Foie Gras And Other Gourmet Foods That Are Kind Of Overrated

Gastronomy abounds with luxurious and prestigious foods that will often be labeled as gourmet — a description that defines food as better, finer, more exclusive, and naturally, a bit more expensive than your standard supermarket fare. We should slowly savor these items, allowing them to permanently affect our senses and memory. Gourmet foods should always be of the highest standard, and though you might not personally appreciate them, the quality should not be disputed.

This round-up takes a closer look at some of the most popular gourmet ingredients that might not be worth all the money or, at the very least, need some price adjusting. Some of these are well-known favorites with a rich history deeply ingrained in culinary traditions that clearly have no intention of disappearing soon, but others are a result of slightly newer food trends and are often portrayed as better and nutritiously superior. To deem something overrated is, of course, a personal judgment and can't be precisely assessed for everyone, but this list might be a good guide when deciding on your next food splurge.

Saffron is a flower whose stigmas — the delicate thin threads that are part of the female flowers — are used to produce the most expensive spice in the world. The high price — which regularly goes over $1000 per pound, while premium prices go well beyond that — is dictated by poor yields and demanding harvesting techniques. Saffron is difficult to cultivate as it calls for specific climate and soil conditions to grow successfully. The flowers bloom only once a year, and each flower holds only approximately three saffron threads. Adding to that, only manual harvest is possible as there is no automated way to extract the stigma from the rest of the flower.

Saffron is one of the ancient spices. It is used in some classic Iranian and Mediterranean dishes and is often paired with rice — the most famous examples being Spanish paella and Italian risotto alla Milanese. Saffron will deliver plenty of color to the dish, but when it comes to flavor, it sometimes doesn't have the ability to pierce through the other ingredients. Like the delicate threads, saffron's flavor is nuanced and subtle, and it is often overpowered, especially if used with other, more potent ingredients.

Though saffron is still a highly-sought spice, we can't shake off the feeling that it has more to do with its limited availability and the time-consuming and demanding cultivation and processing rather than the qualities saffron can add to dishes.

Lobster is praised and loved for a reason. To savor the perfectly cooked, juicy meat nestled behind the hard lobster shell is certainly one of life's greatest pleasures, but does the quality justify the high price? Lobster is usually quite expensive because it is hard to harvest, and most stock is caught wild, which automatically commands higher prices. Add the processing and transportation, which needs to be fast and efficient as we're talking about a perishable seafood ingredient, and you will usually end with a hefty sum that is then translated into the final cost of the lobster. These parameters affect the price but also speak about lobster's problematic sustainability. Lobster has an image of a luxurious, gourmet product, which will also impact the market cost, sometimes regardless of the quality of the ingredient.

Considering all these factors, lobster is an overrated choice at restaurants, and you might want to choose a more sustainable option that won't break the bank. As a much better and more affordable alternative, opt for crab meat, which is usually equally delicious and juicy but less pricey than expensive lobster meat.

Gourmet salt is a relatively loose and undefined term that typically includes salt varieties different from regular table salt or pure sea salt. Next to sodium chloride, they usually have other additions that may provide extra flavor and change the texture. Some of these add-ons are completely natural minerals that are not removed in the later processing, but gourmet salts also include a wide variety of infused and artificially flavored examples. Pink Himalayan salt is probably one of the most popular varieties that attains its qualities naturally, but there is a wide variety of infused or blended salts with added herbs, citrus zest, or spices. Though gourmet salts may be an excellent way to add flavor to your dish, their price and sometimes fabricated "healthy" image are slightly controversial.

Essentially, all salt, including gourmet salts, mainly consists of sodium chloride. This means that you might get some tiny amount of extra minerals from some natural salts, but next to saltiness, you will not experience any extra health benefits from the trace minerals. With the varieties that have added ingredients, you're being overcharged for something you can easily make at home or add separately to the dish. Having good quality sea salt or some nice finishing salt is recommended but do not fall for colorful labels, health promises, and brand names that are usually way overpriced.

Gold is one of the priciest and most prestigious materials in the world. Turning this dazzling commodity into jewelry makes perfect sense, but we're not so sure about the whole golden-dusted food idea. In its purest form, gold is an edible material, but as you may guess, because of its price, you will not often find it on the menu. The delicate golden flakes are sometimes used as a garnish in fine-dining restaurants, but you can also find tiny specks of gold inside some liquors. Though the shiny particles make a nice visual addition, the sad truth is that they don't do anything in the flavor department.

Essentially, apart from the visual appeal, wrapping your food in gold or dusting it with golden flakes will not have any effect on your dish apart from significantly raising the price. It may look pretty, but it will not add a textural component or boost flavor, so basically, you're paying for nothing. Leave these dated, pretentious traditions behind and forget about this overrated ingredient. We'd rather see our food dressed in flavor-packed golden-colored glazes than dusted with overpriced, tasteless gold leaf.

Smoking is a cooking method in which food is exposed to smoke. During the process, the food attains distinctive smoky notes in the aroma and flavor. Traditionally, this will be done by burning wood, but as the process calls for sometimes unavailable equipment and space, liquid smoke is a possible replacement.

Liquid smoke is made with a process in which smoke is subjected to condensation, during which it turns into liquid that retains those distinctive smoky flavors. After all the grittiness is removed, what is left is a brownish liquid with a very concentrated smoky flavor and aroma. The final profile will depend on the type of wood used in the process and if the liquid smoke has been adjusted with additional ingredients, but it is typically very potent, so you want to use it in the tiniest amounts.

Though liquid smoke sounds like a great option to add smokiness with just a touch of liquid, in reality, you will never get the same results or achieve the full depth of flavor that you would with traditional smoking. It can slightly alter and boost flavor, but other than that, it will deliver subpar results and become a redundant addition to your kitchen. Though liquid smoke is relatively inexpensive, its use is pointless and overrated. To add a refined smoky note, opt for smoked paprika that will deliver heat, complexity, and smokiness and will never have any synthetic qualities.

Champagne might be the oddball on the list as it's a beverage. It also may be one of the most famous additions to this list. Champagne is the ultimate expression of luxury. This legendary sparkling wine can only be produced in the Champagne region of France, and some varieties can rank among the most expensive wines in the world. Of course, the examples from the region can vary, but we usually talk about superior wine production techniques and high value. Despite its unquestionable quality, Champagne found its place on the list because you can find superb Champagne alternatives at a great price.

Champagne is a sparkling wine produced with méthode champenoise, a technique in which a second fermentation takes place in the bottle. This means that the wine spends some time on the lees and is able to attain complexity, fine perlage, and refined characteristics that set it apart from other sparkling wines. Though it was created there, Champagne is not the only region that utilizes the traditional champenoise method. Similar wines are produced in other French regions where they are labeled as crémants. The best crémants will display the same or similar qualities as Champagne but are usually more affordable. Outside of France, you can look for similar characteristics in Italian Franciacorta, which is also a reasonably priced option.