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

[Bastet]

On 12/24/2023 at 5:15 PM, chessiegal said:

Turns out another neighbor, who is a hunter, brought it. It was venison. Tasted like beef to me.

I find them similar, but notably different; I'm not a big fan of beef in general, but I do love a couple of cuts and like a couple of others, while venison is something I'll eat if served to me but never make or order in any form.  (I don't disfavor gamey meat overall, though; I like several to varying degrees that I'd pick before venison.)

[EtheltoTillie]

3 hours ago, Bastet said:

I find them similar, but notably different; I'm not a big fan of beef in general, but I do love a couple of cuts and like a couple of others, while venison is something I'll eat if served to me but never make or order in any form.  (I don't disfavor gamey meat overall, though; I like several to varying degrees that I'd pick before venison.)

My husband is suddenly obsessed with learning about the recent outbreak chronic wasting disease, a mad-cow-type disease in deer.  I think I would avoid venison until further notice. 

We don't eat venison but it's not clear whether it could spread to humans through contact with feces.  E.g., deer come into your yard. 

[chessiegal]

I'm wondering if because the venison looked like roast beef it swayed my brain into thinking it tasted like beef. I absolutely could not tell any difference. 

I saw a stag in our yard recently. Not unusual, there is a heavily wooded area on our peninsula that has a population of deer, and we occasionally see deer in the yard. . The same neighbor told my husband that there is a dad, mom, and child living in a heavily wooded empty lot across from our house.

[Bastet]

Sometimes I'm not in the mood to make my own salsa, but most commercial offerings aren't hot enough for me, even if labeled with flames.  I've never found a single thing in a jar I like, and even the freshly prepared refrigerated offerings at local stores have mostly not been what I'm looking for, although some would do in a pinch.  Smart & Final (a chain in the southwest) used to make a truly good one under their own label, so that was my go-to when I wanted salsa without getting out the food processor, but they discontinued it last year. 

When I went into Trader Joe's to pick up some goodies to add to Christmas presents (pretty much the only time of year I shop there), I also perused their cheese selection as sometimes they have something interesting that's exclusive to them, and off to the right of that was a container of TJ's brand "extra hot habanero ghost pepper salsa" so I added it to my basket.  Yum!  Major yum.  I like it even better than the discontinued offering from S&F.

It has the heat level I like, but it's not heat for heat's sake at the expense of flavor; I can taste the combination of numerous different peppers and there's proper acidity for balance.  It's not extra hot to me, just perfectly hot, and I shared some with my parents; my dad felt the same, but my mom - who has a much more average heat tolerance/preference while my dad and I both skew hotter (but "normal person" hot -- spicy Mexican, Indian, etc. dishes, but not something you'd find on some sort of extreme eating "If you survive, you get your name on the wall" type competition) - thought it was indeed extra hot.  Yet she didn't classify it as something she couldn't eat, just something she'd eat sparingly and only when in the mood.

If you like hot, I highly recommend it.  It's also reasonably priced; here in L.A. it was only about $3.50 for a 12-oz. container.

Edited December 28, 2023 by Bastet

[JTMacc99]

11 hours ago, Bastet said:

extra hot habanero ghost pepper salsa

I made SO MUCH salsa this September. I found a great recipe for home canning, and I think I made about 30 pints. My ingredients were my heirloom tomatoes, serrano or/or jalapeño peppers depending on which ones I had more of in my garden at the time, white onion, bell pepper, apple cider vinegar, and tomato paste (which was for consistency and important for the canning process.) It was a pretty low heat salsa, but it is delicious and has a consistency similar to what it looks like that Trader Joe's salsa has.

The one batch where I added habanero peppers was definitely hotter, but it also reminded me that I can live without the taste of habanero. It's got a funk that I just don't like. Looking at the ingredients for the TJ salsa:

Quote

WHOLE PEELED TOMATOES IN TOMATO JUICE (TOMATOES, TOMATO JUICE, SALT, CALCIUM CHLORIDE, CITRIC ACID), HABANERO PEPPERS, FIRE ROASTED RED BELL PEPPERS, FIRE ROASTED POBLANO PEPPERS, SERRANO CHILE PEPPERS, DICED ONION, GARLIC, ORGANIC APPLE CIDER VINEGAR, SEA SALT, DRIED JAPONES PEPPERS, CILANTRO, SMOKED GHOST PEPPER POWDER, BLACK PEPPER.

