Horseradish – the Condiment
Posted by terrepruitt on January 13, 2011
Prime Rib. That is what I think of when I think of horseradish. When I think of Prime Rib I think first of my hubby because he loves the stuff then I think of horseradish because that is what he eats with it. He likes it really strong. He doesn’t care for the kind that taste more like sour cream (or whatever is used). Well, we are attending a pot luck type of Prime Rib dinner and no one mentioned having horseradish so I asked. I should know better, right? I was assigned to bring horseradish. I wanted to go to a specialty store and see if I could find some fancy kind. But that just didn’t fit in with the present situation. So I just went to the grocery store to buy . . . ? What? I didn’t even know how it is packaged. All this time I am thinking of “prepared horseradish”. Anyway, I ended up with three choices of horseradish. One regular, I guess, and two different brands of extra hot.
So I decided to see what is in these bottles of prepared horseradish. What do you think I found? Why was I surprised? Well, I was surprised because it was the two bottles of extra hot that contained High Fructose Corn Syrup. Yeah, HFCS — what they are now changing the name of – Corn Sugar. (Eyes rolling.) I know that my hubby likes extra spicy and I know that he would be really disappointed if we didn’t have horseradish for prime rib, so I actually bought one of the bottles that had HFCS in it. I bought the one that looked less fancy, but the HFCS was much lower on the list of ingredients. And if what they say is true — the ingredients are listed in the order of amount in the product — then the one I bought has less than the other one. But still, yes, I am hanging my head in shame. Especially since, now that I have had some time to think about it, I could have just bought the root, right?
Our hostess said something about mixing it with something, but I was thinking that is not what you need to do because it is already mixed, but she was probably thinking I would just buy the root?
Well, you know what this means don’t you? It means that even though I don’t eat horseradish I am feeling the need for educating myself on it. So . . . .there will be another post about horseradish the root.
Also it means if you are really interested in removing or cutting down on certain ingredients then you need to remember to read the labels. I look at everything now. Even products that I have been buying for years, because some of these ingredients haven’t been around as long as I have been buying the products. The ingredients I am trying to avoid (HFCS, Canola Oil, transfat/partially hydrogenated oil) might have been “snuck” in on me. So . . . check your labels. Why hot prepared horseradish requires HFCS, I don’t know.
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niachick said
We buy straight horseradish from the organic market and then mix it with bleu cheese. Yummy with steaks. Ummmmm Ummmmmm Ummmmm!!!
Thanks for the passing the word on how focused consumers need to be!!
Love,
Jill
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terrepruitt said
OH MY! You lika strong stuffs! Horseradish and blue cheese! Whew! That sounds like a very strong combination!
Turns out — I think — they were all ok with the container of prepared horseradish and she did end up mixing it with something else. Everyone at the mixture except my hubby — he at the staight out of the bottle prepared hot stuff.
I am always amazed when I see HFCS in stuff that I would think wouldn’t have ANY sweetener at all. And then I get amazed that I’m amazed. I know better.
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Bill Goldmacker said
I grew up with red horseradish. Beet juice was added for color. Fresh grated horseradish will darken as it sits. The red color would hide this. And, perhaps the beet juice sweetened the horseradish a bit or made it a little milder. And we used it with fish! I never did care for the horseradish-cream mixture most people like with prime ribs. Good prime rib needs nothing. Too bad it is something that should be eaten only in moderation.
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terrepruitt said
Hello Bill –
Yes, horseradish does darken after being crushed or grated so the vinegar stops that process. Different cultures use horseradish for different dishes.
Actually it could be a good thing for the wallet that Prime Rib is a food to be consumed in moderation because it is pricey.
Thanks for stopping by and adding your experience and knowledge!
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Purple Potatoes « Terre Pruitt's Blog said
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suzicate said
Hubby loves horseradish…me, not so much!
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terrepruitt said
I don’t think I like it at all. I think of it as a meat condiment and I am not a meat condiment person.
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