What ingredient would you ban from Restaurants??

lucylu

for me :
Parma Ham
Lentils

Quality

Salt,

Surely they can find something else to flavour the blander dishes..

Mr Magnolia

Fruit Coulis is the first thing that comes to mind.

oblivious

MSG, salad cream, there's probably more

Whats wrong with Parma Ham, Lentils and salt?

Alun

Nothing I can think of, although if I had a restaurant I'd ban picky eaters .. if you don't like an ingredient, just don't order the dish .. easy

Quality

Alun wrote: »

Nothing I can think of, although if I had a restaurant I'd ban picky eaters .. if you don't like an ingredient, just don't order the dish .. easy

Yeah but salt is added to most dishes...

Alun

Quality wrote: »

Yeah but salt is added to most dishes...

Good! I wouldn't eat there if it wasn't

lucylu

Alun wrote: »

Nothing I can think of, although if I had a restaurant I'd ban picky eaters .. if you don't like an ingredient, just don't order the dish .. easy

meeeeooowwww

Saruman

Putting whole peppercorns all over your food for "decoration".

Alun wrote: »

Nothing I can think of, although if I had a restaurant I'd ban picky eaters .. if you don't like an ingredient, just don't order the dish .. easy

Thats all very well if we are talking about Meat and veg... However a lot of restaurants people go to might be ethnic or other foreign food. How many people know the ingredients? They vary from place to place.
I detest celery.. its devil food... makes me want to throw up when i eat it. Some places might put it in any random dish, how would i know? Its not like the ingredients are printed on the menu...
So do not be so silly Alun...

Enright

those tiny orange yokes they put on desert plates, they are tasteless

on second thoughts, id ban bills, just think of how much nicer your food would tastle if you didnt have to pay for it

Minder

the gallons of oil that fill the deep fat fryers that seem to dominate every restaurant kitchen.

BurnsCarpenter

Pasta - might make the veggie options more interesting.

Alun

Saruman wrote: »

I detest celery.. its devil food... makes me want to throw up when i eat it. Some places might put it in any random dish, how would i know? Its not like the ingredients are printed on the menu...
So do not be so silly Alun...

I was being a bit tongue in cheek actually

Although being absolutely 100% omnivorous myself, there's literally nothing I don't / won't / can't eat, so don't really understand this hatred some people seem to have for something as innocuous as celery to be honest. There's ingredients I don't like as much as others, but nothing I detest that much.

DFS UTD

pretension

Alun

Enright wrote: »

those tiny orange yokes they put on desert plates, they are tasteless

Cape gooseberries

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uchuva

They're harmless, and look quite pretty though

r3nu4l

For me it would be salt and MSG.

A little more imagination is needed. It's too simple to add salt to "bring out the flavour" and in most cases, chefs seem to think that more = better. :rolleyes:

Saruman

Alun wrote: »

Cape gooseberries

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uchuva

They're harmless, and look quite pretty though

They are yum!! the fruit is anyway.

nice1franko

No ingredients. They're all good if fresh and used sensibly! Additives, preservatives and crap like that should be banned but... they're not really ingredients I don't think

Salt, garlic and oil gets overused sometimes.

Sparks

Frisee lettuce

Jimoslimos

r3nu4l wrote: »

For me it would be salt and MSG.

Fair enough nobody wants to eat some gloopy cr@p but MSG gets a lot of bad press and not all of it is fully warranted. Heston Blumenthal experiments with adding laboratory grade chemicals to some of his dishes and has a couple of Michelin stars, chinese restaurants add MSG....:rolleyes:

Sparks

Actually, could we ban the practise of saving money by getting an espresso machine and serving an americano as an ordinary coffee? Filter coffee tastes completely different. Americanos are much more bitter. Not to mention, the filter coffee has more caffine in it than an americano.

sudzs

BurnsCarpenter wrote: »

Pasta - might make the veggie options more interesting.

Yeah! And also the "vegetarian cajun stirfry" It's always an abomination!

And dried herbs should definately be banned. Especially in places where they put them in the salad dressing.

rockbeer

Sparks wrote: »

Actually, could we ban the practise of saving money by getting an espresso machine and serving an americano as an ordinary coffee? Filter coffee tastes completely different. Americanos are much more bitter. Not to mention, the filter coffee has more caffine in it than an americano.

Couldn't agree less. All forms of coffee other than espresso should be banned as pale imitations of the real thing. Especially instant, which thankfully is disappearing by itself without the need for legislation.

Also I would ban disgusting, foul, slimy okra, and turnips - fit only for cattle. And any savoury dish with fruit in - pineapple on pizza? Banned!

Toto Wolfcastle

I second fruit coulis.

If I order a chocolate dessert, I don't want you ruining it by covering it in fruit! Or covering the plate in fruit!

