What/who is your mortal enemy?

If you could eliminate one thing from the culinary world, what/who would it be?

Public enemy #1

Boneless skinless chicken breast.

After watching the most recent Hell's Kitchen I was disgusted to see that we have gotten to the point in our pre-packaged meat world that butchering a cow is considered disgusting and organ meats induce vomiting in people who claim to want to become chefs. I know that people who are on this forum are never going be turned off by the nasty bits, (see pork brains in milk gravy thread) and would never pay twice as much to have someone else remove the flavor from an already mild piece of meat, but remember there are millions of people out there who were disgusted by a side of beef, thousands who had to change the channel rather than watch someone eat beef tongue and liver, and tens of thousands who wouldn't know how to trim and portion a fillet.

Therefore, I am fighting against the principal symbol of this attitude; boneless skinless chicken breast. In these economic times, when people are trying to cut back and eat at home I see people pay more than twice as much to buy this evil. If God created the Chicken then the Devil chopped it up into its parts, removed all the things that add flavor, packaged it in cellophane, and told people that if you want to eat healthy you should eat this.

Personally, I prefer dark meat; however, G.F. doesn't like dark meat. I will eat a chicken breast she will not eat a thigh. At first, she didn't like the bone in her food nor did she eat chicken skin so prior to serving I would cut out the bone and put the skin on my plate. Over time she began to realize that the meat that was closer to the bone during cooking tasted better so I got to leave the bone in. Later she asked me for a bite of my food and I made sure to include a small piece of perfectly crispy chicken skin; needless to say, I got to leave the skin on after that also. I include this anecdote because I believe that people like good food, but most people don't know what good food tastes like.

I am not suggesting that we have a Chicago chicken breast party, though there would be something dramatic about throwing chicken breasts off a boat. Still BSCB, you are my mortal enemy! Prepare to die.

I know that people who are on this forum are never going be turned off by the nasty bits, (see pork brains in milk gravy thread)

Now there's a quote of the day.

Can I be the one who defends white meat? I fried chicken last night. The kids only eat drumsticks. My wife likes legs or thighs. And me... I like one of each, but there's something nice about juicy (which, admittedly it often isn't) white meat. Okay, nice may be a euphemism for "safe" or "bland" or whatever, but still. It's satisfying. Unthreateningly, blandly, safely satisfying.

Of course, it was neither boneless or skinless. Boning I can even see but anyone who can't rip the skin off a plump breast themselves deserves to pay an extra dollar per pound.

Okay, you're right. Boneless skinless chicken is only one step up from individually wrapped chickenettes from a chicken dispenser, or chicken in a tube.

faux meat products.

Flaming Hot Cheetos. Was just talking to someone at the Organic School Project about how kids eat them instead of breakfast.

did you ever think of asking the chicken first?

"What/ who is your mortal enemy"

________________________________

do carrots scream when you pull them?

Taco Bell. Why there's one in any city with a decent Mexican population (which is, let's face it, just about every American city south of Juneau) is a national shame.

Mike G wrote:Taco Bell. Why there's one in any city with a decent Mexican population (which is, let's face it, just about every American city south of Juneau...

....including Apodaca, Nuevo León

arkay wrote:did you ever think of asking the chicken first?

"What/ who is your mortal enemy"

I have no problem with the chicken, nor the breast in its natural state. It might be more appropriate to say my enemy is Purdue.

To hell with chicken breasts, I agree, though I understand MikeG’s point that they can be blandly satisfying when that’s what you’re looking for (I’ve eaten half a tofu block on days when that’s all my stomach seemed to want).

This may seem a strange one, but my enemy is also a best friend: duck confit. A well-made confit is one of my favorite things, and I make a decent version myself, but what I seem to have received the last three times I’ve ordered this dish (most recently at Briejo in Oak Park) is a duck leg that’s been hastily moved through the process, sometimes, it seems, without even spending some time in its own fat.

I have no doubt that duck confit gets excellent treatment at some locations in this city; I just want to make sure that what I’m getting is the real thing before I allocate valuable gastro-real estate to a preserved quaker that falls short, as so many have.

