Hello friends! In todays rant I extol the virtues of putting salt on sweet things! This was unfortunately a late revelation in my life, but one that has changed it’s quality immensely in the subsequent years. So my question to you is this: what is something you learned (maybe later in life) that seems soooo simple, but has enhanced your life a great deal?
Ok I'm going to keep this simple, even if my mind wants to take over. Maybe it's just Jen Sell and me, but a little salt on some ice cold watermelon is the bomb and a perfect starting example of how flavors compliment each other. Fortunately I am old and grew up eating it this way. Not always mind you. Just when the watermelon was a little off on the sweet side. Just my opinion and yes, I did not keep it simple as promised.
Disclaimer...I’ve been a weirdo food person since I was old enough to reach the stove. For example, I like glazed carrots with a couple drops of liquid smoke and a whisper of lemon zest on top. I also like to pour chili over a scoop of vanilla ice cream in my bowl.
What I learned just a few years ago was how a little bit of paprika in cream sauces adds just a little somethin-somethin. I also found out any yellow cheese sauce-based dish needs a good squirt of simple yellow hot dog mustard. It bumps up the cheese flavor somehow, much like flaky salt bumps up the flavor of chocolate or caramel
One thing that comes to mind is a glorious sweet corn and herb omelet I had at a little diner in Seattle. Sweet corn in an omelet had never occurred to me but it was so good that I've been making myself variations on that theme for at least a decade. During garden season I pick whatever veg and herbs that are ripe that morning and make an omelet - never disappoints! Sweet corn is definitely my favorite veg in this 'recipe' but I've also used eggplant, summer squash, new potatoes, garlic scapes...
You do not sound like a possum being butt fucked while playing a banjo. Darn funny. I agree that a smidgen of salt on chocolate takes it to another level.
I love cooking and baking. Two things that I learned very late in my cooking game is to use worsteshire (sp?) sauce and hot sauce (your choice) instead of salt and pepper. And my buttercream frosting has gone from okay to fabulous from learning to beat the ever loving shit out of it. Smooth as silk after 10 or more minutes in the mixer! I am pretty sure that is something every self respecting baker already knew, but I must have missed that memo.
I got through college by drinking hot tea but ignored coffee because my mother made the most gawd-awful instant coffee in human history. (1/2 teaspoon Maxwell House, half a cup of hot water, fill rest of cup with cold milk -- and then she'd gripe because it wasn't "hot enough." Imagine that.)
But she used to make me drink coffee in the morning when I was in high school because she enjoyed watching the instant personality change that took place -- comatose daughter morphs into vivacious motormouth. So, I thought of coffee as really nasty mood-lift medicine.
I joined the drama club in college. When I wasn't tearing up the scenery, I would hand out programs or work on the sets. The drama professor was married to a Frenchwoman and they would invite the actors and set people to a little party at their house after the last performance, so I was invited...
And Lise (the wife) did NOT ask me if I wanted coffee, tea, Coca-Cola, water... what she did say was "And 'ow do you like your cof-fee?" And stood there, holding the cup and the coffee pot -- waiting.
I was raised to be a Good Guest, That meant that if your host and hostess offered you a dish of par-boiled rattlesnake (add salted caramel from here on out), you did NOT say, "I'm sorry, even under the threat of instant death, I will NOT eat rattlesnake..) No, you did not. What you DID say "Why thank you, how kind..." and then you made an honest effort to eat the nasty stuff -- even if it was roadkill.
So, I did NOT say, "I'm sorry, Lise, I am not a coffee-drinker." I said "Cream and two sugars, please." She added the white stuff, and gave me the cup.
And I drank of it.
And I was AMAZED.
No one had ever told me that coffee could TASTE GOOD.
I have been trying to make that cup of coffee for myself ever since... sometimes I get close.
I knew you were going to talk about salted caramel. Nectar of the gods.
I used to put salt on raisins, but I don't eat raisins any more. No reason.
Peanut butter on a burger. It cranks up the fat and salt and umami, and I am a flexitarian but there is something so decadent abt the peanut butter melting into the hot burger patty omg. Can't resist!
Also a revelation- I find oatmilk is genuinely creamier than whole milk in baking or hot chocolate applications.