It looks like they've got poblano and serrano peppers in there to add some better tasting hot peppers. And it also looks like they add the ghost pepper heat from a powdered version, and THAT sounds like a good thing for me to add to my own next year.  It would add material smokey heat without the funk.

[scriggle]

I bought a Rao's frozen pizza and baked it on a pizza stone. It's probably the best frozen pizza I've ever had.

[Gramto6]

7 hours ago, scriggle said:

I bought a Rao's frozen pizza and baked it on a pizza stone. It's probably the best frozen pizza I've ever had.

I like the Rao's frozen Lasagne, to me it is the best of the frozen. Not as thrilled with their Pasta with Vodka sauce. I wish my store carried the pizza. I'm going to ask the next time I shop.

[scriggle]

11 hours ago, Gramto6 said:

I like the Rao's frozen Lasagne, to me it is the best of the frozen. Not as thrilled with their Pasta with Vodka sauce. I wish my store carried the pizza. I'm going to ask the next time I shop.

I haven't tried any of Rao's frozen entrees. They're kind of pricey. The pizza goes for $10.99/11.99 where I am in metro Boston. The only reason I tried it was because it was on sale for $6.99 and I had a coupon for $2 off. Though I would consider buying it again at the regular price. It's head and shoulders above DiGiorno or Freshetta.

[chessiegal]

I'll have to look for Rao's  pizza. I like to keep what I call an emergency frozen pizza for nights when cooking dinner isn't going to happen. 😄

[Gramto6]

My store actually had Rao's pizza in the natural food section freezer!! Tried the cheese one and yes! it was quite good! They have 3 maybe 4 different flavors so will try others too. 

Thanks @scriggle for mentioning the pizza!! It will be a staple in my freezer for emergency/lazy day meals!

[chessiegal]

I found Rao's pizza. They had 2 varieties, pepperoni and veggie. I bought the veggie. My husband and I agreed it was the worst frozen pizza we have ever had. The best thing I can say about it is that the crust was crispy. The topping was awful, it tasted muddy. We threw most of it in the trash,

[Bastet]

I never got around to grocery shopping yesterday afternoon, so have to go today (I hate going on weekends, but it can't wait until Monday); following this discussion, I was going to look for a Rao's frozen pizza, but I just checked their website and their pizzas aren't thin crust and I'm not excited by any of the whopping four options they have, so even if my store carries any of them I'm going to pass.

[isalicat]

So I may have mentioned previously (like many times) that I work at a food pantry and we get lots of stuff donated from local grocery stores, including Trader Joe's. Although I am there twice a week, I am invariably surprised almost every time by a food item I have never heard of before (or even conceived of!), and yesterday it was Dill Pickle Salsa (really). So dill pickles chopped up with some peppers and onions added, all combined in a plastic tub. How is this different from pickle relish? (I assume the peppers, right?) I had no impulse to take one home and try it (well, its for our clients anyways) due to the incredible salt content but if any of you have tried this, is it good? I was thinking it would be awful on the usual places one uses salsa (tacos, any Mexican food...) but maybe great on the usual places for relish (hot dogs, etc.). Everyone who took some asked me if I had tried it and I honestly said no, but let me know what *you* think...so we'll see if I get any feedback next week.

[Bastet]

1 hour ago, isalicat said:

Although I am there twice a week, I am invariably surprised almost every time by a food item I have never heard of before (or even conceived of!), and yesterday it was Dill Pickle Salsa (really).

Yep, "pickle de gallo" is a thing; this is the brand sold at a lot of stores in my area.  That and a friend's homemade version are what I've tried.

1 hour ago, isalicat said:

How is this different from pickle relish? (I assume the peppers, right?)

Generally, yes, it basically just has some spicy (or mildly spicy) peppers added. 

