Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with bitter

Bitter about carrots

Omnomnom — Tue, 05 Feb 2013 13:01:38 -0800

I made some carrot soup. It has a slightly bitter after taste. Why is that, and can I fix this? Basically, I did to a ton of leftover carrots what I do to all my soup bound veggies:
Cooked carrots and onions and a nugget of ginger in some oil, added water and stock cube, some salt and sugar, simmered until done (but not too soft) and then ran it all through the blender, minus the ginger.

There's a slight but distinct bitter aftertaste that spoils it. I added sugar and it helped a little but I don't really want to add more.

Were my carrots simply too old? Was it the ginger? What did I do wrong and can I fix it?

Maitake mushrooms turning unpleasantly bitter?

Westringia F. — Wed, 09 Jan 2013 06:27:26 -0800

I made a pilaf with young hen-of-the-woods/maitake mushrooms on Monday night. It was delicious. This morning I nuked some leftovers for breakfast (it's been refrigerated for the past 36 hrs), and the mushroom pieces are now shockingly bitter. What happened? I don't mean bitter like coffee or beer or walnuts; I mean almost inedibly bitter, like bitter melon or orange oil. I don't mind bitter things (I eat bitter melon), but the change is freaking me out a bit. WTH happened? What are these alkaloids? Where did they come from? And of course... can I still eat it*?

* Assume for sake of argument that I do not want to be tripping balls at work.

What to do with unripe apricots

Joe in Australia — Thu, 20 Dec 2012 01:55:02 -0800

A friend helpfully picked all my apricots for me, many of which are absolutely green. Is there any way to ripen them? If not, is there any way to use them?

Bitter aftertaste in apple butter?

caaaaaam — Sat, 10 Nov 2012 18:38:32 -0800

I just made a large batch of apple butter (~8 pecks) in a giant uncoated copper kettle, cooked on top of a wood fire for the better part of the day. The texture is great, but there is a bitter aftertaste (stronger in some parts, like those from the side of the pot, than others) that slightly worries me — what could have caused it, and is it plausibly safe to eat? Sorry in advance for all the details in what boils down (ha) to a "can I eat it?" question, but I'd like to figure out what exactly is going on if possible.

A few possible explanations that I can think of:

1) Leached copper. The bitterness does not taste particularly metallic to me, but I would not be surprised if some amount of copper leached in during cooking.

The kettle is an antique, so had not been used for at least one or two generations. It was originally fairly dirty and tarnished, so I thoroughly scrubbed it with Brasso, then Barkeeper's Friend, and then dish detergent (with plenty of rinsing after each). At the end of cleaning, it was fairly shiny though still had several blackened areas that I could not remove (wood had previously been burnt inside the kettle, probably causing these marks).

Before cooking the apple butter, I also boiled about 2 inches of water in the pot as a final cleaning step and sloshed it around the sides. More of the tarnish disappeared, and the water turned kind of golden. In retrospect, that color change is a little unsettling... but making apple butter is what the kettle is for! So I continued anyways.

One last observation I made, to make things even more unappetizing: after removing the boiled water, and before adding the apples, the hottest part of the empty kettle bottom turned an iridescent blue surrounded by purple and other colors, looking kind of like a gasoline spill sunset. Beautiful— but, food-safe?

2) Peels and/or seeds. Maybe 5% of the total peel, and maybe ten or so seeds probably made it in. We added no extra sugar, so any bitterness from these would probably show through.

3) Smoke, ash. There was plenty of smoke going around as the breeze shifted directions, so some of the acridness could have made its way in.

4) Burning. A small area at the center of the bottom of the pot turned black from where the apple butter burned just a little.

From my framing of the question, perhaps you can tell that my main concern here is trying to convince myself that the apple butter does not contain unsafe levels of copper. I realize that no one can give me a definitive answer, and it is better to err on the side of caution, but if anyone has any experience with something like this, or can think of any tests I can do to narrow things down (other than eating all of it and waiting to see what happens), I'd appreciate your thoughts. Thanks.

Homemade applesauce too bitter

primate moon — Fri, 09 Nov 2012 11:14:53 -0800

How to fix bitter taste in homemade applesauce? I made a large batch of applesauce last night, something I do on a fairly regular basis. To my great dismay it's quite bitter. I added more brown sugar to counteract the bitterness, but it hasn't helped. I'm wondering if there's anything else I can do to fix the bitter--not sour, but BITTER--taste.

