From the US of A and I can tell you the Midwest is a fairy tale. It doesn’t exist, it isn’t real. People who think they’re in the midwest are not, people who are don’t think they are.
You might find multiple award winning shortbread-sugar-cookie crusted apple pie recipes in the coal/bible belts, you might find world class sashimi in LA, and you might find amazing tacos for different strokes throughout, but otherwise I really don’t think you can generalize the food in such a wide and diverse nation.
For something really similar to the example you could take Banana Bread, which is cherished throughout the USA, and the secret to making it perfect and delicious is this: 1. do not use milk and vegetable oil, instead use sourcream and butter. 2. coat the pan in coconut oil or lard for a soft texture. 3. you can reduce the temperature as low as 270 as long as you cook it until absolutely no batter sticks to the fork or toothpick when you poke it in the center and let cool slowly for a long time.
Where are these steps followed correctly? People with either experience or wealth, as in literally anywhere.
Can’t speak to LA, but nah. Cream cheese is the East coast trick. The Midwestern secret is “cream of [ ]” soup. Cream of mushroom is my go to, but when I ate chicken I used Cream of it a lot too. It’s useful in casserole/hotdish where a roux would be great but a real pain in the ass.
Recipes in the south: The secret ingredient is more butter.
That’s the secret in lot of really nice restaurants as well. When in doubt, add more butter.
The bit about the food in LA being delicious might not be true but the second half is 100% true.
Yes about the Midwest.
LA on the other end has an insane variety of foods, so while they have organic, vegan restaurants where everything is super healthy, they also have southern BBQ foods, steak houses, Asian foods, Italian foods, etc.
I think there’s a heavier focus on organic, vegan restaurants up in the San Francisco area.
LA on the other end has an insane variety of food
This is any city, really… At least on the east and west coasts. And Chicago.
Honestly all the cali cities have pretty diverse food options, it’s just that the cities are known for certain foods. If you want a specific cuisine, chances are there’s still a restaurant nearby for that, granted you live in the big cali cities.
LA imo is known for korean food in ktown and street tacos but also has a lot of organics and vegan options. There’s also sawtelle and little tokyo with lots of Japanese food options. There’s even a decent strip of greek, persian, turkish food options.
Irvine (and Westminster) is known for mostly viet food imo
SD has a lot of coastal dining and surf n turf options
SJ is also known for viet food and mexican food but also has a sizable portion of cantonese banquet style restaurants and japanese izakayas
SF has a lot of chinese food (cantonese, taiwanese, mainland) due to the chinatown and also lots of fishery based restaurants near the ports. Japantown there is also pretty sizable and includes a variety of japanese foods.
A lot of the old grotto seafood shops closed up in San Fran.
Well said. Does SJ stand for San Jose?
I don’t see anything about cream of mushroom soup.
oh god the cans of cream of mushroom soup and if thats not enough to bake the cube steak in, have a pack of the instant mushroom soup powder for good measure
Don’t forget the powdered french onion soup.
That meat isn’t going to loaf itself.
Stop it yall my mouth is watering somethin fierce.
Sounds accurate to me.
At the Minnesota State Faire last year, I had deep fried cheesecake batter. Yes, this is correct.
chocolate covered frozen cheesecake is way better. but i got banned from the state fair for complaining about the awful heat so i dont go there anymore
Personally I don’t like the frozen cheesecake on a stick because for me the best part of cheesecake is the cheesecake texture
I just got a bbq pork chop on a stick and saw some local band called Slipknot when I went to the Iowa State Fair
You have to have spam curds to go along with it to round out the meal, and wash it all down with a pint of dill pickle or mini donut beer.
Was it glorious?
I don’t think I’d have it again, tbh. The texture of the batter isn’t for me.
It’s gluttonous as hell, though, and for state faire food, that’s all that matters.
Disappointing, but probably better for my health. 😄
Eh, I’d eat it. Cheesecake slaps.
I grew up in the midwest. We survived on processed ingredients. I now live in the Bay Area.
I tell my partner that I need the shitty Kraft cheese for my grilled cheese sandwich, not the cheeses from Whole Foods or Trader Joes, because that’s what I had growing up. I need the shitty ingredients for certain specific foods because I want that taste. It’s not a lot of meals, but a handful must match my childhood.
Im not a cheese eater but I was under the impression that American cheese made a better grilled cheese because of the way it melts.
Its a different dish. American cheese is very melty but unless you go for some specialty shit or do some kitchen chemistry, its a very uncomplex cheese. It’ll taste like a blend of mild cheeses, predominantly unaged cheddar. That’s sometimes good, but one of cheese’s best features as a food is that it’s got a wide range of deeper flavors available. For the cozy familiar dish you go with the cozy familiar version. But those of us who love the depths of cheese and don’t have that craving, we often prefer more fancy cheese blends
That’s actually correct, and a lot of people like to give American cheese grief because it comes individually sliced and packaged in plastic, but in reality it’s just cheddar that has been reconstituted with extra milk. It can still be very high quality, with a uniquely creamy texture that is unmatched for a hot ham and cheese, or melting onto a burger.