Mhays wrote:Flaming Hot Cheetos. Was just talking to someone at the Organic School Project about how kids eat them instead of breakfast.

And, as a teacher, I can only say that this upsets children's stomachs, which leads to horrible consequences in the classroom...

Tilapia

Pre-made pie crusts. If I was that pressed for time I'd just buy the whole pie at the bakery and call it a day.*

*However I have a package of boneless, skinless chicken breasts in the freezer at all times for a quick worknight dinner, so perhaps I should recuse myself from complaining about timesavers.

Pancake mix.

The fact that a simple combination of flour, baking powder, salt, sugar, egg and milk still endures as a pre-made "convenience product" baffles me. I think you save somewhere in the neighborhood of 90 seconds by using a mix, and they don't taste very good.

Best,
Michael

foam!!!????

Bottled salad dressing. Just the sweet/chemical smell of it makes my stomach turn. I used to work on the world's biggest, best salad buffet as a teen and had to shower like a demon after my shift to remove this stench from my pores. Not to mention that bottled salad dressing just plain tastes bad and is filled with sugar.

Cinny's Mom wrote:Bottled salad dressing. Just the sweet/chemical smell of it makes my stomach turn. I used to work on the world's biggest, best salad buffet as a teen and had to shower like a demon after my shift to remove this stench from my pores. Not to mention that bottled salad dressing just plain tastes bad and is filled with sugar.

I'm with you 100% there. A good salad dressing is also amazingly easy to make from simple kitchen staples.

grits wrote:Pre-made pie crusts. If I was that pressed for time I'd just buy the whole pie at the bakery and call it a day.

I suppose that all depends on whether you can make a decent pie crust or not. I can say unequivocally that Pilsbury and PET crusts are both better than the homemade ones made by either my mother or mother in law. Honestly, if they're going to make a pie I'm going to eat, I'd prefer they use the pre-made crust. (And this isn't a case of bad recipe. They both use their mother's recipe, and both grandmothers make excellent pie crusts.)

And honestly, I've used them myself. They're the difference between a quiche, potpie or bacon and potato pie being a weeknight dinner or not. I just don't have time to make a pie crust from scratch after work and still get my kid fed before her bedtime. (And I'm notoriously bad about planning dinners in advance.)

grits wrote:*However I have a package of boneless, skinless chicken breasts in the freezer at all times for a quick worknight dinner, so perhaps I should recuse myself from complaining about timesavers.

Does it really save you time? Couldn't you just de-bone to lower the cooking time? Not to mention when you buy the whole chicken breast, you get more meat, great for home-made chicken tenders; also a great worknight meal and kids love em!

eatchicago wrote:

Cinny's Mom wrote:Bottled salad dressing. Just the sweet/chemical smell of it makes my stomach turn. I used to work on the world's biggest, best salad buffet as a teen and had to shower like a demon after my shift to remove this stench from my pores. Not to mention that bottled salad dressing just plain tastes bad and is filled with sugar.

I'm with you 100% there. A good salad dressing is also amazingly easy to make from simple kitchen staples.

So much cheaper, too.

You know what grinds my gears?

That stupid Wal-Mart commercial with the woman saying that an average restaurant meal for a family costs $45, so you should go to Wal-Mart and buy a Marie Calendar's meal in a bag so you can give your family a "restaurant style" meal at home. Every time I see that commercial it just bothers me on so many levels.

Oh, and also this week's episode of The Biggest Loser (a show that I usually enjoy) that had one of the trainers extolling the virtues of a frozen bag of vegetables.

Margarine

A humble product created during a time of scarcity, gussied up as a healthier alternative to butter, whose trans fats turned out to be worse for you.
Now, you don't even see margarine, you see "spreads" because they're still trying that healthy pitch, this time with less fat and a bunch o' water emulsified in.
So you can't cook with it, it has no flavor, and it isn't better for you.

OK, I can live with ignoring the stuff 99% of the time.
But when a restaurant provides only margarine, not butter for bread, baked potatoes or pancakes, that makes them public enemy #1 in my book.

