If you’ve been reading this blog long enough, you’ll know I like New York Times writer Mark Bittman enough to try and cook as many foods as possible from his “101 Simple Meals” article. However, this new article on what he deems IN or OUT for this year is, well, really pissing me off.
Here’s the list of what he deems OUT:
Packaged bread crumbs or croutons.
Bouillon cubes or powder, or canned stock.
Aerosol oil.
Bottled salad dressing and marinades.
Bottled lemon juice.
Spices older than a year.
Dried parsley and basil.
Canned beans.
Imitation vanilla.
Grated imitation “Parmesan” (any other pre-grated cheese).
Canned peas (and most other canned vegetables).
Tomato paste in a can.
Premade pie crusts.
Cheap balsamic or flavored vinegars.
Minute Rice or boil-in-a-bag grains.
“Pancake” syrup.
Here’s why people actually buy these these supposed horrors:
Time. The canned beans one chaps my ass especially. I’m no stranger to cooking dry beans. It’s time-consuming and always a gamble as to how they’ll come out. Have you ever cooked chickpeas from scratch? It takes at least two hours — after an overnight soak. I don’t generally start planning dinner 24 hours beforehand; do you? The same goes for the sneer at boil-in-a-bag grains. Parboiled brown rice (you know, one of those whole grains we’re all supposed to be getting more of?) is done in 10 minutes, compared to 45-55 minutes for brown rice cooked from raw. And no, parboiled rice does not lose any of its nutrition along the way.
Money. In lieu of buying bottled lemon juice, he advocates buying lemons “six at a time.” Look, I love lemons as much as the next cook, but here in my neighborhood Key Food, lemons are 99¢ a throw. At that price, it’s no longer an ingredient; it’s a condiment, to be used sparingly. I can’t say I’d buy it, but I can certainly understand the appeal of 32 ounces of bottled lemon for the price of two fresh lemons. The same stands for vanilla. Vanilla beans: around $10. Imitation vanilla extract: $2.79.
I think what really bothers me the most is that I just… expected more from Mark Bittman. The entire piece has a sanctimonious and intimidating tone. I feel uncomfortable reading it and I already buy most of these things already — I can’t imagine how someone less comfortable in a kitchen would feel reading this, knowing their kitchen is tainted with “cheap balsamic” or a stray can of corn.
Actually, I take it back. I can imagine how they’d feel. They’d feel like Mark Bittman: kind of an ass.
You’re breaking my heart, Bittman.
Tomato paste in a can? I will occasionally say, “Oh, I’ll make beans tomorrow, so I’ll soak them tonight,” but I certainly don’t plan far enough ahead to reduce and strain several pounds of tomatoes. Or does prepared tomato paste come in a form other than canned that I don’t know about?
I mean, he’s got two groups of things on that list, really: the “inauthentic” like imitation vanilla and pancake syrup and dried herbs; and the timesavers like canned beans or prepared stock or salad dressings. And they’re all, except for the tomato paste, things a cook _could_ do with enough time and planning but doesn’t always (or ever, as with me and pie crusts, for example) want to. But I don’t know anyone who makes their own tomato paste, ever. I don’t think even my grandmother, though I know she made and canned sauce so I guess reducing it would be feasible.
No, he recommends the following: “Tomato paste in a tube. You rarely need more than two tablespoons so you feel guilty opening a can; this solves that problem.”
Again, though, tomato paste in a tube? Three bucks for 4.5oz (or 66¢ per oz), while a 6oz. can of paste is 49¢ (8¢/ounce). Guilt over possibly wasting half a can of tomato paste is not going to outweigh my guilt at paying over eight times as much for a product for which I’m not going to be able to taste any difference.
Kristen, you’re right. This one really irked me. I’m sure if you, too, made your living cooking and writing about it that you’d have time to be particular about the freshness of your herbs, for chrissake.
The canned beans one was particularly egregious. They are a cheap base (thank you, trader joe’s) of so many things we make and eat around here. And a perfect portion to boot. Then we don’t have to eat beans for days.
And I love my Green Giant Niblets (corn) and will never give them up. Yes, fresh corn is superior. But also more expensive, more work, and NOT AVAILABLE MOST OF THE YEAR.
Bottled salad dressing sent me over the edge. Who knew that when I take a salad along to class that I should also take the time to mince a shallot and chop some of my aforementioned fresh herbs?
I could probably do this for all items on his list, but I’ll spare you.
Yeah, ok, whatever, Mr. Bittman. Some of us take out the 2 Tbl. of canned tomato paste we need, then put the rest of it into a baggie, squish it thinnish, and then we can break off handy chunks o’paste as needed. Ta-dah… no wasted tomato paste. Sheesh.
Oh, that is SUCH a great idea. I already do that with pesto—I don’t know why I never considered it for tomato paste as well.
