Cooking snobbery

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seans_potato_business

Senior Cook
Joined
Jan 12, 2008
Messages
261
Location
Edinburgh, Scotland
I was wondering if anyone had noticed and disliked what they might consider pretentious or "snobbery" in the field of cooking.
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What things irritate you the most?
 
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I do feel that some people tend look down on us country cooks a little bit, but I've never fed a one of'em that didn't clean his plate and come back for more.
 
some cooks look down their noses at ones that don't make every little thing by scratch.

some cooks however just tell u how they do and u can take it or leave.

i certainly don't know everything about cooking by a long shot. i like getting advice if it is presented well.

yes there definatly food snobs.


babe:chef:
 
I haven't witnessed it here (and hope never to) but back when I was a regular on the Craigslist Food Forum, there was a certain reverse-snobbery that was annoying and prevalent there. Someone would make a post describing a wonderful meal that they obviously put a lot of effort into and someone (consistently this would be someone posting from an anonymous login) would post deriding the OP for their obvious snobbery for making some or other thing from scratch or for the use of some ingredient that might not normally be used in a home kitchen.
 
I have experienced it the opposite way. When I finished my culinary course one of my friends said "so, I guess none of us can invite YOU to dinner anymore because we won't measure up to your standards" and wasn't joking. I was totally shocked. Funny thing, two years later and she is constantly emailing or calling me for advice, but, true to her word, I have never been invited for dinner since. Go figure.
 
:) I am just not crazy about food snobs that do no not actually cook or the ones that do cook but think they are gods gift to the culinary world and think you could not possibly have a method, idea or recipe that is better than theirs. You will never be a better or great a cook/chef with an attitude. I believe no one lives in this world long enough to understand or master all aspects of cooking in the entire world and different cultures. I think if you want to be a great cook/chef you better appreciate the down home cook and the master chef. There is so much to learn about food and cooking in this world no one lives long enough to learn it all. I also believe arrogance has no place in a kitchen do what you do because you love to cook.
 
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Touche JP!!!! When I am at home, I am a down home cook. When I am working I step it up a notch (depending on the job). Contrary to my friend's attitude, I love going to my friends and having their homestyle cooking and appreciate it very much. Often it is better than I could ever do. I don't consider myself a great cook/chef, I consider myself an educated foodie!
 
I find that the "snob" doesn't know near what they think they do.

When I cooked professionally someone said "I bet you are so picky when you go out to eat" - what I was was so thankful I didn't have to cook it myself!!!!!!

What irritates me is going into a nice restaurant and they don't make the salad dressings themselves, or they don't make some simple sauces themselves...or they buy their potato salad and nothing but the preservatives flavor it. I just find it a huge waste of money (and fairly lazy) and not near as good as what can be made in-house. That may be snobbish I guess - I just find it puzzling.

Constance - I couldn't agree more!
 
I have had the same responce to you are a chef and I do not want to cook for you
many times.. and by and large I have not been invited to any of there partys. As for food snobbery I am like some one else's post I have fed food snobs plain simple food and they have come back for more. out side of the midwest I would not be considered a chef
but that is where I made my bucks and was quite happy to do it
 
cooking snobs never last very long here. i can think of 3 or 4 right off the bat that define the expression "some people bring joy when they arrive; others when they leave".

i'm waiting for the oenophiles to get started with this one, though. oenophilology :huh: is often misunderstood and abused by snobs.

i remember that i used to think that people who went through the pomp and circumstance of examining the bottle and tasting a wine before it was served at their table were probably snobs. but on a trip to california a few years ago, a waiter explained that there are bottles that have gone bad, so tasting the wine is more about quality assurance than it is about snobbery, in many cases.

the worst wine snob that i've ever met in my life, unfortunately, is a co-worker and my arch nemesis. (holy grapes, batman!)

since i cater our annual holiday party and an occasional retirement party when requested, i often ask the guys what they want to drink when i've made up the menu. for years, this doofus only had one request (not that i asked him): that there's at least two 1.5 litre bottles of gallo white zinfandel, no matter what food was being served.
now, i have no problem with white zin or gallo wines. they're cheap and they go down like water, so they have their place in the world. they're perfect for a day out skiing or winter hiking. beer freezes and doesn't do well in a goat skin, and it's a little rough to be drinking vodka at 10am after the first coupla runs...:angel:

skip ahead a few years, and several divorces later for this quasimodo, and he begins to date a woman who happens to own a high end wine shop. no gallo to be found.

so last christmas, when i was checking if anyone had any special requests, he chimed in with "you can't afford the wine i drink."

:mad::furious::mad:

i told him where to insert his expensive wines.

sideways.
 
I don't care about food snobs. I just cook and no one complains. Dat's good enough for me. Da proof is in da puddin'.:chef:
 
LOL - anyone watch the movie, Ratatouille?

I find that most of the "snobs" couldn't cook a package of instant "cream of wheat" - they just eat and complain ... they have no talent, no skills, no incentive to mess up their pretty uber-bucks kitchen.
 
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Does no-one care when a recipe asks for a cucumber to be peeled and have its seeds removed? Since most people don't get their fibre requirement, I'd advise against peeling anything that isn't necessary. To be honest, I'd even go so far as to say that sifting flour in this day and age is pretentious and a waste of time. I challenge anyone to tell the difference between two cakes, made exactly the same in every way, except for sifting of flour which should make no difference if it's been properly stored.
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Does no-one care when a recipe asks for a cucumber to be peeled and have its seeds removed? Since most people don't get their fibre requirement, I'd advise against peeling anything that isn't necessary. To be honest, I'd even go so far as to say that sifting flour in this day and age is pretentious and a waste of time. I challenge anyone to tell the difference between two cakes, made exactly the same in every way, except for sifting of flour which should make no difference if it's been properly stored.
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Yep - peeling and seeding has it's place. If you don't want to - nobody is going to hold a gun to your head and make you. Well, maybe the "Food Police" might rap you on the knuckles with a big stick ... :LOL:

Sifting flour does have it's purposes - even in these modern times - flour still compacts when put in a bag. But, this is not the forum to once again try to explain the compaction and aeration of flour and how it impacts baked goods. Unfortunately - how a bag of flour is stored has nothing to do with anything when it comes to making a cake - THAT is why you sift the flour.
 
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i'm agitated by snobbery. i eat food from foie gras & caviar to wings & meatloaf. i love food for its versatility. people, after learning i've gone to culinary school, try to impress. sigh.
 
Does no-one care when a recipe asks for a cucumber to be peeled and have its seeds removed? Since most people don't get their fiber requirement, I'd advise against peeling anything that isn't necessary. To be honest, I'd even go so far as to say that sifting flour in this day and age is pretentious and a waste of time. I challenge anyone to tell the difference between two cakes, made exactly the same in every way, except for sifting of flour which should make no difference if it's been properly stored.
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These are not examples of food snobbery. There are reasons for these instructions.

Cucumber peels have a bitter flavor component that can impact the taste of a dish. Seeding the cuke eliminates a significant amount of moisture from the recipe.

Sifting flour can make a significant impact on a recipe. When you sift flour, you aerate it or 'fluff' it up, separating the grains. As a result, a cup of just sifted flour will contain significantly less flour than a cup of unsifted flour.
 
Well, maybe we are all truly Chefs. Anybody think of that? If in one moment we bring culinary pleasure and beauty to another (food joy), doesn't that truly define our status? I believe it does. I've experienced this and it is very satisfying.
 
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