Culprits: Bob Evans, and the famous Crossroads restaurant in Fla. They've got plenty of drawn butter for the rock shrimp, can't I get some non-melted for my roll?

gtomaras wrote:

grits wrote:*However I have a package of boneless, skinless chicken breasts in the freezer at all times for a quick worknight dinner, so perhaps I should recuse myself from complaining about timesavers.

Does it really save you time? Couldn't you just de-bone to lower the cooking time? Not to mention when you buy the whole chicken breast, you get more meat, great for home-made chicken tenders; also a great worknight meal and kids love em!

I typically cook chickens whole when I have the time, which is usually Sunday afternoon. But yes, for me it saves time to take a couple of chicken breasts out, pound them flat, dip them in flour, and panfry them on a weeknight. I don't want to fiddle with deboning at that point, I just want to get something on the table fast after a drive home from work. Fast is the key word.

eli wrote:

grits wrote:Pre-made pie crusts. If I was that pressed for time I'd just buy the whole pie at the bakery and call it a day.

They're the difference between a quiche, potpie or bacon and potato pie being a weeknight dinner or not. I just don't have time to make a pie crust from scratch after work and still get my kid fed before her bedtime. (And I'm notoriously bad about planning dinners in advance.)

I don't have kids but I hear you there. Point absolutely taken.

I should probably admit that I use pasta sauce in glass jars for weeknight dinners. I make my own dressing for the salad, but usually the salad comes prewashed in a bag. For me on a weeknight, unless I'm working from home that day, I'm looking at the classic half-hour, maybe 45 minutes tops to get a meal on the table, and anything that shaves off time is something I'm going to at least consider.

Your dinner quiches/pies sound wonderful, btw.

An easy one - Sandra Lee
Who it seems has a magazine out now. I flipped through the "premiere" issue at a book store and I thought every page was an advertisement because every single friggin recipe had at least one brand name convenience product as an ingredient.

Plus once on her show she sprinkled sesame seeds on pita bread and called in naan.

Also, I'm not a parent so I may not truly appreciate some of the convenience foods out there for kids - but Lunchables? How much time does it take to just put some crackers lunch meat, cheese and some treat in individual bags Or what I really don't get is those crustless frozen sandwiches - the peanut butter and jelly ones. I can't imagine a thawed frozen sandwich being in any way appealing. And again, how much time could you actually be saving from slapping PB&J on two slices of bread?

boiled eggs

There's no rational way to single out any one product from the mass of evil processed commercial faux foods out there: bottled salad dressing? Sure. In the time it takes you to shake the bottle you could whisk your own. I personally find all forms of "ranch" utterly gagging, but I realize that many people love to dip things in it. Flamin' Hot Cheetos? Absolutely. And my son begs for them
For me, it's "Lunchables." Somehow that combination of processed fat and salt offered up in its extravegantly wasteful proportion of neatly compartmentalized future landfill finds a way to offend me every which way.
Then again, there are the ones that just make me laugh, like the "microwave ready!" baked potatos next to the (one assumes) unready potatos. The apparent difference being that the "ready" ones cost much more and have been individually shrink-wrapped in plastic that you have to peel off first, whereas the "unready" ones are naked. So, as best I can see, the "microwave ready" product would actually take you 10 seconds longer to get started on than the regular.

Partially-hydrogenated anything, high fructose corn syrup, margarine, light, low-fat or reduced-calorie versions of anything, artificial sweeteners.

=R=

There's also the difference between something intended as a treat being used as a staple. I have no problem with Flaming Hot Cheetos, or Mountain Dew or Lunchables per se, it's their use as staples, as an everyday food rather than an occasional treat.

gtomaras wrote:It might be more appropriate to say my enemy is Purdue.

We have Indiana U grads that post here?!

Put me down for store-bought bread crumbs, especially the "Italian" ones.

Even I can make a homemade breadcrumb; I've been making them since I was served my first PB&J sandwich in a soggy diaper.

DeathByOrca wrote: I've been making them since I was served my first PB&J sandwich in a soggy diaper.

Suddenly, I'm not feeling so bad about letting Sparky have a lunchable now and then...