How your posh silverware makes food taste bad

The Telegraph ^ | February 12, 2015 | Saffron Alexander

[discostu]

Just because you notice no difference doesn’t mean there isn’t one. When it comes to taste-buds we’re in a serious “your mileage may vary” world. Not everybody works the same. There are stories periodically about how people can’t tell the difference between low end and premium boozes, which is true for those who don’t know their way around that booze, but if you’ve trained you palate you can. Not everybody’s taste-buds work the same, both because of exposure and pure genetics, look at cilantro, people love it or hate it and studies on it show that the people who hate it SHOULD because their taste-buds detect cilantro as really nasty and bitter. You just might not have metal detecting taste-buds.

Silverware made of silver IS posh, it’s expensive and requires maintenance. Doesn’t make this a regular folks vs elites, many regular folks have a silver silverware set, gets used with the “good china”. I see it more as a “that stuff you only break out for the BIG meals might not be what you want to use.”

[Jamestown1630]

I have always heard that you should use your sterling flatware frequently, so that it eventually develops a nice patina...

I only have silver plate, and I know that eggs can harm and discolor it (not sure it’s true with sterling, but it would make sense that it is.)

I think it’s the sulfur in eggs; and I would think that anything that “invades” the silverware is going to change the taste of the food, as well.

-JT

[Jeff Chandler]

[Jamestown1630]

I never thought I’d like caviar, until my husband came home with a gift basket that had a little jar of black capelin caviar. I didn’t, and still don’t, know anything much about caviar, but it was a revelation! and capelin is a really CHEAP caviar.

I adore it now; but I do notice that there are times when my taste-buds reject even a caviar that I’ve enjoyed very much in the past.

-JT

[napscoordinator]

I honestly only had it once so it probably isn’t fair to just knock it. If I ever have the opportunity again, maybe I will try it again.

[Jamestown1630]

Here’s a little primer to serving and eating caviar:

http://whatscookingamerica.net/Appetizers/CaviarPlate.htm

And here’s a recipe for Blini:

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/blini-russian-pancakes/

Actually, I never do any of that. I just like a little sour cream with a little caviar. I’ve found that a couple of bites are a great picker-upper when one is on a low-carb diet, or just needs to taste something wonderful ;-)

(I’ve also thought caviar would be wonderful with little latkes; must try that!)

There are only a few things that I don’t think I could try:
snails, insects, and brains. But: never say never :-)

-JT

[bgill]

Ewww! Thankfully, I just washed my hands.

[gundog]

Don’t serious weenie-philes use silver cups for tasting? That’s oenophile for the informed...I saw a couple of fairies using those cups in Key West once...weenie-phile came to mind.

[gundog]

Silverware made of silver IS posh, it’s expensive and requires maintenance.

I've read that Napoleon had aluminum tableware. Very rare in the day.