Which Vegetable Do You Dislike the Most

Which Vegetable Do You Dislike the Most - this came up in a racipe thread and I wanted to see what people thought - I enjoy green peppers but am so so about sprouts. Larry thinks it may be the other way around for most people.

What do you think?

I like them both, but given a choice I prefer bell peppers. On that topic, I had the most cabbagey broccoli last night that it's ever been my misfortune to lay lip on. It could have passed for a chemical weapon it was so pungent, and I burped the one bite I had for the next 5 hours

Mark Lipton

Bell peppers are evil!

And Mark...that is disgusting!

[James Roscoe]

I could not in good conscience vote in such a poll where you only have the choice of two such fine, upstanding vegetables.

There was a delightful -- and inspiring! -- Roz Chast cartoon some years ago that demonstrated how, since pre-historic times, brussels sprouts have been shrinking and shrinking. They began boulder-sized, and, in a few hundred centuries more, will disappear altogether.

In a UK survey a few years ago, the most hated vegetable was.... Brussels Sprouts
In the same survey, the most loved vegetable was.... you guessed it.... Brussels Sprouts.

The ultimate love/hate vegetable and I'm firmly in the hate camp

everyone seems to be assuming that the question is about BRUSSEL SPROUTS. but the post simply refers to SPROUTS - which so far as i know are those long thread like things that someday might have become somthing else.

Love 'em both. Broccoli and cauliflower are horrible things.

everyone seems to be assuming that the question is about BRUSSEL SPROUTS. but the post simply refers to SPROUTS - which so far as i know are those long thread like things that someday might have become somthing else.

Uh, David, did you try reading the poll categories....

[Jenise]

everyone seems to be assuming that the question is about BRUSSEL SPROUTS. but the post simply refers to SPROUTS - which so far as i know are those long thread like things that someday might have become somthing else.

The post does indeed say sprouts, but we're assuming nothing: the poll specifically offers Brussels Sprouts.

But I can't vote--I love them both!!

I tried Stuart's brussels sprouts recipe which I have modified only slightly:

Take small Brussels Sprouts, trim them, shred them finely, then add salt, pepper, and a few pinches of ground caraway seed. Heat a nonstick skillet and add a generous amount of butter. Immediately before frying, grate a slightly larger proportion of Yukon Gold potatoes into the sprouts, then mix well. Without waiting, form patties and fry in the butter. Brown both sides, then remove to drain. Plate, top with some soft chevre and either salmon roe or Caviart.
Then throw the whole stinkin' mess in the garbage can.

Bill, that's hilarious!!

Is there really such a thing called Caviart? Is that like Tofurkey?

I tried Stuart's brussels sprouts recipe which I have modified only slightly:

Take small Brussels Sprouts, trim them, shred them finely, then add salt, pepper, and a few pinches of ground caraway seed. Heat a nonstick skillet and add a generous amount of butter. Immediately before frying, grate a slightly larger proportion of Yukon Gold potatoes into the sprouts, then mix well. Without waiting, form patties and fry in the butter. Brown both sides, then remove to drain. Plate, top with some soft chevre and either salmon roe or Caviart.
Then throw the whole stinkin' mess in the garbage can.

... and then get a new skillet

So far it looks like Maria alone in the anti-capsicum contingent and everyone else that has voted against Brussels sprouts.

That's more or less what I'd have expected. You never know, though - maybe the green pepper faction is massing in the wings ready to deal a knock-out blow to sprouts.

My absolute worst veggie is cauliflower. Most others I will eat if served, and many I love.

[Jenise]

My absolute worst veggie is cauliflower. Most others I will eat if served, and many I love.

The way most people cook cauliflower (as in overcooked) I would tend to agree. Love it to death raw, though, or lightly marinated in oil, vin, salt and garlic.

Rutabega, though I don't dislike it outright (I basically like all vegetables) is another that would be at the nether end of my favorites list. I never buy them....

In a UK survey a few years ago, the most hated vegetable was.... Brussels Sprouts
In the same survey, the most loved vegetable was.... you guessed it.... Brussels Sprouts.

The ultimate love/hate vegetable and I'm firmly in the hate camp

Wow! They proved to be more strongly polarizing a veggie than beet(root). I'm impressed.

Mark Lipton

My absolute worst veggie is cauliflower. Most others I will eat if served, and many I love.

The way most people cook cauliflower (as in overcooked) I would tend to agree. Love it to death raw, though, or lightly marinated in oil, vin, salt and garlic.

My favorite cauliflower preparation is that old standard Aloo Gobi. Put enough in garam masala in and I'll eat most anything.

Mark Lipton

My favorite cauliflower preparation is that old standard Aloo Gobi. Put enough in garam masala in and I'll eat most anything.

You sound like a friend of mine. I swear that she would eat sardines or anchovies, if you only dipped them in chocolate first. Hell, I bet she'd eat a tongue depresser if you coated it with chocolate!

BTW, the biggest mistake I see people making with garam masals is adding it too soon and having all the taste cooked out of it. They just don't get that you make a dish using a medium sort of spice mix and then use the masala to adjust spice and heat right at the end. I have a Tanzanian Indian friend to thank for showing me the proper use of this excellent spice mix. He also taught me about using fenugreek, a rather little known spice to most western cooks.

If you want to start a thread as long as the chili ones, just ask what should be in garam masala!

PS - he also got me into adding cardamon to coffee, although that is more an Arab practice. I find it is habit forming and every once in awhile I have to 'do' some cardamom in my daily dosage of caffeine.

Dave, there is indeed Caviart. Good stuff, too. Jenise turned me on to it. It resembles caviar, but it's actually a seaweed.

I have to agree that knwoing how to select and cook vegetables is important for a lot of the usual suspects.

When I hear about broccoli with terrible pungency that causes gas, I know that the starting point was old, over the hill broccoli that was rotting.

Assuming one knows how to select fresh veggies, the issue is cooking them.

Given all that, I have only once in my life met a brussel sprout that I could eat more than one bite of. As good a cook as I am, I cannot recreate that technique.

Bell peppers, BTW, as devoid of capsicum to any level detectable by taste. There is obviously some other compound that causes some people to wretch.

There are many types of sweet peppers, and it is usually the Green bell pepper that is most put-offish. Red, yellow and orange bells tend to be easier to take. Then there are lipstick peppers that are sweet and delicious.

I adore roasted peppers, as long as they are not green.

You can put lipstick on a pepper but it's still a pepper... er, pit bull... or something.

But if you wipe the lipstick off I'll love that pepper. And I love Brussels Sprouts even more.

Can't really think of a veggie I don't like prepared one way or another but okra would have to be near the bottom of the list.

Of the choices, Brussels sprouts wins my vote by a wide margin. I have tried to like them, but there is just something about the flavor that turns me off.

I have not found a veggie I did not like....and if I did, I learned a method to cook it so that I did like it. I'm surprised to find so many folks that do not like cauliflower. When I discovered roasting it....it was wonderful! I especially love it with tarragon and EVOO, then a sprinkle of lemon juice at the finish. I cut the flowerettes in half, put cut side down and let them all caramelize. Yum!