I don’t know what happened. Maybe he had a near-death experience and decided he had to elevate his foodie-ism? Maybe he started dating someone–I’ve known carnivorous friends who turned vegan due to a new love interest. Maybe Bobby Flay and Rachel Ray (how appropriate, that these dicks rhyme) have been sending him threatening mail to mend his ways? It’s too soon to judge. He could be a victim.
Maybe that article was his initiation and now he’s cool enough to be part of Michael Pollan and Marion Nestle’s biker gang.
Really? I liked almost everything on that list.
I am firmly with him on the canned vegetables, if only because the sodium content of canned vegetables is appalling (even rinsed). Frozen are so much better, both tastewise and healthwise. And you’ll note he didn’t say “cook beans from scratch 2 hours before each meal” — he made the useful suggestion “why not cook a whole pound of dried beans all at once and keep them in the fridge? It’s like having the convenience of canned, with even more portion control, better flavor, better nutrition, AND cheaper!”
Tomato paste in a tube sort of rocks — if it’s available, I wouldn’t not buy it. Sure, you can freeze the excess from a can, but the tube saves you even that small amount of trouble (and freezer space, a precious commodity around our parts).
Bottled dressing is preaching to the choir for me since I’ve always thought it excessive (don’t like the way it tastes, hate the calorie content) — but I’m the sort of person who dresses her salads with olive oil, vinegar and lemon juice. (You may throw things at me.)
Packaged bread crumbs — why would anyone buy them when they cost more than the equivalent amount of *fresh* bread, and are stale, and don’t taste as good?
Boil-in-a-bag rice just makes me incredibly upset, as an Asian, so I was nodding there too. (I can’t eat it. Maybe it’s because I didn’t grow up with it.)
I really liked the suggestion to replace bal-vin with sherry vinegar — he’s not just telling you what to ditch, he’s making helpful suggestions as to what to get/use instead. It’s the third time I’ve seen sherry vin mentioned recently and this validation tips me over into picking up a bottle the next time I get a chance. I hope it’ll taste good.
And whether or not you purge old spices from your spice rack RIGHT NOW, I think we all know that 3-year-old oregano doesn’t really taste like much. (Won’t RUIN you, but won’t add much either.)
I don’t know. Maybe I’m just firmly in his target audience, but I was on board with the article, and not offended or uncomfortable in any way. I’m not going to run out and change my life, but I either nodded “yep, I already do/knew that” or thought “oh, cool, I’ll keep that in mind.”
Well, Michelle, *I* buy premade bread crumbs—every year to make my grandmother’s lasagna. It’s part of her recipe and a handful in the ricotta mixture absorbs any excess moisture and keeps the lasagna together better. But thanks for assuming those of us who do buy breadcrumbs don’t know any better.
Kristen: Being firmly in your target audience, I agree with you.
I also agree with you. What a wanker. Not only do many of his suggestions overlook reference to cost but also a lot of his ideas require a lot of space. For example: I would love to buy a £100 wheel of parm once a year but where do I put it?
I had also made a comment about the recommendation of anchovy but realized that it is the european anchovy that is a threatened species, not the north american one.
The only thing I can remotely agree with is the pancake syrup – BUT I can completely understand someone not wanting to shell out $6 for a small bottle of maple syrup.
I’m glad Mr. Bittman is in possession of the resources (time, money, ample refrigerator/pantry space) that spare him from such as canned stock and bottled lemon juice. I wonder how those of us who fall short of his skewed version of what is/isn’t acceptable will carry on?
An afterthought: As far as the balsamic vinegar: what constitutes “cheap?” His idea of cheap might very well be my definition of expensive.
I use canned tomato paste. I never need more than a tablespoon or 2, so I scoop out the remaing paste with a Tablespoon, and throw it in the freezer (on a plate lined with wax paper or plastic wrap). Then after hardened I place in plastic bags , ready to use as needed. I have also done fresh lemon and lime juice in ice cube trays, and I keep my ginger there too. peeled frozen ginger is a breeze to grate on a microplaner. Right now, I am looking for methods of pre-cooking and freezing dried beans.
Well, I actually agree with most of Bittman’s list. It’s all about flavor, and I follow it as closely as I can afford. So, yeah, fresh lemon is a condiment. I buy vanilla beans on eBay (for $20 — including shipping — you and your best friends can buy enough for a year or two; the ones I bought last time were fresh enough to tie in knots!).
I’m surprised Bittman has reversed himself on the canned beans; the bean recipes in his cookbooks are liberally strewn with the phrase “canned is fine.” Canned tomatoes and paste, too. But no other canned vegetables — eww. Frozen is another story.
Three items I disagree with on account of flavor:
canned beans as abovedried basil and pre-grated Parmesan are way better than no basil or Parmesan at all.Not-from-scratch stock. I’m just not happy with my stock-making abilities. I use Better Than Bouillon soup bases. Read the ingredients: the first one is always chicken/beef/mushroom whatever the variety is. True, salt is high on the list, but BTB is more flavorful than any bouillon cube I’ve ever tried. More varieties, too. Expensive, but a little goes a long way.
Word on the tomato paste, btw.