Everyone has that one dish in mind that can either taste absolutely amazing or completely inedible. User BenStillersDick on Reddit asked, “What food has the largest disparity between being really good or really bad, depending on who is making it?” Here are the dishes that prove that cooking requires precision and skill:
1.
“Steak, I’ve had steaks before that were abhorrent because the guy cooking it knew nothing about temperature and timing, and others that were amazing, like a gift from God.”
2.
“Pork chop, can really change whether you’re eating cardboard for dinner or not.”
3.
“Fried rice. Pros have every grain perfectly seasoned. Hacks have a wet, discolored mess.”
4.
“Baked goods. When I make cookies, they look like scones. When my sister makes cookies, they look like they came out of McCall’s magazine. Same recipe. Same with cakes — hers are soft and moist. Mine are cake-shaped.”
5.
“A simple chicken breast. Amazing how many people either undercook it or overcook it to the point of being dry as sawdust and super tough.”
6.
“(Americanized) Chinese food. When it’s bad, it’s gross. When it’s good, it’s so tasty and comforting.”
7.
“Calamari. Either heavenly or rubbery as sh*t.”
8.
“I’ve had some really fantastic scallops and some really horrible scallops.”
9.
“Mac and cheese! Bland pasty noodle, or creamy cheese heaven.”
10.
“Okra. I thought I hated it until someone made it for me and actually knew what they were doing.”
11.
“Coleslaw. I don’t know enough about cooking to say what makes the difference, but everywhere I’ve ever eaten it, it’s either been delicious, or inedible. I genuinely don’t think I’ve ever had a coleslaw that was ‘decent’ or ‘okay.'”
12.
“Tofu! It can be amazing if you know what you’re doing, but if you don’t, it’s a soggy piece of disappointment.”
13.
“Pizza. A good pizza from a genuine Italian restaurant is honestly the tastiest thing in the world, but at the same time you can get an awful pizza from a random pizzeria on the corner.”
14.
“Asparagus. If you lightly steam it al dente, it’s amazing, but it seems like everyone overcooks it, and it’s hot garbage. Literally.”
15.
“Raw oysters. There is a lot of trust involved in consuming them.”
16.
“Banana pudding. There was a lady at our church who made mind-blowing banana pudding. It was so good that it’s made every other banana pudding bad by comparison. I’m angry about it. Angry that I can’t have her banana pudding each and every day of my life, and angry at all the inferior banana pudding that I encounter now.”
17.
“Stuffing. There’s such a wide variety. Either amazing and blends with the feast, or is spectacularly awful and kills the festive vibes.”
18.
“French Toast. It can be amazing or it can be crap.”
19.
“Easily, scrambled eggs. As a matter of fact, any egg. Everyone has different preferences. Not just preparation but the way they are cooked.”
20.
“A simple burger. Could be a flavorless hockey puck, or a perfectly-made combination of meat, cheese, bun, and toppings.”
21.
“Brisket. When done really well, it is comparable with a great steak. But it’s extremely hard to get it to that quality. I live in Texas and have visited most of the best BBQ places, and only a handful are able to get it to this level. When done poorly, it’s a tough, rubbery lump of grizzle and fat.”
22.
“Coffee. Good coffee tastes as good as it smells, and has no bitterness or sourness that needs sugar or milk. It has a natural crema (light froth from the oil in the bean). If you haven’t had coffee like that, you’re missing out.”
23.
“Lasagna! Sometimes it’s trash… just some horrible sauce with lower-quality ground beef. Gross! But it also can be the best food ever.”
24.
“Turkey. It’s either delicious, plump and crispy, or dry, nasty, and gamey.”
25.
“Gumbo. It can be the best thing ever (my wife’s) or taste and look like dirty dish water (some other people’s).”
26.
“BBQ. It can be a religious experience when good. When your neighbor Steve makes it, it can be gag-inducing.”
27.
“Meatloaf. There are two kinds of meatloaf. The ketchup-based mince pressed to a brick of ground beef that gets overcooked, and everyone hates, or the fluffy burger, like green onion, red pepper, garlic, brown sugar, tomato, and hot calabrese sauce, basted piece of heaven that only the real ones know.”
28.
“Ramen. Masterpiece or salty disappointment in a bowl.”
29.
“Risotto. Sometimes it’s terrible, sometimes it’s sublime.”
30.
“Surprisingly, grilled cheese. Depending on whether your bread is frozen or baked fresh, whether you’re using butter or margarine, and your own patience with where the heat is, can make the difference between delicious and burnt bread with no melted cheese.”
31.
“Spaghetti. Either it’s a good marinara or it’s just ketchup. Or worse, watered down ketchup.”
32.
“Pho. Impossible to make at home, for me at least. Didn’t stop me from trying. The bullsh*t I made was inedible compared to a properly prepared dish by someone who knows what they’re doing, which is the most delicious meal I’ve ever had.”
Do you agree with these? Are there any dishes you would add? Let us know in the comments or the anonymous form below.
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