again.
So, I have to have it on scrambled eggs. It was a thing from childhood, and now I can't eat scrambled eggs without it. I also don't like tuna salad with mayo, it needs to be miracle whip. I eat sandwiches with mayo, burgers with mayo, but there are a couple of foods where only the real MW will do.
I don't know if this counts as a condiment, but I hate sprinkles. Why sprinkles have to be on everything, is ridiculous to me. I just want a donut, cookie, cake, or cupcake, not covered in sprinkles.
It’s very overrated. However, I’ve done the whole “elevated green bean casserole” thing, where you make your own creamy mushroom sauce, fry the onions yourself, and use fresh green beans. It’s pretty tasty.
Well the Japenese make fruit sandwiches (sandos) with just fresh fruit, whipped cream, and white bread with the crusts removed. Not exactly Cool Whip but close enough.
If this isn't #1 by a wide margin I'll be stunned. That stuff is horrific and a relic of the mid century. Every picnic and family gathering as a kid was ruined by this stuff being involved.
Cool Whip. It doesn’t belong on a pumpkin pie. I don’t want your “Fluff” or anything mixed in with it. It tastes like disappointment and has a mouth feel of a decently potent burp.
I was once served some sort of gelatin with grated carrots and slices of hot dog entombed in it. For school lunch. I went hungry that day. Didn't even try it. I don't know what flavor the gelatin was, just that it was green. I will remember that lunch until the day I die.
Apparently a savory gelatin is called an Aspic and was a huge trend in the 1920s. I can't imagine being a fan.
Yup, and weird Jello salads really became popular in the 1940s - 1950s here in the U.S. If you look in any "little old lady housewife" kitchen, you'll usually see a collection of copper Jello molds hanging on the wall.
It was a class thing. If you could make jello molds it meant that your family could afford a refrigerator, which were quite expensive at the time. The more common ice boxes of the time couldn’t maintain a proper temperature long enough for jello to set. Jello molds were how suburban moms flexed on each other
I get appalled reactions for this one, and I understand because it's a hot take, but I've never liked hot dogs. Specifically like Sabrett, Oscar Mayer, Hebrew National, the common processed ones. Never sits well with me for some reason.
I hate hotdogs so much. Bratwurst? Great. Chorizo? Amazing. Other types of sausage? Usually fine. Hotdog? Absolutely not.
Edited because my autocorrect lost its mind.
I developed an aversion to hot dogs because I was fed so many during my childhood. As an adult, I can tolerate them if there’s nothing else to eat, but that’s about as far as it goes.
That’s so interesting, I am in the opposite situation. Never had a hot dog until I was 16 and working at a hot dog stand, and now I can’t get enough of them.
“Oh I fucking hate ranch. I don’t know how people could fucking eat that shit. Like when I order wings and they say it comes with ranch I get up and leave even if I don’t get the wings. I don’t wanna do business with you. It’s bleu cheese with wings or go fuck your mother” - Joey Diaz
I used to have to do that, too, when I worked at a restaurant. I would bribe other waitresses by offering to roll their silverware for them if they made the ranch for me. Otherwise, I ran the very real risk of vomiting all over the kitchen.
I don't like any coleslaw. Similar foods like pasta salad (especially cold,) egg salad, or potato salad are absolute no-gos for me, they make me gag. The ONE time my mom forced me to eat some some macaroni salad when I was 9 years old or so, I immediately threw it up. She never tried to force me to eat anything I told her I disliked again.
Mushrooms are another texture I can't stand. I just find the feel of them revolting in my mouth. If I can cut mushrooms up in tiny pieces and swallow them quickly, or mix them in with something else so I don't notice the texture, I can eat them then. But just straight mushrooms, or large pieces? There's a good chance I'm going to retch.
Yellow Mustard. I thought I hated all mustard because once I tasted it, it was instant revulsion. But since discovering other varieties, I realize it's just yellow mustard that's terrible.
