Aunt Dot, I would disagree with your adage, "There is an adage among data crunchers that states 'garbage in, garbage out'. The same goes, I believe, for cooking."
One of the joys of cooking for me is taking something that is less than palatable and making it scrumcious. Whether it be leaftovers made into a pie or stew, or using the nasty bits to create wonderful tasty dishes, part of creative cooking is taking the yuk and making it yummy. (off milk can be used in bisuits, off wine can be used in a sourbratten, etc. (but yes, there are limits of reasonability no doubt.)