What New Foods Have You Tried?: Like It? Hate It? Share Here!

[annzeepark914]

4 hours ago, Anela said:

https://www.instagram.com/p/C-qaxjTOMsA/

The cucumber guy. 

I read this yesterday in the NYT. He was writing about people like me. I cut my pinkie *badly* one night while slicing cucumbers on a handheld mandolin. My husband was at the airport picking up company so I had to drive myself to the ER (thank God we live 1.5 miles from a hospital & I only had to drive through 2 neighborhoods). I bought the mesh glove & use it whenever I get out the mandolin or whenever I use my new chef's knife (that has already nicked me 🥴) How do professional cooks chop/slice so fast without killing themselves?

[EtheltoTillie]

20 hours ago, annzeepark914 said:

I read this yesterday in the NYT. He was writing about people like me. I cut my pinkie *badly* one night while slicing cucumbers on a handheld mandolin. My husband was at the airport picking up company so I had to drive myself to the ER (thank God we live 1.5 miles from a hospital & I only had to drive through 2 neighborhoods). I bought the mesh glove & use it whenever I get out the mandolin or whenever I use my new chef's knife (that has already nicked me 🥴) How do professional cooks chop/slice so fast without killing themselves?

Wear shoes in the kitchen, too, folks.  My husband dropped the chef's knife the other day and it went freakily point down into the top of his foot, leaving a big gash.  I ran to the pharmacy and got this blood stopping powder, which was helpful.  I recommend keeping it in the house.  I also had to buy a lot of gauze. 

In answer to your question about professional cooks, apparently they cut and burn themselves all the time, but it's part of the job, badge of honor, etc.  Dumb.  Even though they know the safe techniques for holding the food and so on.  I avoid using a mandolin unless really necessary.  I have used it for cucumber salad, so thanks for the warning.  I love those Asian cucumber pickles.

[annzeepark914]

@EtheltoTillie Get the mesh glove (to wear on the hand that's holding the cucumber). I ordered mine from Amazon. I love cucumber salads...Swedish or Thai 😊.

[chessiegal]

All the mandolins I've owned come with a guard. I always use the guard when using the mandolin. I was watching ATK recently where they were cautioning about using a mandolin. I was yelling at the tv - use the damn guard!!! I've never cut myself using a mandolin with the guard.

[Ancaster]

Target's Good and Gather Bite-Sized Everything Seasoned Crackers, with a picture of little crackers covered in seeds and an everything bagel.  Ingredients on the front of the package are given as caraway seeds, garlic, onion, poppy seeds and sesame seeds.  So, savoury, right?  Wrong.  I had one and it was sweet, sweet, sweet and I was so shocked I almost spat it out.  Revolting.  The entire box minus one cracker went in the trash.

(I also just noticed that the "best if used by" date was June 24th, 2024 - I bought the box no more than a couple of weeks ago.)

Edited September 4 by Ancaster

[Browncoat]

15 hours ago, Ancaster said:

(I also just noticed that the "best if used by" date was June 24th, 2024 - I bought the box no more than a couple of weeks ago.)

If you still have your receipt, take it and the box back to Target and get a refund. 

[Ancaster]

2 hours ago, Browncoat said:

If you still have your receipt, take it and the box back to Target and get a refund. 

I thought about it, but for a couple of dollars it's not really worth the bother.  It's not that taking it back would make any difference.  I'm more likely to write to corporate, where someone  might actually read my comments.

[chessiegal]

I often buy prepackaged small salads that I add a lot of stuff to making them a good meal salad. The other week I opened one up that I had bought the day before, it was the day it was marked "use by" date, and the greens were spoiled. I thought about taking it back to the store to get my $4.49 back. I decided it wasn't worth the 10-mile round trip when I had no other reason to go out. I'm extra careful now looking at both use by date and the product itself when it's something fresh like greens.

[isalicat]

3 hours ago, chessiegal said:

I often buy prepackaged small salads that I add a lot of stuff to making them a good meal salad. The other week I opened one up that I had bought the day before, it was the day it was marked "use by" date, and the greens were spoiled. I thought about taking it back to the store to get my $4.49 back. I decided it wasn't worth the 10-mile round trip when I had no other reason to go out. I'm extra careful now looking at both use by date and the product itself when it's something fresh like greens.

