Which food things make a difference, which don\'t?
 

I'll give my opinions on some of these after a few responses. Feel free to add your own things:

Fresh herbs v. dried herbs

Ground pepper from peppercorns/grinder v. ground pepper from shaker

Sea salt v. regular salt

Fresh chili peppers v. powder

Specialty (virgin/extra virgin) olive oil v. grocery store (virgin/extra virgin) olive oil

Specialty balsamic vinger v. generic balsamic vineger

Organic fruit/veg v. regular

Farm/Farmer's market fruit/veg v. grocery store

Premium fresh pasta v. premium dried pasta

Organic meat v. regular

Butcher meat v. grocery store

Free range poultry v. regular

Grass fed beef v. grain fed beef

Farmed salmon v. wild salmon

I'm not looking for essays on any of this stuff or answers for everything. I'm just looking for pointers from those of you who cook a lot like "the difference in using fresh herbs v. dried is HUGE" or whatever little changes in ingredients make dishes WAY better.

Re: Which food things make a difference, which don\'t?
 

[ QUOTE ]
I'll give my opinions on some of these after a few responses. Feel free to add your own things:

Fresh herbs v. dried herbs huge difference

Ground pepper from peppercorns/grinder v. ground pepper from shaker some difference, but not critical


Sea salt v. regular salt some difference, but not critical


Fresh chili peppers v. powder depends on the dish and the purpose of the peppers


Specialty (virgin/extra virgin) olive oil v. grocery store (virgin/extra virgin) olive oil no difference


Specialty balsamic vinger v. generic balsamic vineger huge difference


Organic fruit/veg v. regular no difference unless home grown


Farm/Farmer's market fruit/veg v. grocery store some difference, but not critical


Premium fresh pasta v. premium dried pasta some difference, but not critical


Organic meat v. regular no difference


Butcher meat v. grocery store can be signficant difference if you know the butcher. walk in as a stranger no difference


Free range poultry v. regular no difference


Grass fed beef v. grain fed beef significant difference but not worth the cost


Farmed salmon v. wild salmon some difference, but not critical


I'm not looking for essays on any of this stuff or answers for everything. I'm just looking for pointers from those of you who cook a lot like "the difference in using fresh herbs v. dried is HUGE" or whatever little changes in ingredients make dishes WAY better.

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Re: Which food things make a difference, which don\'t?
 

One of the biggies for me, from personal experience, is the fresh pasta. I've made it before; it can be a pain, but BOY what a difference!

Re: Which food things make a difference, which don\'t?
 

[ QUOTE ]
One of the biggies for me, from personal experience, is the fresh pasta. I've made it before; it can be a pain, but BOY what a difference!

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I think he was talking about store bought "Fresh vs Dried", not homemade. Yes theres a big difference between homemade and storebought dried, but the difference between homemade and storebought fresh isnt as big, and definitely not worth the effort.

Same with bread imo. Artisan breads from the store arent as good as home baked, but the effort may not be justified. And its more important for bread than pasta because the differences in pasta tend to get buried in other flavors, where bread needs to stand on its own much more.

Re: Which food things make a difference, which don\'t?
 

Organic fruit/veg v. regular

Home grown most definitely. In the midwest the fruit right out of the garden is amazing. Here in the desert, well, I wasn't so impressed with my garden, until yesterday, when I bit into a red onion. That was the first thing that has tasted absolutely better than any produce aisle in any store.

Farmer's Market vs. Store

Yes, FM is better.

Butcher vs. Store

Definitely butcher (although I've only gone steadily at one period of my life.

Grass fed beef v. grain fed beef

Unbelieveably better. We get our beef from the midwest now. I can't stand the stuff in Arizona.

And you say?

Felicia [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

Re: Which food things make a difference, which don\'t?
 

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Fresh herbs v. dried herbs

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Big difference, no question about it.

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Ground pepper from peppercorns/grinder v. ground pepper from shaker

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Big difference, preground pepper is retarded, it's not any harder or more expensive to use freshly ground.

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Sea salt v. regular salt

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I don't notice a difference in taste, but sea salt is said to contain more minerals and nutrients, so that's what I usually use.

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Fresh chili peppers v. powder

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Chili powder is fine for most recipes.

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Specialty (virgin/extra virgin) olive oil v. grocery store (virgin/extra virgin) olive oil

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What does "grocery store" mean? It all depends on the brand. Some grocery stores have very good brands of evoo.