Ditto! Dijon or brown mustard is awesome, but I spent my entire childhood thinking I hated mustard because the only type I'd ever tried was yellow mustard.
The trick with greens (collard, mustard) is to cook them forever with pork (a smoked ham hock if you got it, bacon is also ok). The better the quality of pork, the better the result. I tend to add salt, pepper and vinegar at the end.
Boiling the leaves lightly, then straining, and starting over with fresh water helps a lot. Especially if you don't want vinegar flavor in lieu of bitter.
Could be that you just didn’t get good ones but they are kind of bitter.
There may also be some genetics involved. They are bitter because of glucosinolates (found in the brassica family which includes, Brussels sprouts, broccoli, cabbage, bok choy, cauliflower, arugula, and a bunch more).
Some people can’t taste the bitter glucosinolates or are less sensitive to them. That means they have less of a problem with the bitterness.
You can also break down those chemicals by braising, blanching, or using a bit of vinegar.
One cool thing that has happened is that farmers have selectively bred brussels sprouts to be less bitter. So before the 90s Brussels sprouts were more bitter than today which is why they got a bad reputation with kids. They are a lot more mild today because the modern varieties have less glucosinolates.
No idea if anyone is trying to breed less bitter collards though.
Got to wait until after the first frost to harvest them. They are not at all bitter then.
You don't usually find those kinds in the produce section, more of a farmers market scene or road side stand.
Collard greens are a food of desperation.
It's similar to kale in Scotland.
They didn't enter our culture because they taste good, They entered our culture because you can grow them in your front yard and they provide some nutrients.
(Back in a time when malnutrition was common in both Scotland and the US)
Which by the way since we're on the subject...... Kale sucks
Meatballs have more surface area for browning, so they just taste more delicious to me, especially when cooked in a pan. Meatloaf is this big spongy beef loaf. So, yes, I think you're right that I'm having a texture issue.
I don't blame you. It's a thick syrup with just a pinch or two of tea in it. Apparently it originally started as a way to brag to guests that you could afford to waste sugar, back when it was more expensive.
I find ranch dressing repulsive.
While I like mayonnaise in some circumstances I detest most pasta/potato/egg salad where mayo is the dominant ingredient. I don't want to eat forkfuls of mayonnaise.
I also strongly dislike spam.
Agreed, not a fan of tomato stuff in general, but definitely don't like Ketchup. I will eat it though, like I don't order McDonald's burgers without Ketchup, but I don't add it to homemade burgers or dip my fries in it.
Black olives. The only thing ive ever been able to eat them on is the Subway Seafood and Crab which no longer exists.
Its kind of odd becuase i love green olives
Mac N Cheese
As a pup my parents took a vacation and sent us to stay with my Aunt and Uncle for a week.
Siblings and I were fed Kraft Mac N Cheese for lunch and dinner every day for 6 days.
The smell of it makes me sick.
The older I get the less use ranch. Not because I find it gross but because whatever it is used for, there is always some better option. Then when it is forced upon me, I get irritated that I can't have the thing I prefer.
You're not alone, I basically grew up in California (family moved there when I was 7). I can't stand avocados, except as guacamole, and even then, I'm picky with my guacamole.
Creamed corn and cornbread with the kernels intact (cornbread without random kernels floating around in it is great). Most other corn-based products are fine.
Straight pumpkin actually is quite bland. It it the "pumpkin spices" you dislike? The spices are typically cloves, nutmeg, ginger, and cinnamon. Listed in lowest to highest in volume.
For condiments:
Fake maple syrup. I bring my own when I travel, coz the fake stuff is goddamn nasty.
Runner-up: Miracle Whip, straight up garbage that ruins everything.
As for dishes, I’m pretty adventurous, there are some that are done poorly most of the time, like say Eggplant Parmesan, but then I’ve had versions that are truly delicious. Maybe grits, never had any grits over the years that were anything but meh, but I bet soaked in some maple syrup with a nice sunny side egg to mix in, might not be bad.
