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contest Sept. Throwdown Question

geeme

geeme

So to get this straight - as a newbie who is definitely going to try for next month's throwdown, assuming it's really beef-less burgers - what's really important is that it looks good - could taste like cow manure, and still win?

:lol: :eek: :lol:
 
Presentation is part of it but it will be evident if you know how to cook or not. It's not only judged by pictures but also by your list of ingredients and cooking methods (you have to imagine the flavors). But yeah there's no way to taste them. It's for fun.
 
Okay - Admin - no fair moving my post while I'm trying to edit it! :lol:

thehotpepper.com said:
Presentation is part of it but it will be evident if you know how to cook or not. It's not only judged by pictures but also by your list of ingredients and cooking methods (you have to imagine the flavors). But yeah there's no way to taste them. It's for fun.
Click to expand...
 
actually, cow manure is delicious!

You better be here next month geeme!!! Do a drunken chef or two for practice!
 
Hm. I tell people that black "pepper" (and its related cousins) tastes like dirt that a dog's peed on - why in gee criminies would you put that on food, when there are real peppers available that actually taste good? My son always asks how I know what dirt that a dog's peed on tastes like (bless his heart!) So, frydad4, it just follows: How do you know...?

:lol:

Live, laugh, love!
 
When it's fresh cracked you can really taste the difference. (pepper not manure)
 
{shake the head} I see a pun coming - - manure - - fresh cracked - - :cool:
Isn't black pepper just for people who don't really know how to cook?
 
so, geeme, what are you going to use? Pepper or Manure?

;)
 
I never use black pepper (or its piperaceae cousins) when cooking, and don't have any in the house. There are so many truly wonderful seasonings available, you just have to experiment to find combinations that you really like. Tarragon was a seasoning I had never tried until a couple of years ago - it's amazing on a steak with just a bit of garlic salt, cayenne, and coriander. (Coriander is also relatively new to my kitchen, and I use it with meats, veggies, and even fruits.) After messing around with "real" seasonings a while, piperaceae just becomes boring - it's got an acrid bite in my mouth, and that's about it.

If you always use piperaceae just because you always have, take the challenge - commit not to using it for at least a month, and instead experiment with other things. Smell each seasoning before you use it, to see if you think it would compliment or compete with what you're cooking - and even put a few together in your hand to see if you like the aroma the mix produces. Add one at a time so you know what each does. I recommend going to a farmer's market where you can get them to measure out seasonings - ask them for a sprinkle just to smell before buying any. At the same time, get gutsy and try some things you think you might not care for - I didn't think I would like tarragon because it smells like black licorice (which I'm not a fan of), but again, the right amount is amazing with steak.
 
geeme, you have an adventurous culinary spirit! You will be fully assimilated into the chile continuum in short order. LOL!


It's all good, and I hear what you are saying about experimenting with different spices. It is easy to get stuck in a spice rut and not try new things.
 
Well geeme, while I agree with you about trying new spices, they all have their place. I have nearly every spice known to man in my pantry, but I still put fresh cracked black pepper in nearly everything I cook. Same with sea salt, it is the first layer of flavor. It also helps in developing the color and texture of the food. For example, the salt and pepper help form the crust on grilled or seared foods.
 
I agree with sea salt, and think meat of any kind needs a certain amount of any kind of salt for that layering effect. But it sounds like you're doing the typical thing - just put black pepper on everything more out of force of habit than because it's really ideal with that food. Try the challenge!
 
No it's not just out of habit. I happen to like the flavor and texture of cracked black pepper. White pepper also. I get the challenge thing as a way to try new spices, but I HAVE tried them all and know what spices work well with which dishes. To each his own I guess. This is kind of reminding me of people who decide they hate Tabasco after they first try their first Fatalii sauce. Every sauce and spice has it's place.
 
the longer this thread keeps going to more and more it sounds like trolling, seriously geeme this is the last place to call people out and act like we dont know other spices exist, black pepper is just one of many many spices, some like it some don't. There's spices I don't care for and it doesn't make them inferior.
Apparently you havent finished looking through all the cooking threads and drunken chef yet :rofl:
 
In thinking about it, I wonder if I have some sort of allergy to piperaceae, and my extreme aversion to it is my body's way ot telling me not to go there. There are certainly other spices that I'm not a huge fan of, but I don't have nearly the same response to them. Like I'm not a huge fan of curries, but a small amount may be just the thing to round out the flavor of some things. My response to piperaceae, however, is very much like the response to taking the lid off a diaper pail that hasn't been cleaned out in a while - absolute revulsion. I'm pretty adventuresome with food, and like a much wider variety than most people I know, so it's not like I'm just finicky. It's an interesting thought, one I'll have to check out with my doctor next time I venture that way.
 
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