# Kitchen tricks your spouse is unaware of!



## boufa06 (Nov 16, 2006)

It's one thing to have a spouse with a discerning taste but another when he has certain set notions about food ingredients and cooking methods.  As you all know, some cuisine especially Asian have sugar added to lemon and tamarind dishes.  This is one ingredient that DH abhors in cooking but the beauty of it is that he loves Asian cuisine and will eat heartily each time he is being served.  So I have decided over the years not to let this sweet stuff affect his enjoyment by not mentioning what I did over at the dining table.

Another hurdle to cross is adding milk to cream based soups and dishes.  Of course I can substitute with sour cream or yoghurt but for some dishes, they do not quite taste the same.  So the times when milk is sorely needed in a particular recipe, I would proceed to add it without blinking an eyelid without his knowledge.  Needless to say, he would usually eat what I serve him with gusto.  That brings to mind the psychological aspect of it cos' the mere mention of milk and sugar will send him into convulsions.

Has anyone of you ever experienced anything along these lines?


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## lulu (Nov 16, 2006)

DH and I often cook together, and he would soon pick up on any white lies, but he has got a good open mind and is a willing eater of, well, pretty much anything.

I had an ex who had a thing about flour and so any thing involving roux or thickening was done hurredly while he was out of the kitchen and then I had to make a loaf of bread to disguise the fact I had used flour at all (needless to say, that relationship was doomed!)

What DH does is not believe that cakes don't need yeast.  Every now and then I here him clattering down in the kitchen "experimenting" with yeast.  I just shrug and let him get on with it.  Its only a couple of times a year!


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## Gretchen (Nov 16, 2006)

DH has a pretty low tolerance for vinegar and acid in foods, but will eat just about anything, as long as it isn't all the time. Hence, I can fix and we will both enjoy a sauerbraten, once or so a year (I"m up for it, now that I think of it). 
There are other things he might profess to not like but will eat--and sometimes without relish, but I think the secret is just not all the time a challenge to his senses.


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## licia (Nov 16, 2006)

I've noticed that some people don't like some things visible in their food. A friend eats NO onions, but since I can't cook many main dishes without them, I grate them and she never sees them and enjoys the food. I'm fortunate in that DH doesn't complain about anything (if he does, he can start cooking ) I don't make my recipes different to suit anybody's quirks. I think if you start that you may compromise the entire meal.  Allergies are different. I don't mess with that and never include anything someone is allergic to. If they don't eat one dish, there will be others they can eat. We were always told to taste everything but that isn't the case with many kids now so many of them don't develop a very grown up palate.


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## FraidKnot (Nov 16, 2006)

licia said:
			
		

> I've noticed that some people don't like some things visible in their food. A friend eats NO onions, but since I can't cook many main dishes without them, I grate them and she never sees them and enjoys the food. I'm fortunate in that DH doesn't complain about anything (if he does, he can start cooking ) I don't make my recipes different to suit anybody's quirks. I think if you start that you may compromise the entire meal. We were always told to taste everything but that isn't the case with many kids now so many of them don't develop a very grown up palate.



I personally don't like the *texture* of onions so I mince them very finely because the taste is so essential in so many things.  And you're absolutely right; there's no point in catering to individual whims every time you cook.  If you do, you wind up cooking separate meals for each person.  How exhausting! (not to mention expensive)  And as you stated, in our house we had to at least taste an item.  We couldn't just state "I don't like that" when we'd never even tasted it.  If we didn't like it, we weren't forced to eat it.  But we didn't get a separate meal out of the deal, either.  And we weren't fed chicken McNuggets (not that they had those when I was a kid, but you get my drift) or other fast-food, either.  There's nothing on those menus to create a very discerning palate.

Food allergies are, of course, an entirely different situation.  I don't want to kill anyone with my cooking!

Fraidy


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## hannaford (Nov 16, 2006)

what is the difference between heavy whipping cream and heavy cream.
making creme brule and dont know which cream to use.