DublinWriter

Jimoslimos wrote: »

Fair enough nobody wants to eat some gloopy cr@p but MSG gets a lot of bad press and not all of it is fully warranted. Heston Blumenthal experiments with adding laboratory grade chemicals to some of his dishes and has a couple of Michelin stars, chinese restaurants add MSG....:rolleyes:

People tend to forget that MSG is a naturally occurring substance, Quorn was invented in a laboratory and the original Aardman Creature Comforts ads were for Electricity, not gas!

olaola

Anything made from foam. I bloody HATE it!

Parsley/paprika sprinkled around the edge of a plate. I'll walk out if I see dishes arriving from the kitchen like this.

P. Breathnach

Mint leaves on desserts.

The Sweeper

Sparks wrote: »

Frisee lettuce

Plus one bloody million.

I utterly despise the undressed 'garnish' salad that appears to be ubiquitous on restaurant plates. A couple of pieces of tasteless but colourful lettuce, a quartered tomato, two or three rings of onion, a slantedly-cut slice of unpeeled cucumber, a couple of sad gratings of carrot.

Can you scrape that right into a bag for my chickens please, and I'll just have the rest of the food on the plate?

Minder

P. Breathnach wrote: »

Mint leaves on desserts.

+1

rubadub

rockbeer wrote: »

Couldn't agree less. All forms of coffee other than espresso should be banned as pale imitations of the real thing.

Americano is watered down espresso, the name came from american soldiers in italy thinking they were being ripped off with small portions.

Most coffee experts and baristas would agree with the previous poster, and would strongly favour filter coffee, are you really calling americano "the real thing" compared to filter coffee?. Espresso and espresso based milk drinks are completely different. I have met several baristas who would say espresso based drinks have no place in a restaurant, since most take far too long to get from the barista (if they have one) to the customer. Most baristas are driven mad here by people demanding steaming hot milk based espresso drinks, the milk is best heated to a lower temp than most do, and it should be drank immediately. Go to Italy and you will see them horsing down coffee the moment it is served. Over here in most places you would get 2nd degree burns doing that!

Most screw up filter coffee too by the way.

rubadub

janeybabe wrote: »

If I order a chocolate dessert, I don't want you ruining it by covering it in fruit! Or covering the plate in fruit!

Same goes for fruit in drinks. If you stick a lemon in a vodka without asking why not lash a kiwi slice in a guinness.

Toto Wolfcastle

rubadub wrote: »

Same goes for fruit in drinks. If you stick a lemon in a vodka without asking why not lash a kiwi slice in a guinness.

Exactly. Luckily I have a friend who enjoys the taste of lemon so I just give her my useless wedge of lemon before it ruins my drink.

Also, lemon in a jug of water. Why ruin the water? And when I ask for water with no lemon I get funny looks!

Seraphina

janeybabe wrote: »

lemon in a jug of water. Why ruin the water?

this is a pet peeve of mine, as if it makes the water somehow better. water is natures most perfect delicious drink, and if i wanted something lemon flavoured i would ask for it.

most annoying part is either getting dirty looks trying to fish it out (i know its rude, but i feel a bit fussy asking for another jug without lemon) and losing seeds when you do. i HATE swallowing the seeds accidently

muckety

Confit of duck - most restaurants just don't know how to prepare this (and it must be the easiest, most profitable thing to put on a menu). The skin is supposed to be CRISP - what do they do, microwave them? Yuk!

rockbeer

rubadub wrote: »

Americano is watered down espresso, the name came from american soldiers in italy thinking they were being ripped off with small portions.

I know what an Americano is, and in my opinion it's a far superior drink to filter coffee.

rubadub wrote: »

Most coffee experts and baristas would agree with the previous poster, and would strongly favour filter coffee, are you really calling americano "the real thing" compared to filter coffee?. Espresso and espresso based milk drinks are completely different.

Speaking as a 'coffee expert' and barista with several years professional experience and a loyal customer base - including many Europeans - who believe my coffee to be amongst the best they've tasted, I totally disagree with most of your deeply patronizing post. The act of watering down espresso obviously dilutes the strength but much of the character is retained: character that will never be present in filter coffee for many reasons which I can go into if you like. Although it might be best followed up here

rubadub wrote: »

I have met several baristas who would say espresso based drinks have no place in a restaurant, since most take far too long to get from the barista (if they have one) to the customer.