Those pre-packaged salads go bad so fast that they are by far the most volume donated item that my food pantry gets from the local supermarkets. On Fridays we are eager to get rid of everything perishable as we are not open on the weekends and want to clear the refrigerators for our Monday morning intake, and we generally have lots of those pre-packaged salads with the use by date still the next day and you can see the greens on the bottom are already all slimey and uneatable! Fortunately we have a "friend of the pantry" with goats (goats eat *anything*) so we empty the contents into a big sack and he comes and takes it away every two days...nothing goes to waste at my pantry! Check the bottom of the container before you buy - if you see anything suspicious, don't buy and if you can't see through to check, definitely don't buy! 😺

[chessiegal]

I definitely check the bottom now. I bought one today with a use by date of September 13. The greens look fresh, and I'll be using it tomorrow.

[Ancaster]

1 hour ago, chessiegal said:

I definitely check the bottom now. I bought one today with a use by date of September 13. The greens look fresh, and I'll be using it tomorrow.

I buy a lot of these salads also, especially the spring mix type.  I find that if they contain those leaves that are dark green with dark red ends, those go slimy really quickly.  The only time that doesn't happen for me is if I go to the farmers' market and can get the truly local stuff.

[Anela]

I don't like most sparkling water drinks, or kombucha, but I've tried Kevita before. I've just tried their sparkling lemonade with prebiotics - Mango flavour - and I really like it. 

[Mittengirl]

Coke and Oreo are two flavors that never needed to be combined.  I am glad the cookies and pop were gifted to me, not purchased by me, but now what do I do with the rest of them.

[isalicat]

In the spirit of the New Year (Happy Rosh Hashanah everyone!) I will report on when we introduced my son, then about 9 years old, to the ethnic (Jewish) cuisine of his forebears. At the time we were living outside a tiny town in the mountains of far north California so as you can imagine there was *no deli* and certainly no traditional Jewish foods to be found unless you made them from scratch, which I mostly can't (I do a good matzo-bri and that's it!).

So when visiting the in-laws in Los Angeles, we took him to Cantor's Deli for some pastrami on rye, which he loved, and some matzo ball soup, which was pronounced "okay", and gefilte fish, which he gamely tried, grimaced and put his fork down definitively. Naturally that is not a comprehensive sampling of Jewish food, but it is as much as we thought good for a first go round. Now that he is grown, he eats virtually everything so I would love to go back to Cantor's with him at some point...😸 (I love all of the above dishes...)

[Bastet]

8 hours ago, isalicat said:

we took him to Cantor's Deli for some pastrami on rye, which he loved, and some matzo ball soup, which was pronounced "okay",

Back in the day, needing to sober up anywhere in Fairfax before driving home, we'd hit up Canter's, and about half of any group chose the matzo ball soup to do the job.  I've had better pastrami sandwiches (Langer's, which has "only" been an institution for about a decade less than Canter's and is unfortunately on the brink of possibly closing but is the gold standard, plus a couple of places in the valley, oddly enough), but never a better matzo ball soup in L.A. 

[chessiegal]

I saw a Welch's frozen smoothie today and decided to try it, strawberry banana flavor for $2.99. It was not very good.

[Ancaster]

On 10/5/2024 at 3:36 PM, isalicat said:

 

So when visiting the in-laws in Los Angeles, we took him to Cantor's Deli for some pastrami on rye, which he loved, and some matzo ball soup, which was pronounced "okay", and gefilte fish, which he gamely tried, grimaced and put his fork down definitively. Naturally that is not a comprehensive sampling of Jewish food, but it is as much as we thought good for a first go round. Now that he is grown, he eats virtually everything so I would love to go back to Cantor's with him at some point...😸 (I love all of the above dishes...)

I've never had Cantor's gefilte fish, but if it tastes like the stuff from the jar, I'm not surprised your son didn't like them!  For the holidays I make a gefilte fish loaf, using good quality fish, very minimal sugar, and a couple of other ingredients. The difference between that and the balls is immeasurable.  (If anyone wants the recipe, let me know and I'll try to find it.)

[EtheltoTillie]

3 hours ago, Ancaster said:

I've never had Cantor's gefilte fish, but if it tastes like the stuff from the jar, I'm not surprised your son didn't like them!  For the holidays I make a gefilte fish loaf, using good quality fish, very minimal sugar, and a couple of other ingredients. The difference between that and the balls is immeasurable.  (If anyone wants the recipe, let me know and I'll try to find it.)

I would like your recipe. I have seen recipes that are too complicated. The jar stuff is inedible but I find that the prepared frozen tubes (like A&B brand) are good and taste like homemade. You just have to poach them. Some of the delis here in NYC make them and sell slices to go. 

Edited November 18 by EtheltoTillie

[PRgal]

4 hours ago, Ancaster said:

I've never had Cantor's gefilte fish, but if it tastes like the stuff from the jar, I'm not surprised your son didn't like them!  For the holidays I make a gefilte fish loaf, using good quality fish, very minimal sugar, and a couple of other ingredients. The difference between that and the balls is immeasurable.  (If anyone wants the recipe, let me know and I'll try to find it.)

