Text 34332, 76 rader
Skriven 2015-12-17 09:44:24 av MICHAEL LOO (1:123/140)
Ärende: mundane tastes
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Market Basket corned beef hash, distributed by Demoulas Super 
Markets, Inc. Ingredients: beef and cooked corned beef (beef, 
cooked corned beef ((beef, salt, sugar, sodium nitrite)), 
water, dehydrated potatoes, granulated onion, sugar, salt,
natural flavor, sodium nitrite. On opening the can exuded
the aroma of pet food roast beef, which perhaps I should try
to make into hash someday when I'm poor. On first cooking,
the result was salty blandness totally lacking in appeal. I
should have known, but a big display of these cans at 99c
for 15 oz (about 2 servings, says the label) - how could I 
resist. Okay, uneager to totally write off my large investment, 
I added an arsenal of flavor rescuers - separately fried half 
an onion in butter and folded that in, followed by a shake of
garlic powder and a blizzard of pepper. My friend Dave said
it was yummy, which is his verdict on all of my cooking,
which is mostly true, as well as on all his daughter's
cooking, which is almost mostly true. I've come to the
conclusion that he loves all food, especially if someone
else cooks it.

Dave is fond of premixed herb blends (what I call floor-sweeping
mixtures).

R. L. Schreiber Rocky Mountain meat & fish rub. Ingredients: salt, 
spices, garlic, vegetable shortening (partially hydrogenated
soybean oil, nonfat dry milk, monoglycerides), dried ancho
chiles, unsweetened cocoa powder, ground coffee, natural flavor,
citric acid, oleoresin paprika, calcium stearate - flavor of
shall we say old spice with a little chile and a little weird
stale organic substance (probably from the cocoa and coffee).
I was put in mind of a distant whiff from a compost heap. The
salt and pepper ("spices" I guess) were the best part of this. C-

Penzeys Northwoods Seasoning. Ingredients: salt, paprika, black
pepper, thyme, rosemary, garlic, and chipotle - also, here the
salt was the best part of the mix, though there were notes of
thyme and smoke. The paprika element was represented by a
modest staleness; this was a fairly newly opened jar, and the
thyme and pepper seemed fresh enough. C

Penzeys Sunny Paris Seasoning. Ingredients: purple shallots, chives,
green peppercorn, basil, tarragon, chervil, bay leaf, and dill weed.
Sweet oniony opening and on the palate, but then the DILL hit my
tongue and after that that was all I could taste. Pity. I don't
identify dill with Paris, and it was rather like a German Panzer on 
the Left Bank, if you know what I mean. Otherwise okay. C-

Green Mountain Gringo medium salsa. Ingredients: ripe tomatoes,
onions, tomatillos, apple cider vinegar, fresh jalapeno peppers,
fresh pasilla peppers, cilantro, fresh garlic, parsley, sea salt, 
cumin. Surprisingly peppy, and you could detect all the flavors
listed, the cilantro mercifully being muted in the background.
A little heavy on the tomatillos and vinegar, I thought. B-

A rematch with Osem consomme, this time made exactly according to
package instructions; add 1 teaspoon of soup mix to 1 cup of boiling
water (200 ml, 6.8 fl oz), bring to boil while stirring, reduce
heat and simmer for 3 minutes. Ingredients: salt, corn starch, sugar,
flavor enhancers (monosodium glutamate, disodium inosinate, disodium
guanylate), palm oil, dehydrated onion, flavorings (including celery),
dehydrated parsley, edible acid (citric acid), spices, antioxidant
(rosemary extract). Fairly convincing, with celery flavor predominant
and onion next. Texture rich, owing no doubt to the corn starch and
palm oil. Decent for a parve product, but note this is a pretty
synthetic substance. It gave me a little bit of a buzz. C

Trader Joe's organic sour cream. Ingredients: organic pasteurized
nonfat milk, organic pasteurized cream, acidophilus and bifidus
cultures, microbial rennet. Nicely tart but lacking richness and
without any luxurious creamy mouthfeel. And hardly any followthrough. 
It's only 16% fat, as it turns out, which is a disappointment and 
(until recently at least) below the standard. I'd say a pretty 
mediocre product (mediocre being a term that has been victim of
grade inflation). C-
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