I have gotten into many arguments over this one

    • spicy pancake@lemmy.zipOP
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      11 months ago

      I lived in NYC for a few years and tried a wide range of cheesecakes both in restaurants and homemade by talented bakers. Good or bad what they all had in common was that plain was best, and flavored were always disappointing and unenjoyable.

      • frickineh@lemmy.world
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        11 months ago

        You’re always disappointing and unenjoyable!

        Sorry. Don’t know what came over me. Maybe it was thinking about how good key lime cheesecake is.

      • Lifecoach5000@lemmy.world
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        11 months ago

        I mean I feel a similar way about pizza - you need just a plain slice with no toppings to truly judge its merit.

      • SpaceNoodle@lemmy.world
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        11 months ago

        What sort of flavors are we talking? What was it about them that you didn’t enjoy?

        All of the cheesecakes I make are “flavored” in some way, but I go out of my way to use real ingredients, not just “X flavoring.”

        • spicy pancake@lemmy.zipOP
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          11 months ago

          Off the top of my head I can remember trying: chocolate, raspberry, cherry, peanut butter, coffee, salted caramel, coconut, red velvet, and yuzu. Disliked all of them because they all tasted like:
          [how good the base cheesecake is] - [how good a cake of this flavor in not cheesecake form would be]

          So basically the stronger the flavor the worse it’d be, even though I like all those flavors very much (hence having a list that long before figuring out I just don’t like flavored cheesecake)

          • SpaceNoodle@lemmy.world
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            11 months ago

            Sounds like the flavors were too strong, possibly using flavorants rather than (or in addition to) the real thing. Peanut butter cheesecake with an Oreo crust, for example, has an amazing but subtle flavor.

      • winterayars@sh.itjust.works
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        11 months ago

        Disappointing and unenjoyable? Man that can’t possibly be. Nothing like a good chocolate rum cheesecake or something.

        Plain old cheesecake is the best, though. Can’t argue there.

      • MarmaladeMermaid@lemm.ee
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        11 months ago

        Flavored is bad, but toppings can be good. Adulterating the actual body of the cheesecake is wrong. I do like some goopy cherries on top though, the tartness offsets the sweet, creaminess of the cheesecake.

      • NucleusAdumbens@lemmy.world
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        11 months ago

        I read this as “taint cherry pie,” and I hate to admit I was intrigued and kind of excited to read someone’s justification for such a controversial opinion

  • ElderWendigo@sh.itjust.works
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    11 months ago

    I feel the same way about a good donut. Also bacon is best as just bacon and never improved by wrapping it around things and under or over cooking it. And the perfect cookie is a simple, perfectly baked, chocolate chip cookie. With so many foods, simple and perfectly prepared will always beat overly complex.

    • agamemnonymous@sh.itjust.works
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      11 months ago

      Chocolate chip is a garbage-tier cookie. I get supremely disappointed when what I thought was a delicious oatmeal raisin cookie turns out to be a lame chocolate chip. Won’t eat them.

      • ElderWendigo@sh.itjust.works
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        11 months ago

        One the one hand I agree that oatmeal raisin cookies are great, but you’re just wrong about chocolate chip. Sometimes my grandma would “adulterate” oatmeal raisin cookies by adding M&M’s.

    • spicy pancake@lemmy.zipOP
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      11 months ago

      I feel you on donuts since my favorite donut is a plain fastnacht

      I used to like bacon but then my tastebuds decided to rewire in my early 20s and now it’s too salty :[

      Ooh, here’s another horrible opinion from me. The best chocolate chip cookie has no chips. Just give me that delicious baking soda taste yessss.

      If anyone knows what planet I’m from please lmk.

      • PlantDadManGuy@lemmy.world
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        11 months ago

        I respect your opinion, but you’re missing out on so much good delicious hot crispy sizzling bacon. Just by unsalted next time lol

      • Kilnier@lemmy.ca
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        11 months ago

        That might be one to mention to your doctor actually. It shouldn’t be anything too concerning but it may be indicative of a deficiency in some nutrients or mineral.

        My doctors got very concerned when I mentioned that I disliked the taste of salt. Not just salty foods or bacon but just the weird mineral and acrid taste of salt. Better now but still not a fan.

        That your body does want a different sodium pairing is interesting.

        Do you drink a lot of electrolyte drinks like Gatorade?

      • ElderWendigo@sh.itjust.works
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        11 months ago

        I almost added chocolate and coffee, but there is just so much variety in both and I love them all. Besides, chocolate+peanut butter+pretzels is kind of my exception to the less is more argument.

  • deegeese@sopuli.xyz
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    11 months ago

    That is the dilemma:

    Why would you flavor cheesecake with something that doesn’t taste as good as cheesecake?

    • spicy pancake@lemmy.zipOP
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      11 months ago

      Hm I would argue that caramel and coffee for example are flavors that are better than cheesecake. But flavoring cheesecake with them makes the result much worse than the sum of its flavor parts.

      I think vice versa too. I would not enjoy cheesecake flavored caramel nor cheesecake flavored coffee

  • Mister Neon@lemmy.world
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    11 months ago

    So does that include toppings? I can understand cheesecake with strawberries in it not being your thing, but does that include plain cheesecake with a strawberry glaze on top? Does any sort of fruit, powdered sugar/cinnamon, or cookie ruin it?

    I’m from The South so my favorite cheesecake was one that had a key lime pie on top of it, does that count?

  • agamemnonymous@sh.itjust.works
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    11 months ago

    Very light raspberry drizzle does elevate a good cheesecake. I want just the slightest sweet/tart garnish. Maybe just a whisper of a spearmint chiffonade, but that’s almost decadent. Plain cheesecake is great alone though.

  • vexikron@lemmy.zip
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    11 months ago

    I agree with you.

    I had had all kinds of cheesecake for a long time in my life, all kinds of different flavors.

    Then at one point I had /good/ cheesecake.

    And immediately realized everything up to that point was garbage. Did some research and the old stuff I had had before was not even really cheesecake, basically just a fast food level cheesecake analog.

    Real cheesecake is quite good.

  • Unlearned9545@lemmy.world
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    11 months ago

    I don’t know man I make a damn good triple chocolate cheesecake, peanut butter cheesecake, and apple pie cheesecake.