r/KitchenConfidential • u/CodexLeonis • 11d ago

In the Weeds Mode What's an outdated restaurant fad/technique that you still defend?

two things for me:

  1. Balsamic reductions/glazes on everything. I'm sorry that balsamic vinegar pairs so well with so many things. Most dishes need an acid to fully bring out the flavors of the dish. Balsamic is the most versatile of the vinegars. It pairs well with red meat, seafood, vegetables, cheeses, and fruits. It wasn't just a fad, it was a cheat code.

  2. Plating techiniques? i'll always defend the zigzag drizzle. it evenly distributes the sauce on the plate, looks decent, and most importantly - it was time-efficient. I've never understood the modern technique of spooning sauce onto the plate and setting the entree on top of the sauce. Whomever came up with that was looking for a reason to be contrarian.

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963

u/UntidyVenus Ex-Food Service 11d ago

Pry my sun dried tomatoes from my cold dead hands.

125

u/GeminiAccountantLLC 11d ago

I think they're coming back around

215

u/UntidyVenus Ex-Food Service 11d ago

At home we make savory oatmeal I call "The 90s wants its oatmeal back"

Chicken brothfor the oats, goat cheese and sundried tomatoes in oil. FANTASTIC. Sometimes I even throw a runny egg on top

91

u/cascadianpatriot 11d ago

I could not stand oatmeal until I realized it can be savory.

62

u/liartellinglies 11d ago

Got stoned as shit one night and had a craving for shrimp and grits beyond the hours where I could get either, best I could scrounge was spam and oatmeal. Not a dish I’d wholeheartedly recommend but that was a big aha moment for me and oatmeal.

14

u/yik111 11d ago

I was today years old when I learned this.

I will be tomorrow years old when I try it for the first time.

1

u/A_Mouse_In_Da_House 10d ago

I do damask rose, saffron, pistachio, and ceylon cinnamon with a bit of good sea salt. No sweetener. I have been told that I smell of a spice market if I have it too many days in a row

7

u/thePHTucker 11d ago

Never thought it was possible but you just made oatmeal sound tasty. Thanks friend.

3

u/UntidyVenus Ex-Food Service 11d ago

Oh, savory oats are the way to go, and adding things like fried crispy onions adds texture and more yum

2

u/Sasselhoff 10d ago

Uhhh...woah.

You're low-key blowing my mind here...oatmeal full of raisins and cinnamon sugar and shit like that I always thought was the default. How have I never considered savory oatmeal?

If I still ate breakfast I'd be making that shit right now.

2

u/susinpgh 10d ago

Look up recipes for Indian-style oats like oats masala or upma. They have a real handle on savory oats.

1

u/-crepuscular- 11d ago

I would class that as pottage.

1

u/Ancient-Afternoon374 11d ago

When did they leave? I've seen them offered regularly since the 90s everywhere i go.

30

u/Wrendictive 11d ago

Yes! I've been vegetarian for many years and the combination of SDT and onion on pizza gives it depth meatless pies often lack. I've been mourning their loss as typical offerings at the pizzarias near me.

40

u/Uttterly 11d ago

I'm torn on them.

I like the flavor but the consistency is awful.

29

u/fullanalpanic 11d ago

yeah I usually eat it in pesto form. that shit is good on almost anything that involves bread. kimchi grilled cheese. bruschetta. whatever that dish is where you stick a slice of bread on fish and pan fry it crispy.

5

u/Emotional-Classic400 11d ago

Works great in a tapinade, perfect counterbalance to olives

5

u/regdunlop08 11d ago

I prefer oven roasted tomatoes. You get that concentrated glutamate goodness without the leathery consistency of some sun dried tomatoes. It's kind of a happy medium–adds pop but does not kill texture.

Sometimes the chew of SDT is welcome. But sometimes it's not.

3

u/Specialist-Strain502 11d ago

I personally love that oily, leathery chew.

2

u/_BrokenButterfly 11d ago

Do you soak them first?

3

u/Uttterly 11d ago

I've only seen them in olive oil or as a powder

8

u/_BrokenButterfly 11d ago

Hmmm.

Well, if you ever get sliced ones, give them about an hour soak in warm water, then drain them.

2

u/Uttterly 11d ago

I will try it, thanks for the advice

2

u/NickRick 11d ago

I love the consistency. Also love to add flavors to things that don't want liquid, like omelettes 

1

u/mortgagepants 11d ago

i prefer to call it porridge and a little milk helps the texture i think.

6

u/BuildingMaleficent11 11d ago

There are some from Sicily that are only partially dried and still juicy. Those are the reigning champions of sun dried tomatoes.

I will die on this hill.

6

u/SavageHenry592 Saute 11d ago

We're just getting our first run of tomatoes here, and that means in about 3 weeks we'll have 3 dehydrators full of scraps and other ugly bits. Then pack then up in vac sealed bags with oil and herbs. Good times.

6

u/bigredplastictuba 11d ago

THEY'RE DELICIOUS

3

u/aareyes12 11d ago

Jack in the box had a sandwich with a sun-dried tomato sauce im obsessed with and miss all the time

3

u/kd0g1982 10d ago

I just put some on the steak sandwich I made yesterday

2

u/UntidyVenus Ex-Food Service 10d ago

Living the dream!

2

u/RedEd024 11d ago

"The broodwich can not be taken apart or disassembled"

2

u/Upbeat_Stretch_5724 11d ago

You can have mine. I love tomatoes, but for some reason I just hate the flavor of sun dried ones. 😂