The eGullet Hall of Shame

[Dave the Cook]

I am ashamed to admit that I do not own and have not read Mastering the Art of French Cooking, nor have I ever made a single recipe from either volume.

I do not like olives or pickles (no, not even cornichons, though home-made quick pickles are okay).

I use canned beef broth at least as often as I use stock (and no, I do not think plain water is better).

Fess up here.

[Chris Hennes]

I do not simply tolerate Dominos thin crust pizza: I like it. With onions. Hold the oregano.

[syoung68]

I do not simply tolerate Dominos thin crust pizza: I like it. With onions. Hold the oregano.

There is something to be said for the ultra thin cracker like crusts of Dominos and Pizza Hut Pizza, but my shame takes it a step further. Once or twice a year, I MUST have pizza rolls. Yes those little square pillows of pizza like substance. It does not even matter what brand. Every once in a while we have a frozen snack Sunday. Pizza rolls, taquitos, etc. It is so wrong.

[Chris Amirault]

Artificially flavored vanilla cream:

I can eat an entire can of Betty Crocker's Rich & Creamy Creamy White Frosting in ten seconds, but I try to limit myself to a tablespoon per minute; that way, I'm usually nauseated well before I eat so much I'd be hospitalized.

Any "vanilla" cookie with "vanilla" creme inside will not survive the night at my house or the day at my school. Cheaper is better: the tang of industrial vanillin with gums and stabilizers is what I'm after.

To that end, I am so addicted to Little Debbie Oatmeal Creme Pies that I have not allowed myself to buy any since 2001. I would tell you more about that incident, but I woke up behind a dumpster surrounded by 12-pak boxes and weighing an additional two stone with no memory whatsoever of the previous day.

My hands are trembling.

[Fantastic Mr Fox]

Artificially flavored vanilla cream:

To that end, I am so addicted to Little Debbie Oatmeal Creme Pies that I have not allowed myself to buy any since 2001. I would tell you more about that incident, but I woke up behind a dumpster surrounded by 12-pak boxes and weighing an additional two stone with no memory whatsoever of the previous day.

I have had to swear off Little Debbie since about 2000 myself...in my case Fudge Rounds and Nutty Bars. At some point they became complete meal replacement. I'm glad I now know of someone equally addicted...I thought it was just me. :-)

Edited January 19, 2010 by Fantastic Mr Fox (log)

[Fantastic Mr Fox]

A propos of the Little Debbie comment, I am no longer allowed to have and Entenmann's cake products in my house, most importantly the chocolate coated donuts. I could eat those all day, every day.

Edited January 19, 2010 by Fantastic Mr Fox (log)

[Reignking]

I think seasonal eating is too difficult.

I don't know what is seasonal, and even if I do, I can buy anything I want at the supermarket, anyway.

Plus, I'd rather eat a "real" veggie like asparagus than a bunch of starches. Even if it is from Peru. And I can't tell a difference between asparagus from here or anywhere else.

If I could go to a market where everything is local AND seasonal, I would change my tune. But when I'm seeing tomatoes from Canada in January, I quit.

[lancastermike]

Frozen Waffles, I love them.

[Marlene]

I like Shake and Bake.

[maggiethecat]

I've no bone to pick with three buck Chuck Sauvignon Blanc.

Offal is awful.

Tofu sucks.

I have a jar of Better than Bouillon in my fridge.

I think fish tastes better cooked.

I'm a snack cake snob. I taught my daughter that Little Debbie's official name is Nasty Cakes and despite her tears,I've never allowed one in my house. Ouch.

When Jiffy Cornbread mix goes on sale for a quarter a box I buy eight.

[JAZ]

I hate stinky cheese: all blue cheese makes me gag, and goat and sheep's milk cheese remind me of a petting zoo. Those expensive, runny French cheeses? Old gym socks.

I sometimes braise meat at high temperatures, with the lid off.

Not only does roasted cauliflower not taste like french fries, it's simply not very good.

[Chris Hennes]

I am also ashamed that I tried to mince garlic with a knife for a while, but I sucked at it and went back to my garlic press.

[Doodad]

Heaven help me, I do like the mac and cheese in the blue box. After raising a child, it sunk in. Sorry Mom.

I make terrible bread. It is ok, but lifeless. The bakers around here do a better job.

Funyuns.

