30 Dishes People Didn’t Know Actually Tasted Good Till It Was Properly Prepared

There are so many ‘Today I Learned…’ posts now, it boggles the mind how we even survived up to this point at all. Adding on to the things we have all been functioning without knowing, guess what we just learned. If you were a picky eater as a child, it’s probable that you were just not eating the right preparation of that particular food because your parents just didn’t know how to make it the right way!

#1

Image source: terpeenis, jules

I never hated broccoli, but I never loved it. Finally roasted it one day and was blown away by the amount of nutty flavor achieved with only salt, pepper, and olive oil. Will never eat steamed broccoli again.

 

#2

Image source: redchindi, Kakei.R

Zucchini. My mother (who was a splendid cook in almost every other way) always cooked them to death and into an indistinguishable mash.

Zucchini fried in some oil for a short time are so tasty.

#3

Image source: dean_c, Cara Faus

Eggplant. I can’t stand it moist and chunky but when you slice it thin and dehydrate it with salt and grill it. Mein gott. So good.

#4

Image source: Mr_Truttle, makafood

ITT: “It turns out that green vegetables are very good if you don’t boil them into oblivion and if you cook them with a bit of fat.”

#5

Image source: 114631, Soon Lee

Cooked cabbage. The idea sounded terrible…until I starting experimenting with searing and roasting it, adding it to stir fries and soups. It’s life-changing! Such a cheap and delicious vegetable!

#6

Image source: anon, Sarah Stierch

Mustard. I hate American yellow mustard, it’s just gross to me. But one time my German step-grandfather let me try real stone-ground German mustard and I loved it.

#7

Image source: taywi, cottonbro studio

Tofu. If you do it right, it’s the most delightful little flavor sponge. If not, it’s a mushy and joyless mess.

#8

Image source: 50EffingCabbages, Huy Phan

Salmon and tuna. When I was a kid (SE Georgia US, 70s and 80s,) both were always from a can. And then I visited relatives in the Pacific Northwest, and ate fresh salmon. It was a revelation.

#9

Image source: resetdials, rochelle hartman

Asparagus. All I’d had as a kid was the canned mushy weird-tasting kind and when I finally tried it grilled, it was an entirely different experience.

#10

Beets. The first time I had roasted beets, it blew my mind. I also fell in love with pickled beets shortly afterwards.

Image source: coddiwomplecactus

#11

Image source: whyyallsodamnloud, RODNAE Productions

Chicken. My mum never marinated it or put any seasonings so it was always very dry . I messed around with some marinades and have grilled chicken usually 2 times a week now

#12

Image source: undertwelveparsecs, Justin Schuck

Brussel sprouts. When I was a kid the only time I ever saw them knocking about was at Christmas, and my aunties all steam them. I couldn’t get my head around why anyone would want to eat one of these disgusting little balls of condensed fart.

Then I tried them again at a restaurant in Boston when I was 29, roasted with a side of malt vinegar aioli. It was one of those truly transformative moments in my life, they’re now my favourite vegetable and I eat them more or less on a daily basis.

#13

Image source: AltairRulesOnPS4, Marco Verch Professional Photographer

Dam near everything. Parents struggled raising us, so didn’t get much variety and what we did get, was generally bland. Was always told to clean our plate and don’t get something if you’re not going to like it. So I never got to try new things because of the fear of not liking it and being punished severely. My now wife, changed that for me. I used to eat maybe at most a dozen different foods. It all started to change when I took her out for a date at Olive Garden and I was going to order a pizza because of how I was raised. She asked why and after much hesitation, I told her why. So she asked what I wanted to try; I said chicken Alfredo. She said to order it and if I don’t like it, she’ll eat it so it doesn’t go to waste, which satisfied my minds training that my parents put on me growing up. So when I tried it, it was the most dam delicious thing I had ever eaten and I demolished it. Soon after, she started inviting me over to her house where I found out she’s an excellent cook who makes almost everything from scratch. She started making me all sorts of foods to try and asking what I thought about them and what she could change to make it better. She changed me from eating a plain hotdog on a piece of white bread, to eating fajitas with Spanish rice and churros for dessert. She has filled 4 recipe boxes with recipes we both love, over our decade and half together. When we started having kids, I expressed that I didn’t want them to be limited and punished like I was as a kid, she of course had the same view and our kids eat almost all of the same things we do. I love her so much.

#14

Image source: anon, Marvin Ozz

Literally all Indian food. We had one Indian restaurant in the city I grew up in. It was buffet style and it was horrible. Every dish I tried was gross to me. Like “I can’t eat this” gross. Based on that I mistakenly believed all Indian food was bad. The first trip I went on when dating my wife, she took me to an Indian place. My heart sank but I put on a happy face and steeled my nerve because I knew I was going to have to fake enjoying a terrible meal. The things we do for love. I just copied her order because I had no clue what to get. Once I tasted it I was blown away, not only was it not horrible it was actually some of the most delicious food I had ever eaten. She started laughing at me because she said my face lit up when I tasted it. Now Indian food is one of the food loves of my life. I cook the dal makhani and chicken tikka masala for my one true love now, and we’ve been married over ten years. Thank goodness I didn’t let a negative attitude from a bad experience close my mind and poison all the wonderful future opportunities.

#15

Image source: Rtstevie, 奥尼尔 孙

Seafood, generally. So much of America, even on the coasts, our idea of “seafood” is just bland slivers of nameless whitefish, often breaded and deep fried. I live in freaking Maryland, and the amount of people I know from here that gag at the thought of eating seafood. And I mean, I would expect to gag too if I thought I was going to have eat some “fishy” tasting piece or not fresh fish.

But when you get introduced to truly FRESH seafood, and just how clean it taste? The sweetness. For me, the best seafood is as fresh as possible and cooked simply.

#16

Image source: M808VMainBattleTank, Annushka Ahuja

Scrambled eggs! All my life I never knew I’ve been eating them overcooked as hell. Met an aspiring chef in uni and he cooked me scrambled eggs on toast the right way, I’ve never looked back.

#17

Image source: Feralcrumpetart, Oleksandr Pidvalnyi

Sushi.
I never experienced any of this growing up (the 90s, more rural area in Canada) until around 16 on a class trip in the city.

Had some s****y sushi and within a few hours I was sweating and vomiting. I couldn’t even think about eating it ever again.

Until I was taken to a place on a date and I didn’t want to be rude…so I tried it again. Whoa! I couldn’t believe how fresh and delicious everything was.

#18

Tomatoes. I absolutely hated tomatoes until I had an actually ripe tomato from a garden instead of the s**t from the grocery store or a lot of restaurants.

I didn’t realize for decades that tomatoes are usually sold and served before they are ready to be eaten.

Image source: PinkThunder138

#19

Scallops. I thought all scallops had the texture of rubber bands until I worked in fine dining and had the pleasure of tasting the menu. I tried the prosciutto wrapped scallop with a lemon caper beurre blanc and my life was changed FOREVER

Image source: Klutzy-Client

#20

Image source: Tigerphobia, Brenda Kochevar

Definitely porkchops. My parents always brutally overcooked them cause they thought you’d get sick if you didn’t. Tasted like hard pieces of ash. Then one time I attended a local pork producer benefit, with plenty of pork to go around.

The chops were actually amazing, and it completely changed my outlook on them. Juicy and full of flavor. I’d honestly take a good porkchop over steak any day now.