I used a really good recipe (http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/applesauce/) I have used several times, which includes several strips of lemon peel along with the juice of a lemon. In last night's batch, because I had about a pound more of apples than usual, I upped the lemon peel a little. The recipe also calls for whole cinnamon sticks, brown sugar and white sugar (small amounts), water, and a pinch of salt.

When I was cooking it last night, the apples weren't softening as they should, so I decided to use a potato masher to break them up a little so they would cook down more. The recipe includes this step--after the apples are completely cooked down and softened--but it's supposed to be AFTER you remove the lemon peels and cinnamon sticks. I forgot this and mashed the sauce a little with the peels in there even though it still needed a little more cooking. Is this what accounts for the strong bitter taste, that I mashed the peels and maybe extracted some of their bitter quality more than if they just gently cooked in the sauce, unmolested? Again, the sauce is not too sour, but bitter.

So is there anything I can do to fix this? I know there might be a sort of chemical fix (like adding salt?) or more of a taste fix (more sugar? I hate it to be too sweet). Butter? I made about a gallon of applesauce and I hate to lose it all! Help! And thank you.

Can you recommend a non-sweet lozenge/hard candy?

iurodivii — Thu, 24 May 2012 08:19:28 -0800

Can you recommend a non-sweet lozenge/hard candy? I would eat the Fisherman's Friend cough suppressants every day if I could, but the package says not to use for more than two days. That menthol bite and sharp, not sugary, flavor is fantastic.

Altoids are kind of in the right direction of sharpness, but they are too sweet and sugary at the same time. Also they don't last very long.

Where are the sharp, bitter, menthol-y, (maybe even spicy?!) very NOT-sweet, hard candies that I can have on a daily basis...like if different flavors of alcohol bitters came in lozenge form?

Should I give up on friendship?

Anonymous — Thu, 22 Mar 2012 09:20:06 -0800

I am angry at everyone who tries to be friendly with me because of a repeated thing that has happened to me socially and with my family as well. I really don't want to become bitter and friendless but I either feel like I'm putting on an act or I get angry. Whenever I have ever understood or felt like I fit into a group, something happened to make me unwelcome there. Sometimes it was at least partly my fault, but a few times it was one person spreading rumors like a power play (or because I would not date them). I often end up with a few friendships with people in the group, but it stings to be excluded from many things and I have to limit these friendships so I can move on.

I do not trust anyone in my immediate family. The explanation most vivid of my family is a voicemail that my mother left me just to say hello, how are you - then, when she thought she had hung up the phone, she tore into me and spoke of the horror I was for three minutes straight.

Even with that I used to be able to trust people, but some bad experiences and an absolutely disastrous romantic relationship later I find myself having an angry reaction against people who are becoming increasingly close to me.

I meet many people through my work, which is somewhat in the public eye, and some of them are interesting and nice people (or are they nice?) At this point, I have people who are basically the fans who do not know much about me that I can have drinks with or go to a concert with and have a superficial conversation. It is ultimately empty and unilateral. Then I have people I want to be friends with. I spend time with them, but the more time I spend with them the more I start to become uncomfortable with them and finally actively find reasons to hate them.

Of course I want friends. I do not want to be a cynical asshole. I have no one to share or anyone to be honest with and it is deeply isolating. It is sad.

I know many people will say therapy, but I had a bad couple of therapists, including a psychiatrist who really abused my confidence for money when I was desperate and in a new city. I had a good therapist that I kept seeing and we were making progress so I quit...again having trouble trusting. It also seems risky. Right now I am at least functional on the outside and can do my job, which took a lot of work after the romantic relationship gone bad. The idea of trusting a therapist and being rejected or having them talk behind my back or be deceived again ... I do not think I could go from there. I also assume that the therapist will hate me.

Is there some way I can tell if people will really be good, honest and loyal friends? Some way back to trust people? Can I learn to be happy with unilateral relationships?

I have almost given up on romantic relationships. Nobody is particularly wanting to date me and if it seems like they are it makes me really angry. Same problem.

Thank you for any help.

VDAY COOKIES

misformiche — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 09:25:03 -0800

if you were a truthful, demanding, or bitter valentines day cookie what would you say? example:
"Well, thanks"
"Not tonight"
"____ me"

etc

Remind me how to be kind again.