I was in my 40s before I learned not to rinse dairy or egg products off the dishes with hot water. It just solidifies the proteins and makes them harder to scrub off. If you aren't going to wash the dishes right away, just a quick swish with cold water will keep that milk ring from drying at the bottom of the glass.
Sometimes HOW you eat something can change the experience from yucky to yummy. The hubs loves the flavor of raspberries but not the texture of the seeds when you bite them. He discovered if he squishes them against the roof of his mouth with his tongue, he gets the flavor without the seeds getting stuck in his teeth.
I try to avoid Jimmy John's due to my anti trophy hunting stance, but every once in a while I'm absolutely craving one of their sandwiches. Discovered the Thai Chicken Wrap as part of their summer menu a couple weeks ago and, OMG, are those things delicious! Unfortunately, they're $10 each. WHAT?! That's just unacceptable on a regular basis. Went and double checked the ingredients on the menu and, for the same $20 that we'd spent on one wrap for each of us, we got enough for 7. It would have been 8 , but we ran out of the satay sauce. The only substitution we had to make was Asian style rice/wheat noodles (like skinny chow mein noodles but better) because the crispy carrot noodles weren't something available at the store. The crunch was more important than the flavor in that regard, so it was a good swap. Sometimes it's worth it to me to pay someone else to put something together, but a sandwich with simple enough ingredients to source isn't one of them, and that sandwich is so damned good I could see eating it a couple times a week.
Brining Pork! What an absolute difference in textures, the salt water breaks down the meat and makes it so tender! Oh and roasted fresh veg's yes indeed RC! Most my life I had mushy veges until I met a person who new the secret! Corey you and Trae need book 3 to be a cook book!!!
Yeast - sugar - salt balance. If you mess it up, you know... it’s good feedback for if you paid attention to the recipe. If you want to be a good baker, you gotta be in the moment so that means you get to ignore the rest of the world to make a good loaf.
Learning that vegetables are incredible as long as you don't boil them or eat them out of a jar. Tray of veggies on a cookie sheet with a little oil, salt and pepper hits every time.
My mother in law still buys asparagus in a jar, looks like zombie fingers, all grey and mushy, definitely a meemaw thing 🤢
Nutmeg in cheesy stuff. Brother....put that ISH in mac and cheese and you didn't know how good it could be.
Ok I'm going to keep this simple, even if my mind wants to take over. Maybe it's just Jen Sell and me, but a little salt on some ice cold watermelon is the bomb and a perfect starting example of how flavors compliment each other. Fortunately I am old and grew up eating it this way. Not always mind you. Just when the watermelon was a little off on the sweet side. Just my opinion and yes, I did not keep it simple as promised.
Oops! I’m late to the party on this one.
Disclaimer...I’ve been a weirdo food person since I was old enough to reach the stove. For example, I like glazed carrots with a couple drops of liquid smoke and a whisper of lemon zest on top. I also like to pour chili over a scoop of vanilla ice cream in my bowl.
What I learned just a few years ago was how a little bit of paprika in cream sauces adds just a little somethin-somethin. I also found out any yellow cheese sauce-based dish needs a good squirt of simple yellow hot dog mustard. It bumps up the cheese flavor somehow, much like flaky salt bumps up the flavor of chocolate or caramel
A little bit of salt on cantaloupe! A sprinkle of salt on top of cinnamon sugar on toast.
One thing that comes to mind is a glorious sweet corn and herb omelet I had at a little diner in Seattle. Sweet corn in an omelet had never occurred to me but it was so good that I've been making myself variations on that theme for at least a decade. During garden season I pick whatever veg and herbs that are ripe that morning and make an omelet - never disappoints! Sweet corn is definitely my favorite veg in this 'recipe' but I've also used eggplant, summer squash, new potatoes, garlic scapes...
You do not sound like a possum being butt fucked while playing a banjo. Darn funny. I agree that a smidgen of salt on chocolate takes it to another level.
High thread count sheets. *chef’s kiss*
Please tell me a Southern man has been salting his watermelon…
I love cooking and baking. Two things that I learned very late in my cooking game is to use worsteshire (sp?) sauce and hot sauce (your choice) instead of salt and pepper. And my buttercream frosting has gone from okay to fabulous from learning to beat the ever loving shit out of it. Smooth as silk after 10 or more minutes in the mixer! I am pretty sure that is something every self respecting baker already knew, but I must have missed that memo.