1 hour ago, isalicat said:

I had no impulse to take one home and try it (well, its for our clients anyways) due to the incredible salt content but if any of you have tried this, is it good? I was thinking it would be awful on the usual places one uses salsa (tacos, any Mexican food...) but maybe great on the usual places for relish (hot dogs, etc.).

It's good on hot dogs, particularly, or various grilled meats.  I agree with you it's a better substitute for relish than salsa, but plenty of people just use it as a dip for tortilla chips.

Edited January 7 by Bastet

[isalicat]

On 1/6/2024 at 3:17 PM, Bastet said:

It's good on hot dogs, particularly, or various grilled meats.  I agree with you it's a better substitute for relish than salsa, but plenty of people just use it as a dip for tortilla chips.

I know salt is my particular "bugaboo" but unless they are completely unsalted, plain tortilla chips, this sounds like a salt on salt recipe for high blood pressure! (and even then...🙀 )

[BooksRule]

It's not a new product, but it's new to me-- I recently discovered the yumminess of Noosa yoghurt.  The lemon one and the raspberry one are so good!  Of course, I know that they are good because they have real fruit puree, cane sugar, and wildflower honey in them. So they will have to be an occasional treat (mainly because of the calories and sugar), but they are tasty. 

[ebk57]

1 hour ago, BooksRule said:

It's not a new product, but it's new to me-- I recently discovered the yumminess of Noosa yoghurt.  The lemon one and the raspberry one are so good!  Of course, I know that they are good because they have real fruit puree, cane sugar, and wildflower honey in them. So they will have to be an occasional treat (mainly because of the calories and sugar), but they are tasty. 

I must have my daily Noosa honey yogurt!  I love the lemon and one day picked up the honey accidently (almost the same color container) and was sure it would be too sweet.  However - it's not!  It's the best!!  Lately, it seems to be harder to find around here so I hope they're not discontinuing it. 

Still love the lemon, and the vanilla, and the peach.  It's the best yogurt!!

[Anela]

I still have the taste buds of a child, and I've recently discovered Warheads sour sodas. I found one in the Dollar tree, when I was with my dad, making deliveries. I found them again at Krieger's, last week, and got a few of them. I'm currently sipping the sour apple one. 

Oh, I did like something healthier. Last Summer, when I tried Chile Colorado for the first time (and every time since, from the same place), they gave me an avocado salad. Spicy avocado, or the dressing was. I don't like avocado, but I liked it mixed into salad. 

So, just before Christmas, I found this spicy avocado in a tub in walmart, and bought some. I just got more, the other night, and had a small salad with some tonight. I love it. 

9 hours ago, ebk57 said:

I must have my daily Noosa honey yogurt!  I love the lemon and one day picked up the honey accidently (almost the same color container) and was sure it would be too sweet.  However - it's not!  It's the best!!  Lately, it seems to be harder to find around here so I hope they're not discontinuing it. 

Still love the lemon, and the vanilla, and the peach.  It's the best yogurt!!

I love Noosa yogurt. It's the only one I really like. I mix supplements into the small tubs. 

[chessiegal]

I normally eat Dannon Light and Fit yogurt (70 calories per container). Strawberry cheesecake is my favorite flavor. I was at Whole Foods yesterday and wanted some yogurt, but they don't carry Dannon. I bought some Noosa blueberry yogurt. My goodness, it is good, but no wonder! Reading the nutritional information - so many calories, fat, sugar. I'll finish what I bought but won't buy it again.

[Gramto6]

On 3/7/2024 at 1:27 PM, chessiegal said:

I normally eat Dannon Light and Fit yogurt (70 calories per container). Strawberry cheesecake is my favorite flavor. I was at Whole Foods yesterday and wanted some yogurt, but they don't carry Dannon. I bought some Noosa blueberry yogurt. My goodness, it is good, but no wonder! Reading the nutritional information - so many calories, fat, sugar. I'll finish what I bought but won't buy it again.

I know, I bought a couple containers of it a while back. And wow it is good! And like you, then I read the nutrition info and I also won't be buying it again. I'll stick with my all time favorite, plain full fat Strauss Family Organic yogurt!