Anonymous — Tue, 14 Jun 2011 13:07:06 -0800

Remind me how to be kind again. I used to be kind. Helpful. Caring.

For the past year, there's been a steady decline in that. It's been a rough year, with sickness in the family and harsher economic realities due to said sickness. Now, when I hear tales of woe, from strangers or friends, I'm not as inclined to be kind. Even when I am, I feel bitter or unkind on the inside. Even when I'm kind and genuinely mean it, it feels like a huge effort to do. The general feeling is that the world is harsh and it really doesn't matter whether I am nice or not. There is a growing feeling of "Fuck you and your problems, what about me and mine? Deal with your own shit, just like I do." My world is growing progressively smaller and colder, I no longer care much about the outside world (Screw the Arab spring or the possibility of legal gay marriage in New York, or whatever).

What sort of things can I do to gain back the desire to be kind, caring and helpful to other people?

Tasty coffee-tasting coffee substitute?

Anonymous — Sun, 25 Jul 2010 20:36:24 -0800

I can't really drink coffee (stomach issues) but love the bitter flavor, so I'm looking for recommendations for good coffee substitutes. There are various brands of this sort of thing in the grocery stores I visit (the only brand name I can remember is Postum but I think that may have been discontinued) but I'm looking for the very best tasting one - the least herby and the most bitter. Does anyone drink this and have one that they love? (Just to clarify - I'm not looking for teas or yerba mate-type things). Thank you!

How do I rid myself of a bitter "fuck you" attitude I'm now feeling towards ANY future employer?

Anonymous — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 16:41:07 -0800

I am bitter towards companies in general, and that's not a useful attitude to have as (hopefully) a round of January interviews approach. Help me. I was laid off more than a year ago. When I was laid off, I was told -- at some length -- about how the decision was not in any way, shape or form a reflection of how they felt about the job I had done for them. It was strictly based on seniority -- they were cutting many people that day, and of them, they were cutting the two most junior employees in the department in which I worked. I had been there for nearly three years, but I was still the second most junior employee in that department, and thus was shown the door. (Parenthetically, I have an educated guess that the local human resources employees who laid me off that day had next to no slack on who was selected; I am pretty sure the company's central office micromanaged precisely which cuts were made from where with no input from local HR. Some of the people let go elsewhere were bulwarks of that company who, if local HR had any input, would almost definitely have been kept.)

At the job prior to this last one from which I was laid off, I was fired. It was good that I got fired, because it shocked me into realizing a faulty tenet that I had been carrying around until then: that somehow, some inherent sense of justice in the universe meant that I was "owed" a place to go where I could give them my labors and they would give me money in return. I still don't think I did a poor job there, but there were a number of significantly distracting and very large-scale personal issues going on in my life that really prevented me from giving my all, and in retrospect, my firing was understandable, if not kind.

That changed at my next employer. I grew to actually really like that company. I devoted myself to my job, and brought all my skills and talents to it. I went above and beyond; I was constantly given sterling reviews and better-than-the-company's-average annual salary bumps. I was one of those guys that everyone feels fairly warmly towards. I was always willing to offer anyone a helping hand if I could possibly do it. I was never even asked to do it, but I gave them a lot of free overtime, cumulatively, figuring that being asked to stay late 20 minutes or so wasn't bad, especially as the company was equally flexible with the extremely occasional moments I needed a little give.

The tenet I began to form at this employer -- again, subconsciously -- was one I think a lot of people share. If you give an employer your best, and make yourself as invaluable and as good a "buy" for their salary money as possible, then you're a valuable asset and the company will accordingly continue employing you.

Now, it feels as if that can't be relied upon either, and the replacement proposition one might form from my experience is: "An employer will be happy to fire you the moment its bottom line is threatened. It has absolutely no interest in you other than as a cog in its processes; if you're a bad enough worker, you'll break the machine and then they'll fire you. But they don't care if you're a particularly good cog, either. They'll swap you out the moment they want to."

And, to some extent, I know that's true. But it's also a deeply cynical worldview that inclines one to go around each and every day with an attitude of "Fuck you, [employer]!" And not only does that incline you towards being a poor employee, that also is just a poisonous emotion to have in your psyche about the place where you'll spend eight-plus hours of each day. I really don't want that emotional baggage in my head each and every day. Some other stuff has had me a lot happier in general, so I really don't want to be renting brainspace to this emotion for an indefinite lease.

