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Post by brownrexx on Mar 7, 2019 7:53:05 GMT -5
Do you like Brussels Sprouts?
My step son told me that they taste bitter to him. I Googled it and some people seem to be able to taste a bitterness that others can't.
One site said to cut the sprouts in half to lessen the bitterness and another said to add brown sugar while cooking.
I like to just slice and saute them in olive oil or cut them in half and roast them with olive oil.
They never taste bitter to me and we love them however Black Seeded Simpson lettuce always tastes very bitter to me but no one else can taste it.
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Post by hairymooseknuckles on Mar 7, 2019 9:21:06 GMT -5
I like Brussels sprouts. My wife doesn't care for them unless I chop/shred them and fry with lots of bacon. Like you would cook cabbage or at least the way we cook cabbage. Pan fry in other words. They are strong Flavored, but I wouldn't call it bitter. Straight black coffee is what I call bitter. I figure that may be from chickory. There is some type of crap they sometimes put in salad that's bitter to me. I can't think of the name of it.
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Post by spike on Mar 7, 2019 9:32:46 GMT -5
Brussels Sprouts are on the list of my favorite veggies and near the top also. I have eaten them many ways but my favorite way to cook them is to cut them in half and fry them with onions in bacon fat. I do not taste bitterness. I taste yummy goodness!!
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Post by hairymooseknuckles on Mar 7, 2019 9:48:25 GMT -5
I was a strange kid. I loved spinach, kale, cabbage, turnip greens, collard greens, mustard greens , etc.
Mom never had to worry about me eating stuff like that. Milk on the other hand I simply did not care for. Bread either for that matter.
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Post by mgulfcoastguy on Mar 7, 2019 9:57:37 GMT -5
I tend to love vegetables like that unless they come out of a can. According to a gene test I can taste bitter but I just like it regardless. Correction: I reviewed the test results and they said that I cannot taste the bitter. Of course they said that I was highly likely subject to motion sickness and that is completely false.
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Post by octave1 on Mar 7, 2019 10:11:49 GMT -5
brownrexx , your stepson may be what they call a "supertaster". A supertaster is a person who experiences the sense of taste with far greater intensity than average, with some studies showing an increased sensitivity to bitter tastes. Supertasters are less likely to enjoy leafy greens, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, dark chocolate, dark roast coffee, spicy peppers (capsaicin causes physical pain), creamy or especially sweet desserts. Of my kids, only one is a supertaster, and I could never hide any "secret" ingredients I added to foods from her. One of these ingredients is lemon extract, which tastes bitter to her. She can also detect the bitterness in lemon peel if I accidentally grate some of the white pith with the zest.
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Post by meandtk on Mar 7, 2019 10:44:13 GMT -5
I am no super taster, as I can hardly smell; and that seems to greatly affect my taste. Yet I find brussels sprouts bitter.
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Post by paulf on Mar 7, 2019 10:55:51 GMT -5
Brussels sprouts and okra are on my "will not eat" list. Cooked greens are not far behind. Fresh spinach I like. Whether it is the bitterness or not being prepared properly I don't know. All I know is it makes me gag. I never used to hate peas, but lately I just can't even look at peas if they are added to casseroles or put on the side of the plate. How about that...a gardening nut who dislikes most vegetables.
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Post by pepperhead212 on Mar 7, 2019 11:09:16 GMT -5
I don't really think that Brussels sprouts taste bitter. Bitter melons, or gourds, are the the real bitter veggies! I just made something with them a few days ago. I have two varieties of them to grow this season.
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Post by ahntjudy on Mar 7, 2019 11:15:25 GMT -5
Back a bunch of years, I let the dandelion go and lots of it grew inside the garden fence...(the no dog pee zone)...
I grew it for Mom mostly as she liked the bitter greens...either the young leaves in a salad or the slightly more mature leaves sautéd with garlic in a little olive oil... I like that too...
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Post by brownrexx on Mar 7, 2019 11:16:59 GMT -5
your stepson may be what they call a "supertaster". I think that you may be right about this. I will have to ask him how he reacts to hot peppers but I know that he likes broccoli so maybe all supertasters do not detect the bitterness in the same veggies. I can't even eat Black Seeded Simpson because it is so bitter but hubby can't detect any bitterness. Luckily I can eat and enjoy other leaf lettuces with no problem at all. paulf, I am convinced that many people do not like Brussels sprouts because of how they are cooked. I just sliced some last night and sauteed them in olive oil and they were delicious and sweet but I will not even touch a boiled Brussels sprout that has lost it's bright green color. Yuk, they are sulfury and mushy. I also like raw spinach but do not like any cooked greens. I think that it's a texture thing for me with cooked greens. I hate mushy veggies.