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## Andy M. (Nov 16, 2006)

Ther is a slight difference in fat content, with the heavy cream being a little higher in content.  Either will work in you creme brule.


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## Harborwitch (Nov 16, 2006)

Should I mention the time I subbed calamari for abalone for my ex's relatives.  They loved it - thought the abalone balls were great.    He, on the other hand was NOT impressed when I made the mistake of telling him.  

Luckily I'm surrounded by people who will eat anything I put on the plate.  My poor late mother in law loved my cooking - and would eat anything (gawd she was fun!!!!)  She was trying to make a comment one night to the effect that I could make anything taste good.  It just didn't translate well from brain to mouth - "Bob, Sharon could put a t#rd on your plate and you'd say it was good."    I really miss her.  She loved her food!


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## jabbur (Nov 16, 2006)

My DH doesn't like peppers and mushrooms in most things.  I sneak them in some dishes and he usually can't tell.  The mushrooms need to be chopped verrrry small but I can get away with bigger pieces of peppers.  He didn't like much seasoning either at first but has fotten used to my heavier seasonings.  His mother,(bless her heart) won't eat ground black pepper on anything and hardly ever uses salt (heart attack prevention).  Thus her food is very bland.  The one holiday I helped with the turkey stuffing and added my usual amount of poultry seasoning.  She thought it would be too much but everyone raved at the flavor so now i season it every year!


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## mudbug (Nov 16, 2006)

HH hates celery, so I have to mince it into minuscule pieces in soups, rouxs, casseroles, etc.  He hasn't caught on yet. 

I also sneak wheat germ into things such as pancakes and waffles.


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## Alix (Nov 16, 2006)

mudbug said:
			
		

> HH hates celery, so I have to mince it into minuscule pieces in soups, rouxs, casseroles, etc. He hasn't caught on yet.


 
Wow. Are you sure his name isn't Ken? Yet another freaky little coincidence.


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## mudbug (Nov 16, 2006)

How is he on green peppers?


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## Alix (Nov 16, 2006)

Not great.


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## mudbug (Nov 16, 2006)

Twilight Zone music playing now.........

Alix, you and the gang simply must come to VA so we can compare notes in person!


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## Alix (Nov 16, 2006)

mudbug said:
			
		

> Twilight Zone music playing now.........


 
LMAO! I shouldn't be surprised by now. 

Oh, and to get back to the original topic, my thing is to mince onions so fine they're practically mush. Thats because of my kids not my DH though.


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## Hungry (Nov 30, 2006)

*Hidden Goodies*

My XLY doesn't like any extra fat in dishes I make.
I will sneak in a TBSP of Mayo in my mashed potatoes and Tuna Cakes (I use Tuna instead of Salmon cheaper!)I think it adds some smoothness to the potatoes and a little flavor to the Tuna.

Charlie


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## buckytom (Nov 30, 2006)

i add far more butter than dw knows about. 
also, i often forget to mention that i added wine to some things because for some wEird reason she thinks she doesn't like the flavor. then she wonders how i'm able to develop certain flavors that her dishes don't have.  
same goes for pork or veal fat, bacon, pancetta, and chorizo.


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## Jikoni (Nov 30, 2006)

I'll tell on all you guys! Can't think of anything really as DH rarely cooks or knows what ingredients are in the dishes I prepare.He just enjoys them.


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## Jikoni (Nov 30, 2006)

I am kidding. Honest. someone post something so I don't look like the bad guy!


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## goboenomo (Nov 30, 2006)

DFutureW knows nothing about food and cooking.
Hehe, it's gonna be quite difficult to eat properly when we're both working.


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## Shunka (Nov 30, 2006)

Gobo, I have to say that I am worried for you somewhat, I'm referring to the thread you posted about cooking for your DFutureW and her family. Hopefully she can learn that there are a great many things out there that taste great and that will relieve you of some anxiety. I think she will with gentle and slow coaxing from you.  Back on the subject; I hid a great many different veggies and such by mincing very tiny when my daughters were growing up, that is where egg rolls came in so handy as they all loved them (one preferred veggies- the other preferred meats); hubby has never been a problem.