I've not been confronted with the question yet because companies have simply not been hiring for my position for most of the past year, so interviews have been near non-existent. That is already showing signs of significantly changing next month.

How do I do this? How can I go to an employer and interview with them and not feel so deeply hostile towards a company that, as of yet, will have done nothing to deserve it?

Where can I find Emu Bitter beer for my grandparents?

speedoavenger — Fri, 26 Dec 2008 09:30:47 -0800

Where can I buy Emu Bitter beer in the US? It's made by Nathan Lion, the same brewery that makes Steinlager. I'm willing to drive anywhere in AZ, NH, or NE, although I would prefer mail order delivery. http://www.lion-nathan.com/Great-Brands/AUS-Beer/Emu.aspx

This beer is for my Grandma and Grandpa. It is the only beer my Grandma has ever liked, and she hasn't had a bottle of it since she visited Australia 15 years ago.

Thank you for your help.

Give us a soundtrack for our walk away from the apocalypse

millipede — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 14:47:46 -0800

I am looking for songs that call to mind (music-wise, rather than lyrics-wise) the rather specific feeling of walking or driving away from a great disaster that has left one greatly scarred, but alive: Post-apocalyptic victory songs. My roommate and I are having concurrent miseries. We were putting together misery playlists and realized that we didn't really want SAD songs, per se, but songs more of this strange nature. She described it as music that calls to mind driving away from something, through a desert. I'm thinking it's music that is a fitting soundtrack for walking over a bridge away from a burning city that nearly consumed you and that you helped destroy. We are being figurative.

Some examples of music that fits:
"And I" by Portugal.The Man
"Malagueña Salerosa" performed by Chingon
"Gold Dust Woman," Hole's version
"The Show Must Go On" by Queen
"House of the Rising Sun" by the Animals
"I Luv the Valley OH " by Xiu Xiu
"Zoo York" by Paul Oakenfold
"Every Me Every You" by Placebo
"Silence Is Golden by The Tremeloes

Basically, we are looking for dark, churning, vaguely hollow-sounding songs with a sad or bittersweet edge. Lyrical content is not especially important--it's that sound I'm looking for.

Learning How to Like Coffee, and How to Like Beer

WCityMike — Sat, 15 Nov 2008 10:34:41 -0800

There are two beverages that nearly every American adult seems to like, but I dislike both: coffee and beer. I would like to develop a taste for both of them. For morning caffeine, coffee's free at most workplaces whereas pop isn't; and beer is a cheap mood alterer; but more importantly, both are social lubricants, one that isn't achieved by drinking a soda while others get either awake, buzzed or drunk. It's been a while since I had either, but remembering the tastes, I think it's that I dislike the bitterness in each drink. This isn't anything I'm torn up over, but I can see how acclimating myself to these would be helpful to things I'd like to develop socially. Anyhow, tips on how to change my tastes so that I can become a jittery, coffee-addicted beerhound would be appreciated. :-)

Ideas to cut the bitter taste of orange rinds

smallstatic — Tue, 27 May 2008 13:45:54 -0800

I LOVE my new juicer but the oranges betray me. I just bought a Breville Compact Juicer and I luuuurve it. There is truly nothing more joyous than pulverizing fruit first thing in the morning. But my dilemma is with the oranges - a staple of morning smoothies, I'm sure you'd agree - and specifically the rinds, which are insanely bitter. Obviously I could peel them before juicing but that kind of defeats the ease of the juicer in the first place. What I'm wondering is if there are any food and cooking able people out there that may know a tasty way to balance the bitterness of the orange rinds. Sugar? Yogurt? Bananas? Not much seems to be cutting it. Thanks!

This flu tastes terrrible

mzurer — Sat, 26 Jan 2008 06:59:56 -0800

I am on the trailing edge of a bout of flu, and I have a persistent bitter taste when I drink any fluids. Doesn't seem to be there when I eat things, only drink them. Has anyone else experienced this? When do I get my taste-buds back?

