On Black & Highly Flavored, co-hosts Derek Kirk and Tamara Celeste shine a light on the need-to-know movers and shakers of our food & beverage industry.
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48 Comments
Tuan N.
December 15, 2020
My "best" related comment is a little bit tangential: As I travel around local cities, I notice multiple signs promising "___'s best ice cream" or some variation with a different food or drink. I think it could make good TV or YouTube content to visit and critique them. For example, a few opinionated and knowledgeable people travel around https://greensowing.com/ San Francisco and taste all of the ice creams proclaimed as "San Francisco's best," followed by some lively discussion.
Stu F.
September 28, 2018
I had to get through an article about SEO first, but finally got to the answer. Let me introduce you to another concept- clickbait.
Hande Y.
September 26, 2018
The ending reminds me of that Snapple commercial....
"We thought we had the best stuff...."
"We found better stuff!"
"Better stuff?"
"We thought we had the best stuff...."
"We found better stuff!"
"Better stuff?"
Francesca T.
October 26, 2017
I'm going to throw a curve-ball into this. Having made and eaten banana breads from all different kinds of sources (and yes, salt is an essential), I now find myself having to give up gluten products on doctor's orders (positive diagnosis on celiac). Therefore, could anyone recommend a tasty gluten-free recipe for banana bread--and zucchini bread-- so I can return to one of my all-time favorite comfort foods? Thanks!
Mary
September 26, 2018
Pamela’s Baking and Pancake Mix. The Recipe for using it to make banana bread is on the internet under Pamela’s Banana Bread. It’s a mix of brown and white rice flour, almond meal, buttermilk, etc. I chop walnuts and raw sugar together for a topping, along with a sprinkle of sea salt. Easy to pull together.
marc510
June 21, 2017
My "best" related comment is a little bit tangential: As I travel around local cities, I notice multiple signs promising "___'s best ice cream" or some variation with a different food or drink. I think it could make good TV or YouTube content to visit and critique them. For example, a few opinionated and knowledgeable people travel around San Francisco and taste all of the ice creams proclaimed as "San Francisco's best," followed by some lively discussion.
(I get the SEO logic, but I wince at the concept of calling any food or drink "best." Everyone has different tastes and even the same person's tastes vary from day to day.)
(I get the SEO logic, but I wince at the concept of calling any food or drink "best." Everyone has different tastes and even the same person's tastes vary from day to day.)
Julie P.
December 24, 2016
Laura415 - I couldn't agree more with most of what you said! Sounds like our banana breads would be almost identical.
Laura415
December 23, 2016
Bon Appetite and Taste of home's versions look a lot like my banana bread. I never trust a banana bread recipe that looks light colored like the Food 52 best. I use a lot of frozen, super ripe bananas and milk curdled with vinegar or sour cream or yogurt so I think it caramelizes more in the oven, hence the super dark color.
The thing that I take away from this article is a frustration with recipe searches as they tend to list the same recipes from the same bloggers all the time when I often want to check out different methods or ingredients and get the same recipe on every search. This is also frustrating when you are accessing cooking methods such as how to can. Often the people with the blogs only do one kind of canning and don't know anything about how to navigate the different types of canning but because of the aggregation and the seo stuff it's hard to find other people and their knowledge of methods of cooking. End rant:))
The thing that I take away from this article is a frustration with recipe searches as they tend to list the same recipes from the same bloggers all the time when I often want to check out different methods or ingredients and get the same recipe on every search. This is also frustrating when you are accessing cooking methods such as how to can. Often the people with the blogs only do one kind of canning and don't know anything about how to navigate the different types of canning but because of the aggregation and the seo stuff it's hard to find other people and their knowledge of methods of cooking. End rant:))
oliveoilandlemon
October 30, 2016
I think everyone's Mom makes the best this or that. I would not describe any recipe with this term. Simply meant to deceive.
Clay H.
