• humorlessrepost@lemmy.world
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              5 months ago

              I add flavorful ingredients to other flavorful ingredients all the time. I just want each one to contribute a flavor of its own. Tofu, rice, and pasta all fail to contribute.

                • humorlessrepost@lemmy.world
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                  5 months ago

                  Temporarily to help things mix, but only with the intent of cooking it down. Soup is what happens when you take perfectly good food, then water it down.

              • nomous@lemmy.world
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                5 months ago

                They’re really just good vehicles for other flavors, like bread or potatos.

                • humorlessrepost@lemmy.world
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                  5 months ago

                  They contribute texture, sure. And with enough maillard reaction, potato and bread can pull their own weight. I just hate the idea of filler ingredients. I had to make my food stretch when I was younger, and now I don’t have to (for now), so I’d much rather just have more of the genuinely tasty parts and leave out the bland bulk. Every rice dish is better to me without the rice, for instance. Same flavor, but more of it per bite.

                  • zarkanian@sh.itjust.works
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                    5 months ago

                    That’s like saying “I had to wait until the end of the meal to eat dessert when I was younger, and now I don’t have to! Since dessert is the best part of the meal, I eat nothing but dessert now!”

                  • MilitantVegan@lemmy.world
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                    5 months ago

                    I was also raised to believe that foods like rice were “filler”. Refined grains might not have much to contribute, but it’s been a lifechanging experience to have learned better that whole grains are nutritional and culinary cornerstones.

          • zarkanian@sh.itjust.works
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            5 months ago

            That’s like complaining that flour has no flavor. Or rice has no flavor. That’s the point. It’s a blank canvas for the chef to cook on.

    • EatATaco@lemm.ee
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      5 months ago

      What I like about tofu is precisely that it doesn’t have much of a flavor, and simply takes on whatever you are cooking it in or with. The only time “plain” tofu really does it for me on its own is when it’s nice and salty and fried really crispy…but even then it’s better with some kind of sauce.

      But on its own, definitely not delicious. Just bland.

      • MindTraveller@lemmy.ca
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        5 months ago

        Well obviously you gotta season it. Nobody says “I love potato crisps” and is talking about unseasoned chips.