Foods where quality makes a HUGE difference
 

What food items do quality make the biggest difference? The first thing that comes to mind for me is bacon. Also fresh catfish >>>>>>>> farm raised catfish.

Re: Foods where quality makes a HUGE difference
 

basically all fruit. only exception might be a banana, but thats probably because i have never had a great banana since they are shipped like 2000+ miles to get to where i live.

Re: Foods where quality makes a HUGE difference
 

Seafood in general. Vegetables. Fruit. Meat isn't quite as big of a deal but moreso that macaroni & cheese.

In general, anything that's fresh and not full of chemicals and preservatives.

Re: Foods where quality makes a HUGE difference
 

I'll go with steak. Big difference between a nice steak house steak and pondorosa or something.

Re: Foods where quality makes a HUGE difference
 

Steak
Bread

Re: Foods where quality makes a HUGE difference
 

Another came to mind. Real Oreos >>>>>>>>>>>&gt ; Generic brand oreos

Re: Foods where quality makes a HUGE difference
 

FWIW, as long as you arent purposly looking for crappy steak, I feel the difference between medium quality and high quality steak is pretty small. The big factor for me is whether or not its marinated/cooked well.

Re: Foods where quality makes a HUGE difference
 

Burgers & sausages..

Re: Foods where quality makes a HUGE difference
 

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basically all fruit. only exception might be a banana, but thats probably because i have never had a great banana since they are shipped like 2000+ miles to get to where i live.

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Yeah, freshness is huge in fruits especially. Their sugars can turn to starch once picked. Sweet corn is a good example of something much better eaten almost immediately and cooked the bare minimum of time. Papaya's taste can change dramatically even 15 or 20 minutes after it's picked. Those who have never had it fresh off the tree are missing a LOT and don't really know how good it tastes. When I lived in the tropics and had fresh papaya a lot, I'd pick it and toss it in the freezer on top of some ice for about 15 or so minutes. Perfect. But half an hour was too long.

Re: Foods where quality makes a HUGE difference
 

There was some good suggestions in This thread, but the idea behind this one is a little different.

Quality beer is my answer.

Re: Foods where quality makes a HUGE difference
 

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FWIW, as long as you arent purposly looking for crappy steak, I feel the difference between medium quality and high quality steak is pretty small. The big factor for me is whether or not its marinated/cooked well.

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Have you ever had a premium quality steak? The difference between that and a $15 steak is enormous.

Re: Foods where quality makes a HUGE difference
 

Cheese

Re: Foods where quality makes a HUGE difference
 

sushi obv

Re: Foods where quality makes a HUGE difference
 

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Burgers & sausages..

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No way. While there is a difference in quality between McDonalds and some high end burger it is not that great. It's still ground beef with random stuff on it.

Re: Foods where quality makes a HUGE difference
 

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FWIW, as long as you arent purposly looking for crappy steak, I feel the difference between medium quality and high quality steak is pretty small. The big factor for me is whether or not its marinated/cooked well.

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Have you ever had a premium quality steak? The difference between that and a $15 steak is enormous.

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I've never been to a really high end steak place. Outback and Longhorns is about the tops for a steak place that I've been. I usually dont like to order steak at a restaurant. My opinion mostly comes from cooking at home.

Re: Foods where quality makes a HUGE difference
 

I differentiate the "huge" difference by whether I would eat it or not. I dont really thing veggies/steak/etc is that big of a deal. If an apple is picked right of the tree, yes, thats awesome and better than an apple from the store, but Im still going to eat both, and have them taste pretty much the same. Same with steaks, etc, a usda prime aged steak, is great, but Im still going to eat a plain old sirloin just as well. Things I will not eat, unless purchased from a specialty store: sausages (Ive never/never will eat a normal grocery store peice of salsissa/brat/etc).

Re: Foods where quality makes a HUGE difference
 

I'll admit I have never had a premium quality sausage. Only the stuff you can buy from a local grocery store. I assumed it was all the same. Maybe I should check that out this summer.

Re: Foods where quality makes a HUGE difference
 

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I differentiate the "huge" difference by whether I would eat it or not. I dont really thing veggies/steak/etc is that big of a deal. If an apple is picked right of the tree, yes, thats awesome and better than an apple from the store, but Im still going to eat both, and have them taste pretty much the same. Same with steaks, etc, a usda prime aged steak, is great, but Im still going to eat a plain old sirloin just as well. Things I will not eat, unless purchased from a specialty store: sausages (Ive never/never will eat a normal grocery store peice of salsissa/brat/etc).

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That approach isn't really what this topic is about IMO.

Re: Foods where quality makes a HUGE difference
 

Fugu

Re: Foods where quality makes a HUGE difference
 

sushi

Re: Foods where quality makes a HUGE difference
 

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sushi obv

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for real.

Re: Foods where quality makes a HUGE difference
 

Just expanding on a few points already made:

IMO, there isn't a huge difference between a USDA choice filet minon and a cheaper sirloin. Sure, one may be more tender than the other, but the main difference is how it's prepared. I typically buy a $5 steak at the grocery store, and it often tastes just as good as a more expensive cut.

In general, the generic brands of most cookies/crackers tend to taste pretty crappy and aren't worth the 50 cent savings.

The taste of a high quality and expensive cheese is much better than cheaper alternatives, and it's not close.

The quality of fruit tends to be much more important than the quality of vegetables.

Re: Foods where quality makes a HUGE difference
 

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Burgers & sausages..

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No way. While there is a difference in quality between McDonalds and some high end burger it is not that great. It's still ground beef with random stuff on it.

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You have to be joking.