October 16, 2016
Ok, I tried the BA banana bread and I didn't really care for it. Maybe it was the marscapone, but it just didn't taste all that fantastic to me. I think it would have been better to compare CIs Best Banana Bread 2.0 (aka ultimate) as they revised their recipe a few years later with some really interesting techniques that make a big difference.
reen
October 16, 2016
When searching the internet for recipes &/or ideas, I always look for the star ratings; review the ingredients/steps and then read some of the reviews. You get a feel for the results; ease of the recipe and tips or changes that may make it better. Most recipes are similar with slight variations on ingredients; spices etc so finding the best or ultimate one may be impossible. Especially, as you've proven here, with everyone having different tastes and palates.
Julie P.
October 1, 2016
Great article! It gives me new appreciation and thought to names of recipes.
P.S. I think everyone's "best banana bread" recipe is the closest to what they grew up with!
P.S. I think everyone's "best banana bread" recipe is the closest to what they grew up with!
petalpusher
September 30, 2016
Does anyone know the 'Blueberry Banana Bread' recipe from the Kudsu Bakery in Georgetown, North Carolina? Plump blueberries, a hint of lemon zest and the most moist toothsome crumb of perfectly ripened banana goodness. That was in the autumn of 2002 and it haunts me to this day. I've tried to duplicate it without success. It is THE BEST banana bread.
EL
September 30, 2016
So is "genius" the next "best"?
petalpusher
September 30, 2016
Totally different EL. Me thinks you haven't read the whole article or you don't prepare food on a consistent basis.
EL
September 30, 2016
Not the way it's been getting used online recently. What the article here is describing is using the term "best" as a marketing term. I am commenting on that above. Just wait. . .
Karolyn S.
September 30, 2016
The 'best' banana bread is the one you and your coterie of eaters like best. I use one my mother made that features bran flakes and whatever sour milk source you have on hand. (kefir is a superior sour milk source BTW) The recipe appeared in the Chicago Tribune with the title 'Fruit and Cereal Bread' I use the Trader Joe's version of flakes now, or what's on sale.
Atlanticgull
September 30, 2016
You know what's funny? 'The Best______' has been the surefire way to deter me from clicking on a recipe for some time now. Ever since the third or fourth 'best' whatever turned out to be exactly that, whatever, I went back to the way I previously selected the recipes I wanted to try. By reading them.
Frederique M.
September 30, 2016
I make banana bread "muffins" with bananas that have become too ripe for my 6yrs old daily breakfast. With time i have modified to make them on the healthier side, with peanut butter and egg for protein, oats for fibre, less butter, less sugar. But the essential thing is, i don't have a recipe. I go by feel, texture, taste. If the bananas are OVERLY ripe, i may add less sugar AND more flour to compensate for the gooey texture. Its never static and ever changing. Banana bread is not something you make because you feel like eating it, it is something you make because, well, bananas go brown! It has become a quick pseudo healthy breakfast food for my daughter, but I would never ever call it a "best" recipe even though she praises me often about them. They just exist and do not need any competition.
Betty
September 30, 2016
I found this article unusually interesting. I have as example my favorite recipe for roasting summer veggies, by Wednesday Chef. When I first came across it, it was called "The best roasted veggies". When I went to the actual blog, it was called simply "Roasted veggies". I was at a loss to understand the change of title, but now I seem to understand the marketing part. In order to separate this from my other roasted veggies recipes, I have had to include the "The Best..." I love this recipe and can strongly recommend it to others - no sauteing required?
EL
September 30, 2016
This is all very interesting and sounds a lot like the red queen effect in biological systems. But in that case your "arms race" should cause the banana breads to get better.
Personally I've found that making banana bread with bananas that I would eat (on the green side of ripe) makes a much better banana bread (for my taste) than others, but those people who love half rotten bananas (and I have friends who do) would doubtless disagree. On the other hand, I wonder if those people who simply make banana bread with rotten bananas because they are rotten wouldn't prefer making it with bananas that they like.
Personally I've found that making banana bread with bananas that I would eat (on the green side of ripe) makes a much better banana bread (for my taste) than others, but those people who love half rotten bananas (and I have friends who do) would doubtless disagree. On the other hand, I wonder if those people who simply make banana bread with rotten bananas because they are rotten wouldn't prefer making it with bananas that they like.
Ashley M.
