# What do you cook/make that tastes bad to make other things taste good ?



## Stumblinman (Mar 11, 2013)

Ha ! yeah wording was a bear to explain this.. This stems from someone asking me to heat a fish stock longer cause it didn't taste bad yet. (plus he was using fatty fish not suited for it) So I tried to think of something I made that tasted bad to make something taste good and came up blank. Then I thought of pre-made stuff and came up with 'fish sauce' and anchovy paste. Yeah they would taste bad 'raw' but a couple drops in something would bring out great flavors. I was hoping to see if anyone had something else like it.


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## ecchef (Mar 11, 2013)

Turmeric.


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## franzb69 (Mar 11, 2013)

shrimp paste, pretty much anything fermented =D


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## Jmadams13 (Mar 11, 2013)

Sourdough starter. Mine is 17years old, smells like rot and gasoline, and tastes like the inside of a dead hippo, but the bread is so yummy


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## El Pescador (Mar 11, 2013)

Jmadams13 said:


> Sourdough starter. Mine is 17years old, smells like rot and gasoline, and tastes like the inside of a dead hippo, but the bread is so yummy



+1


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## Duckfat (Mar 11, 2013)

Sauerkraut. Stinks up the place but tastes great.


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## Dardeau (Mar 11, 2013)

Bitters. They all taste awful by themselves.


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## Mrmnms (Mar 11, 2013)

Dried porcini mushrooms


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## boomchakabowwow (Mar 11, 2013)

easy!

fish sauce! and anchovy paste..


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## Stumblinman (Mar 12, 2013)

sourdough starter I forgot about that one. I like the dried porcinis always thought that.


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## mhlee (Mar 12, 2013)

This isn't something I make, but XO sauce (smells horrible to some; I happen to love the smell and taste), isn't a great tasting or smelling product to some, but it's wonderful IMHO.


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## boomchakabowwow (Mar 12, 2013)

i add chicken livers to my meat sauce. 

it is gross..i food process it, and dump the "slurry" into the sauce. it adds something, but doesnt taste like liver..phew!


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## franzb69 (Mar 12, 2013)

> it is gross..i food process it, and dump the "slurry" into the sauce. it adds something, but doesnt taste like liver..phew!



it's the bitter flavor that it gives.

i too would food process it if my guests don't like biting into whole chunks of offal.

but then again i'm asian, so you can only imagine the stuff we put in our dishes.

=D


we filipinos have been known to use bile as a bittering agent in our dishes. not that i have done it myself. but people do it here.


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## cclin (Mar 12, 2013)

Stinky tofu


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## Zwiefel (Mar 12, 2013)

Jmadams13 said:


> Sourdough starter. Mine is 17years old, smells like rot and gasoline, and tastes like the inside of a dead hippo, but the bread is so yummy



Hmmmm...you seem to have a lot of expertise on hippo carcass decomposition 



ecchef said:


> Turmeric.



People think turmeric tastes bad? I kinda like it...



boomchakabowwow said:


> easy!
> 
> fish sauce! and anchovy paste..



+1 fish sauce for sure.


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## rdpx (Mar 12, 2013)

boomchakabowwow said:


> anchovy paste..



I love this stuff straight up, on toast....


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