The cheese melts faster. But I’ve def had better grilled cheese with, like, provolone.
I think there is such a thing as fancy American cheese that actually tastes good, but I’ve never seen it or tasted it.
American cheese is just cheese (usually cheddar) mixed with potassium citrate that acts as an emulsifier and prevents it from breaking when heated. It’s as good as whatever cheese you start with.
Sodium citrate. Which I believe is there to allow the cheese to survive pasteurization, but it results in the texture and melting properties that make it the objectively correct choice for cheeseburgers. I still stand by provolone for cheesesteak sandwiches though.
And in that vein if you’re sufficiently adventurous you can americanize your cheeses of choice
That’s interesting. I would imagine the same with magnesium citrate would be more of a uh liberating experience.
Kraft Deli Selects if you’re looking for prepackaged, otherwise a deli counter probably has it.
the microplastics give it that crunchyness
Kraft Singles are not cheese… Like literally, read the label, they’re not legally allowed to call it “cheese.”
It’s a shame because there are decent American cheeses, yet people equate “American cheese” with disgusting Kraft Singles.
“pasteurized cheese product” 🤢
The Boar’s Head yellow American cheese is a great melter and actually has some cheese flavor compared to Kraft singles.
Honestly just better off getting a block of muenster
Cooper Sharp American cheese is where it’s at. If you know, you know.
You don’t really see Cooper Sharp in the Bay Area where OP is.
I’m in the Midwest now though and agree that’s a great option.
If it’s in the South you have to deep-fry it as well.
Move a little to the southeast and its just lard added for flavor.
When mom cooked breakfast, she’d collect bacon grease (as, like, supplemental butter) and add that to subsequent meals. AFAIK, it still happens, but is probably less common.
Cooking for two people, I do half a pound of thick cut bacon, and when it’s done and the bacon off to the side, put in 6 eggs scrambled up right into the grease. I’ve found this is the perfect ratio of bacon grease to eggs.
Breakfast?
I can assure you that this is not uncommon at all xD
I have a special container to keep bacon grease in. But I’d only use it to fry in.
I do this! I use it in my cast iron before cooking most things I was using butter for. I mean, the grease comes free with the bacon, it would be a shame to waste it
I know it’s bad for me, so I use it very sparingly, but I have a jar of bacon grease that gets used every so often. I’ll be honest, I don’t know anyone outside my family that still does it.
I’m also from bumfuck nowhere, so that could be an influencing factor on why I am the way I am.
I don’t use it sparingly and I also have a jar of bacon grease.
The day I learned to put a coffee filter or paper towel in the jar under the lid ring to filter the hot oil? Game changer.
My grocery store carries “bulk bacon” which is packs of low quality fatty bacon that’s great for cooking. I buy that sometimes and the grease off a pound fills a pint jar about halfway, sometimes more.
Isn’t that basically lard and can’t you just buy the lard in a jar or can?
Yes and no. Bacon has curing salts and spices and some time in a cold smoker ideally. That all adds some additional flavor to the grease.
Lard is just plain pig fat that is rendered down and strained to remove bits of meat and skin. No seasoning and no smoke
Reduce, reuse, recycle
You must do a ton of bacon because I can only at most use the leftover fat from doing some pork (bacon very rarely) in a frying pan to, immediately afterwards, sauté some vegetables or such on that fat.
Good news, it’s not bad for you at all compared to industrially refined oils. Enjoy your bacon grease!
Bacon grease has a higher smoke point, a longer shelf life, and makes veggies taste amazing. It’s also high in saturated fat and sodium, but ya don’t need much of it - often just a knife tip’s worth. The only time we buy bacon is when we run out of bacon grease for cooking, maybe 3 times a year.
My grandma did this and it made pancakes AMAZING!
That or 3 sticks of butter
That and 3 sticks of butter
And/or a pint of heavy cream.
Although, there is absolutely amazing indulgent food in Los Angeles. There is great healthy food but it isn’t all Erwhon smoothies.
Gotta balance that out with more salt and sugar.
This one is correct.
Confirmed
French cooking: add wine, cream, and butter.
Universal recipe for any regional specialty
Ingredients
‑ local meat (TN: actually a slang word for meat, I don’t know the equivalent in English)
‑ local fat
‑ local booze
‑ onionsPreparation
① Sauté the meat and the onions in the fat.
② Cover with booze.
③ Let simmer for ages.
④ Serve. Grandma’s tip: it’s better the day after.Comic by M. la Mine — reposted here
One of the most important influences on my life and cooking was a wonderful French woman who married a Brit and settled here. Quite apart from her tendency to ask my friends and I “how many are we for lunch” and cope with any number from 3 to 30, her approach to cooking was legendary and usually involved meat, butter, wine, and cream. That said, she did once try deep fried, leftover, spaghetti and that did not work at all!
And you’d better spend half a day stirring those onions on a level of heat you’d get from a cigarette lighter
Slow cooker. 👈🏼
The slow cooker is my best friend. Amazing invention. Throw food in, pass out from the heat, wake up to food! A+