September 30, 2016
I've had success with The Kitchn's banana bread recipe which was a handed down recipe. But I still want to explore more. Great article, I may start with the top two here.
Diane
September 30, 2016
For me it comes down to texture in a quick bread. I think they can taste similar but often are either too dry or so dense and gummy.
Golden C.
September 30, 2016
So do this more with food, and leave out the web commentary! i'm off to try Bon Appétit's banana bread! :D
Nancy B.
September 30, 2016
I would like to add the recipe in the Silver Palate original cookbook is my go-to for Banana Bread.
Beverly S.
September 30, 2016
Conventional wisdom: what makes the best banana bread is using the brownest bananas you can find.
Clay H.
September 30, 2016
Are we going to have an 'ultimate _____' challenge now? I switched from Cook's illustrated's 'Best' recipe for banana bread to their 'ultimate' one. But seeing your results, I might have to try a new one now.
SLittlejohn
September 30, 2016
I search online for recipes a lot but I am always supremely skeptical of "best" anything. What is best for them may be terrible to me (the "awful spice" comment is a great example). I am more likely to read four or five options, and then make up my own version or take something by a company/chef/blogger whose recipes always hit home and then modify it for my taste. This article is really interesting though, it just proves to me that all the eye-rolling I do over the "best" names on things is not just me being perverse and obstinate. LOL
Pamela_in_Tokyo
September 30, 2016
This is a very interesting article on several levels. Recipe naming or hyping is a problem. And where can I find a good tasty recipe anyway?? This article will make me think twice about trusting most sites now.
Places that do a lot of testing would be my top choice and yet Cooks Illustrated did very badly. Bon Appetite used to be my go to food magazine before the Internet. I am thinking I need to give them another look. And their banana bread didn't even look the best.... but taste matters most, I am going to give it a try.
About the taste testers: it would have been nice to have some non-chef/non-food experts on the panel too. Kids too. ;-)
Places that do a lot of testing would be my top choice and yet Cooks Illustrated did very badly. Bon Appetite used to be my go to food magazine before the Internet. I am thinking I need to give them another look. And their banana bread didn't even look the best.... but taste matters most, I am going to give it a try.
About the taste testers: it would have been nice to have some non-chef/non-food experts on the panel too. Kids too. ;-)
lbgirl
September 30, 2016
Very interesting. As to Perry's comment about avoiding any recipe that doesn't include salt, that would be sad, because salt is so easily added to, or omitted from, any recipe. I automatically remove salt from any sweet recipe, because any hint of salt completely overwhelms and destroys the flavor for me (I suspect I'm more sensitive to salt than most, but rather than enhancing flavors, salt masks everything for me). And those great old-fashioned recipes from my grandparents and great-grandparents? The ones that everyone raves about and begs me to make? None of them ever contained any salt at all!
Connie W.
September 30, 2016
Agree. I never add salt to sweet recipes. Doesn't add a thing and we already get too much in our diets.
JulieQC
September 30, 2016
Good article. Although annoyed by 'the best, perfect, awesome' , skepticism does make me click.
Robby H.
September 29, 2016
My favorite banana bread, that always gets raves, is the one I grew up with from a church cookbook. Can we also please dispense with the word "Perfect" to describe every recipe?
Noreen F.
September 29, 2016
My favorite banana bread recipe is from Joanne Chang's Flour. It's gotten raves every time I've made it.
jenniebgood
September 30, 2016
Hear hear! I combine Joanne's recipe with Deb Perelman's idea of putting millet in her banana bread - they are my top two go-tos for banana bread recipes!
Kathryn
September 30, 2016
I agree. I found Joanne Chang's banana bread recipe on the Food Network sit and it's now my favorite.
Shannon M.
September 29, 2016
Thank you, Sarah!
Words lose their power when so readily bandied about. See Eddie Izzard on "awesome."
And thank you for testing six top banana bread recipes for us, complete with blind taste test!
By the by, I've been wondering if you have a favorite eggplant recipe?
Words lose their power when so readily bandied about. See Eddie Izzard on "awesome."
And thank you for testing six top banana bread recipes for us, complete with blind taste test!
By the by, I've been wondering if you have a favorite eggplant recipe?
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