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## Barb L. (Dec 27, 2006)

DH does not like baked chicken, so now I bake it and put it on the grill for a few minutes w/bbq sauce, or butter garlic -- he eats it now !!  Whew !


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## QSis (Dec 27, 2006)

*HEY!  What's with the initials???*

What does mudbug's "HH" stand for?  

What about Hungry's "XLY"?

And, Gobo, .... ah, none of my business.  

Lee


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## stargazer021 (Dec 27, 2006)

My DH thinks that he doesn't like horseradish because he read the list of ingredients in the cocktail sauce. I told him that I thought all prepared cocktail sauces have that ingredient. Anyway he refused to eat it. The next time we had cocktail sauce (different brand) he said how much better it was. I told him that one had horseradish too- he was adamant that it didn't until he read the list of ingredients on the bottle- surprise!!!


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## kitchenelf (Dec 27, 2006)

QSis said:
			
		

> What does mudbug's "HH" stand for?
> 
> What about Hungry's "XLY"?
> 
> ...



HH = Happy Husband

XLY = I haven't a clue here!!!!

DfutureW - darling future wife or dear future wife


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## Half Baked (Dec 27, 2006)

goboenomo said:
			
		

> *DFutureW* knows nothing about food and cooking.
> Hehe, it's gonna be quite difficult to eat properly when we're both working.


 
Gobo, don't make me come over there and scold you...


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## Barbara L (Dec 27, 2006)

As long as I don't try to sneak liver or lamb in on him, James will eat anything I make and love it.   He is the least picky eater I have ever met.  With my daughter, if I didn't think she would eat something, I just covered it in cheese.   

 Barbara


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## Dove (Dec 27, 2006)

Paul would eat anything but carrots. Dove and i love carrots..she eats hers raw.


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## boufa06 (Dec 28, 2006)

Barbara L said:
			
		

> With my daughter, if I didn't think she would eat something, I just covered it in cheese.
> 
> Barbara


 Wonderful recipe enhancement!


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## LadyCook61 (Feb 4, 2008)

my hubby eats anything I make  I don't tell him what I do to make the meal, he doesn't really care.


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## YT2095 (Feb 4, 2008)

my wife "hates" Coriander or nutmeg, and yet she has NO IDEA how many times she`s had food with it in and gone back for seconds


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## Wart (Feb 4, 2008)

Wife comes from Italy , she'll eat things that I won't touch.

But ....

Last night I made pizza. I take canned stewed or diced tomatoes, strain the juice then doctor and reduce.

Wife took one bite and started making noise about my putting sugar (brown) in the sauce. Blah Blah ... she does not like sugar ... Blah Blah .... 

I guess I should keep quiet the fact that the "focaccia" she likes so well also has sugar in it.

I'm sitting here thinking ... Naw, She'll figure it out. Like I heard so many times when growing up, Eat it or go hungry.


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## AllenOK (Feb 6, 2008)

PeppA, my other half, claims to hate cloves, nutmeg, and coffee.  I believe her about the coffee bit, as I like to tease her when I get my morning cup, and blow on it to cool it off, and she's always on the receiving end 

As to the cloves, I think she's been subjected to a few to many whole cloves studded into a ham for the holidays.  I like the flavor and smell, but she doesn't.  According to her, nutmeg smells the same as clove, and she avoids that one as well.

She also tries to tell me that she doesn't like wine in her food.  But, she loves my Chicken Tortilla soup (gets Chablis), Coq au Vin (gets Burgundy), and I've started adding splash (about 2 T) of Chablis when I'm sauteing a bunch of veggies with chicken

Once her mother moves back in with us (in a couple days), I probably WILL NOT be able to eat PeppA's spaghetti.  I prefer one variety of one sauce, as it's got a little wine or sugar in it, to make it sweet, and no green bell peppers (I don't really care for bell peppers in spaghetti sauce).  Unfortunately, PeppA's mother is diabetic, and starts griping and complaining anytime we try to serve a slightly sweet spaghetti sauce.  I can understand about that, but why doesn't she start griping and complaining when she starts downing regular chocolate milk, regular pop, regular ice cream, etc., that's all got regular sugar in it?