The "jar stuff" is exactly why my husband refuses to have them.  Actually, I'm sure he'll refuse to have one made from scratch as he doesn't like fish, period.  He told me that gefilte fish is really polarizing.  I don't mind it that much.  The texture (though not the flavour) reminds me of the fish balls you get when you have Chinese hot pot.  Some noodle restaurants have fish ball rice noodles on their menus.  

[Ancaster]

51 minutes ago, EtheltoTillie said:

I would like your recipe. I have seen recipes that are too complicated. The jar stuff is inedible but I find that the prepared frozen tubes (like A&B brand) are good and taste like homemade. You just have to poach them. Some of the delis here in NYC make them and sell slices to go. 

I found it and tried but the file is too big.  Give me a bit of time and I'll see what I can work out.  🐟 

[Ancaster]

.

Edited November 18 by Ancaster

[EtheltoTillie]

2 hours ago, PRgal said:

The "jar stuff" is exactly why my husband refuses to have them.  Actually, I'm sure he'll refuse to have one made from scratch as he doesn't like fish, period.  He told me that gefilte fish is really polarizing.  I don't mind it that much.  The texture (though not the flavour) reminds me of the fish balls you get when you have Chinese hot pot.  Some noodle restaurants have fish ball rice noodles on their menus.  

Yes the texture of the good gefilte fish is very much like Chinese fish balls. The jarred stuff has a lumpy texture.  I like fish to begin with so I like good gefilte fish. I can stomach the jarred stuff if it’s smothered in horseradish to disguise the taste. There’s something about the jarred product that has a peculiar canned food taste. Ugh. I can’t believe it when you get invited to someone’s Seder and they serve the jarred stuff. So disappointing. I don’t go to Seders as a rule as they are excruciating. I have sat through three in my 69 years. But I’m an atheist Jewish lover of Jewish food. 

Edited November 18 by EtheltoTillie

[EtheltoTillie]

Speaking of mashed fish dishes, I recently made brandade de morue. It’s a mash of salt cod and potatoes.  I’ve had it at French bistros but it’s hard to find. One of my local markets sells the salt cod, so I made it myself. It’s pretty easy. 

[Ancaster]

3 hours ago, EtheltoTillie said:

I would like your recipe. I have seen recipes that are too complicated. The jar stuff is inedible but I find that the prepared frozen tubes (like A&B brand) are good and taste like homemade. You just have to poach them. Some of the delis here in NYC make them and sell slices to go. 

By jove I think I got it!

Let me know if anything doesn't make sense.

Looking at the recipe, a couple of things:

I don't always bother with the decorative carrot and pepper because I'm inherently lazy.

For the "Add oil etc" line, mix everything together in a bowl, not the mixer.

Also, use good quality fish - I find TJs and Costco are good source for "reasonably" priced.

This freezes well.

 

 

[EtheltoTillie]

1 hour ago, Ancaster said:

By jove I think I got it!

Let me know if anything doesn't make sense.

Looking at the recipe, a couple of things:

I don't always bother with the decorative carrot and pepper because I'm inherently lazy.

For the "Add oil etc" line, mix everything together in a bowl, not the mixer.

Also, use good quality fish - I find TJs and Costco are good source for "reasonably" priced.

This freezes well.

 

 

Sorry, I am not seeing an image. I know it’s hard to post images here. Thanks for trying

[Ancaster]

That's weird.  How about this?

 

[EtheltoTillie]

Yes I can see it, @Ancaster  Thanks!  
This is so interesting, a baked loaf instead of poached. Every recipe I see is always too complicated in how they have you make a fish/vegetable broth before you even start poaching.   I tried it once but reduced the number of ingredients. Then there are those where you are also supposed to stuff the fish mixture into a fish skin.  

Edited November 18 by EtheltoTillie

[Ancaster]

3 hours ago, EtheltoTillie said:

Yes I can see it, @Ancaster  Thanks!  
This is so interesting, a baked loaf instead of poached. Every recipe I see is always too complicated in how they have you make a fish/vegetable broth before you even start poaching.   I tried it once but reduced the number of ingredients. Then there are those where you are also supposed to stuff the fish mixture into a fish skin.  

Yes, this is a little time-consuming but straightforward and, I think, very tasty.  Especially with good, sinus-clearing horse radish!

I keep kosher l'Pesach (Kosher for Passover) and splurged on a food processor specifically for this and harosets*.

* For those who don't know, harosets is one of the traditional symbolic foods at the Seder and typically involves a lot of chopping.