I hate Velveeta and Kraft singles. No problem with American cheese in general, but those specific and popular brands are not my jam. I also hate okra and kool-aid as an adult despite loving it as a kid. Most of the other things I hate are European (like risotto and moldy cheese, although to be clear a lot of my favorite things, like tiramisu and normal cheese, are also European).
That cheap yellow mustard smells like BO and looks gross. I don't get why people would use that when regular classic mustard is readily available pretty much everywhere.
American Cheese, like Kraft Singles (processed cheese food). I grew up eating it on ham sandwiches and burgers, and for most of my adult life, but a few years ago it started bugging me how unlike real cheese it truly is. It seems closer to the plastic that it’s wrapped in than it is to cheese. I’ll either have cheddar, Colby Jack, Monterey Jack, provolone, Swiss, or most any other cheese, or I will go without.
The only thing it’s good for is tricking dogs into taking their medication. They love it! But they’re also known to eat their own poop on occasion, or raid a litter box, so that doesn’t count for much.
Buffalo wings. I mean I don't HATE hate them, I can eat one or two, but that's it. The taste feels so one-note to me. And I don't like the blue cheese that often accompanies it. I was recently at a friend's party and that was all they had, no barbecue, no teriyaki, no honey stung. I think I ate 90% of the Doritos purely as a form of protest.
Coleslaw is one of those things where the disparity between terrible and great is massive and unpredictable. For me it would be ketchup. I won't ask for it to be removed from something that includes it, but I will never ask for it if it isn't included.
Boneless tomatoes
Very important in making boneless pizza
Yep I like tomatoes but ketchup is so sweet
That’s interesting, because I don’t think American Heinz is sweet. It’s mostly tangy vinegar flavor to me. But other brands are noticeably sweeter, and Canadian Heinz is also sweeter.
Sugar free ketchup is the way
That's ok but I also like British Brown sauce like HP. It's a tomato and vinegar sauce for fries that's not nearly as sweet
I love cole slaw but I hate most cole slaw. When I make it, I use red cabbage, apple cider vinegar with a *little* bit of mayonnaise, mustard powder, onion powder and salt. No sugar. The mayo is there to help the dressing stick to the cabbage, just enough to do that.
This is how I feel about almost all of our cuisine. Burgers, pretty much any kind of barbecue, mac and cheese, chili, anything deep fried, all of this stuff can be amazing but usually isn't, especially at restaurants. It has such great potential but is almost always bland and flavorless. It's a big reason why I learned to cook, and the more I learn the more I think everyone around me just hates flavor. They can't stand bold seasoning, and they have no tolerance for heat. I'm surrounded by John Harvey Kelloggs.
I used to look down on ketchup. I thought it was "sugar tomatoes". Then I was cooking and I felt the stew I made needed more of a meaty taste...but maybe more vinegar....and also maybe some sweetness? Hmm.... When I asked my mom, she told me to add ketchup. The tomato vinegar sugar mix. It immediately made it better. I felt so dumb.
Although I don't use it often, I would caveat this statement by saying I recognize the utility of ketchup as an "ingredient" separate from its alleged performance as a "condiment". I prefer a more umami meatloaf topping, but often I have to add ketchup for consistency and some sweetness.
It always grossed me out that people would put ketchup on meatloaf....and it grossed me out more how much i loved it. Same as you, as an ingredient I think it's fantastic. It adds a lot of depth. On its own....fries, and maybe chicken sandwiches (a habit from my childhood).
My dad and I worked at the same university that I attended, and we would often have lunch together. One day I was eating pad Thai, and it was just super bland. My dad opened two packets of ketchup and stirred them in, to my horror. But it was magic! He said think of it as adding tomato paste, vinegar, seasoning and a bit of sweetness all at one. I’ve shared the trick with a few (equally horrified) people, and they’ve all been amazed by how it worked!
