Comments on: You’re breaking my heart, Bittman.

By: GentlyFeral

GentlyFeral — Sat, 11 Apr 2009 23:43:03 +0000

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.

By: Leslie

Leslie — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 23:31:15 +0000

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.

By: CrankyGal

CrankyGal — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 16:40:14 +0000

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.

By: Eugene

Eugene — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 10:08:02 +0000

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.

By: coffeetwit

coffeetwit — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 03:00:17 +0000

Kristen: Being firmly in your target audience, I agree with you.

By: Kristen

Kristen — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 02:51:27 +0000

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.

By: Michelle

Michelle — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 02:01:39 +0000

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.”

By: Kristen

Kristen — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 21:36:03 +0000

Maybe that article was his initiation and now he’s cool enough to be part of Michael Pollan and Marion Nestle’s biker gang.

By: Christian

Christian — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 20:55:45 +0000

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.

By: Kristen

Kristen — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 19:53:26 +0000

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.