[isalicat]

I'm sure I have recommended this previously, but try Siggi's Icelandic yoghurt (I only eat the real milk, full fat kind) - it has significantly less sugar (and therefore less carbs) than most yoghurts including the "light" varieties. I prefer the vanilla, the mixed berry and when I can find it, the strawberry/rhubarb. Siggi's does make a vegan option as well for those of you that flow that way...😸

[Ancaster]

On 3/10/2024 at 2:31 PM, isalicat said:

I'm sure I have recommended this previously, but try Siggi's Icelandic yoghurt (I only eat the real milk, full fat kind) - it has significantly less sugar (and therefore less carbs) than most yoghurts including the "light" varieties. I prefer the vanilla, the mixed berry and when I can find it, the strawberry/rhubarb. Siggi's does make a vegan option as well for those of you that flow that way...😸

Fage Greek yoghurt all the way for me - great protein source, the 2% is really rich, the non-fat doesn't taste non-fat.  I eat it plain or sometimes with a little brown sugar or jam/jelly.  It's also a great substitute for sour cream in things like Mexican food, as a dollop in soups, etc.  The containers are also great for leftovers etc because they come with a proper lid!

 

[annzeepark914]

I only eat Oikos lemon tart yogurt. Sometimes after stirring it I add a bit of almond granola-type cereal, some blueberries and top with fat-free ReddiWhip. It's a fast, tasty breakfast or dessert for me. They used to offer key lime yogurt but not any more.

[Anela]

I haven’t really paid attention to calories and fat, because my stomach condition had me getting sick all the time, I wasn’t keeping much down. Even water, for a while there.  I’m doing better with that now, so maybe I should be paying attention. I don’t think I eat enough, though. I go through phases of feeling hungry all the time, it’s annoying. I’ve been out of it, and haven’t been getting much made, so I’m trying to change that this week. 
 

it’s like gastroparesis/cyclic vomiting. I add enzymes to water now - vegetarian ones - which helps, but not all the time.  I do better with whole fat dairy, and I don’t like vegan yogurt.  

On 3/2/2024 at 5:33 PM, ebk57 said:

I must have my daily Noosa honey yogurt!  I love the lemon and one day picked up the honey accidently (almost the same color container) and was sure it would be too sweet.  However - it's not!  It's the best!!  Lately, it seems to be harder to find around here so I hope they're not discontinuing it. 

Still love the lemon, and the vanilla, and the peach.  It's the best yogurt!!

I recently tried the honey one, because I bought the big tub, and I like it! I didn’t think it would.  

Edited April 11 by Anela

[Bastet]

One of the supermarket chains had a huge sale on Ben & Jerry's ice cream, and it was good on up to two pints.  So I got one of the classic chocolate chip cookie dough, and one of a flavor I'd never had before -- "Americone Dream" (I was torn between that and another I've forgotten, and picked that because it results in a donation to the Stephen Colbert AmeriCone Dream Fund).  It's vanilla ice cream with pieces of fudge-covered waffle cone and swirls of caramel.  Yum!  I bought it Friday, and already finished it off last night. 

[chessiegal]

I love ice cream. I saw an ad for Talenti, and they now have popsicles. I looked for it yesterday, but the store didn't have them. Hopefully they will show up. 

[EtheltoTillie]

I tried Bird’s custard powder from the UK. It didn’t taste very good. Too bland. I guess that’s what they call nursery food. UK folks, can you confirm?  Doesn’t anyone like it?  

[annzeepark914]

I was searching for a good almond sorta- granola cereal but couldn't find it. I used to find it at Wegmans, but no longer. So I bought a box of Kashi (??) almond cereal. When I opened the box and popped a small handful in my mouth...🤮. It tasted like OTT stale cereal. I threw it out & recycled the box. Took forever to get that rancid, oil taste out of my mouth.

[chessiegal]

I posted this in the Favorite Commercials thread. I tried the Wendys orange creamsicle frosty today. It was good, but I expected more orange flavor.

[Ancaster]

On 4/14/2024 at 4:32 PM, EtheltoTillie said:

I tried Bird’s custard powder from the UK. It didn’t taste very good. Too bland. I guess that’s what they call nursery food. UK folks, can you confirm?  Doesn’t anyone like it?  