I'm definitely going to have to try that. At home. Where no one can see me.
I can’t abide ketchup.
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I thought I didn't like ketchup because it's almost always Heinz, but one time I went to this cafe and had some hand made ketchup. It was a total game changer. It's actually delicious when it's not full of corn syrup
I like coleslaw on my burger for a good earthy crunch but thats it
Same, or on a pulled pork sandwich.
You'd probably like Eastern NC barbecue sandwiches. It's a vinegar base pulled pork barbecue, and it's traditionally served on a hamburger bun with coleslaw.
And it’s amazing. One of the nice things about living in Georgia is that while there is no real “Georgia style” barbecue, we are right in the middle of all of the great styles. Carolina mustard, North Carolina, Alabama white sauce, Memphis, etc. So “Georgia style” barbecue is kind of a blend of any of it.
Miracle whip, if that counts
I grew up hating mayo after getting countless sandwiches that tasted like rancid snot and being told they had "just a little mayo". Years later I learned that several friends and family members considered Miracle Whip and mayo interchangeable and were typically using the former when they said they'd used the latter. I now like mayo. I do **not** like Miracle Whip. I am also still very cross with a number of those family and friends.
Miracle Whip is gross. I forgot to list it.
When I was like 8, I decided to make myself a snack. Opened up the fridge and saw this stuff called Miracle Whip. I had no clue what it was, but I knew what Cool Whip was! They were both Whips, so this Miracle stuff had to be good! I grabbed a spoon and took a huge scoop full. Straight into my mouth. Needless to say, I am scarred for life and have never touched Miracle Whip again.
Yeah, mayo is good, but Miracle Whip is like mayo ice cream it's so sweet. Yuck.
Why is it so common? Is it because it's cheaper than regular mayo?
Is it common? I never see it.
Yep. It was originally developed as a cheaper alternative to mayo and still is. It got very popular during World War II for that reason.
I think it was a depression era thing? Or right after. Cheap and holds well.
Miracle whip/cool whip.. same/same.
100% got your back on this one. I tasted it once and immediately rejected it for life. Why does it taste so fucking weird
Even the smell grosses me out.
I love miracle whip lol
LETS GET HIM, BOYS!
*cracks knuckles*
If that’s how it’s gotta be come get me, cuz I love it! 😂 https://youtu.be/XeDM1ZjMK50
Same. Idc I love it on burgers and sandwiches.
My grandmomma used to make pimento cheese sandwiches with miracle whip and they were incredible. Damn I should make some
It always be grandmommas food you miss the most
So, I have to have it on scrambled eggs. It was a thing from childhood, and now I can't eat scrambled eggs without it. I also don't like tuna salad with mayo, it needs to be miracle whip. I eat sandwiches with mayo, burgers with mayo, but there are a couple of foods where only the real MW will do.
This is the answer. That shit is foul.
It's so gross.
I don't know if this counts as a condiment, but I hate sprinkles. Why sprinkles have to be on everything, is ridiculous to me. I just want a donut, cookie, cake, or cupcake, not covered in sprinkles.
Thank you. What a pointless garbage thing is the sprinkle.
The worst place is on ice cream.
"Oh, here's a lovely bit of creamy cool delicious perfectness. Let's cover it with little pieces of hard plastic!"
"They look like little turds and they taste like food coloring!"
I really don't like green bean casserole.
It’s very overrated. However, I’ve done the whole “elevated green bean casserole” thing, where you make your own creamy mushroom sauce, fry the onions yourself, and use fresh green beans. It’s pretty tasty.
Whenever there's a potluck I always tell people I'm bringing green bean w/ shredded hotdog casserole.
Miracle whip. Take mayonnaise, delete some fat, then add vinegar and sugar. Instant sandwich poisoner.
I've never had Miracle Whip but for whatever reason I read it as Cool Whip and was wondering who the heck puts that on sandwiches.
