Please help settle this meat argument

myname1 ↓

Mon, May 06 2024, 2:54 am

Is boiled plain meat without spices or sauces or anything considered a festive meal?

Dh thinks yes because he enjoys the taste of the meat. The meat is "festive" enough that it doesn't need a recipe to make it impressive.

I don't find plain boiled meat appetizing at all. I grew up never eating meat and am only impressed and sometimes even enticed to try some if it has a sauce or spices or something else and not just plain boiled meat.

He thinks I don't get a say because I don't like and am not used to meat. But he thinks all others agree with him. What do you say? (And if you agree with me, does your dh, too?)

Comptroller

Mon, May 06 2024, 2:59 am

Flanken cooked in soup is excellent, if that's what you mean.
But I would try and satisfy your taste too for a yomtov, since it is yomtov for you too.
So in my opinion, there is no "objective" answer to this question, it goes according to preference.

Bnei Berak 10 ↓

Mon, May 06 2024, 3:11 am

myname1 wrote:

**Depends on who you ask.**

If your DH was brought up in a frum Polish family I guess it's considered a delicacy (I have a huge issue with cuisine that considers sugar to be a great substitute for seasoning)
In my kitchen there is no way boiled meat without seasoning is considered a treat. First I braise and then cook in dry red wine plus salt pepper bay leaf whole allspice and all the root vegetables and that is considered plain in my world (but then I went to cooking school so my standards are quite high)

Al taam ve Al reach ein lehitvakeach (Hebrew saying)

↑ myname1 ↓

Mon, May 06 2024, 3:15 am

Well for yom tov I make it my way if I feel like it and have time. And if not he makes it his way, which is fine since I don't really like meat much either way. But now we may want to make meat for a small event and I am telling him he absolutely cannot make plain boiled meat and he is absolutely convinced his meat is delicious and I just don't know because I don't like meat.

And he claims boiled chicken is yum too but it's so common so it's not "fancy," but meat is anyway less common and fancy so a recipe isn't necessary. I'm not sure what flanken is. Dh doesn't buy specific cuts of meat, which I think is part of the issue. He doesn't like "wasting" money on specific fancy cuts and just buys whatever, cooks it in water, and that's it. He's totally wrong, right? Like I said, I don't care since I don't really eat it, neither do most of our kids. But for an event I told him 100% not appropriate. (Whatever, I prefer pizza honestly, as do my kids. But if he wants meat to be fancy...)

↑ Bnei Berak 10 ↓

Mon, May 06 2024, 3:19 am

myname1 wrote:

The traditional French cuisine uses real beef stock instead of water (I am speaking about the *real* thing, not stock from a cube or a bottle or can)

The Happy Wife ↓

Mon, May 06 2024, 3:23 am

Just the sound of it is unappealing to me. Plain meat boiled in plain water? Not even salt and pepper?

I agree that meat from soup is delicious, but I would never make soup with just meat and water. Salt, pepper, and lots of flavorful veggies at minimum go in my soups.

Extra spices enhance the meat. You don't need to hide it in a sauce, but a little extra flavor doesn't hurt.

↑ myname1 ↓

Mon, May 06 2024, 3:34 am

The Happy Wife wrote:

Me, too! But he thinks that's just bc I really am not used to or into meat and "normal" people who like meat think like him. Is it a man/woman difference? (They say men really like their meat and potatoes...)

↑ The Happy Wife ↓

Mon, May 06 2024, 3:34 am

myname1 wrote:

Boiled chicken is also very unpapatable to me. I'd eat it, but only if I had no other option. I don't need much spice in my chicken to be happy, just salt and pepper. I still think chicken tastes so much better when roasted.

↑ myname1 ↓

Mon, May 06 2024, 3:37 am

Olive wrote:

You mean specifically boiled in water or meat cooked without adding other ingredients? If the latter & a good piece of meat I agree with dh that a good meat can stand on its own especially kosher meat is salted.

Boiling water is how he cooks it without adding other ingredients... How do you cook it plain that you like and what makes it "a good meat?" He does add salt afterwards if it needs it.

↑ The Happy Wife

Mon, May 06 2024, 3:40 am

myname1 wrote:

My husband (and other guests, especially men) go crazy for my roasts, and I always cook them with flavorful liquids and and spices. I love meat. Chicken I could take or leave.

My husband is quite content with meat and potatoes, but when I add certain spices he absolutely loves it. We're not particular about fancier cuts. If you cook a cheap cut well it can taste great.

So I don't think you're alone or that it's because you're a women or not a fan of meat.

Does you husband like very plain food without spices or flavor in general?

↑ Bnei Berak 10

Mon, May 06 2024, 3:40 am

myname1 wrote:

The Gmara says meat and wine is considered festive for men.
For years I thought I didn't like beef until I discovered it's all about the seasoning the liquid and the way of preparing it.

imaima ↓

Mon, May 06 2024, 3:45 am

myname1 wrote:

His attitude is more unappealing to me than his actual taste.
If you cook for company, you should consider what people like. Usually people like meat with flavor, or it has to be an exquisite cut of plain meat, which he refuses to buy too. He may stay persuaded but people won’t like eating at your house.

abrainbow

Mon, May 06 2024, 3:48 am

OP, are you talking about a pickled meat?
At first I thought you were talking about steaks or something because just salt and pepper on it grilled is delicous.
Then I saw you said boiled so I assume you mean a pickled meat (ex. corned beef) so I grew up with all meats smothered in sauces and I thought that was the only way it tasted good. Now I grew to love the taste of meat plain- but also I'm talking about a pickled cut.

↑ myname1 ↓

Mon, May 06 2024, 4:01 am

imaima wrote:

Nah he's a nice guy and wants others to like the meat, too. He honestly thinks everyone who likes meat likes plain boiled meat, no matter the cut. So we were both curious.

↑ imaima

Mon, May 06 2024, 4:04 am

myname1 wrote:

Nah he's a nice guy and wants others to like the meat, too. He honestly thinks everyone who likes meat likes plain boiled meat, no matter the cut. So we were both curious.

For an event, I would err on the side of spicy.

Great ma ↓

Mon, May 06 2024, 4:06 am

I know quite a few people who like meat to taste like meat rather than be cooked with other stuff and have a tomato or veg flavored etc taste. There's no right or wrong. It's a prefernce thing.
Perhaps dh would like plain roast meat in the oven too? That's a bit fancier

↑ myname1 ↓

Mon, May 06 2024, 4:10 am

Great ma wrote:

Interesting, so I guess some do agree with him. He likes the taste of meat, why make it taste like something else.