Guilty pleasures...

[akebono]

hi sara,

anything in your pantry we would be shocked to find?

dug your show,

won't you smile a while for me (could not resist)

-matt

[Sara Moulton]

good question! We all have secrets.

I guess mine would be triscuits. (Julia was an unabashed fan of goldfish)

peppermint chocolate bark from christmas

20 bottles of hot sauce

What is your crazy pantry item?

[Pan]

What kinds of hot sauce do you like best, Sara? Many eGullet Society members love hot sauces and have strong opinions about which ones they like and dislike. Have a look at The Hot Sauce Thread if you like. It's already on its seventh page. As I wrote somewhere on that thread, my standby is Sambal Oelek from Huy Fong, the same company that makes Sriracha.

I don't have cable and have seldom watched Food TV, but I look forward to watching your show on PBS. Thanks for being so generous and real in this conversation, and I hope that, time allowing, you continue to post now and then.

[akebono]

i have a baggie...

about 1/2 oz. of pure MSG.

also have 10 or 12 bags

of

matè de coca... coca leaf tea. (shhhhhhh)

gotta go

someone is pounding on my door...

dave's not here man...

[annecros]

mmm, MSG. Fellow junkie here. I use it sparingly, but I do use it. Please do not tell hubby. It is better that he doesn't know. Really it is.

Although mine is in a cylinder that says Accent.

Edit: A cylinder in the BACK of the cabinet, that goes right back there when I am done, after stealthily adding it to some food.

Edited January 25, 2006 by annecros (log)

[snowangel]

Two of them here:

Mini Baby Ruth bars (but only at times of the year when candy sales are high -- Halloween, Valentine's Day, etc. -- so they are really fresh) for ME and treats for those who help me. Odd since I don't have much of a sweet tooth.

My other guilty pleasure would be Saltines. I love them, when I want a quick nosh, buttered. Crushed, they also make a great thickener and breading.

I've come clean.

[Sara Moulton]

What kinds of hot sauce do you like best, Sara? Many eGullet Society members love hot sauces and have strong opinions about which ones they like and dislike.

I checked out the hot sauce thread and can see that you all are far more discerning than me. People tend to give me hot sauces when they travel and then I just try them out. I do not like sweet hot sauce, I do not like ball park mustard in my hot sauce. I prefer habanero and scotch bonnet based hot sauce. I like Cholula for that reason. I have mostly used your favorite, schriacha, in cooking but now I will have to try it straight up. I add Tabasco to my tuna fish.

[jdanton]

What kinds of hot sauce do you like best, Sara? Many eGullet Society members love hot sauces and have strong opinions about which ones they like and dislike.

. I add Tabasco to my tuna fish.

←

Don't forget Crystal--as native (non-resident) New Orleanian we prefer it to Tabasco...

[fifi]

Bless me, Gumbo Goddess, for I have sinned.

I have a jar of Bootsie's "authentic cajun roux" way in the back of my fridge.

No! No! I would not use it in a real gumbo. I would miss the wonderful aroma of the trinity hitting the hot roux. (And the two beers that you have to drink while stirring the roux.) But it sure is handy for making a quick dish when a bit of shrimp or crawfish tails land at your feet.

Actually . . . Jarred roux isn't bad at all.

[Catherine Iino]

Triscuits are the best. And not so guilty a pleasure, I think: maybe a little too much fat and salt, but all whole grain, and even for a foodie, it's the meal (sometimes, yes) you cannot make at home.

[BuzzDraft]

good question! We all have secrets.

I guess mine would be triscuits. (Julia was an unabashed fan of goldfish)

peppermint chocolate bark from christmas

20 bottles of hot sauce

What is your crazy pantry item?

←

Yikes! I also have peppermint bark, AND Goldfish, and always keep Triscuits for a snack when I'm too tired to cook (I like to bake them with a slice of summer sausage and wedge of cheese and an olive on top). However, the only hot sauce I've got in stock is Crystal.

I can't think of anything crazy in my pantry, but I do have a jar of duck fois gras fresh from Paris that a friend brought back for me. I wonder how it would taste on a Triscuit?

[Susan in FL]

I love Triscuits, too. And, I have another crazy sort of "confession" that I'm a little embarrassed to share... but, guilty pleasures... This is a taste combination that blew my socks off: Triscuits topped with prosciutto. Indescribable.

[srhcb]

mmm, MSG. Fellow junkie here. I use it sparingly, but I do use it. Please do not tell hubby. It is better that he doesn't know. Really it is.

Although mine is in a cylinder that says Accent.

Edit: A cylinder in the BACK of the cabinet, that goes right back there when I am done, after stealthily adding it to some food.

←

I keep mine in the form of Vegeta, which I used to have smuggled from Croatia, but it's now available on Amazon! (what wonderful times we live in)

SB (also likes Triscuits)

[FistFullaRoux]

Bisquick. It's easy to make a batch of something for two people when the ingredients are pre-mixed. That and canned soup. Quick and easy.

[Rebecca263]

Constant Comment Tea. It reminds me of my mother, who, although she was an incredible cook, kept this in the house because it reminded HER of her mother. and, now, of course, my kiddle shall be burdened by the habit, as well. Oh, dear.