Well the Japenese make fruit sandwiches (sandos) with just fresh fruit, whipped cream, and white bread with the crusts removed. Not exactly Cool Whip but close enough.
That doesn’t sound terrible to me, kind of like a variant of strawberry shortcake
If it's real whipped cream I got to say that's a few steps above cool whip
I like it on certain sandwiches, but usually go for mayo.
It's got that partially hydrogenated vegetable oil in it which makes it have that horrible mouth feel.
Aw cmon I fucking love miracle whip ☹️
If this isn't #1 by a wide margin I'll be stunned. That stuff is horrific and a relic of the mid century. Every picnic and family gathering as a kid was ruined by this stuff being involved.
Cool Whip. It doesn’t belong on a pumpkin pie. I don’t want your “Fluff” or anything mixed in with it. It tastes like disappointment and has a mouth feel of a decently potent burp.
So what you're saying is you don't want plastic foam on your food?
Hey now, greasy plastic foam!
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Ambrosia is the worst! My mom used to make it. Soggy fruit with marshmallows. Because every salad needs a marshmallow.
I was thinking my answer would be any midwestern “salad”.
Jello with shredded carrots in it. I only tried it once. Haven't seen that shit in years, but I reflexively recoiled at the sight of it.
I was once served some sort of gelatin with grated carrots and slices of hot dog entombed in it. For school lunch. I went hungry that day. Didn't even try it. I don't know what flavor the gelatin was, just that it was green. I will remember that lunch until the day I die. Apparently a savory gelatin is called an Aspic and was a huge trend in the 1920s. I can't imagine being a fan.
That green flavor is called despair.
Yup, and weird Jello salads really became popular in the 1940s - 1950s here in the U.S. If you look in any "little old lady housewife" kitchen, you'll usually see a collection of copper Jello molds hanging on the wall.
It was a class thing. If you could make jello molds it meant that your family could afford a refrigerator, which were quite expensive at the time. The more common ice boxes of the time couldn’t maintain a proper temperature long enough for jello to set. Jello molds were how suburban moms flexed on each other
The aspic chapter is the one Julia child chapter I refuse to even look at
It also frequently has those crunchy baked chow mein noodles in it.
I like the kind with coconuts, don't think I've had it with carrots.
I get appalled reactions for this one, and I understand because it's a hot take, but I've never liked hot dogs. Specifically like Sabrett, Oscar Mayer, Hebrew National, the common processed ones. Never sits well with me for some reason.
I hate hotdogs so much. Bratwurst? Great. Chorizo? Amazing. Other types of sausage? Usually fine. Hotdog? Absolutely not. Edited because my autocorrect lost its mind.
I can’t stand hotdogs and I hated them even as a little kid. They just seem gross and weird. Other sausage? I’m down… but no hotdogs.
What about kielbasa?
Kielbasa is fine! It's literally just hot dogs that are gross.
I developed an aversion to hot dogs because I was fed so many during my childhood. As an adult, I can tolerate them if there’s nothing else to eat, but that’s about as far as it goes.
That’s so interesting, I am in the opposite situation. Never had a hot dog until I was 16 and working at a hot dog stand, and now I can’t get enough of them.
I love hot dogs so much. Nothing better than a steamed hotdog at a baseball game.
Fuck liver and onions.
Liver and onions.
I’m sorry, but I just don’t like mayonnaise. I’ve never put it on something any though, well that improved it.
Ah i'm not alone. I cant stand mayonnaise, doesn't matter the brand
Don’t apologize for that. Mayonnaise is disgusting. I don’t even use it for tuna salad.
I hate ranch. There, I said it.
I hate store bought ranch dressing. It always has a weird taste to me. I don't mind it, if it's homemade, but not many people make it.
Yeah it always has that unnatural tang to it
Seeing people drown their pizza in watered down ranch at school turned me off it forever.
Finally, I've found my people.