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Specialty balsamic vinger v. generic balsamic vineger

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I've never had really expensive balsamic, I heard that the best ones are like $150 a bottle and they taste good if you drink it straight.

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Organic fruit/veg v. regular

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Heirloom tomatos are the shiznit, other than that, I don't notice a difference in taste. I mainly buy organic produce to not get cancer.

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Farm/Farmer's market fruit/veg v. grocery store

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Never been to a farmers market. But if anyone knows a good farmers market in Chicago, please tell.

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Premium fresh pasta v. premium dried pasta

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I don't think I've ever had fresh pasta.

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Organic meat v. regular

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I don't eat much meat, but I don't notice any difference in taste.

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Butcher meat v. grocery store

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They still have butchers?

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Free range poultry v. regular

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No difference.

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Grass fed beef v. grain fed beef

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They're both disgusting, I haven't eaten beef in a few years.

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Farmed salmon v. wild salmon

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Wild seems to be a little better.

Re: Which food things make a difference, which don\'t?
 

Copernicus,

Just curious, what's your level of food/cooking experience? Are you a food lover, serious cook, professional chef, etc?

Re: Which food things make a difference, which don\'t?
 

i'm not extremely familiar with each of these so i'll comment on what i know:

Fresh herbs v. dried herbs noticeable difference, but only huge in select cases. basil comes to mind specifically, obv never use powdered garlic. in sweets, real cinnamon is big upgrade

Ground pepper from peppercorns/grinder v. ground pepper from shaker a difference, but in many common scenarios not worth the trouble. i definitely would never put shaker pepper on a salad, but i think it makes no difference in a soup, for instance.

Sea salt v. regular salt matter of taste imo

Specialty (virgin/extra virgin) olive oil v. grocery store (virgin/extra virgin) olive oil worth the extra expense. high quality extra virgin olive oil makes a huge difference when it's a critical element of a dish, such as an oil/garlic pasta sauce or when you're using it in a marinade. when you're just using it as "cooking" oil, don't bother.

Specialty balsamic vinger v. generic balsamic vineger this is BY FAR the biggest difference on this list. it's just so mind-bogglingly better when it's aged or specialty. not even in the same ballpark. this is a cost matter though, as specialty balsamic can be exceptionally expensive. that being said, if you're looking to impress, make some bruschetta with 25 year old balsamic or do a legit balsamic reduction with lamb. whoa.

Farm/Farmer's market fruit/veg v. grocery store freshness here is typically the issue. whenever i hang out with my hippy friends i try to hit up a farmers market, but honestly i'm not losing sleep over this one.

Premium fresh pasta v. premium dried pasta the difference here is most pronounced in flavored pastas (which generally i'm not a huge fan of), say wheat pasta for instance

Butcher meat v. grocery store huge, just huge. absolutely enormous difference, particularly in just being able to get precisely what you're looking for, but also from the standpoint of getting leaner cuts and more flavorful meats.

Free range poultry v. regular meh not a huge difference from what i've found, but the big difference here is EGGS. man, free range non-pasteurized eggs are just so much better, from a taste and presentation standpoint (i.e. the yolks are incredibly bright yellow)

Re: Which food things make a difference, which don\'t?
 

whole spices vs. preground spices in general (cloves, cardamom, cumin, mustard seeds, etc). for instance garam masala freshly ground from whole lightly toasted spices is way different from preground garam masala.

Re: Which food things make a difference, which don\'t?
 

also, depending on the recipe, homemade stocks can make a very big difference.

Re: Which food things make a difference, which don\'t?
 

Fresh peppers vs. powder - about 50% on the scortch factor. That is all.

Re: Which food things make a difference, which don\'t?
 

el d,

I might comment on the others later but I have to weigh in on the free range poultry thing. IMHO, free range is way way better. The problem is there are a lot of people that think they have eaten free range chicken but actually havent. To meet the USDA requirement for free range, only a very small amount of outdoor space has to be provided for the poultry to roam in. This doesnt really counterbalance the crowded conditions that poultry is typically housed in. I grew up on a farm and Ive had "real" free range poultry, chickens that pretty much roamed where ever they desired. We didnt have turkeys, but I have eaten wild turkey, again, not comparable to farm raised turkey.

Re: Which food things make a difference, which don\'t?
 

