The Worst Thing I Ever Ate

[debk]

Okra, sliced and canned is gross.

Get the okra whole, steam them whole with lemon juice in the water.    This is also a good way to cook frozen Brussels Sprouts.      No vegetable in my kitchen is ever cooked in water be they fresh or frozen.

The only vegetables that I don't steam are potatoes and corn on the cob.

Even when I attempt to do green beans "southern", I do them in chicken broth. I also do cabbage in chicken broth, with onion and garlic powder and a bit of cayenne.

Have you ever put dill on brussels sprouts? I steam them to just barely cooked, then pour melted butter with lemon juice and dill mixed in. Sprinkle lemon pepper on top. 

[Chris_]

I'm gonna say Haggis......and I'm a Scot.........bleah!

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doc

[Chris_]

Never had it but it looks like sausage.

Nice hat, homie.

[Thor]

I'm gonna say Haggis......and I'm a Scot.........bleah!

doc

BUT, have you ever eaten one??

There are plenty of "foods" that I can name, but no way in hell would I even consider eating. Perhaps some Balut??

[Chris_]

BUT, have you ever eaten one??

There are plenty of "foods" that I can name, but no way in hell would I even consider eating. Perhaps some Balut??

Yeah, I have, and I'm not looking forward to doing it again.......

doc

[Eupher]

Have you ever put dill on brussels sprouts? I steam them to just barely cooked, then pour melted butter with lemon juice and dill mixed in. Sprinkle lemon pepper on top. 

Trying to polish a turd still results in a shined.....turd.

[Chris_]

The only thing that makes Brussels sprouts edible is brown gravy, and lots of it.

[debk]

Trying to polish a turd still results in a shined.....turd.

You and M share the same opinion....

[Thor]

Trying to polish a turd still results in a shined.....turd.

No, it results in a shitty polishing cloth or brush ...

[soleil]

It looked,smelled and tasted like vomit.
Growing up here on the farm meant you ate a lot of things most people would not as far as critters or certain innards (heart,liver) but that glop didn`t make it through three fork fulls.

I've never bought that. I've been tempted to just for my husband's sake since I don't eat a lot of spinach (therefore, I don't really cook it a lot). Glad I never bought it. Usually Stouffer's frozen foods are pretty decent, but I can see that being nasty.

[soleil]

The only vegetables that I don't steam are potatoes and corn on the cob.

Even when I attempt to do green beans "southern", I do them in chicken broth. I also do cabbage in chicken broth, with onion and garlic powder and a bit of cayenne.

Have you ever put dill on Brussels sprouts? I steam them to just barely cooked, then pour melted butter with lemon juice and dill mixed in. Sprinkle lemon pepper on top. 

There are many times that I use chicken bouillon cubes in my veggies over bacon fat. I do love some bacon-y veggies, but they do end up tasting a lot like bacon, and the bouillon cube seasons it up just as nicely and not as fatty. But of course, that isn't true southern cooking. lol! There's gotta be fat in everything.

[soleil]

Whatever that nasty curry dish my uncle made once. Oh my it was nasty, and it made me realize that I am not a fan of anything curry.

[Eupher]

No, it results in a shitty polishing cloth or brush ...

Not if you let the turd dry out first. (Don't ask me how I know that.) 

[crockspot]

When I was a kid, we had one of the first microwave ovens available on the consumer market. My step mother could not cook to save her life anyway, but she decided to make a meat loaf in the microwave. It came out like grey Skippy dog food. I would have rather had the Skippy dog food honestly.

Other than that, steamed okra was pretty bad too, like hollowed out zucchini filled with snot.

[debk]

When I was a kid, we had one of the first microwave ovens available on the consumer market. My step mother could not cook to save her life anyway, but she decided to make a meat loaf in the microwave. It came out like grey Skippy dog food. I would have rather had the Skippy dog food honestly.

Other than that, steamed okra was pretty bad too, like hollowed out zucchini filled with snot.

I remember getting a microwave when my oldest was about 6 mos old...about 31 years ago. 

I, too, tried a meatloaf in it.....once. 

Never could understand how women would cook roasts in one either.  Nasty.

[Thor]

My ex-stepmother, bless her itty bitty heart, got a microwave back in the early 70s. While the adults were eating a steak dinner, I was thrown in with the other kids to eat hamburgers &/ or hot dogs with a microwaved potato. The problem was, she microwaved the potatoes until they were hot, but didn't have enough sense to know that they weren't actually "DONE". Have y'all ever eaten a hot, not fully cooked potato?? Not enough butter & sour cream to hide the nastiness.

[thundley4]

I remember getting a microwave when my oldest was about 6 mos old...about 31 years ago. 

I, too, tried a meatloaf in it.....once. 

Never could understand how women would cook roasts in one either.  Nasty.

We have some little cooking thing for making meatloaf in the microwave that works great, leaves the top and sides just a little crispy like  the oven does.

[soleil]

When I was a kid, we had one of the first microwave ovens available on the consumer market. My step mother could not cook to save her life anyway, but she decided to make a meat loaf in the microwave. It came out like grey Skippy dog food. I would have rather had the Skippy dog food honestly.

Other than that, steamed okra was pretty bad too, like hollowed out zucchini filled with snot.

Ok, so I totally love okra just about any way it can be made, BUT meatloaf in the microwave??? Oh my word. That does sound atrocious.

[Eupher]

When they first came out, microwave ovens were supposed to be the be-all, end-all. Remember the Amana Radarange? About the size of a small dog house? Took a crane to install it?