How long the coffee takes to get from the machine to the customer depends on the efficiency of the staff. If this is a problem, the solution isn't to serve up an inferior product instead but to improve efficiency and get the drinks delivered quicker. I don't know what kind of halfwitted baristas you've been talking to, but to say that espresso-based drinks have no place in restaurants is self-evidently ridiculous: go to Italy and you'll see an espresso machine in every restaurant. France too. You won't often see a filter machine alongside. They obviously don't consider it a problem in the home of espresso, so why should it be one here?

rubadub wrote: »

Most baristas are driven mad here by people demanding steaming hot milk based espresso drinks, the milk is best heated to a lower temp than most do, and it should be drank immediately. Go to Italy and you will see them horsing down coffee the moment it is served. Over here in most places you would get 2nd degree burns doing that!

Most screw up filter coffee too by the way.

This is about the only thing you say that I do agree with. Coffee and steamed milk are usually overheated destroying the character of the drinks. Besides which, overheating the milk will destroy the delicate foam needed for a good cappucino or latte. It should be heated only until the outside of the metal jug is just too hot to touch. On top of all that, poor quality stale ingredients are often used, grounds sit in dispensers oxidising for who knows how long, machines aren't cleaned anywhere near often enough, and 'baristas' often lack even the most basic knowledge of what's involved in making a good cup of coffee, espresso or otherwise. But however good you make filter coffee, it won't taste good once it's been sitting on the hotplate for more than about ten minutes.

By the way, I think this thread was only meant as a bit of fun: you might be taking it a little too seriously

The Hill Billy

Desserts dusted with icing sugar. What a way to ruin good food, both by taste & by sight.

Sprigs of anything (parsley, coriander, mint, rosemary, etc.) as a garnish.

Toto Wolfcastle

I also hate when you get a salad on your plate dripping with dressing and the dressing goes all over everything else.

I don't eat salad but if I get one unexpectedly (if it's listed as coming with the dish on the menu I'll just say I don't want it, but sometimes it's not on the menu) I just leave it. I can't ignore the dressing all over everything else though!

bonkey

Cod.
Non-seasonal produce.

admiralofthefleet

aromat - much more dangerous than salt

nice1franko

aromat?? never even heard of it til now.

my mate google says its made of: salt, flavour enhancer, monosodium glutamate, lactose, wheat starch, yeast extract, hydrogenated veg oil, onion powder, garlic powder, turmeric, spices.

doesn;t exactly sound more dangerous than salt (provided you're not alergic to msg).

I want to try some!

oblivious

nice1franko wrote: »

aromat?? never even heard of it til now.

my mate google says its made of: salt, flavour enhancer, monosodium glutamate, lactose, wheat starch, yeast extract, hydrogenated veg oil, onion powder, garlic powder, turmeric, spices.

doesn;t exactly sound more dangerous than salt (provided you're not alergic to msg).

I want to try some!

Its is if your lactose intolerant:p

CJhaughey

bonkey wrote: »

Cod.

Why Cod specifically?

janeybabe

janeybabe wrote: »

Exactly. Luckily I have a friend who enjoys the taste of lemon so I just give her my useless wedge of lemon before it ruins my drink.

Also, lemon in a jug of water. Why ruin the water? And when I ask for water with no lemon I get funny looks!

The point is to take the chlorine taste off the tap water. Weirdo fruit haters.

Iceing sugar and pasta are my pet peeves.
I didn't realise they added aromat to restaurant quality food.

Loopy

Its not an ingredient, but I deplore bad waitressing staff, tomatoes and peas..

P. Breathnach

looptheloop wrote: »

...bad waitressing staff...

Are bad waiters okay?

Minder

CJhaughey wrote: »

Why Cod specifically?

I'm guessing endangered species - same reason that panda burgers are hard to find:D

The Sweeper

Hill Billy wrote: »

Desserts dusted with icing sugar. What a way to ruin good food, both by taste & by sight.

Hey, I kinda like that look!! ...am I stuck in the seventies?

oblivious

Minesajackdaniels wrote: »

Hey, I kinda like that look!! ...am I stuck in the seventies?

Does prawn cocktail and blue nun do it for you?;)

The Hill Billy

oblivious wrote: »

Does prawn cocktail and blue nun do it for you?;)

[offtopic]
Reminds me of being on hols in Achill with my folks back in the mid-seventies. The waiter in the hotel restaurant asked my Dad if he wanted wine with the meal.
Grandpa Billy replied, "Do you have any Black Tower or Blue Nun?"
The waiter apologied, "Sorry Sir, we only have red or white."
[/offtopic]

bugle

celery, it makes no sense. if you were to pick out any plant out your back garden it would taste the exact same. hate the stuff.

oblivious

Hill Billy wrote: »

[offtopic]
Reminds me of being on hols in Achill with my folks back in the mid-seventies. The waiter in the hotel restaurant asked my Dad if he wanted wine with the meal.
Grandpa Billy replied, "Do you have any Black Tower or Blue Nun?"
The waiter apologied, "Sorry Sir, we only have red or white."
[/offtopic]

Something like that happen to a friend of mine in a small town in Galway around seven years ago;)