Are you convinced that you don't like something? A certain food or drink? Then try the best of it. It could be that you've just had a lousy or mediocre version. Sometimes the preparations of things that are sold in the day to day supermarkets barely resemble the "real" product.

Here are some perfect examples. Take something that is strawberry "flavored" - it smells good (sometimes) but has little or no comparison to a real strawberry.

Coffee - until I was about 20 I didn't like coffee at all. I am now a coffee addict. I only drink one cup in the morning but it has to be really good. Most of the coffee in the cans in the supermarket tastes like dirty water. It also needs to be brewed properly but that's another tip!

Parmesan Cheese - the stuff in the can, no matter what it says on the front, has no relation to real, freshly grated Parmesano Reggiano. It's dry, powdery and pretty much will ruin what ever you put it on top of. If it's a matter of convenience, get a chunk of decent parmesan, grate it all at once and put it in a Ziplock bag. Takes about 10 minutes.

Peas - I absolutely can't stand peas. They are usually mushy and just downright awful and yet a fresh pea, right out of the shell, barely blanched and sprinkled on top of a cream pasta is sweet, mildly crunchy and just delightful.

Be good to yourself and to your family. When it comes to food, the good stuff just isn't that much more expensive or hard to prepare. Instead of automatically buying a box of frozen vegetables, stroll on over to the produce aisle and find something there. Don't get me wrong, there are times when a box of frozen vegetables is just fine but try the fresh too. If you're not sure how to cook the fresh stuff, email me.

If something says artificially flavored or imitation, look for something else. Right next to the artificially flavored vanillin on the grocery shelf is the bottle of real, pure vanilla extract. Yes, it's a little more expensive but that's because it is that much better. And seriously, how much vanilla does the average cook use? Not enough in a year to make it prohibitively expensive. If you use a lot like I do, go to Costco. You can get 32 ounces of it for what you'd pay for 4 ounces in the supermarket.

Do your kids like popsicles? Are you buying the ones in the box at the store that are simply colored sugar water? In every supermarket at this time of the year, you can buy, for $1.99 at most, the popsicle forms. Takes maybe 3 minutes to fill them up with 100% juice and pop them in the freezer. Not only are they better for you but they are a fraction of the price. Think your kid will throw a fit and only want the sugary kind? Don't give them the option, make the juice ones and tell them it's those or nothing - betcha they'll love the juice ones in a couple of days. Okay, okay, I'm not here to give parenting tips...

Believe me, there are plenty of things I still don't like regardless of how good it is...beer, yogurt, blue cheese, olives, capers...but I have found that by trying a better version of something, I may like it after all.

--- © Chef Raven

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