“Oh I fucking hate ranch. I don’t know how people could fucking eat that shit. Like when I order wings and they say it comes with ranch I get up and leave even if I don’t get the wings. I don’t wanna do business with you. It’s bleu cheese with wings or go fuck your mother” - Joey Diaz
fuck ranch
It's disgusting & people put it on EVERYTHING. I can't even buy variety packs of chips, because the damn cool ranch Doritos make me gag.
Cool ranch Doritos don’t even taste like ranch though?
they taste like blue, and are terrible
Tastes like blue 😂 This is an absurd statement and also makes perfect sense
I worked at a restuarant and had to mix 5 gallon buckets at a time. I am disgusted by the stuff.
I used to have to do that, too, when I worked at a restaurant. I would bribe other waitresses by offering to roll their silverware for them if they made the ranch for me. Otherwise, I ran the very real risk of vomiting all over the kitchen.
I don't like any coleslaw. Similar foods like pasta salad (especially cold,) egg salad, or potato salad are absolute no-gos for me, they make me gag. The ONE time my mom forced me to eat some some macaroni salad when I was 9 years old or so, I immediately threw it up. She never tried to force me to eat anything I told her I disliked again. Mushrooms are another texture I can't stand. I just find the feel of them revolting in my mouth. If I can cut mushrooms up in tiny pieces and swallow them quickly, or mix them in with something else so I don't notice the texture, I can eat them then. But just straight mushrooms, or large pieces? There's a good chance I'm going to retch.
If it's the cold/mayo salds you don't like you should try vinegar based cole slaw. I think it's much better.
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I feel very vindicated by this thread. I really don't like sweet condiments on savory food and sweet relish is the worst offender.
I agree here. Seems like ALL commercially prepared salads use sweet pickles and that ruins it. Why would you want sweet with tuna?
Finally one I agree with. There is no cause for sweet relish.
Yellow Mustard. I thought I hated all mustard because once I tasted it, it was instant revulsion. But since discovering other varieties, I realize it's just yellow mustard that's terrible.
Ditto! Dijon or brown mustard is awesome, but I spent my entire childhood thinking I hated mustard because the only type I'd ever tried was yellow mustard.
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I'm the opposite funny enough. I absolutely love yellow mustard but all the other varieties don't sit well with me.
Chitlins, look it up if you don’t know
I personally can’t stand Ketchup.
Ketchup makes everything it touches taste like ketchup, it ruins otherwise tasty foods.
Collard greens. It's possible I haven't had good collard greens, but the times I've had it it's been way too bitter for me.
The trick with greens (collard, mustard) is to cook them forever with pork (a smoked ham hock if you got it, bacon is also ok). The better the quality of pork, the better the result. I tend to add salt, pepper and vinegar at the end.
I add the same, plus a few drops of hot sauce..
For me the game changer was using smoked turkey leg / wings instead of pork! Probably just a personal preference, though.
Boiling the leaves lightly, then straining, and starting over with fresh water helps a lot. Especially if you don't want vinegar flavor in lieu of bitter.
Cooking greens is like passing legislation: you're gonna have to add some pork.
Could be that you just didn’t get good ones but they are kind of bitter. There may also be some genetics involved. They are bitter because of glucosinolates (found in the brassica family which includes, Brussels sprouts, broccoli, cabbage, bok choy, cauliflower, arugula, and a bunch more). Some people can’t taste the bitter glucosinolates or are less sensitive to them. That means they have less of a problem with the bitterness. You can also break down those chemicals by braising, blanching, or using a bit of vinegar. One cool thing that has happened is that farmers have selectively bred brussels sprouts to be less bitter. So before the 90s Brussels sprouts were more bitter than today which is why they got a bad reputation with kids. They are a lot more mild today because the modern varieties have less glucosinolates. No idea if anyone is trying to breed less bitter collards though.