My things:

vine-ripened tomatoes and organic > ripened post harvest

roma tomatoes > any other kind

homemade flavored vinegar > other

peanut butter made when you grind it > organic or no sugar added peanut butter > jiff or whatever

sliced fruit > whole fruit, except apples
(sorta like when a sandwich is cut to make triangles instead of rectangles - just makes it more appetizing)

al dente pasta > over-cooked mush

ridges > smooth

slightly less than normal sugar > sugary

any food or drink item purchased at a winery > organic food store > regular grocery store

Re: Which food things make a difference, which don\'t?
 

[ QUOTE ]
whole spices vs. preground spices in general (cloves, cardamom, cumin, mustard seeds, etc). for instance garam masala freshly ground from whole lightly toasted spices is way different from preground garam masala.

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We will have to try this. Ed grinds a few things here and there. We also just started the herb garden. But we haven't don't the garam masala. Mmmm.

Re: Which food things make a difference, which don\'t?
 

Fresh herbs v. dried herbs - big difference too me. It's like one is better than the other, but it's a different taste.

Ground pepper from peppercorns/grinder v. ground pepper from shaker - huge for me. I have a pepper grinder/cracker than leaves bigger pieces of corn, and it's fantastic. I think you just get a fresher, stronger flavor.

Sea salt v. regular salt- if I can say "kosher salt" for sea salt, yes. It melts different, it's got a stronger flavor, it's easier to season with.

Specialty balsamic vinger v. generic balsamic vineger- I mos def notice a taste difference here.

Organic fruit/veg v. regular- I haven't notice much in taste, but I've just started going with more organic stuff. It tends to be smaller, obv, and I feel likes it's gotta stronger flavor, but I don't feel totally confident in that.

Free range poultry v. regular- Again, I think here I just get smaller piece of meat with free range which is better for portion control (for me specificially)

Re: Which food things make a difference, which don\'t?
 

Fresh herbs v. dried herbs : Big difference but dried can be better that fresh for some applications.

Ground pepper from peppercorns/grinder v. ground pepper from shaker : Ground pepper from a shaker doesn't taste like anything, it's useless.

Sea salt v. regular salt : Very subtle difference, I can't bring myself to be that snobby. Edit: I consider Kosher salt to be "regular".

Fresh chili peppers v. powder : Same as dried herbs, big difference but used in different ways.

Specialty (virgin/extra virgin) olive oil v. grocery store (virgin/extra virgin) olive oil : Big difference when used for salad dressing, bread dipping etc.

Specialty balsamic vinger v. generic balsamic vineger : Huge difference.
Organic fruit/veg v. regular

Farm/Farmer's market fruit/veg v. grocery store : Depends on the grocery store. Farmer's markets are so cool that they win by a longshot though.

Premium fresh pasta v. premium dried pasta : Again, different uses.

Organic meat v. regular : Depends.

Butcher meat v. grocery store : Depends on the grocery store. Butchers tend to carry higher end choice and prime cuts while safeway has lower end choice and select. Getting your meat trimmed and tied or whatever at a butcher is a pretty big plus.

Free range poultry v. regular : I'm not big on hippy organics and stuff like that, but a good naturally raised chicken actualy tastes like something. Tried side by side with fosters or whatever it will be very clear which is which.

Grass fed beef v. grain fed beef : I'm not sure.

Farmed salmon v. wild salmon : Huge difference. Again, tasted side by side wild salmon will be a huge winner here, both in flavor and texture.

Re: Which food things make a difference, which don\'t?
 

Huge difference:

Home-grown vegetables and fruits over produce derived from any other source. The home-grown plants should be specialty varieties which exhibit superior taste (at the expense of good keeping and shipping qualities), not the plants/seeds available at the Home Depot garden center. Such varieties should be obtained from specialized mail order firms or possibly specialized local nurseries. For some vegetables (especially peas and corn), it is important to pick right before cooking--go directly from garden to stove.

WIld Pacific salmon over farmed Atlantic salmon. A few years ago my neighbor gave me some salmon that he had caught in Alaskan waters the day before. It was amazing! No other salmon that I have eaten has ever come close. Wild salmon also has desirable fish oils not present in the same degree in farmed salmon.

Wild Louisiana crawfish over any other kind....

Re: Which food things make a difference, which don\'t?
 