I'm British and I love custard.  We use it the way Americans use vanilla ice-cream with pie, crumbles, etc.  It's not supposed to have a huge amount of flavour, but it's warm and creamy and sweet and yummy.

My family is from the north so would have cheese with apple pie, but at one point my parents decided it was just fine to have cheese AND custard - best of both worlds.

Edited April 19 by Ancaster
Incorrect use of apostrophe

[EtheltoTillie]

2 hours ago, Ancaster said:

I'm British and I love custard.  We use it the way American's use vanilla ice-cream with pie, crumbles, etc.  It's not supposed to have a huge amount of flavour, but it's warm and creamy and sweet and yummy.

My family is from the north so would have cheese with apple pie, but at one point my parents decided it was just fine to have cheese AND custard - best of both worlds.

I love custard, but I did not love Bird’s custard. It was not yummy to me. Is that a brand you would regularly use?  I was so disappointed. 

[Ancaster]

9 minutes ago, EtheltoTillie said:

I love custard, but I did not love Bird’s custard. It was not yummy to me. Is that a brand you would regularly use?  I was so disappointed. 

I'm sorry :-(

It's the only brand I've used, though some people like the stuff that comes in cans, which may be "richer" than the powder.  I certainly remember it as very thick.

Did you follow the instructions on the label and add the sugar?  (Was it the powder?  What kind of milk did you use?  Growing up we always had full fat, so that would probably make a difference too, if you're using skim or 2%.)

Also, when you say you love custard, what kind/type/brand do you mean?  Patisserie custard?  Or custard that's kind of like icecream?  Or custard you've had in the UK?  When I moved to the States I found processed food to be far sweeter than the British equivalents - mayonnaise, bread, soups, etc.  And American custard is not really like British custard.

Don't know if I'm being of any help, but I feel your pain!  Lamb is (was) my favourite meat, but I find the lamb here way too gamey, which is a great sadness to me.  (Third world problems indeed.)

[Anela]

2 hours ago, Ancaster said:

I'm British and I love custard.  We use it the way American's use vanilla ice-cream with pie, crumbles, etc.  It's not supposed to have a huge amount of flavour, but it's warm and creamy and sweet and yummy.

My family is from the north so would have cheese with apple pie, but at one point my parents decided it was just fine to have cheese AND custard - best of both worlds.

Yep. It's just supposed to be a topping for something like apple pie, or something you eat if you aren't feeling well. 

I think the custard here might be different. I've seen frozen custard offered as a different option at the ice cream places, in the past. But I'm not sure. I don't think I've had it over here. Is it kind of like vanilla pudding? 

I made a lemon cheesecake, and I love lemony foods, but this one is actually a bit strong for me - and I saw someone in the comments saying their wife wanted to punch up the lemon flavour. The author told them they could add a teaspoon of lemon extract, and I almost did that, but I'm glad that I didn't. 

[Ancaster]

48 minutes ago, Anela said:

Yep. It's just supposed to be a topping for something like apple pie, or something you eat if you aren't feeling well. 

I think the custard here might be different. I've seen frozen custard offered as a different option at the ice cream places, in the past. But I'm not sure. I don't think I've had it over here. Is it kind of like vanilla pudding? 

I made a lemon cheesecake, and I love lemony foods, but this one is actually a bit strong for me - and I saw someone in the comments saying their wife wanted to punch up the lemon flavour. The author told them they could add a teaspoon of lemon extract, and I almost did that, but I'm glad that I didn't. 

Good call!   I love lemony foods too, but a whole tsp of lemon extract would have made me hesitate too.

I used to go to France quite a lot growing up and through university - I lived for the glace au citron (lemon sorbet/ice cream).

[EtheltoTillie]

US pudding and custard are synonymous. Frozen custard is not— it is soft ice cream like Mr Softee or Carvel. 
I made the BIrd’s custard with whole milk and sugar. According to recipe on the container. Meh. 
I love custard and pudding of various kinds. Rice pudding, vanilla pudding, chocolate pudding, crème anglaise made from scratch.  Pastry cream. I think the Bird’s custard is supposed to be like a quickie crème anglaise.  

Edited April 19 by EtheltoTillie