We have a device that turns courgettes into slender strands like spaghetti. Very lightly sauteed it is a good substitue for pasta, and takes well to a bolognaise/meat and tomato sauce. The device also separates out the core, which is the worst part of the vegetable.
I think we call that a spiraliser. They were all the rage a few years ago but I resisted the urge to add it to my cupboards full of kitchen gadgets that never/rarely get used (measuring weighing spoon anyone,..? I've never used it!)
By the way it does seem odd to hear Americans speak of 'courgettes' when we know you call the zucchini!😂
I think we call that a spiraliser. They were all the rage a few years ago but I resisted the urge to add it to my cupboards full of kitchen gadgets that never/rarely get used (measuring weighing spoon anyone,..? I've never used it!)
By the way it does seem odd to hear Americans speak of 'courgettes' when we know you call the zucchini!😂
A zucchini by any name is IMO a mushy pulpy flavorless mess. Whenever I see them in a side of "sauteed vegetables" I push them aside. I bought one of those spiralizers and had the opposite experience to MT. Sauce slid off, a mushy pile of nothing strings.
On the other hand they make a lovely addition, like carrots, to a spiced loaf recipe. And I make zucchini fritters with grated zucchini, eggs, cheese and gram flour. They are a great addition to the fiber of the thing without interfering with the flavor.
I was first introduced to zucchini in a deep-fried version when I went to grad school in Ottawa. It was not a common vegetable on the East Coast where I grew up.
Beetroot tastes like unadulterated soil to me unless thinly sliced and deep-fried into crisps/chips. Weirdly, chard and beetroot greens are fine - I guess the chlorophyll masks the geosmin, which is what makes beetroot taste soil-y and is also what causes the smell of petrichor. I love the smell of petrichor, but wouldn't want to eat it!
I hate sprouts but love all other leafy greens and brassicas (including kale) - I was forced to eat soggy boiled sprouts as a child, and as an adult who lives alone I can't be bothered to try roasting or frying them when I can just eat other vegetables I do like. But if someone served me roasted or fried sprouts I'd definitely try them. Has anyone tried red sprouts? I wonder if they taste similar to red cabbage.
@Telford I think troach sweets are an aniseed hard sweet like Grays' cough candy. I remember the local paper shop selling little bags of them when I was little. Oddly I don't like liquorice that much (I really hate it when herbal tea makers add it to every flavour as it just overwhelms the other ingredients) but love aniseed flavours. I used to buy liquorice allsorts just for the pink and blue aniseed jelly things. Strange that they taste quite different to me. Aniseed to me is more citrusy and less sweet which I prefer.
@Lamb Chopped is banh cuon like Chinese mung bean jelly? Or coconut jelly that's used in bubble tea/boba? I have to say that I enjoy the "QQ" texture stuff like coconut jelly, tendon, boba, chicken feet etc but get why it's a texture people either love or hate.
Texture-wise - not keen on mushy textures at all. Avocado, banana (fine in banana bread or smoothies though), whole pulses, mushy peas. Dal that's cooked til smooth is fine. I also can't eat whole pulses or peas for IBS reasons which is just as well really! Hummus is OK if made with chana dal as the skins have already been removed. Mashed potato I will eat if it's on a shepherd's pie or with a stew etc which can mask the texture but it's my least favourite preparation of potato by a long way. Joining KLB in the superiority of chips with a meat pie rather than mash.
My IBS struggles with raw veg but generally I don't like it much anyway beyond salad leaves or very ripe tomatoes. Hate anything like coleslaw. Hate cucumber and any kind of melon, as to me they taste very similar. I don't actually think cucumber tastes tasteless at all, it has a strong flavour to me unless peeled. Strangely I do quite like fake watermelon flavour just like I enjoy fake banana flavour - watermelon jolly ranchers yes, watermelon slices no.
Hate the texture of onions (I can manage them puréed into a sauce or soup etc or onion powder, though my IBS doesn't love them anyway). It's funny because I like all kinds of foods and textures other people hate - fish head curry? Love. Any seafood/shellfish? Yum. Kidneys or liver? Sign me up. Sautéed onions? Big problem. For me it's the membrane stuff between the layers/rings together with the soft bit in between. Meanwhile I love okra even if slimy - no, I don't get it either. @KarlLB not sure why vegan = onions since lots of meat dishes involve copious onion, and lots of Buddhist and Jain vegan dishes avoid onion and garlic.
