Certain topics will always start arguments. Or eventually at least. Religion, politics, sports teams, and car maintenance among others, but there is one usually overlooked but nevertheless, causes fights even among family members.
Cooking. From prepping ingredients, to cooking, or serving them, there is always a nitpicker or a critic who think their way is better. Truth is, there’s no hard truth to a recipe anymore. Check out these unpopular opinions on cooking and see which ones you agree or disagree with.
1. “Freezing garlic cloves and then grating them ensures that you never have to bite into a big piece of garlic in whatever you’re cooking.”
“Freezing garlic cloves and then grating them ensures that you never have to bite into a big piece of garlic in whatever you’re cooking.”
“My garlic cloves were always going bad before I froze them. Now they last longer, and you won’t give anyone vampire breath.”
Well she does have a point but foodies and chefs may have different opinions on the matter. There are other ways to handle garlic.
2. “Don’t come at me, but I think mac ‘n’ cheese is disgusting…”
“The combination of slimy pasta and goopy cheese really gets to me. It doesn’t matter if it’s Kraft brand or gourmet with shaved truffles and lobster — I still think it’s gross.”
—Anonymous
Tell that to the kids and stressed out adults who eat the stuff because it reminds them of the better days.
3. “Oatmeal is best when it’s savory.”
“I shove broccoli and cheese in it, and it’s so much better than when you add fruit or brown sugar to it.”
Oatmeal is one of those meals where anyone can add what they want to it. So to each his own.
4. “Worcestershire sauce is the perfect condiment, and it’s amazing on just about everything.”
5. “Most of the time, I completely ignore the complicated prep in recipes.”
“I don’t peel and grate the ginger, I don’t mince a clove of fresh garlic, and more often than not, I don’t use fresh herbs. I do not have all the time in the world to prepare a meal, and this is not my job. Jarred garlic and ginger taste just damn fine, and while I do prefer fresh herbs, I’m not going out in 5 degree weather to make it happen.”
Must be a mad rush everyday. What a hectic lifestyle. Then again people do opt for fastfood so…
6. “I don’t care what people say, processed cheese is delicious. I’m sorry, but when I want a cheese sauce, I simply do not have the time (nor the patience) to be grating a block of cheese, making a roux, and then a bechamel to melt the cheese into.”
7. “I almost never mix my dry ingredients in a separate bowl when baking cakes, cookies, or other baked goods. I just do the wet ones first — normally creamed butter and sugar — and then I add my dry on top. There’s no reason at all to dirty a second bowl for that.”
8. “I use the seasoning packets you get with ramen noodles to make stock.”
9. “I put a dollop of Marmite in my Bolognese sauce. It always adds a wonderful richness and depth to it.”
“It’s not the traditional Italian way, and a lot of people hate the stuff, so it’s pretty controversial. I haven’t even told my husband as I’m not sure he’d eat it!”
Knowing the Italians, they’d be hand gesturing their disapproval right now. But she’s the one preparing and eating it so hey, leave her bolognese sauce alone.
10. “Spicy does not equal ‘flavorful.’ You can have non-spicy dishes that are absolutely delicious and packed with flavor. For me, if a chef makes a dish spicy for no real reason, they’ve ruined it.”
11. “Well-done steak doesn’t have to be dry. If it is, you’re just not that good at cooking it.”
“This goes for both the people who turn their steak into shoe-leather and those who insist that ‘rare is the only way to go.'”
How do you like your steak? It’s another one of those topics that start huge debates. But we agree that it takes skill to cook steak well, regardless of how a customer asks for it.
12. “Crab legs are simply boiled crustaceans. There is NO difference between getting them at a high-end seafood restaurant, a Red Lobster, or your grocery store (if you know how to heat the pre-boiled crab legs up correctly).”
13. “This is the best (and easiest) chip dip in the entire world, even if ‘foodies’ would think it’s gross…”
“– Velveeta
– A can of cheap light beer (Coors Lite is the best for this)
– Several healthy spoonfuls of Pace medium salsa
Mix it together, melt it up, and you’ve got a crowd-pleasing hit.”
The words “beer” and “cheap dip” will have many others agreeing with this one. Especially tired dads and uncles out there.
14. “I only ever use garlic powder anymore — not the fresh stuff. I truly can’t even remember the last time I bought a bulb of garlic.”
15. “I always cook with ranch — specifically Hidden Valley Light Ranch — and I refuse to use anything else.”
