danemodsandy
Well-known member
JeffG:
"The first thing that pops into my head when I think of musty food is Brussels sprouts."
What you're smelling with overcooked Brussels sprouts (and cabbage, and broccoli and cauliflower, for that matter) is sulfur that is released when the vegetable begins to break down and soften under too much cooking. Sulfur is what children's sensitive noses and taste buds find so objectionable in these veggies (I never did, but I told you I was weird, LOL).
I cannot say what causes the musty undertaste I abhor in sweet potatoes, but to me it's nothing like sulfur. To my nose and palate, it's more reminiscent of a dirty locker room or something, really gross.
What gets me is that many cooks, particularly here in the South, top their sweet potato creations with marshmallows. If there was ever a living illustration of the saying, "Two wrongs don't make a right," that is it.
"The first thing that pops into my head when I think of musty food is Brussels sprouts."
What you're smelling with overcooked Brussels sprouts (and cabbage, and broccoli and cauliflower, for that matter) is sulfur that is released when the vegetable begins to break down and soften under too much cooking. Sulfur is what children's sensitive noses and taste buds find so objectionable in these veggies (I never did, but I told you I was weird, LOL).
I cannot say what causes the musty undertaste I abhor in sweet potatoes, but to me it's nothing like sulfur. To my nose and palate, it's more reminiscent of a dirty locker room or something, really gross.
What gets me is that many cooks, particularly here in the South, top their sweet potato creations with marshmallows. If there was ever a living illustration of the saying, "Two wrongs don't make a right," that is it.