Wouldn't touch brains due to the risk of prion disease, anything involving the large intestine stinks (clean small intestine is OK though not very flavourful) eg andouillette, eyes are gross to me (I can't handle eye gore in movies either). The objection to eating octopuses due to intelligence seems odd to me since pigs are also very intelligent.
@Lamb Chopped is banh cuon like Chinese mung bean jelly? Or coconut jelly that's used in bubble tea/boba? I have to say that I enjoy the "QQ" texture stuff like coconut jelly, tendon, boba, chicken feet etc but get why it's a texture people either love or hate.
I wish it were! I myself like boba, coconut jelly, and etc. But this isn't like that.
Banh cuon is literally just like biting into a raw jellyfish--not chewy in the least, just floppy and slithery, you could cut it with a finger just by poking it. And of course, being made of rice flour and water alone, it has absolutely no taste--nichts, nada, zilch--and would fall into the category of "why bother" if the texture weren't so awful. I can't think why Vietnamese people eat it. Famine food, maybe? A leftover from the bad old days? They smother it in fried onions and fish sauce, which makes me think they too consider the basic taste and texture needs hiding.
Beetroot tastes like unadulterated soil to me unless thinly sliced and deep-fried into crisps/chips.
They appear in burgers here. I recall some people being somewhat horrified coming here for the Olympics and seeing that. If I recall correctly McDonald's also put out a burger then with it on.
Beetroot tastes like unadulterated soil to me unless thinly sliced and deep-fried into crisps/chips.
They appear in burgers here. I recall some people being somewhat horrified coming here for the Olympics and seeing that. If I recall correctly McDonald's also put out a burger then with it on.
I have always wondered why. Does beetroot grow especially well there?
I'm sorry, I don't know agar jelly. I can't think of anything that is quite as floppy as this stuff. Even jello / gelatin isn't like that, even at its floppiest. It's to the point where you expect it to melt like a snail moving across the plate...
Beetroot tastes like unadulterated soil to me unless thinly sliced and deep-fried into crisps/chips.
They appear in burgers here. I recall some people being somewhat horrified coming here for the Olympics and seeing that. If I recall correctly McDonald's also put out a burger then with it on.
I have always wondered why. Does beetroot grow especially well there?
To be honest I don't really know. I think, may be wrong, they used the tinned variety. At the risk of making us seem even more weird pineapple (tinned too?) is on some burgers as well. One of my local takeaways makes a nice chicken schnitzel burger with some salad and pineapple.
I'm sorry, I don't know agar jelly. I can't think of anything that is quite as floppy as this stuff. Even jello / gelatin isn't like that, even at its floppiest. It's to the point where you expect it to melt like a snail moving across the plate...
Agar is a lot softer than animal-based gelatine and sort of melts in the mouth.
I love anything strawberry flavoured. Except strawberries.
I’ll eat nuts in things, but can’t imagine anything worse than eating nuts by themselves.
Does it matter if the nuts are toasted or not? To me this makes a huge difference in palatability. The texture change is huge.
Annoyingly I have developed a mild allergy to some fruits (when raw) via pollen allergy cross-reactivity, and strawberries are one of them. It seems to be OK in bottled smoothies and juices, presumably they are pasteurised and that must be enough to denature whatever it is that causes the reaction.
I'm sorry, I don't know agar jelly. I can't think of anything that is quite as floppy as this stuff. Even jello / gelatin isn't like that, even at its floppiest. It's to the point where you expect it to melt like a snail moving across the plate...
Agar is a lot softer than animal-based gelatine and sort of melts in the mouth.
Beetroot tastes like unadulterated soil to me unless thinly sliced and deep-fried into crisps/chips.
They appear in burgers here. I recall some people being somewhat horrified coming here for the Olympics and seeing that. If I recall correctly McDonald's also put out a burger then with it on.
I have always wondered why. Does beetroot grow especially well there?