It didn't take long for people to figure out that microwave ovens were good for some things (like warming up food) and not good for other things (like roasting a turkey).

That's why they got smaller. No more need for a crane. Or an extra room to house the damned thing. 

[Doc]

When they first came out, microwave ovens were supposed to be the be-all, end-all. Remember the Amana Radarange? About the size of a small dog house? Took a crane to install it?

It didn't take long for people to figure out that microwave ovens were good for some things (like warming up food) and not good for other things (like roasting a turkey).

That's why they got smaller. No more need for a crane. Or an extra room to house the damned thing.  

Actually no.....the original microwave ovens were constructed in that manner for shielding purposes, to keep the magnetron tube from slinging M/W radiation all over your kitchen, and roasting  everything within ten feet of it.

They became much smaller and lighter when a very bright guy at Bell Labs figured out a way to impregnate plastic (polycarbonate) sheets with ferric/cupric oxide particles, so that the shielding could be accomplished with much lighter materials, and significantly less of them.  They relied initially on a double steel shell (inner and outer) .

 Commercial microwave ovens in the 2500 - 3500 watt range even today are constructed with steel shielding similar to the original Amana.

The Radarange microwave had an output of about 600 watts, and it is not uncommon to find them in the 1200 - 1800 watt range now........so the cooking capability has actually increased, as the size and weight became smaller.

It is true, however, that they were launched with great hype, that far exceeded their practical applications.  You are correct that they do some things very well, and others, not so well.  We had one of the first, and actually tried to bake pastry, and roast a chicken in it.........although the chicken WAS cooked, it was not very appetising in appearance.  It was great for baking potatoes quickly though, once you figured out how to prevent them from exploding while cooking (same with eggs and hot dogs).......


doc

[Eupher]

Actually no.....the original microwave ovens were constructed in that manner for shielding purposes, to keep the magnetron tube from slinging M/W radiation all over your kitchen, and roasting  everything within ten feet of it.

They became much smaller and lighter when a very bright guy at Bell Labs figured out a way to impregnate plastic (polycarbonate) sheets with ferric/cupric oxide particles, so that the shielding could be accomplished with much lighter materials, and significantly less of them.  They relied initially on a double steel shell (inner and outer) .

 Commercial microwave ovens in the 2500 - 3500 watt range even today are constructed with steel shielding similar to the original Amana.

The Radarange microwave had an output of about 600 watts, and it is not uncommon to find them in the 1200 - 1800 watt range now........so the cooking capability has actually increased, as the size and weight became smaller.

It is true, however, that they were launched with great hype, that far exceeded their practical applications.  You are correct that they do some things very well, and others, not so well.  We had one of the first, and actually tried to bake pastry, and roast a chicken in it.........although the chicken WAS cooked, it was not very appetising in appearance.  It was great for baking potatoes quickly though, once you figured out how to prevent them from exploding while cooking (same with eggs and hot dogs).......

doc

Interesting, doc. I didn't know this stuff. While my thought wasn't with the amount of power that today's versus yesterday's microwaves emitted, it was more in line with the idea that it became less practical to build a microwave oven big enough to hold a turkey -- especially since Suzy Homemaker isn't inclined to roast a turkey in a microwave anyway. At least, not anymore.

Also interesting that chef Emeril LaGasse absolutely refuses to use one. He professes to like gadgets (and does), but he refuses to use a microwave.

[NHSparky]

As I find out HOW to cook stuff, it goes a lot farther than just the heating water/TV dinner stage.  It's REALLY helpful when it's hotter than hell outside and I want to minimize the amount of heating inside the house (i.e., stove or oven cooking).

[Chris_]

The only time I've ever seen microwaves in a restaurant was one place I worked at that sold lasagna.  Of course, that never stopped some lazy-ass employees for using them on other things.  The lasagna was baked in hotel pans (12x20in), portioned onto plates, and wrapped in plastic for later.  Everything else was done the old-fashioned way.

[Doc]

Interesting, doc. I didn't know this stuff. While my thought wasn't with the amount of power that today's versus yesterday's microwaves emitted, it was more in line with the idea that it became less practical to build a microwave oven big enough to hold a turkey -- especially since Suzy Homemaker isn't inclined to roast a turkey in a microwave anyway. At least, not anymore.

Also interesting that chef Emeril LaGasse absolutely refuses to use one. He professes to like gadgets (and does), but he refuses to use a microwave.

I would doubt that any decent chef actually COOKS with one, however, I think their usage in restaurants is primarilly logistic in nature........once a dish is prepared, if there is a lag between preparation and serving, dishes are warmed in the M/W just prior to serving to the customer.  They are also useful in commercial applications for thawing frozen stuff quickly.  Chris mentioned lasagna, which is a good example.....a dish which can be prepared in large quantities well in advance, and heated immediately prior to serving.

The problem with attempting to cook turkeys, roasts, and other large items in a microwave is that it is impossible to design one to provide a uniform level of radiation over the entire cooking chamber.....therefore parts of a large item will cook faster than others.......this problem has been (sorta) addressed by designing turntables, and rotisseries inside.......which do help, but don't overcome the problem entirely.

doc

[Godot showed up]

Canned Hominy. Ach. Grr-oss.


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But one man's meat is another man's poison; or one man's favorite vegetable and favorite prepared fish is another man's poison. Eupher, Chris, I am NUTS for Brussels sprouts. I buy two pints and steam 'em and eat just that. Yum, yum, yum. Tender little cabbages.

Sushi is an addiction.