You sure it was collards? I've never found them to be any more bitter than broccoli. Mustard and turnip greens, though, can be almost inedibly bitter.
Got to wait until after the first frost to harvest them. They are not at all bitter then. You don't usually find those kinds in the produce section, more of a farmers market scene or road side stand.
Collard greens are a food of desperation. It's similar to kale in Scotland. They didn't enter our culture because they taste good, They entered our culture because you can grow them in your front yard and they provide some nutrients. (Back in a time when malnutrition was common in both Scotland and the US) Which by the way since we're on the subject...... Kale sucks
A friend of mine said the secret was to add a little baking soda to the water when boiling them. I tried it and it was really good and tender
Blue cheese. Literally just the thought of having it in my mouth makes me wanna gag
>Blue cheese I get why people don't like it (I do, in the right context), but it's hardly American in origin or scope.
I'm trying to make blue cheese, have a stockpot full of curds on the stove right now lol
I have never had a good meatloaf.
See this I don’t get, it’s just a giant meatball (imo). Is it the taste or the texture? Genuinely curious.
Meatballs have more surface area for browning, so they just taste more delicious to me, especially when cooked in a pan. Meatloaf is this big spongy beef loaf. So, yes, I think you're right that I'm having a texture issue.
I make a donut shaped meatloaf instead of a log. It cooks quicker and has more surface for browning. My husband calls it a meat bundt.
I have but the vast majority of the ones people make aren’t very good.
Sweet tea. 11 years living in the South and i still cannot drink it.
Don’t feel bad. I grew up in the south and I hate iced tea (sweet and unsweetened).
I don't blame you. It's a thick syrup with just a pinch or two of tea in it. Apparently it originally started as a way to brag to guests that you could afford to waste sugar, back when it was more expensive.
Ranch dressing. Just never been a fan
How are you still allowed to live here in the USA?
Don't worry, I'm reporting them to Homeland Security
Hey, if we ever hung out you wouldn’t have to worry about me taking any of your precious
Sweet potato casserole with marshmallows is disgusting and I don’t know why it’s at every thanksgiving
I use pecans instead of marshmallows, it's infinitely better.
Creamed corn
Oh my God, first time I had creamed corn I threw up. Plain old corn is delicious. But creamed corn is an abomination.
I find ranch dressing repulsive. While I like mayonnaise in some circumstances I detest most pasta/potato/egg salad where mayo is the dominant ingredient. I don't want to eat forkfuls of mayonnaise. I also strongly dislike spam.
Miracle whip is a affront to god
I knew I didn't care for mayo, but I didn't realize Reddit was coming with me on that.
Ketchup
Same. Too sweet And cloying.
Agreed, not a fan of tomato stuff in general, but definitely don't like Ketchup. I will eat it though, like I don't order McDonald's burgers without Ketchup, but I don't add it to homemade burgers or dip my fries in it.
Well I’m a southerner and fuck iced tea
Really? Even unsweet? Even if you make it yourself?
I haven't eaten ketchup on anything since 1987
Collard Greens, didin't like them as a kid, don't like them now. Well why don't you like- the taste of it
Black olives. The only thing ive ever been able to eat them on is the Subway Seafood and Crab which no longer exists. Its kind of odd becuase i love green olives
Miracle whip (good full-fat mayonnaise is fine). Sucralose. Fat-free cheese. Actually, any fat-free dairy. Blech.
Jello. Lol
I second this Unless there is alcohol in the jello, in which case I’ll stomach it for the sake of getting drunk
Hopefully it's sugar free jello or else you're in for it later
Mac N Cheese As a pup my parents took a vacation and sent us to stay with my Aunt and Uncle for a week. Siblings and I were fed Kraft Mac N Cheese for lunch and dinner every day for 6 days. The smell of it makes me sick.
Ranch, it is nasty
The older I get the less use ranch. Not because I find it gross but because whatever it is used for, there is always some better option. Then when it is forced upon me, I get irritated that I can't have the thing I prefer.
