Introduction
When it comes to food, there are some dishes that have been around for centuries and have been passed down through generations. Unfortunately, some of these dishes are not as appetizing as they once were. From dishes that are made with questionable ingredients to dishes that are just plain unappetizing, here are 10 of the worst old-fashioned dishes that should never make a comeback. From dishes that are made with questionable ingredients to dishes that are just plain unappetizing, these dishes are best left in the past. So, if you’re looking for a delicious meal, make sure to avoid these 10 worst old-fashioned dishes.
10 Worst Old-Fashioned Dishes That Should Never Make a Comeback
Old-fashioned dishes may have been popular in the past, but that doesn’t mean they should make a comeback. From gelatin salads to canned vegetables, here are 10 of the worst old-fashioned dishes that should never make a comeback.
1. Jell-O Salads
Jell-O salads were a popular dish in the 1950s and 1960s, but they should stay in the past. These salads are made with a combination of Jell-O, canned fruit, and sometimes marshmallows. They are often served as a side dish or dessert, but they are not very nutritious.
2. Canned Vegetables
Canned vegetables were a staple in many households in the past, but they should stay in the past. Canned vegetables are often high in sodium and lack the flavor and texture of fresh vegetables. If you want to enjoy vegetables, opt for fresh or frozen instead.
3. Ambrosia Salad
Ambrosia salad is a popular dish from the 1950s and 1960s. It is made with canned fruit, marshmallows, and sometimes coconut. It is often served as a side dish or dessert, but it is not very nutritious.
4. Tuna Noodle Casserole
Tuna noodle casserole was a popular dish in the 1950s and 1960s. It is made with canned tuna, canned cream of mushroom soup, and noodles. It is often served as a main dish, but it is not very nutritious.
5. Creamed Spinach
Creamed spinach was a popular dish in the 1950s and 1960s. It is made with canned spinach, cream, and sometimes cheese. It is often served as a side dish, but it is not very nutritious.
6. Green Bean Casserole
Green bean casserole was a popular dish in the 1950s and 1960s. It is made with canned green beans, cream of mushroom soup, and fried onions. It is often served as a side dish, but it is not very nutritious.
7. Ambrosia Cake
Ambrosia cake was a popular dish in the 1950s and 1960s. It is made with canned fruit, marshmallows, and sometimes coconut. It is often served as a dessert, but it is not very nutritious.
8. Baked Beans
Baked beans were a popular dish in the 1950s and 1960s. It is made with canned beans, sugar, and sometimes bacon. It is often served as a side dish, but it is not very nutritious.
9. Macaroni and Cheese
Macaroni and cheese was a popular dish in the 1950s and 1960s. It is made with canned cheese sauce and macaroni. It is often served as a main dish, but it is not very nutritious.
10. Fruit Cocktail
Fruit cocktail was a popular dish in the 1950s and 1960s. It is made with canned fruit and sometimes marshmallows. It is often served as a side dish or dessert, but it is not very nutritious.
There are so many comforting, classic old-fashioned meals we love, like beef stew, pot pie, and meatloaf, that we’ve been eating since childhood. While it’s fun and delicious to recreate and tweak those classics, there are some worst old-fashioned dishes that should absolutely never, ever grace dinner tables ever again.
Whether they’re unappetizing aspics or flavors and textures that just don’t appeal to current tastes, the recipes of the past can be pretty wild. While your grandparents may not have made these dishes for you, they’ve definitely tried some of them. Would you actually try any of these?
The recipe is simple, just wrap bananas in ham, cover with creamy homemade hollandaise sauce and bake “until golden.” But just because you can make something, doesn’t mean you should because the contrast of mushy warm bananas and the sauce isn’t something anyone should eat. Ever.
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This dish, created by the minds at Betty Crocker uses Bisquick mixed with canned tuna to make an unusual ring that is baked and served with a tuna cheese dip. Almost like a tuna melt baked into one dish, but we’d advise just sticking with a tuna melt.
You can’t list unusual retro recipes without touching on gelatin salads, and this one is a perfect example. Shredded carrots, cabbage, celery, pimientos, and green peppers are enrobed in an apple juice flavored gelatin and left to set in a decorative mold.
This 1927 recipe takes aspic (a savory jelly made with meat stock, set in a mold, and used to contain pieces of meat, seafood, or eggs) to a place no one wanted it to go. The molded layers of gelatin, lobster, and shrimp appear to be ready to pop off the plate and chase you out of the house.
This dish hits the trifecta of tropes for an unusual old recipe: Odd use of gelatin, Weight Watchers and sounds like another dish, but not good. With tomatoes, gelatin, Worcester sauce, and beef broth this is like a jellied perversion of a Bloody Mary sans vodka.
Another Weight Watchers classic, this dish sees hot dogs broiled and wrapped around a pineapple core, with pineapple, apples, carrots, and onions sauteed and served with. While we love the flavor of pineapple and ham, there’s just way too much going on here!
To be clear, we’re not unilaterally anti-aspic, which is making a comeback in fine dining circles, but this version from the 70s that layers what appears to be almost every course from Thanksgiving dinner into a gelee just doesn’t appeal. Maybe it’s the fancy mold, maybe it’s the layering of different textures, but don’t do this with your leftovers.
Is this a salad? Bundles of celery are boiled in beef bouillon, then topped with Italian salad dressing, in a dish that makes us glad we live in an era where roasting vegetables and making our own stock is how we get dinner done.
The recipe describes this cold dish of pureed tomatoes blended with French mustard, lemon, and heavy cream mixed with noodles and cubed ham as “something children enjoy.” Make this for your kids and get back to us with their reactions, please.
This recipe is filed under “light and easy living,” which sees corned beef, peppers, onions, and eggs folded into lemon-flavored gelatin, and molded. Served over mixed greens, this was apparently considered a salad. It’s just very…brown.
Tanya Edwards