I'll give my opinions on some of these after a few responses. Feel free to add your own things:

Fresh herbs v. dried herbs huge difference

Ground pepper from peppercorns/grinder v. ground pepper from shaker big difference post cooking, little before/during


Fresh chili peppers v. powder depends on the dish and the purpose of the peppers


Specialty (virgin/extra virgin) olive oil v. grocery store (virgin/extra virgin) olive oil big difference post cooking, little before/during


Organic fruit/veg v. regular very little difference. quality is much more important than organicness.


Farm/Farmer's market fruit/veg v. grocery store assuming a good farm, huge difference. can be almost nonexistant with mediocre farm/good grocery store though.


Premium fresh pasta v. premium dried pasta little difference


Organic meat v. regular no difference


Butcher meat v. grocery store can be signficant difference if you know the butcher. walk in as a stranger no difference


Farmed salmon v. wild salmon some difference, but not critical

Re: Which food things make a difference, which don\'t?
 

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also, depending on the recipe, homemade stocks can make a very big difference.

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this is very true.

Re: Which food things make a difference, which don\'t?
 

I think the butcher vs. store-bought matters a lot depending on the cut. I can't tell the difference for something like top sirloin or london broil but something like skirt steak is just incredibly different.

Re: Which food things make a difference, which don\'t?
 

I can only comment on one of the questions. My father's only hobby, as far back as my memory goes, has been vegetable gardening. So, I've always had the freshest of produce. Store-bought produce is crap.

I've just recently discovered a local butcher I want to start using, hopefully it will be good.

Re: Which food things make a difference, which don\'t?
 

"Skinning" baby back ribs vs. not "skinning" them.

Re: Which food things make a difference, which don\'t?
 

All,

Thanks for your posts. It seems pretty clear to me that my first order of business is upgrading my balsamic vinegar I use on salads!

I'll do some more experimenting with some of these things and report back soon.

Re: Which food things make a difference, which don\'t?
 

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Sea salt v. regular salt

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masked man:

I strongly suggest you go for "Fleur de Sel" rather than just sea salt.

Fleur de Sel is harvested by hand off the village of Guerande in Brittany in July and August, when the sea is calm and the weather conditions are just right.

It is the absolute creme de la creme of sea salts - it comes slightly damp.

Whilst working my last job in some fine dining restaurant we weren't allowed to use anything but.

It's pricy - but it's more than worth it.

You can get some remarkably from amazon

Re: Which food things make a difference, which don\'t?
 

as for other stuff in general...

It depends what you are making.

e.g. 25+ Oak aged Real Balsamic will do wonders in a salad dressing or with fresh strawberries - the good stuff is quite thick and syrupy and not watery at all - but you wouldn't want to use it in a reduction as the heat denatures a good amount of the delicteness of the flavour.

Try and find if you can cold pressed oils - rather than the ass produced equivalents - the most obvious example is extra virgin olive oil. But if you use sesame oil or walnut oil or suchlike the intensity of flavour is so much better in the cold pressed version.

Organic produce is always far and away better quality and flavour than non organic the difference between eggs is particularly pronounced. If you can go one step better and get produce directly from the farm it's usually better still.

and unpasteurised cheese is almost always better than it's pasteurised cousin.

In general supermarket meat is pumped with extra water - butchers meat is usually not.

Freshly ground anything is much better (and keeps better) than preground stuff.

Re: Which food things make a difference, which don\'t?
 

[ QUOTE ]
as for other stuff in general...

It depends what you are making.

e.g. 25+ Oak aged Real Balsamic will do wonders in a salad dressing or with fresh strawberries - the good stuff is quite thick and syrupy and not watery at all - but you wouldn't want to use it in a reduction as the heat denatures a good amount of the delicteness of the flavour.

Try and find if you can cold pressed oils - rather than the ass produced equivalents - the most obvious example is extra virgin olive oil. But if you use sesame oil or walnut oil or suchlike the intensity of flavour is so much better in the cold pressed version.

Organic produce is always far and away better quality and flavour than non organic the difference between eggs is particularly pronounced. If you can go one step better and get produce directly from the farm it's usually better still.

and unpasteurised cheese is almost always better than it's pasteurised cousin.

In general supermarket meat is pumped with extra water - butchers meat is usually not.

Freshly ground anything is much better (and keeps better) than preground stuff.