Re: Foods where quality makes a HUGE difference
 

Beer

also, I prefer cheap bacon to expensive bacon. Fat is tasty.

Re: Foods where quality makes a HUGE difference
 

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Fugu

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FTW.

Tingle >>>>>>>>>> dead

Dunno if I'd have the balls to try it though.

Re: Foods where quality makes a HUGE difference
 

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I differentiate the "huge" difference by whether I would eat it or not. I dont really thing veggies/steak/etc is that big of a deal. If an apple is picked right of the tree, yes, thats awesome and better than an apple from the store, but Im still going to eat both, and have them taste pretty much the same. Same with steaks, etc, a usda prime aged steak, is great, but Im still going to eat a plain old sirloin just as well. Things I will not eat, unless purchased from a specialty store: sausages (Ive never/never will eat a normal grocery store peice of salsissa/brat/etc).

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See, I don't think stuff in the supermarkets tastes anywhere near as good as the fresh stuff, guids. Everything in the supermarket starts to merge into the flavor of a potato - oranges, apples, papayas, even strawberries, which are often flavorless in supermarkets. Sugars really do turn into starches, on the one hand, and on the other, fruits and vegetables are usually picked far too early for their flavors to develop and to get enough sugar into them.

Fruits are a very clear example of freshness making the difference. I remember that on rare visits to the states when I was growing up on Guam, we were astounded at how different the fruit tasted from roadside stands as opposed to the oldest stuff in the world, which was the stuff shipped to Guam. It was like friggin' candy over here! I still notice the difference hugely to this day. Supermarket fruit is often very dull. Sometimes I just throw it away because it tastes like nothing.

Re: Foods where quality makes a HUGE difference
 

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I'll admit I have never had a premium quality sausage. Only the stuff you can buy from a local grocery store. I assumed it was all the same. Maybe I should check that out this summer.

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Cold cuts too. I was stunned when I first ate bologna from a German butcher -- it was very good! I had gotten used to the Oscar Meyer type stuff, which is lousy. Finding a good butcher who makes his own sausages and cold cuts is well worth doing. The shop-made stuff is so much better.

I agree with the other poster that we're talking not so much about freshness anymore though; this is more about premium or home-made style vs. mass market.

Re: Foods where quality makes a HUGE difference
 

Ice Cream is a really good one I think for this

Re: Foods where quality makes a HUGE difference
 

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FWIW, as long as you arent purposly looking for crappy steak, I feel the difference between medium quality and high quality steak is pretty small. The big factor for me is whether or not its marinated/cooked well.

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Have you ever had a premium quality steak? The difference between that and a $15 steak is enormous.

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You won't notice much of a difference in quality when you drown it in marinade or any other type of sauce.
That's a sin people should get flogged in public for.

Re: Foods where quality makes a HUGE difference
 

Every Thursday night, round at my place.

Re: Foods where quality makes a HUGE difference
 

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Fugu

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FTW.

Tingle >>>>>>>>>> dead

Dunno if I'd have the balls to try it though.

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This was an ingredient on iron chef once, how would you like to be one of the judges?

Re: Foods where quality makes a HUGE difference
 

cuts of meat

Re: Foods where quality makes a HUGE difference
 

Hummus. Growing up I thought the stuff was awful and vomit inducing. One day I tried some from Trader Joes and was shocked to find out it was great. Had some next time I ate at a good greek restaurant here in town. Excellent stuff.

Figuring my tastes had simply changed, I bought my next batch from Safeway or some such. *gag, vomit*

I've since tried a few brands and there's definitely a huge difference between quality hummus and the kind that makes you vomit.

Re: Foods where quality makes a HUGE difference
 

for steak i woulnd't say there is too much of a difference between prime, select, and whatevers at the bottom...

however i think there is a large difference between steak and dryaged/wetaged

Re: Foods where quality makes a HUGE difference
 

it would be easier to list foods where it doesn't make a difference. Any type of produce/meat it's pretty crucial.

Re: Foods where quality makes a HUGE difference
 

Asians find the difference between fresh meat and supermarket stuff is huge. That's why there are gigantic fresh and even live chicken and seafood markets in lots of Asian cities and also American neighborhoods that are mostly Asian. In some Asian restaurants, the food is freshly killed, too, to order.

Re: Foods where quality makes a HUGE difference
 

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also, I prefer cheap bacon to expensive bacon. Fat is tasty.

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Bacon is one where there's a big difference if you actualy get cottage bacon from the meat market.....so so good. I do agree that you can't really tell a big difference in the expensive/cheap stuff at the grocery store though.

Re: Foods where quality makes a HUGE difference
 

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I'll admit I have never had a premium quality sausage. Only the stuff you can buy from a local grocery store. I assumed it was all the same. Maybe I should check that out this summer.

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Cold cuts too. I was stunned when I first ate bologna from a German butcher -- it was very good! I had gotten used to the Oscar Meyer type stuff, which is lousy. Finding a good butcher who makes his own sausages and cold cuts is well worth doing. The shop-made stuff is so much better.

I agree with the other poster that we're talking not so much about freshness anymore though; this is more about premium or home-made style vs. mass market.

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Cold cuts! thats teh other one I never buy from a grocery store. Huge diff.

as far as fruit, I can tell the difference between the farmers market I shop at, and the grocery store, but its not enogh for me to not buy the fruit, whereas sausage/coldcuts, it is.

Re: Foods where quality makes a HUGE difference
 

low quality beef jerky sucks ass.

Re: Foods where quality makes a HUGE difference
 

Fish is probably the biggest one for me. Cheese is also up there. Also pasta sauce.