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## college_cook (Feb 6, 2008)

I could probably fill these forums with a list of things that might fiance thinks she doesn't like to eat.  Any type of onion, she 'can't stand'... but onions go into a good deal of my sauces, stir fries, soups, scallions for stir fries or even just as garnish.  She doesn't like chicken noodle soup, or so she says, but she practically drools on the floor every time I make it.  She likes when I make chicken stock and reduce it to glace to make sauces out of... of course she thinks stock is simply water and bones... no vegetables included.  She's very weird about anything green... but when we stopped to see my buddy at his new job as a sous chef he put together a quick walnut/arugula/goat cheese pizza (all which she doesn't like) that she loved.  Also wary of fish, but at a pan-seared to medium scallop served with a grilled clementine slice, and a bit of garlic and ginger on a fried basil leaf (best scallop of my life, btw).

They think they know what they like and dislike, and I think the best we can do is simply smile behind their backs.


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## expatgirl (Feb 6, 2008)

my DH hates coriander but I found a Mexican sauce ( Goya's Raita green sauce) which is nothing but coriander, garlic, etc., and he can't tell the difference though it adds great flavor to most dishes such as soups, stews,  Mexican dishes, etc.


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## AllenOK (Feb 10, 2008)

I have to agree with the "smile behind their backs" comment.  Most people are hung up on some kind of food, either they're addicted to it, or can't stand it, and it's rarely for the reason they say it is.  Heck, if they'd just open their minds up to possibilities, and don't "pre-judge" food before they taste it, they'd probably find out that a lot of the food they "can't stand" is actually rather good.

Even I have hang-ups about food, but it's kind of flip-flopped from most folk's hang-ups.  If the food just isn't prepared in a manner that I feel is good, I won't touch it.  This is the professional cook in me coming out.  My MIL "cooks" in a way that I have a hard time understanding in my core.  Basically, she eats to live, and I live to eat.  My brain can recognize that she just cooks differently than I do, but my stomach refuses to accept a lot of the food she makes.  Again, this is my own fault.


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## Maverick2272 (Feb 10, 2008)

I usually refuse to say what is in the food until after they have eaten it and rendered an opinion. I can't count the number of times DW has eaten stuff she claims not to like and loved it, or how many times my 'I hate all veggies' son has eaten veggies in his food.
Then again, none of them have food allergies, so I only risk them not liking it...


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## expatgirl (Feb 10, 2008)

I think, too, that a lot of people's childhood memories come into play as to what foods they like or don't  like or what prejudices they may have acquired as a result.  My mother, bless her heart, just was not a good cook----her food was very bland and she felt like everything had to be practically burnt to prevent illness.  Her idea of vegetables was to glop out a can of spinach, green beans, beets, etc.,  and force us to eat eat it. No seasoning---just warmed up and served. So we 4 kids grew up only liking canned corn and mashed potatos.  When I met my husband's family my future m-i-l  with her great cooking slowly made me learn to like most vegetables--she served either fresh or frozen---never will eat  fresh mustard greens, however, look to much like the spinach we were forced to eat as kids.  And those were horrible memories though I love fresh spinach on salads or sandwiches.


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## Jeff G. (Feb 11, 2008)

My sister in law won't eat anything if she sees pepper in it.  So for gravy... we use white pepper..... she never complains..


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## radhuni (Feb 12, 2008)

My husband is an Assamese and they don't add sugar in any dish except sweet dishes but I always add sugar in every preparation (may be 1-2 grains), because I think that, that will neutralize the effects of the extreme hot, salty and sour and pungent tastes (which is the characteristics of many Indian dishes) without hampering the original  taste. 

Previously he didn't know that I add sugar but he used to tell me that the dishes, which are prepared by me are tasting better than his mother's.

After many years I disclosed the mystery to him.