16. “This is the hack I’m proudest of: Remove 15% of the noodles from a box of mac ‘n’ cheese, but keep the same amount of butter, milk, and cheese powder. It makes the meal better.”
17. “Coffee does NOT belong in brownies, cookies, or any other baked goods for that matter.”
“It always ends up making the chocolate taste burned to me. Instead, add ground cayenne. It’s so amazing.”
She must be really fun in cafes and parties. The smell of coffee itself makes the world so much better. Who doesn’t like coffee??
18. “I put parmesan cheese on canned tuna. I do. Not. Care.”
19. “MSG isn’t bad for you, and it’s great for boosting flavor.”
“One of the reasons that the ‘MSG is bad for you’ myth became popular was because of restaurants competing with Asian restaurants. The latter cooked with MSG (and became more successful than the former), so the competing restaurants started this myth.”
Asian flavors are out of this world insane. Doesn’t matter what they use to flavor their food, even if it is MSG. The never ending debate on health risks are there but just look at all the cholesterol on that fast food order.
20. “Anytime I see ‘salt and pepper to taste’ in a recipe, I get a slight feeling of rage. I grew up with one parent who didn’t like a lot of salt and pepper on their food, and another parent who covered their food in it…”
“Salt and pepper preferences can vary wildly from person to person. Just give me a starting point so I can add more if I need it. It’s so hard to get it just right, especially if I’m adding it to raw poultry before cooking it.”
There’s a reason chefs and cooks tell you to add a “pinch” of the stuff. Maybe that’s the starting point of it.
21. “Kraft is FAR superior to homemade mac ‘n’ cheese, any day of the week.”
22. “A steak is not a balloon…”
“If you cut into the middle while it’s on the grill (to see if it’s cooked to the doneness you like), it won’t magically lose all of its juices. You CANNOT detect a difference in taste or juiciness, despite what most people would like you to believe.”
—Anonymous
Interesting. And to think there are different methods to check steaks on a grill. Do you agree though?
23. “To make a ‘good’ risotto, you don’t have to add the stock in a little at a time and wait until it absorbs before adding more. Just use a wide sauté pan instead of a narrow saucepan.”
24. “Frozen vegetables that come pre-chopped are just as good as using the whole versions when making soups and stews. Plus, you don’t have to wash an extra cutting board!”
25. “Tomato paste with a little bit of olive oil (and Italian seasoning, if you’d like) is better than an actual pizza sauce. They’re never thick enough for me.”
26. “Stove Top stuffing is better than any homemade stuffing. There. I said it.”
27. “Chef Boyardee Ravioli is delicious. Nothing compares.”
28. “Arugula is disgusting. It doesn’t taste ‘peppery’ — it tastes bitter and gross. Anytime I see an otherwise tasty-looking sandwich or salad on a menu with arugula, I’m immediately disappointed. Why has it become so prevalent?”
29. “Instant coffee is totally fine. Some brands are particularly delicious, and all you need is a teapot and a coffee mug — maybe some flavored creamer if that’s your thing.”
30. “Scrambled eggs are best when they’re overcooked. I like them firm, toothsome, and a little bit browned. Many celebrity chefs’ scrambled egg recipes that I see show the eggs being ‘done’ when they’re still wildly undercooked — loose, glossy, gloopy-looking. Yuck. Give me my burnt eggs.”
31. “Ketchup can improve SO many dishes…”
“Leafy bitter greens? Add a blob of ketchup to round out the flavor and take away the bitterness. Chili? Add ketchup. Pasta sauce? You guessed it — ketchup. Hamburger patties? Put ketchup into the meat before cooking. None of these dishes will taste like ketchup. They’ll just taste better…more rounded.”
—Anonymous
This one is best left to those with a more varied taste. Amazing taste buds too.
32. “Truffles are overrated. They taste like how old basements smell.”
33. “I refuse to salt my pasta water. I’ve gone as far as making a PowerPoint condemning the practice for my salt-favoring friends.”
34. “Those packets of taco seasoning are one of the best seasoning mixes I have in my cabinet full of spices and herbs. I could blend the seasoning mix myself, but why? The store bought stuff tastes great.”
35. “I always use boxed cake mix. It’s convenient and always comes out good.”
“You don’t have to worry about precise measurements of all those dry ingredients, and with the time saved by using a boxed mix, you can make your own frosting (as that stuff tastes so much better than the canned junk).”
Good point. There are quality products out there anyway so why bother with the hassle of making ingredients from scratch. Some do find it fun.
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