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Back in the day when I was married, and we cooked everything ourselves from scratch (and even grew our own fruits and vegetables for a while), we did all our own meat grinding. This I recommend. If you do it yourself, you know for sure what quality/cut of meat you are getting and can control the amount of fat in the finished product.

Re: Which food things make a difference, which don\'t?
 

Fresh herbs v. dried herbs

It depends on the dish. Fresh herbs are better in sauces and as garnishes, dry herbs are usually better in long cook products.

Ground pepper from peppercorns/grinder v. ground pepper from shaker
Fresh ground wins this hands down, Also fresh ground cumin, coriander, fennel, & nutmeg.

Sea salt v. regular salt
Let’s face it salt is salt is salt. Sea salt has additional minerals in the flake so it’s not a pure salt. It all comes down to the crystal size. Kosher or large flake salt is better for dry applications like pulling proteins out of meat before searing. Table salt is fine in soups, cookies and of course, the table. Pickling (popcorn) salt is very fine to allow it to dissolve in cold water. Again it depends on the task at hand.

Fresh chili peppers v. powder
Both have their place

Specialty (virgin/extra virgin) olive oil v. grocery store (virgin/extra virgin) olive oil
People spend big bucks at gourmand stores for fancy EV olive oil. As long as it’s cold pressed EV and it tastes good to you, who cares where it comes from.

specialty balsamic vinger v. generic balsamic vineger
TO drizzle on salads – aged. For marinades and reductions, a good supermarket bottle is fine.

Organic fruit/veg v. regular
Meh – no difference

Farm/Farmer's market fruit/veg v. grocery store
I always try to get local produce especially tomatoes if possible.

Premium fresh pasta v. premium dried pasta
If I don’t make it myself, regular dry is fine.

Organic meat v. regular
Meh – no difference

Butcher meat v. grocery store
If you have a butcher who actually butchers fresh animals great. Otherwise most “butcher shops” are getting the same boxed vacuum packed primals as your local grocery.

Free range poultry v. regular
Free range or farm birds do put the chicken taste back in chicken. Farm if possible

Grass fed beef v. grain fed beef
Bad news here – the last 6 weeks they all eat grain. Again farm raised grass is somewhat better, but not worth the price.

Farmed salmon v. wild salmon
Huge huge huge difference here. Wild salmon is RED, tender and sweet. Farmed salmon is flavorless and pale.

The biggest thing you can do to make dishes way better is STOCK. Real stock, not that crap in a cube or in a box that’s mostly water and salt. Don’t have the time or space to make and store your own stocks? this is the best source of cheater stock that I have found. Minors isn’t bad but get the low sodium base if you have to use this.

Re: Which food things make a difference, which don\'t?
 

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Back in the day when I was married, and we cooked everything ourselves from scratch (and even grew our own fruits and vegetables for a while),

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When I was about 16 and still living at home we had quite a large veg garden and I decided one year (I had started cooking Christmas dinner every year by then as my mum is/was an awful cook (sorry mum [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img] - I still love you regardless tho)) to grow all my own veg.

I did it - I spent 6 months growing peas potatoes parsnips carrots everything - picked the best bit of each crop and froze down everything just as it was at it's peak.

That year was the best Christmas dinner I ever did. Homegrown veg is soooooooooo much better than anything organic or other wise you buy in the shops.

Re: Which food things make a difference, which don\'t?
 

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Back in the day when I was married, and we cooked everything ourselves from scratch (and even grew our own fruits and vegetables for a while),

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When I was about 16 and still living at home we had quite a large veg garden and I decided one year (I had started cooking Christmas dinner every year by then as my mum is/was an awful cook (sorry mum [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img] - I still love you regardless tho)) to grow all my own veg.

I did it - I spent 6 months growing peas potatoes parsnips carrots everything - picked the best bit of each crop and froze down everything just as it was at it's peak.

That year was the best Christmas dinner I ever did. Homegrown veg is soooooooooo much better than anything organic or other wise you buy in the shops.

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When I was young, I hatedhatedhated peas. Then we grew our own, picked them, raced into the kitchen, shelled them, and cooked immediately. An entirely different vegetable, exquisite tasting... We used to puree the fresh peas and serve them with quenelles de brochet. We had very good home cooking in those days, even if I say so myself.

Re: Which food things make a difference, which don\'t?
 

Good thread.

The things I feel strongest about on this list are:

Fresh Herbs - especially for any sauce, salad or garnish.

