4 ms·

Everything is about trade offs. Raw ingredients are the peak of versatility because it's the base from which all the variations come from. But it takes effort t

Everything is about trade offs. Raw ingredients are the peak of versatility because it's the base from which all the variations come from. But it takes effort to get those variations. Grating carrots can be annoying so maybe some people buy bags of grated carrots. But you won't be getting any carrot sticks from that bag. Mincing garlic is annoying so garlic can come pre-minced. You obviously won't be getting sliced or whole garlic or black garlic from the pre-minced garlic. Also, products oxidise and lose their flavour quickly. I prefer buying whole peppercorns and using a pepper grinder. Some people take it a step further and buy whole spices and temper+grind them. The garlic will lose flavour quickly when minced so it needs to be stored in either oil or vinegar or frozen. That again will limit its versatility. If it's in olive oil, I may not want to use it in east Asian cooking. Also, convenience products add sugar and salt which again is something that you may not want. In my opinion, if you know what's in it and you're happy with any limitations it creates, then by all means use it. I imagine cooking "snobs" like cooking and value the versatility of the raw ingredients. When given a bunch of raw ingredients the world opens up with possibilities.

rob74 4y ago
This! Whole garlic bulbs (as well as onions, potatoes etc. etc.) will last for months if stored properly, the "convenience" versions need extra packaging, have to be refrigerated or cooled, and still can't be stored for very long. You don't have to dice the garlic by hand though, you can use a garlic press. Before anyone calls me a snob, I use some convenience products too, e.g. pre-cut and mixed salad - I hate cleaning salad, plus in this case the convenience product has more or less the same shelf life as an uncut salad. Also, after several quiche disasters where we ended up eating "minced quiche" because it leaked or refused to be removed in one piece, I am a huge fan of convenience quiche crust - tasty, crispy, and (almost) 100% leak-proof! If you go down the "only use base products" rabbit hole, you also have to make your own pasta, because after all that's also a convenience product...
- corrral 4y ago
  > Whole garlic bulbs (as well as onions, potatoes etc. etc.) will last for months if stored properly, Mine have a lot of green material growing in them by like 3 weeks, max. Fridge, not fridge, doesn't matter. What am I doing wrong? My potatoes and onions also sure as shit don't last "months". Again, maybe 3 weeks before they're getting iffy, often sooner. Yes, kept in the dark, not like open on the counter in sunlight.

rob74 4y ago

This! Whole garlic bulbs (as well as onions, potatoes etc. etc.) will last for months if stored properly, the "convenience" versions need extra packaging, have to be refrigerated or cooled, and still can't be stored for very long. You don't have to dice the garlic by hand though, you can use a garlic press. Before anyone calls me a snob, I use some convenience products too, e.g. pre-cut and mixed salad - I hate cleaning salad, plus in this case the convenience product has more or less the same shelf life as an uncut salad. Also, after several quiche disasters where we ended up eating "minced quiche" because it leaked or refused to be removed in one piece, I am a huge fan of convenience quiche crust - tasty, crispy, and (almost) 100% leak-proof! If you go down the "only use base products" rabbit hole, you also have to make your own pasta, because after all that's also a convenience product...

corrral 4y ago
> Whole garlic bulbs (as well as onions, potatoes etc. etc.) will last for months if stored properly, Mine have a lot of green material growing in them by like 3 weeks, max. Fridge, not fridge, doesn't matter. What am I doing wrong? My potatoes and onions also sure as shit don't last "months". Again, maybe 3 weeks before they're getting iffy, often sooner. Yes, kept in the dark, not like open on the counter in sunlight.