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## expatgirl (Feb 12, 2008)

oh, how funny, rahundi!  I hope that he didn't tell his mother.........


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## radhuni (Feb 12, 2008)

> oh, how funny, rahundi!  I hope that he didn't tell his mother.........



No of course he didn't tell his mother but I am very fortunate that all my inlaws (including my mother-in-law) prefer dishes prepared by me than themselves. 

They don't know the secret


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## expatgirl (Feb 12, 2008)

oh, how "sweet" it is---by Jackie Gleason--go girl!!!


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## SixSix210 (Feb 12, 2008)

I have to come clean here, and place myself firmly into the ranks of picky eaters we are discussing.  I hate onions.  Hang on tight here though, i cook with them on a daily basisi, and my favorite snack food is  onion rings.  I know I know, don't ask.  
My DW swears to the "fact" that sour cream is disgusting.  I use it quite a bit in my cooking and have taken to buying it, and putting it in old cottage cheese containers, and ditching the original container, cottage cheese is another one of her least favorite things.  With her it's all about texture.  Most foods she won't eat (or won't eat voluntarily ) are on the list because of texture.  Beans are victim number one one THIS list.  The rest of her 'dislikes' I have discovered are things that aren't so pretty on the shelf, and she's never actually tried them.  I simply stopped asking if she liked things because when I did, she'd say "no"  until i realized that in DW-speak, that meant "I've never had it, but it's ugly" artichokes come to mind here.
Her DS is another story all together.  He hates everything.  Except my cooking.  Easiest trick in the book here, I simply dragged him into the kitchen with me, and let him cook.  He at the ripe old, well wisened age of 11 had never been in a kitchen.  Now, as long as HE is acting as my sous (he hates it when i call him 'a boy named sous') he will eat anything.


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## Maverick2272 (Feb 12, 2008)

radhuni said:


> No of course he didn't tell his mother but I am very fortunate that all my inlaws (including my mother-in-law) prefer dishes prepared by me than themselves.
> 
> They don't know the secret



It is funny you should mention this, my wife took to adding a little sugar to the Thai dishes she would prepare, along with some others as well. She said it helped infuse the flavors better. I don't know, but I know I liked the better after she started doing it!


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## Andy M. (Feb 12, 2008)

Interesting.  An entire thread discussing how you all deceive your dearest loved ones...

SO tells me make whatever you want.  Just don't tell me what's in it...


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## Katie H (Feb 12, 2008)

My biggest challenge was in the 1960s when I was married to my first husband.  He didn't dislike onions.  He actively HATED them!  So many savory dishes begin with, "saute an onion..."  I tried every trick I could think of.  Minced the onions so small they were practically microscopic.  No go.  Tried onion powder.  Zip there, too.  Even bombed out using bottle onion juice.  I finally gave up.  However, a few years later the problem was solved when we divorced.

The only other "picky" challenge I encountered was getting our children to eat cooked spinach.  I solved that when I, gradually, substituted chopped broccoli for frozen chopped spinach in recipes.  Then, I began to reintroduce the spinach gradually.  Before long, they were eating spinach with no complaints.

I'm fortunate in that Buck will eat anything I prepare.  There's not much either one of us won't eat, so my cooking repertoire is vast and varied.  Woo, whoo!  It's always fun to find something new that both of us enjoy.


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## Maverick2272 (Feb 12, 2008)

Andy M. said:


> Interesting.  An entire thread discussing how you all deceive your dearest loved ones...



LOL. I had not thought of it that way!


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## Cath4420 (Feb 16, 2008)

*Corn and coriander*

DH will not eat coriander and corn.  Although DH friend bbq'd corn on cob a couple of months ago and then swamped in herbed butter and he ate it and loved it.  I think you would have heard me scream in the North Pole.  Coriander, I took to buying dried coriander because he would not let me grow it and often put it in stir fries etc and he does not know the difference.

I am not a great fan of tomato but will eat it if put in front of me.  I look at it this way, there are so many ways now of preparing foods that you don't know until you try.


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