[Fantastic Mr Fox]

Plain, undressed, iceberg lettuce is my favorite vegetable.

[Stephanie Brim]

Here's an awful one: I like Velveeta Shells & Cheese. A lot. With canned ham and frozen peas. I make it as a meal occasionally and my daughter likes it, too. Not as much as I make homemade mac & cheese with ham and frozen peas, but still.

The fact that I felt I had to delurk to mention that means I'm on the road to recovery, right?

I'm also one of those people who buys lots of canned goods in the winter just in case. If you saw my canned goods shelf right now you'd be amazed. There are very little canned veggies, however. Most is canned condensed cream soup (for casseroles, which are a whole other point), canned broth, or canned tomatoes.

[Stephanie Brim]

I am also ashamed that I tried to mince garlic with a knife for a while, but I sucked at it and went back to my garlic press.

Yeah, I can't really mince garlic very well with a knife, either. I keep trying, though, and give my family members the eye if they say anything about getting a too-large piece of garlic in their bite of sauce. It doesn't help matters, either, that I actually like bigger pieces of garlic.

[Rico]

I'll drink Keystone in the summer.

[KatieLoeb]

Lazy frozen Margaritas with Minute Maid Limeade as the main ingredient. Oh the shame. But they're so good. And so easy...

[thayes1c]

Can't do sushi. I keep trying but it makes me gag. Hate mayo or anything mayo based with a passion. Can't eat cheesecake because of the awful cream cheese twang it has. Bleu cheese coats my mouth with a smoky creaminess that I can not abide.

I second the Jiffy cornbread. It's too cheap and easy to pass up. I'll take it a step further and say that I mix Jiffy cornbread with a box of Jiffy yellowcake because, GASP!, I like my cornbread sweet. I'll eat a McDonald's hamburger now and again, and enjoy it. Sometimes for dinner my fiance and I order the value meal at Taco Bell. Four bean burritos, six tacos and a caramel apple empanada for dessert. Oh, and I buy all my wine at the Grocery outlet, usually for less than $5 a bottle. Last but not least, every year I make a resolution not to eat any more frozen pizzas. Usually lasts a month or two before I'm hittin' the Freschettas.

[nickrey]

I am also ashamed that I tried to mince garlic with a knife for a while, but I sucked at it and went back to my garlic press.

For me the knife is a necessity. I think I've snapped the handles of around 10 garlic presses.

My dirty little secret is that I sometimes use ready made crushed ginger and crushed chili.

[Katie Meadow]

Sometimes I throw away food that isn't yet spoiled because I just know nobody will eat it and it pains me (and makes me nauseous) to see moldy food. In my mind I am preventing it from rotting by throwing it out while it's still edible.

Broccoli Rabe wastes away in the crisper more than half the time we buy it. When I cook it I love it, but somehow I have a hard time dealing with it, especially once I see any yellow on the leaves.

I don't like tasting cinnamon in apple pie, but I do like it on applesauce when served with latkes.

Watching people eat chicken with their fingers is gross, but I've done it in private.

I love fresh pineapple on pizza, especially without ham.

[Beebs]

I use canned/tetra-pak chicken and beef broth. And bouillion cubes. About 90% of the time, too.

I have never made roast beef. Neither have I roasted a turkey.

I use el cheapo wine for wine-based stews, saving the good stuff for the table.

(Does it still count if I am not exactly hanging my head in shame? Except for the roast beef & turkey thing. That is downright embarassing.)

[David A. Goldfarb]

Every few years I have okra to verify that I continue not to like it.

[SauceRobert]

Freschetta pizza...

kraft mac w/ campbells cream of celery soup, ground beef and canned tomatoes (strange thing from childhood but love it)...

McDonalds fries...

[Anna N]

Sheesh - I don't even know where to start! I love jelly babies but hate caviar. I buy chicken stock because I can store it in the pantry rather than the freezer. I can't resist meat on sale but then it gets lost in my freezer! I buy snow and/or sugar snap peas often but usually end up tossing them out when they get beyond the pale - I like them but they seem to get forgotten almost every time. I dislike beans, lentils, rice, grains, etc. etc. although I have been getting over my dislike of rice to some extent. I have far too many exotic ingredient (condiments, spices and such) in my fridge and pantry some of which I have never even tried. I could go on and on but this is becoming too, too depressing.