My bleeding heart is shriveling up

zoomorphic — Tue, 28 Aug 2007 09:04:42 -0800

So I moved to Brooklyn, landed a great magazine internship in the city, and seem to be on the right track professionally. One problem: I'm restless and want to leave NYC. Will I sabotage my future as a magazine journalist by leaving Manhattan, the mecca of magazines? It's not that I dislike New York--there are times when I really, truly believe in this city, especially Brooklyn. But more often I'm wary that I'm wasting my youth in the bowels of the universe where I hate my commute, I hate tourists, I hate slow walkers, and I stare through any poor soul asking for change on the street. I'm bitter, neurotic, self-absorbed, and obsessed with work. Everyone in my office--and in a 5 mile vicinity--is the same way. Paradoxically, I also hate people who blithely write off these traits as merit badges for becoming a New Yorker. I moved here thinking I was happening upon a great literary community of engaged, well-read people, but little has turned up.

In short, my job makes me happy, the city doesn't. Thwarting my relocation ambitions is the sinking realization that I lack the self-discipline to freelance, making an in-house journalism job nigh imperative. So what happens if I move? I really love Chicago, but I can't think of any notable magazines or lit hubs there, except the Poetry Foundation and (yikes) Time Out Chicago. What else is out there?

Or should I wipe the city grime from my eyes and keep seeking out the elusive literati lurking in some Brooklyn nook?

Life gave me bitter lemonade...now what?

tastybrains — Wed, 01 Aug 2007 18:04:16 -0800

Why is my lemonade turning bitter? I recently decided to try making some homemade lemonade using the basic recipe I've found on about a gazillion recipe sites ... sliced lemons (1 per quart), sugar (1 cup), ice, water. I take the thiny sliced & seeded lemons and sugar and I mash the crap out of them so there is a nice slushy sugary lemony mess. Then I mix it all up with ice and water. And it tastes awesome.

However, when I leave it to chill overnight, it turns horribly bitter & undrinkable. Mixing it up doesn't help.

Why is this? I feel like it's probably something obvious, but my Google-fu sucks and all I found were metaphors of bitterness and life giving you lemons and that sort of thing.

Is it the lemon peels? Should I peel the lemons before mashing everything up? Or does lemonade just not stay tasty for long?

Help...I really like lemonade & I really feel stupid that I can't make a simple pitcher of lemonade that tastes good for a full 24 hours.

I hate you.

keswick — Mon, 06 Mar 2006 16:50:02 -0800

What do you do when you're stuck in a persistive state of misanthropy? there is no more inside

Anit-love-song mixtape

ChasFile — Tue, 14 Feb 2006 12:28:20 -0800

Love-sucks-anti-Valentine's-Day-Filter: Help me make a mix of anti-love songs. Visualize a mix you might give your ex after a really, really nasty break-up. Something that says "F0ck you, I hate you, and every second we were together was torture, you evil witch," with every song. Maybe starting with OMD's "If You Leave," and getting nastier from there. Alternatively, I also like the sentiment expressed in "If You Leave," so suggestions for a mix that says "If you think you broke my heart, don't kid yourself, I never really cared about you anyway," would be appreciated, as well.

Bonus points on both counts for songs set to a sentimental or poppy melody, again along the lines of "If You Leave." The idea here being that it should be a mixtape that, were it not for the lyrics and sentiment behind it, the girlfriend might otherwise really like and listen to. Just to give the knife that extra little twist. Hence Eminem's "Bonnie and Clyde" doesn't really work. You get the idea, right?

Why do I hate beer?

robbie01 — Wed, 31 Aug 2005 16:06:53 -0800

I hate beer. What's wrong with me? I've never been a big drinker (didn't do much acclimation in high school) but beer is disgusting to me. I'm aware, of course, of the world's obsession with the beverage, but I just don't get it. It's bitter, there's too much of it per serving in a bar, and it just tastes bad. To me. Is there something wrong with my taste buds? Could I be overly-sensitive to bitter flavors?

I've tried several varieties of beer (pale, dark, canned, bottled, cheap, expensive, national brands, microbrews, seasonals), and they all have that same basically bad flavor. I understand there is something called the "IBU", which is a measure of how bitter a beer is, but even something very low on the scale is just terrible to me.

The thought of someone coming home after work and popping open a beer to drink is confounding.

It's not that I desire to drink more beer, though sometimes I feel a little awkward being the only one drinking soda, water (or even mixed drinks, which I also have a tendency to dislike intensely), but I figured the world must be in on something that I'm just not getting, or has everyone just learned to acquire the taste because it's generally the cheapest, most ubiquitous method of getting drunk?