[PRgal]

3 hours ago, Ancaster said:

Yes, this is a little time-consuming but straightforward and, I think, very tasty.  Especially with good, sinus-clearing horse radish!

I keep kosher l'Pesach (Kosher for Passover) and splurged on a food processor specifically for this and harosets*.

* For those who don't know, harosets is one of the traditional symbolic foods at the Seder and typically involves a lot of chopping.

We buy most of our stuff for Passover.  No one ever taught me how to make it (yeah, I know, Google is my friend, but I spent most of my time looking for less traditional recipes like matzoh lasagna or pizza.  My husband likes my matzoh brei though... (team savoury here)) :( 

[EtheltoTillie]

I eat matzo brei with salt and pepper only. 

3 hours ago, Ancaster said:

Yes, this is a little time-consuming but straightforward and, I think, very tasty.  Especially with good, sinus-clearing horse radish!

I keep kosher l'Pesach (Kosher for Passover) and splurged on a food processor specifically for this and harosets*.

* For those who don't know, harosets is one of the traditional symbolic foods at the Seder and typically involves a lot of chopping.

Another comment on the gefilte fish:  I don't know why traditional recipes use fresh water fish such as carp and whitefish.  I see you are using salmon and cod, which sounds good!  I've purchased salmon gefllte fish from delis in Brighton Beach (Brooklyn, not UK), the Russian neighborhood. 

Edited November 18 by EtheltoTillie

[Ancaster]

42 minutes ago, PRgal said:

We buy most of our stuff for Passover.  No one ever taught me how to make it (yeah, I know, Google is my friend, but I spent most of my time looking for less traditional recipes like matzoh lasagna or pizza.  My husband likes my matzoh brei though... (team savoury here)) :( 

I make a lot of non-traditional stuff too - partly because I'm 90% pescatarian, and partly because so much of the traditional (Ashkenazi) stuff is incredibly unhealthy.  Team savoury here too, and at Passover lots and lots of soups and salads and veg (and eggs).  Yotan Ottelenghi has a lot of great vegetarian dishes that can be adapted or already good for Passover - his book Plenty is great, and just Googling him will get you some great stuff.

If you ever want specifics, please don't hesitate to message me.  I'm not an expert, but I've had lots of experience, if that makes sense!

[EtheltoTillie]

My mother used to make salmon loaf with canned salmon.  It's like croquettes but in loaf form instead of fried.  It's a good quick meal. 

Ottelenghi is an amazing chef, and I love his recipes.  I ate at his London restaurant twice!  It was fabulous. 

[Ancaster]

17 minutes ago, EtheltoTillie said:

I eat matzo brei with salt and pepper only. 

Another comment on the gefilte fish:  I don't know why traditional recipes use fresh water fish such as carp and whitefish.  I see you are using salmon and cod, which sounds good!  I've purchased salmon gefllte fish from delis in Brighton Beach (Brooklyn, not UK), the Russian neighborhood. 

Probably the fish they could get in Eastern Europe - and I'm sure you know the stories about keeping carp in the bathtub.

For those who don't know about this stuff, this is a link to the first few pages of the classic children's book:

https://www.google.com/books/edition/The_Carp_in_the_Bathtub/mX5eDAAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&pg=PA1&printsec=frontcover

I'm in the Pacific Northwest, so mine has to have salmon or I'll be booted out.

.......................

I'm beyond jealous at your having eaten chez Ottelenghi.

Edited November 18 by Ancaster

[EtheltoTillie]

6 minutes ago, Ancaster said:

Probably the fish they could get in Eastern Europe - and I'm sure you know the stories about keeping carp in the bathtub.

For those who don't know about this stuff, this is a link to the first few pages of the classic children's book:

https://www.google.com/books/edition/The_Carp_in_the_Bathtub/mX5eDAAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&pg=PA1&printsec=frontcover

I'm in the Pacific Northwest, so mine has to have salmon or I'll be booted out.

.......................

I'm beyond jealous at your having eaten chez Ottelenghi.

You beat me to it.  I was going to report that myth has my grandmother keeping carp in her Bronx tenement bathroom. 

[Ancaster]

My in-laws have the same myth - maybe we should play a little Jewish geography?

Keeping this on topic - a food I tried once and hated is kashe varniskes - buckwheat groats with bow tie noodles.  If I ever get to Cantor's or Katz's or 2nd Ave Deli and they offer it, I will not be trying it.

Out of curiosity, I just checked whether they offer it at Milky Way, Stephen Speilberg's Mom's restaurant in LA.  They don't.