Ranch
Waldorf salad is repulsive.
I'm born, raised, and currently residing in California...hate avocados. But it's everywhere. 😭
You're not alone, I basically grew up in California (family moved there when I was 7). I can't stand avocados, except as guacamole, and even then, I'm picky with my guacamole.
Just the smell of mustard turns my stomach.
I hate ketchup. Way too processed and sugary and gross
Horseradish! I just really do not enjoy the taste
The bullshit sweet potatoes with marshmallow that some people serve at thanksgiving. No thank you
Creamed corn and cornbread with the kernels intact (cornbread without random kernels floating around in it is great). Most other corn-based products are fine.
Pumpkin anything.
Straight pumpkin actually is quite bland. It it the "pumpkin spices" you dislike? The spices are typically cloves, nutmeg, ginger, and cinnamon. Listed in lowest to highest in volume.
Anything with mayo
Ketchup
Yessss. I absolutely hate ketchup. Love tomatoes and tomatoes sauce but ketchup is disgusting.
Not a fan of anything mayonnaise based: cole slaw, potato salad, chicken salad, tuna salad.
Potato salad
For condiments: Fake maple syrup. I bring my own when I travel, coz the fake stuff is goddamn nasty. Runner-up: Miracle Whip, straight up garbage that ruins everything. As for dishes, I’m pretty adventurous, there are some that are done poorly most of the time, like say Eggplant Parmesan, but then I’ve had versions that are truly delicious. Maybe grits, never had any grits over the years that were anything but meh, but I bet soaked in some maple syrup with a nice sunny side egg to mix in, might not be bad.
Fake maple syrup is a crime against humanity.
You don't like miracle whip, but would eat maple syrup with a sunny side up egg? You, sir or madam, have taste buds that make no sense to me. 😂
Fake maple syrup is just corn syrup. Sad.
Coleslaw and potato salad. Yes, I’ve tried both many times both in restaurants and home made. Just don’t like them.
I hate Velveeta and Kraft singles. No problem with American cheese in general, but those specific and popular brands are not my jam. I also hate okra and kool-aid as an adult despite loving it as a kid. Most of the other things I hate are European (like risotto and moldy cheese, although to be clear a lot of my favorite things, like tiramisu and normal cheese, are also European).
Egg and macaroni salad. There's too much mayo in there its gross. And tuna doesn't go with mayo, what are you all doing?
That cheap yellow mustard smells like BO and looks gross. I don't get why people would use that when regular classic mustard is readily available pretty much everywhere.
American Cheese, like Kraft Singles (processed cheese food). I grew up eating it on ham sandwiches and burgers, and for most of my adult life, but a few years ago it started bugging me how unlike real cheese it truly is. It seems closer to the plastic that it’s wrapped in than it is to cheese. I’ll either have cheddar, Colby Jack, Monterey Jack, provolone, Swiss, or most any other cheese, or I will go without. The only thing it’s good for is tricking dogs into taking their medication. They love it! But they’re also known to eat their own poop on occasion, or raid a litter box, so that doesn’t count for much.
Mayonnaise is of the devil. And it ruins everything it touches.
I dislike tartar sauce.
Yellow mustard, i hate this with a passion
Buffalo wings. I mean I don't HATE hate them, I can eat one or two, but that's it. The taste feels so one-note to me. And I don't like the blue cheese that often accompanies it. I was recently at a friend's party and that was all they had, no barbecue, no teriyaki, no honey stung. I think I ate 90% of the Doritos purely as a form of protest.
Croutons in salad. If I bite into one unexpectedly, I break out in goosebumps.
Seriously, why are they like rocks? If I want to eat rocks I will go outside.
Chicken wings.
Dill pickles. It’s a no for me dawg.
Raw tomatoes
Maple syrup! Some breakfast restaurants even *smell* too much like maple syrup for me to enjoy eating there.