Fresh pepper - you should be picky about your peppercorns as well. i'm still looking for something in the Bay Area as good as the peppercorns from Spices From Hell in Borough Market in London.

Quality of olive oil for salad dressing, cheese and pasta (the latter when it isn't going to be killed by other flavours).

A decent balsamic vinegar (but doesn't have to be hundreds of dollars).

Wild salmon is way better if you are having the salmon relatively plain (ie cold with a good mayonnaise). The more strong flavour in the dish the less it matters, even though the texture of wild remains way better.

Pasta and chillis worry me least. Often I'll want the dried version in preference.

Some good products menioned here available in the Bay Area.
Bariani Olive Oil. California oil thaqt is good without breaking the bank. From $18 a litre from various places, including the Ferry Building Farmer's Market on Saturday.

Tulocay & Co's Napa Raspberry Balsamic Vinnegar with Lemon makes a lovely salad dressing at a very reasonable $10-12 for 16fl oz.

Eatwell Farm's Sea Salt with rosemary is great for soups, salads, rubbing meat and pretty much everything else. $6 for 4oz from the meat store towards the South end of the Ferry Building.

Re: Which food things make a difference, which don\'t?
 

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Sea salt v. regular salt

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I recently found out while making a rub for baby back ribs, that there is a substantial difference between coarse salt (often sea salt) and regular salt.

Re: Which food things make a difference, which don\'t?
 

preface:
1. in general age of product is the greatest determining factor
2. most flavors are carried in the oils or fats.

herbs: fresh except for sage; some dried herbs are of no value (parsley, basil). most herbs are harvested once a year so pointless to try to get freshly dried.

pepper: fresh has the oils contributing to layers of flavor

salt: table has added desiccants that are bitter. Kosher is produced in different ways so always buy diamond brand (use for cooking). sea salt: many type and most are a waste, unless you buy french “sel gris” or “fleur de sel” , superb, use on salad, grilled meats, prepared dishes.

chili: crush your own, when it clumps bugs are present

olive oil: very difficult topic as there are NO controls and much fraud. for cooking use pomace ( the cheapest and least flavorful). for salads trust your taste ( I like fruity. spanish is most reliable).

balsamic vinegar: age is everything ( at least 12 year old). if buying generic avoid those that taste sweet.

fruit: could write a book; fresh shiny heavy aromatic swollen are some of the criteria.

Farm: same

pasta: read essay by Marcella Hazen in 2nd V. of Italian Cooking. try to find Riscossa brand of dried.
Organic meat v. regular

meat: huge difference. find a small supplier to restaurants and buy from them.

poultry: I will not eat grocery store chicken, nor will anyone else who knows.

Grass fed beef: seldom available in US, the result will be greater depth of flavor and chewier while NOT tough.

salmon: now is season for cooper river. get it.

a word about garlic; it can have many different flavors. Factors: how it is cut (thinly sliced is most mild and delicious). I never add it until I am ready to remove pan from fire.

Re: Which food things make a difference, which don\'t?
 

Most things with food are better from specialty stores vs. your local supermarket.

Someone noted it already, but meat from a top-notch butcher is better.

Likewise, having a good relationship with your local fishmonger gets you much better seafood than whatever three-day-old nonsense is at your supermarket.

Another area: cheese. Even some stores that have decent cheese sections, you're best off with specialty stores.

Re: Which food things make a difference, which don\'t?
 

A couple of things. There's a big difference between dried herbs you just bought and dried herbs that have been in your pantry for 9 months. Fresh ground pepper is substantially better. I've found that balsamic and olive oil can be substantially better, but price isn't a particularly good indicator. Organic produce is generally better unless you're lucky and live in California where all produce is great. I think most mass market poultry tastes funny and bland. I still haven't tried grass fed beef and I've heard the difference is substantial.

Re: Which food things make a difference, which don\'t?
 

fresh fish v frozen fish
single malt scotch v all others
top quality ice cream v normal ice cream

Re: Which food things make a difference, which don\'t?
 

organic tomatos. they smell like real good yummies right from the home garden, so good.

Re: Which food things make a difference, which don\'t?
 

For salt, I only use kosher salt for cooking (baking gets regular salt). If you are adding salt to top off something and it will stay crystallized, then there is a difference in sea salt, fleur-de-sel, or any other "fancy" salt. If it is going to dissolve then you are just wasting money.