[EtheltoTillie]

1 minute ago, Ancaster said:

My in-laws have the same myth - maybe we should play a little Jewish geography?

Keeping this on topic - a food I tried once and hated is kashe varniskes - buckwheat groats with bow tie noodles.  If I ever get to Cantor's or Katz's or 2nd Ave Deli and they offer it, I will not be trying it.

Out of curiosity, I just checked whether they offer it at Milky Way, Stephen Speilberg's Mom's restaurant in LA.  They don't.

Ancaster, we can't be friends anymore.  Kashe varnishkes are nectar of the gods. 

Jewish geography:  My father's side arrived in NYC from Ukraine in 1903.  Mother's side arrived from Warsaw and Galitzia in the teens.  All ended up in the Bronx. 

[Ancaster]

2 minutes ago, EtheltoTillie said:

Ancaster, we can't be friends anymore.  Kashe varnishkes are nectar of the gods. 

I think you had to be born with one in your mouth, rather than a silver spoon.  Not that I had one of those either.  I'm sure it was one of my husband's first foods.

(And please, still be my friend!  I'll send you some virtual hamentaschen - do you prefer poppy seed or jam?)

[EtheltoTillie]

1 minute ago, Ancaster said:

I think you had to be born with one in your mouth, rather than a silver spoon.  Not that I had one of those either.  I'm sure it was one of my husband's first foods.

(And please, still be my friend!  I'll send you some virtual hamentaschen - do you prefer poppy seed or jam?)

Sure, only kidding.  I prefer prune lekvar followed by apricot. 

[Ancaster]

5 minutes ago, EtheltoTillie said:

Sure, only kidding.  I prefer prune lekvar followed by apricot. 

Consider it done.

[EtheltoTillie]

Many people in the Ashkenazi diaspora eat the same foods.  I have taken Brazilian visitors to restaurants in NYC, and they lapped up the borscht and kashe varnishkes.  And one member of the Brazilian group moved to NYC and married someone from London. 

[EtheltoTillie]

I just checked out my book Yiddish Cuisine, by Rabbi Robert Steinberg. The gefilte fish recipe is 1.25 pages long. The broth is as fussy as I described before. Includes fish heads and 4 (not 3 and not 5) black peppercorns.  Who could tell the difference?  Broth simmers for 45 minutes before you even start poaching the fish patties for two hours.  The patties have 8 steps and include placing carrot slices in the center of the fish patties. The recipe for patties is very similar to your loaf recipe, @Ancaster  that is, for the Litvak patties, which are less sweet.  The Galitzianer patties use the same formula but have more sugar and NO PEPPER, as Rabbi Steinberg warns. 

I don’t really use this cookbook for much, just for the stellar prune lekvar recipe. 

Edited November 19 by EtheltoTillie

[Ancaster]

Yeah, I have a friend who makes the balls in a finnicky fish broth - the end does not justify the means, as far as I'm concerned.  And judging by the amount left on plates, few in her extended family appreciate them either.

I think many of us older biddies have a couple of recipe books we've held on to for just one or two recipes, or for nostalgia's sake.  (And still have too many recipe books altogether.)  Mine is Delia Smith's Complete Cookery Course (1978).  Delia (first name only) was the Nigella of the time.

[isalicat]

1 hour ago, Ancaster said:

Yeah, I have a friend who makes the balls in a finnicky fish broth - the end does not justify the means, as far as I'm concerned.  And judging by the amount left on plates, few in her extended family appreciate them either.

I think many of us older biddies have a couple of recipe books we've held on to for just one or two recipes, or for nostalgia's sake.  (And still have too many recipe books altogether.)  Mine is Delia Smith's Complete Cookery Course (1978).  Delia (first name only) was the Nigella of the time.

Mine is the Fannie Farmer Cookbook which I have had for at least 45 years now - I still think the cheesecake recipe is the best I've ever found and I used it every single Christmas for 35 years or more.

[JustHereForFood]

On 11/18/2024 at 9:42 PM, Ancaster said:

Probably the fish they could get in Eastern Europe - and I'm sure you know the stories about keeping carp in the bathtub.

Many people in Czech Republic and Slovakia (not sure about other countries in the area) keep a carp in bathtub each Christmas and then kill it themselves - I am very grateful my family never participated in this tradition as I consider it barbaric and I would be surely traumatized from it as a kid. Fish is a traditional dish at Christmas Eve dinner which is the main Christmas meal.  (We usually had other kinds of fish, often salmon, but carp is traditional.) There has been some talk lately about reconsidering such traditions, but as you can probably imagine, the conversation often gets quite nasty, as some people take any conversations about traditions evolving as an attack on their identity or something.