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Post by hairymooseknuckles on Mar 7, 2019 14:20:21 GMT -5
Don't know about being a super taster, but I is a Super Eater.
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Post by meandtk on Mar 7, 2019 15:36:51 GMT -5
Don't know about being a super taster, but I is a Super Eater. Ditto!
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Post by paquebot on Mar 7, 2019 16:19:49 GMT -5
I've grown probably 7 or 8 varieties of Brussels sprouts and the only ones I didn't care for were the purple types. Only run into one that was on the bitter side but can't recall the name. (Garden partner grew it.) It was a very large type which grew to 4' and had 1½" sprouts. Those were one which would have benefited from cutting in half to release the bitterness when they cooked.
Martin
The truth is more important than the facts.
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Post by september on Mar 7, 2019 16:29:22 GMT -5
Is there any truth to the advice that picking Brussels Sprouts after a hard frost will decrease or eliminate bitterness?
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Post by brownrexx on Mar 7, 2019 16:40:35 GMT -5
september, picking after a frost is said to increase sweetness as the plants produce sugars to lower their freezing point and keep them from freezing but I think that the chemicals that taste bitter are still there if you can taste them. I don't taste any bitterness in BS.
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Post by octave1 on Mar 7, 2019 20:41:23 GMT -5
My problem with brussel sprouts is not the flavor but the odor. If I could go past what I consider to be the "smell' I would certainly eat them. Same with cauliflower and broccoli. And yet I used to love them, but now I can't stand them. On the other hand, cabbage does not bother me a bit, and when I eat it I find it deliciously sweet.
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Post by paquebot on Mar 7, 2019 21:09:18 GMT -5
The advice of leaving Brussels sprouts until after a hard frost is true. We don't even think of eating them until that happens. Some years I will just push a couple stalks over and put a think layer of leaves over them. Then enjoy them in January. As long as there are not a lot of freeze and thaw periods, they will remain good and indeed be much sweeter.
At the moment, I have seeds for Bitesize, Hestia, Long Island Improved, Oven Roaster, and Red Ball. Of those, Long Island Improved are the biggest but also the strongest taste. Bitesize and Oven Roaster have been best the past couple years. Hestia is only about 24" tall but a good producer. Red Ball was a flop and already dropped by Jung's after just a couple years. I don't have Franklin seed but that's the one I liked to grow for winter. Big plants to 3' or more but also big sprouts. That's one that definitely needs a hard frost.
Martin
The truth is more important than the facts.
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reubent
Pro Member
Posts: 389
Joined: May 2011
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Post by reubent on Mar 8, 2019 0:05:36 GMT -5
Yah. I like em. Bitterness in vegetables is highly variable with both time of year and fertility, The wrong balance of minerals, too much of something and/or not enough of something affects the flavor big time. And cool weather sweetens things up of course.
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Post by coppice on Mar 8, 2019 13:42:04 GMT -5
My likes just about all kinds of cabbage except the ones that get called saur kraut in tin cans. <<<shiver icky>>>
In a bag or in a crock, broiled, boiled, stir fried. Mmmm
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Post by hairymooseknuckles on Mar 8, 2019 13:52:21 GMT -5
My problem with brussel sprouts is not the flavor but the odor. If I could go past what I consider to be the "smell' I would certainly eat them. Same with cauliflower and broccoli. And yet I used to love them, but now I can't stand them. On the other hand, cabbage does not bother me a bit, and when I eat it I find it deliciously sweet. Are you referring to the smell of them cooking or once you've hit the after burners. LAUGHING!!!!!
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Post by octave1 on Mar 8, 2019 14:20:44 GMT -5
My problem with brussel sprouts is not the flavor but the odor. If I could go past what I consider to be the "smell' I would certainly eat them. Same with cauliflower and broccoli. And yet I used to love them, but now I can't stand them. On the other hand, cabbage does not bother me a bit, and when I eat it I find it deliciously sweet. Are you referring to the smell of them cooking or once you've hit the after burners. LAUGHING!!!!! There is no after for me.
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