what are the foods you're snobby about?

I enjoy stuffing lemons up the chicken's bum from time to time, doesn't interfere with the flavor overly but gives it a nice citrus 'lilt'

Also I roasted a chicken for the first time a few weeks ago and, as per Cook's Illustrated, I sautéed it in a Dutch oven w some vegs for like 5 min on each side, then put it in the oven covered at 225* for 1h and it was perfection. Used some the drippings + lemon juice to make a jus and it was maybe the best chicken I've ever had.

xp The superiority of Montreal bagels to all challengers is well documented, you're not a snob for dismissing graven images

Roast chicken is the only food where addition of anything more than salt + pepper is patently disruptive

― is capybara gay? (Ówen P.), Friday, July 6, 2012 11:28 AM (6 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

i stuff some fresh herbs under the skin, not gonna lie

rosemary is killer with chicken! i also stuffed some chicken with ramps back when they were in season and it was delicious.

i'm snobby about seafood. and chocolate.

ya fresh rosemary. fresh sage. fresh thyme.

maybe i'll try and work something out with these scapes i've been entangled with all week

flavorless dried herbs are a thing to be snobby about. i used to be snobby about vanilla, but i realized one day that all vanilla is kind of magical.

being snobby about using fresh herbs is a false grail. sometimes dried is the way to go.

whoops – i was distinguishing between 'good dried herbs' and 'bad dried herbs' not 'dried herbs' and 'fresh herbs'

my dad buys parsley for $.59 at the CVS ding and dent sale, and swears it's great

i stuffed some scapes under the skin of some chicken thighs a few weeks ago (and some rosemary and sage) and it was great. however it is far too hot out now to roast anything :(

http://gothamist.com/2012/07/05/tip_preserve_your_herbs_in_olive_oi.php

I also freeze some herbs in a ziploc bag sometimes but not for more than a week or two.

certain dried herbs are fine but fresh basil is 1000x better than dried basil

I have an awesome herb garden growing right now with oregano, basil, cilantro and boxwood basil. I have tons of this boxwood basil right now. Wonder if I can make a pesto out of it. Hmmm.

I won't even bother with dried basil

Or dried mint

Oh I should plant some mint esp since I think it's supposed to be easy to grow which I consider a bonus. I don't really ever make anything with mint though. I guess I could put it in iced tea. Hmmmm.

Mint is awesome with feta and greek salad. I use it more and more in savory salads and not just w/sweets.

you can find some great vietnamese salads that use mint, so delicious and refreshing.

also mojitos :D

and in fruit salad

mmmm i love mint pureed into a paste/sauce on seafood (scallops esp, but tilapia ok too) or on a curry

mojitos man

you know what... mojitos are one of my least favourite cocktails :O

D:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z3TeE2Z7a_U

dry vs fresh herbs - each has their use

if you're making something long-cooked w/ herbs that's not a stock, you want to add the dry herbs w/ the aromatics

if you're adding at the end it's gotta be fresh herbs unless it's going in with an acid (like dry thyme w/ lemon and butter)

s1ocki you are wrong about italian dry pasta *but* there are non-imported ones which are as good. i would say there's actually a big difference between expensive and cheap pasta, but it depends a lot on how you cook it and what you're cooking it for, and like hardcore italian pizza it might not necessarily be to your taste.

like i understand why people use fresh pasta but in general i don't like fresh pasta dishes and i hate it when they substitute fresh pasta for what should be dry or vice versa

i will stump for dried thyme, dried rosemary and dried parsley, especially if they are going in soup or stock or sauce or something else w/ lots of water

i think fresh rosemary is way too waxy and strong for anything but roasting and grilling and if you end up using too much the food gets a chemical taste (like menthol but not minty)

fresh thyme you sometimes need for exotic circumstances like finishing fish or fancy salad but i rarely keep it around.

dried parsley is okay if it goes in at the start of a soup or sauce.

remember to always use

Also I roasted a chicken for the first time a few weeks ago and, as per Cook's Illustrated, I sautéed it in a Dutch oven w some vegs for like 5 min on each side, then put it in the oven covered at 225* for 1h and it was perfection. Used some the drippings + lemon juice to make a jus and it was maybe the best chicken I've ever had.

yeah this is how my mom taught me, perfect

Grits were great tonight, thanks. Used a local Charleston mill, there were some husks but overall brilliant. Fried some chopped Kentucky bacon, removed, fried fresh caught shrimp in the fat, added grunions, parsley, lemon juice, garlic.

Sounds great! Maybe I could become the Johnny Appleseed of grits evangelism.

like i understand why people use fresh pasta but in general i don't like fresh pasta dishes and i hate it when they substitute fresh pasta for what should be dry or vice versa

― the late great, Friday, July 6, 2012 9:03 PM (Yesterday) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

this is otm, unless its like, a fresh ravioli in a restaurant in italy somewhere

i use the cheap imported

formulated for very salty pasta water and the timing on the bag is properly al dente

what brand

barilla for me

durum semolina

dececco and barilla are relatively cheap ($2-$5), same price as domestic organic

rustichella if spendy or on sale

i'm not super picky - fuck a chittarra or trenne - but i find bucatini makes a big difference

i just found a cheaper brand of bucatini by delallo that was as good as rustichella. their penne and basic noodles are pretty good too.

i think the toughest to pull off (and least necessary to use) are fusilli and orecchiette, i try to go large or go home if i need to use those

orecchiette - my fav type :D

they are tricky though

bread, pasta, rice, grains, oatmeal (cereal) - i'm a carb snob. also have attitude wrt fruit in season & abhor jarred tomato sauces

orecchiette are fabulous w/ peas and spring onions. not sure what else you'd make em with, anything roughly pea-sized i guess

bread, pasta, rice, grains, oatmeal (cereal) -

i think w/some of these it's cost that makes me semi-snobby; the same with tea, i think it's bad economics to skimp on something you get so much out of, to buy the cheaper kind & take a hit on your next forty cups. rice is pretty cheap in the scheme of things, even nice thai jasmine or w/e, so splashing out for something that's <£1/serving is weird (obviously unless you totally have to).

i'm not into artisanal (hate that word) grains or anything i just hate indifferently prepared white rice. living in nyc i shop around for snob bargains

Is Barilla really better than like Ronzoni or Rienzi or any of those?

De Cecco > Barilla > Ronzoni, imo. Ronzoni lasagne noodles are OK

marcella hazan says that italian-made pasta is better than american-made because they use metal rather than teflon to make it so the texture is rougher outside and whatever you put on it sticks better. i like the whole foods pasta.

I always get Barilla.

yes, it's better

i do orrechiette carbonara sometimes

i think i generally buy italian stuff already i guess?