Controversial opinions about food

[Sandry]

My weird mayonnaise opinion: vegan mayo is actively better than normal mayo.

(At this point I keep Just Mayo in the house and am generally super happy to put that on sandwiches, etc, but don't make that many sandwiches, so it doesn't really get used that much.)

Also, the best thing to put on chips is clearly curry sauce. If that's not possible, I suppose you could put some ketchup on it, but not too much, and while notably feeling a little bit sad about it.

[natraj]

vegan mayo is definitely way better than any storebought mayo. before i was vegan we used to just make fresh mayo at home a lot for sandwiches and i think i actually liked that, but it's been so many years now that maybe that's just nostalgia speaking.

[Decker]

I find it hard to believe that this hasn't been posted here before but search didn't find anything and I'm not backreading 27 pages.

Boxed cake mix can be just as good, if not better, than homemade.

I've been baking from scratch a LOT lately, more as a hobby thing than anything else. Cake, cookies, brownies, etc. But I'm not going to get on someone's case over using boxed mix.

I've heard so many stories about everyone going nuts over some lady's "homemade" cakes that are actually from a box. It's all in your head.

I still like baking from scratch because it's fun and there are a lot of things I like that I can't find in a box, but I'm just sick and tired of seeing someone talk about making a cake from a box and some asshole comes in all "Why don't you just make it from scratch! It's just as easy (false) and tastes so much better! (debatable)"

[dubsola]

I'm on board with this message. Try catering a kids birthday party with the inclusion of a custom birthday cake and the boxed cake mix, or even better, the premade cake, starts to look pretty good

EDIT Just noticed this:

vegan mayo is definitely way better than any storebought mayo. before i was vegan we used to just make fresh mayo at home a lot for sandwiches and i think i actually liked that, but it's been so many years now that maybe that's just nostalgia speaking.

I'll have to try vegan mayo. I really like regular mayo, like Helmans so if it's different to that, then maybe I won't like it better, but I am compelled to try

[Pfhorrest]

Wait what race is mayo supposed to be associated with? The only even vaguely ethnic association I can think of is that Americans think Europeans use too much of it / put it on too many things (like fries, which I tried with mayo only in the past year or two and now love).

Also wtf is "brown sauce"?

Also: ranch and buffalo sauce are both delicious, and living as I do near the birthplace of ranch dressing, I independently invented dipping things in it (rather than putting it on a salad, though that discovery was facilitated by fries falling into a salad bowl) as a child, and for years and years everyone thought me requesting ranch dressing as a dip was super weird, while now it's like, the standard dip for most things. (There was also this weird transitional period where apparently "ranch" was a protected trademark but it was becoming available as a dip e.g. at fast food restaurants, where I'd have to request dumb names like "buttermilk house sauce" because nobody knew what "ranch" was and their dip packets were labelled with lawsuit-avoiding bullshit like that).

[Quercus]

Also wtf is "brown sauce"?

Popular in the UK, ketchup adjacent in texture and use. Compared to ketchup has less tomato, more vinegar, addition of tamarind. Has a stronger, more acidic, less sweet flavour.

[Angua]

It's very similar to steak sauce.

[Zohar]

I've seen mayo stereotypically linked to low-class white people in the US.

As for box mixes - people should do what they want. I love baking from scratch, but for me it's more of a hobby. If someone doesn't have the time or the will, I don't get to criticize them.

[Moo]

I love baking from scratch but the most impressive* thing I bake - these red velvet sandwich cookies - I make from the same red velvet cake box mix every time because they turn out perfect each time and I don't want to take that chance.


* based on the reaction of everyone to whom I have given these cookies

[moody7277]

Also wtf is "brown sauce"?

Popular in the UK, ketchup adjacent in texture and use. Compared to ketchup has less tomato, more vinegar, addition of tamarind. Has a stronger, more acidic, less sweet flavour.

Inclusion of tamarind as an ingredient sounds like your getting close to Worcestershire sauce, the other particular ingredient in that being anchovy. Thing is, Worcestershire is a lot less viscous than ketchup.

[Angua]

I mean, you could say it's a ketchup version of worcestershire sauce.

England is very aware of the existence of worcestershire sauce - they are two separate entities with different uses.

[poxic]

I remember asking my dad why Worcestershire was called what it was. He came up with some endless dad story that ended with a black slave owner asking his white slave "what's this here sauce?"

... That story did not have a point. Have a nice day.

[Thesh]

I always just assumed that Worcestershire was the name of a city in England.

[flicky1991]

I always just assumed that Worcestershire was the name of a city in England.

If it ends in -shire, it's a whole county, not a single city. X-shire usually contains a city called X, so Worcester is a city.

[pogrmman]

I always just assumed that Worcestershire was the name of a city in England.

If it ends in -shire, it's a whole county, not a single city. X-shire usually contains a city called X, so Worcester is a city.

The real question shouldn’t be about the geography, but instead about why it’s pronounced “woos-tuh-shure”.

[Thesh]

British accents.

[Pfhorrest]

I used to think that it was because it was an agglutination of worce (like “worse”, non-rhotically “wuss”) + ster (non-rhotically “stuh”), but apparently it was originally wor-ces-ster or thereabouts and the modern common British pronunciation is corrupt.

[dubsola]

Bicester is the worst. Because there's a product called Bisto and they are easily confused.