Yes, my wife grows beetroot. Some people pickle them in vinegar. But we love them boiled and eaten cold with cheese, cold meat or beef casserole. The earthiness is part of the attraction. We love them.
The only veg I won't eat eat is raw onion. Unfortunately cafés generally include it in salads and here sandwiches generally come with a bit of salad.
My mother always had some boiled beetroot on the go. We would have it in sandwiches, where it made a nice textural contrast with the white sliced bread. I like it yet, but find it difficult to estimate the correct cooking time - and have lost a few saucepans to forgetting about it.
Love beets, cooked and eaten with butter, pickled, and for Easter, we always have some hard-boiled eggs shelled and pickled in beet juice. Also, eat beet top greens.
Beetroot tastes like unadulterated soil to me unless thinly sliced and deep-fried into crisps/chips.
They appear in burgers here. I recall some people being somewhat horrified coming here for the Olympics and seeing that. If I recall correctly McDonald's also put out a burger then with it on.
I have always wondered why. Does beetroot grow especially well there?
Yes, my wife grows beetroot. Some people pickle them in vinegar. But we love them boiled and eaten cold with cheese, cold meat or beef casserole. The earthiness is part of the attraction. We love them.
We'll have them stir fried with coconut, with or without beetroot greens, or lightly pickled in cold soups.
The rule in my family when I was a child was that we had to take one bite of everything on our plate and eat it with a smile, or at least not make a face. Once we’d had that one polite bite, we didn’t need to eat any more of something we didn’t like.
Beets were one of the two foods my mother finally gave up on with me.
I love anything strawberry flavoured. Except strawberries.
I’ll eat nuts in things, but can’t imagine anything worse than eating nuts by themselves.
I'm quite the opposite on the last. Nuts in baked goods, ice cream, etc. get squishy or soggy, and to my palate repulsive. (I am very much a texture eater.)
I love strawberries. It's a pity strawberry season is so short. The wooden things they send up from California only minimally qualify as strawberries.
I love anything strawberry flavoured. Except strawberries.
I’ll eat nuts in things, but can’t imagine anything worse than eating nuts by themselves.
I'm quite the opposite on the last. Nuts in baked goods, ice cream, etc. get squishy or soggy, and to my palate repulsive. (I am very much a texture eater.)
I love strawberries. It's a pity strawberry season is so short. The wooden things they send up from California only minimally qualify as strawberries.
I think it’s texture for me - I hate the feel of strawberries in my mouth, but as I say, the flavour I love
I love anything strawberry flavoured. Except strawberries.
I’ll eat nuts in things, but can’t imagine anything worse than eating nuts by themselves.
Does it matter if the nuts are toasted or not? To me this makes a huge difference in palatability. The texture change is huge.
Annoyingly I have developed a mild allergy to some fruits (when raw) via pollen allergy cross-reactivity, and strawberries are one of them. It seems to be OK in bottled smoothies and juices, presumably they are pasteurised and that must be enough to denature whatever it is that causes the reaction.
Toasting them just feels like eating lightly charred wood rather than just eating wood!
Comments
I think we call that a spiraliser. They were all the rage a few years ago but I resisted the urge to add it to my cupboards full of kitchen gadgets that never/rarely get used (measuring weighing spoon anyone,..? I've never used it!)
By the way it does seem odd to hear Americans speak of 'courgettes' when we know you call the zucchini!😂
A zucchini by any name is IMO a mushy pulpy flavorless mess. Whenever I see them in a side of "sauteed vegetables" I push them aside. I bought one of those spiralizers and had the opposite experience to MT. Sauce slid off, a mushy pile of nothing strings.
On the other hand they make a lovely addition, like carrots, to a spiced loaf recipe. And I make zucchini fritters with grated zucchini, eggs, cheese and gram flour. They are a great addition to the fiber of the thing without interfering with the flavor.
AFF
I hate sprouts but love all other leafy greens and brassicas (including kale) - I was forced to eat soggy boiled sprouts as a child, and as an adult who lives alone I can't be bothered to try roasting or frying them when I can just eat other vegetables I do like. But if someone served me roasted or fried sprouts I'd definitely try them. Has anyone tried red sprouts? I wonder if they taste similar to red cabbage.
