10 Reasons Why Simple Food Is Much Better Than Fancy Food

AUTHOR: Ben Rice

Fancy food has its place, but let's be real. Sometimes, chefs go too far trying to make simple dishes into something they're not. You know what I mean? Dishes like mac 'n' cheese don't need truffle oil or gold flakes. Here are 10 reasons why these "next level" or "elevated" dishes can really miss the mark.

Table of Contents

1. Deconstructed Food
2. All Theater
3. What Is Elevated, Though?
4. The Aioli Scam
5. Truffle Oil Is Gross
6. All Just a Fad That Means Nothing
7. Mac and Blue Cheese, Anyone?
8. Black Garlic Service Station Burgers
9. Forgetting the Point
10. Reverse Searing Irreverence
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1. Deconstructed Food

Have you ever tried a deconstructed egg roll? Our first contributor questions why this kind of process even happens. "Like normally, the cabbage, vegetables, and pork would be all nicely wrapped up in an egg roll I can pick up and eat," they joke. I agree; the whole point of a cheesecake is that it is in a pleasing cake format.

2. All Theater

Chef in hotel — Image Credit: Shutterstock.

"I'd argue that most people don't know how to properly elevate a dish," adds the next poster, who knows how a dearth of cooking experience is a huge factor. "Elevation of a traditional dish should mostly be about techniques, not ingredients," adds another wizened individual.

3. What Is Elevated, Though?

Chef cooking — Image Credit: Shutterstock.

"An elevated dish, by definition, would be adding something of significant value as a payoff for the additional effort," notes a cook who understands the less-is-more cooking ethos. I am with them on this one; instead of simple rib-eye steak, you serve A5 wagyu steak.

4. The Aioli Scam

If someone thought of getting store-bought mayonnaise and adding cheap garlic flavoring to it, they could make a killing. Oh, wait, they already did. "Adding some garlic salt to mayonnaise elevates a six-dollar hamburger to a sixteen-dollar hamburger with aioli," observes a restaurant-goer. "Restaurants love this."

5. Truffle Oil Is Gross

English pubs are currently in the truffle fries phase, and I hate it. Do you know what I want to taste when I order fried potatoes? Fried potatoes! "What I hate is the addition of truffle oil to make something 'elevated' (e.g., truffle fries)," writes a fellow truffle oil detractor. "Truffle oil is one of the few things I don't like to eat."

6. All Just a Fad That Means Nothing

Woman with mobile — Image Credit: Shutterstock.

"Still haven't recovered from the 15-year-old who wanted to take PB&J and instant ramen 'to the next level,'" jokes an elder. Of course, we know where this 'elevated' food craze comes from: the bowls of TikTok and Instagram. Kids all want to be influencer chefs without first learning how to cook.

7. Mac and Blue Cheese, Anyone?

"I hate when fancy restaurants have mac and cheese as a side, and to make it worth their ridiculous price tag, they add over-the-top ingredients to it like crabmeat, truffle shavings, etc.," laments another next-level food skeptic. "It's completely unnecessary." It's hard to see how a pinch of crabmeat adds seven bucks to a side dish.

8. Black Garlic Service Station Burgers

Woman eating burger — Image Credit: Shutterstock.

"Sometimes I put black garlic paste on my reheated gas station cheeseburgers," jokes someone, bringing some funny imagery to mind. "Elevated." I have a different technique with gas station burgers — I will fry the patties to get more color before toasting the roll halves and adding other condiments. Now, that is elevated!

9. Forgetting the Point

Man saying no — Image Credit: Shutterstock.

We must remember where all the world's best dishes came from — usually peasants with few luxury ingredients to spare. "Traditional dishes weren't made that way because people thought that's the optimal way, but because the ingredients were what they had laying around," confirms a foodie. "I agree; I don't want rosemary and thyme in my chocolate cake," adds another critic.

10. Reverse Searing Irreverence

Seared juicy new york strips — Image Credit: Shutterstock.

"I really hate when people say they 'reverse seared' something," complains a person who likes their meat seared chronologically. "I feel like they say it just to sound smart and trendy." Guess what? Your feelings are correct — reverse searing means poaching in a sous vide water bath before searing. This process features no reversing whatsoever.

Source: Reddit.