[HES]

You can heat bread in Towcester

[Angua]

I'm pretty sure all of Norfolk follows the rule 'pronounce first and last syllable of this place name only'.

[Sandry]

You can heat bread in Towcester

This made me legit laugh out loud.

My favourite thing about those types of town names is that we have three similarish imports over in the Boston area, Worcester, Gloucester and Dorchester, but they're pronounced "Wooster," "Glauster," and actually just "Dorchester", so of course I like to swap them around and pretend it's secretly Wowster, Glauchester and Dooster.

...I have problems. Like, a non-trivial number of problems.

Anyhow. I wish brown sauce were a thing in the US, because if it's like Worcestershire sauce without actually *being* that, then maybe it is both vegetarian and actually interesting and worth putting on food.

[Decker]

Anyhow. I wish brown sauce were a thing in the US, because if it's like Worcestershire sauce without actually *being* that, then maybe it is both vegetarian and actually interesting and worth putting on food.

I see it in the international section of the grocery store quite often. Look for HP sauce. I think that's a brand brown sauce.

[Quercus]

Anyhow. I wish brown sauce were a thing in the US, because if it's like Worcestershire sauce without actually *being* that, then maybe it is both vegetarian and actually interesting and worth putting on food.

I see it in the international section of the grocery store quite often. Look for HP sauce. I think that's a brand brown sauce.

Can confirm. It's the best selling brand in the UK by quite a margin. If you do manage to find it I would strongly recommend trying it on top of cheese on toast (aka grilled cheese)

[Angua]

Good with baked beans, hash browns, grilled halloumi, etc.

HP and Daddies sauce are the two main brands. They are pretty identical tbh.

[Sandry]

Woot woot, thanks for the recommendation. Will try.

[pkcommando]

Anyhow. I wish brown sauce were a thing in the US, because if it's like Worcestershire sauce without actually *being* that, then maybe it is both vegetarian and actually interesting and worth putting on food.

For the Boston-area, you can get brown sauce at any of the Irish markets: Greenhill's & Casali's in Dorchester, Kiki's in Brighton, and it should be (haven't been in a while) at Lucky Shamrock in Quincy. I usually get the Chef's brown sauce, but agree that they are all good.

I like it on french fries, chicken tenders, sausages and am seconding the hash browns recommendations. When in those markets, also try the Irish-style pork sausages.

[Sandry]

Oh, sadly I'll never try pretty much anyone's recommendations of bangers because I don't think meat is food.

Limits a lot of my options, but y'know, maybe I can find some approximation to make out of lentils or something. Eh. French fries is easy, though!

Thanks for the search location recommendations, pkcommando!

[Angua]

hash browns and baked beans. Also eggs if you eat them.

[bradjenkins]

Salt is overrated, mushrooms are gross - until you frigging, fry them up properly..

Best sarnie I can think of (and I'm old school) - is a rye bread, toasted for less than 30 seconds. Good, mustard, not English, must be French (screw Brexit).....and salt beef....radish...

Or

Baguette, Mayo (lots of it) - sliced grilled chicken, lettuce, onions, chilli sauce. And I appreciate this is all about food, but what are you going to pair it with.....Champagne right? Obviously...both my sandwich options pair beautifully with beer / NOT CHAI / and some lovely Armand De Brignac Champagne - don't believe me read their mouth watering tasting notes here - Link removed, please see the forum rules - ST
And yes I know Jay Z owns it - but it's still amazing!!!!

Massive foodie as you can tell My wife tells me I need to get a gym membership. Got work, still didn't lose weight....because I didn't realise I had to go to the gym

[AngrySquirrel]

There is no reason why chocolate should be orange-flavored.

[flicky1991]

That's, like, one of the best flavours for chocolate.

[Zohar]

OK but we all agree chocolate mint is horrible, right?

[PAstrychef]

In reply, there is just one word-FRANGO.

[Zohar]

In reply, there is just one word-FRANGO.

Thanks, I hate it.

[Quercus]

OK but we all agree chocolate mint is horrible, right?

Depends... After eights are awful abominations that need to be wiped from the face of the earth. Mint aero is quite nice though.

[Thesh]

OK but we all agree chocolate mint is horrible, right?

I've heard people say that before. One of them was in prison for assault. I'm not saying your opinion is invalid, however misguided it may be, but keep in mind what kind of company you keep.

[poxic]

Mint and chocolate is a dicey combination. Can be good, can be shite.

The best mint choc I ever had was a high dollar choccie that was infused with the taste of a fresh mint leaf. I have no idea how they accomplished it but by George it was like eating a real green leaf alongside the chocolate. Could almost taste the leaf fuzz and was fantastic. That place shut down or moved too far away so I am sad.

[commodorejohn]

Mint chocolate is given directly from the hand of God.

There is no reason why chocolate should be orange-flavored.

This, however, is entirely correct.

[Quercus]

Mint and chocolate is a dicey combination. Can be good, can be shite.

The best mint choc I ever had was a high dollar choccie that was infused with the taste of a fresh mint leaf. I have no idea how they accomplished it but by George it was like eating a real green leaf alongside the chocolate. Could almost taste the leaf fuzz and was fantastic. That place shut down or moved too far away so I am sad.

I'm going out tomorrow and buying a bar of dark chocolate and a bunch of fresh mint. That sounds divine.

[poxic]

Good luck with it. In my experience actually eating fresh mint involves more chlorophyll taste than I'd prefer.