Coffee.
I got through college by drinking hot tea but ignored coffee because my mother made the most gawd-awful instant coffee in human history. (1/2 teaspoon Maxwell House, half a cup of hot water, fill rest of cup with cold milk -- and then she'd gripe because it wasn't "hot enough." Imagine that.)
But she used to make me drink coffee in the morning when I was in high school because she enjoyed watching the instant personality change that took place -- comatose daughter morphs into vivacious motormouth. So, I thought of coffee as really nasty mood-lift medicine.
I joined the drama club in college. When I wasn't tearing up the scenery, I would hand out programs or work on the sets. The drama professor was married to a Frenchwoman and they would invite the actors and set people to a little party at their house after the last performance, so I was invited...
And Lise (the wife) did NOT ask me if I wanted coffee, tea, Coca-Cola, water... what she did say was "And 'ow do you like your cof-fee?" And stood there, holding the cup and the coffee pot -- waiting.
I was raised to be a Good Guest, That meant that if your host and hostess offered you a dish of par-boiled rattlesnake (add salted caramel from here on out), you did NOT say, "I'm sorry, even under the threat of instant death, I will NOT eat rattlesnake..) No, you did not. What you DID say "Why thank you, how kind..." and then you made an honest effort to eat the nasty stuff -- even if it was roadkill.
So, I did NOT say, "I'm sorry, Lise, I am not a coffee-drinker." I said "Cream and two sugars, please." She added the white stuff, and gave me the cup.
And I drank of it.
And I was AMAZED.
No one had ever told me that coffee could TASTE GOOD.
I have been trying to make that cup of coffee for myself ever since... sometimes I get close.
I knew you were going to talk about salted caramel. Nectar of the gods.
I used to put salt on raisins, but I don't eat raisins any more. No reason.
Peanut butter on a burger. It cranks up the fat and salt and umami, and I am a flexitarian but there is something so decadent abt the peanut butter melting into the hot burger patty omg. Can't resist!
Also a revelation- I find oatmilk is genuinely creamier than whole milk in baking or hot chocolate applications.
I was in my 40s before I learned not to rinse dairy or egg products off the dishes with hot water. It just solidifies the proteins and makes them harder to scrub off. If you aren't going to wash the dishes right away, just a quick swish with cold water will keep that milk ring from drying at the bottom of the glass.
Sometimes HOW you eat something can change the experience from yucky to yummy. The hubs loves the flavor of raspberries but not the texture of the seeds when you bite them. He discovered if he squishes them against the roof of his mouth with his tongue, he gets the flavor without the seeds getting stuck in his teeth.
I try to avoid Jimmy John's due to my anti trophy hunting stance, but every once in a while I'm absolutely craving one of their sandwiches. Discovered the Thai Chicken Wrap as part of their summer menu a couple weeks ago and, OMG, are those things delicious! Unfortunately, they're $10 each. WHAT?! That's just unacceptable on a regular basis. Went and double checked the ingredients on the menu and, for the same $20 that we'd spent on one wrap for each of us, we got enough for 7. It would have been 8 , but we ran out of the satay sauce. The only substitution we had to make was Asian style rice/wheat noodles (like skinny chow mein noodles but better) because the crispy carrot noodles weren't something available at the store. The crunch was more important than the flavor in that regard, so it was a good swap. Sometimes it's worth it to me to pay someone else to put something together, but a sandwich with simple enough ingredients to source isn't one of them, and that sandwich is so damned good I could see eating it a couple times a week.
Brining Pork! What an absolute difference in textures, the salt water breaks down the meat and makes it so tender! Oh and roasted fresh veg's yes indeed RC! Most my life I had mushy veges until I met a person who new the secret! Corey you and Trae need book 3 to be a cook book!!!
Yeast - sugar - salt balance. If you mess it up, you know... it’s good feedback for if you paid attention to the recipe. If you want to be a good baker, you gotta be in the moment so that means you get to ignore the rest of the world to make a good loaf.
Learning that vegetables are incredible as long as you don't boil them or eat them out of a jar. Tray of veggies on a cookie sheet with a little oil, salt and pepper hits every time.
My mother in law still buys asparagus in a jar, looks like zombie fingers, all grey and mushy, definitely a meemaw thing 🤢