@Telford I think troach sweets are an aniseed hard sweet like Grays' cough candy. I remember the local paper shop selling little bags of them when I was little. Oddly I don't like liquorice that much (I really hate it when herbal tea makers add it to every flavour as it just overwhelms the other ingredients) but love aniseed flavours. I used to buy liquorice allsorts just for the pink and blue aniseed jelly things. Strange that they taste quite different to me. Aniseed to me is more citrusy and less sweet which I prefer.
@Lamb Chopped is banh cuon like Chinese mung bean jelly? Or coconut jelly that's used in bubble tea/boba? I have to say that I enjoy the "QQ" texture stuff like coconut jelly, tendon, boba, chicken feet etc but get why it's a texture people either love or hate.
My IBS struggles with raw veg but generally I don't like it much anyway beyond salad leaves or very ripe tomatoes. Hate anything like coleslaw. Hate cucumber and any kind of melon, as to me they taste very similar. I don't actually think cucumber tastes tasteless at all, it has a strong flavour to me unless peeled. Strangely I do quite like fake watermelon flavour just like I enjoy fake banana flavour - watermelon jolly ranchers yes, watermelon slices no.
Hate the texture of onions (I can manage them puréed into a sauce or soup etc or onion powder, though my IBS doesn't love them anyway). It's funny because I like all kinds of foods and textures other people hate - fish head curry? Love. Any seafood/shellfish? Yum. Kidneys or liver? Sign me up. Sautéed onions? Big problem. For me it's the membrane stuff between the layers/rings together with the soft bit in between. Meanwhile I love okra even if slimy - no, I don't get it either. @KarlLB not sure why vegan = onions since lots of meat dishes involve copious onion, and lots of Buddhist and Jain vegan dishes avoid onion and garlic.
Wouldn't touch brains due to the risk of prion disease, anything involving the large intestine stinks (clean small intestine is OK though not very flavourful) eg andouillette, eyes are gross to me (I can't handle eye gore in movies either). The objection to eating octopuses due to intelligence seems odd to me since pigs are also very intelligent.
I wish it were! I myself like boba, coconut jelly, and etc. But this isn't like that.
Banh cuon is literally just like biting into a raw jellyfish--not chewy in the least, just floppy and slithery, you could cut it with a finger just by poking it. And of course, being made of rice flour and water alone, it has absolutely no taste--nichts, nada, zilch--and would fall into the category of "why bother" if the texture weren't so awful. I can't think why Vietnamese people eat it. Famine food, maybe? A leftover from the bad old days? They smother it in fried onions and fish sauce, which makes me think they too consider the basic taste and texture needs hiding.
I have always wondered why. Does beetroot grow especially well there?
Agar is a lot softer than animal-based gelatine and sort of melts in the mouth.
I’ll eat nuts in things, but can’t imagine anything worse than eating nuts by themselves.
Does it matter if the nuts are toasted or not? To me this makes a huge difference in palatability. The texture change is huge.
Annoyingly I have developed a mild allergy to some fruits (when raw) via pollen allergy cross-reactivity, and strawberries are one of them. It seems to be OK in bottled smoothies and juices, presumably they are pasteurised and that must be enough to denature whatever it is that causes the reaction.
could be.
Yes, my wife grows beetroot. Some people pickle them in vinegar. But we love them boiled and eaten cold with cheese, cold meat or beef casserole. The earthiness is part of the attraction. We love them.
The only veg I won't eat eat is raw onion. Unfortunately cafés generally include it in salads and here sandwiches generally come with a bit of salad.
We'll have them stir fried with coconut, with or without beetroot greens, or lightly pickled in cold soups.
Beets were one of the two foods my mother finally gave up on with me.
I'm quite the opposite on the last. Nuts in baked goods, ice cream, etc. get squishy or soggy, and to my palate repulsive. (I am very much a texture eater.)
I love strawberries. It's a pity strawberry season is so short. The wooden things they send up from California only minimally qualify as strawberries.
Toasting them just feels like eating lightly charred wood rather than just eating wood!