Are Casseroles a Crime Against Humanity?

Hey Everyone,

I can't take any credit for the title, as it was a Reddit headline that came up while searching for "Worst Rated Casseroles." But this thread is actually inspired by a CC member who was a gourmet cook, and once declared that "casseroles made with canned soups should be outlawed."

I got a kick out of this because I was partially raised on such "abominations", with my favorite being Tater Tot Casserole.



(But please, NO peas. I prefer mine with corn.)

I don't know about other areas of the USA or in other countries, but where I was was raised, the Lutheran church (in which I spent my early life) was famous for entire church recipe books filled to the rims of their baking dishes with pages of such concoctions.

If I wasn't eating a soup-based casserole at home, I was probably eating soup-based casseroles at the latest church gathering.

I understand why serious cooks despise them, but for me, they'll always have an association with "home" and "comfort food." It's even better when they're fixed with love by a busy down-home Mom or Grandma who is just trying to get her family fed.

Now granted, even I have my limitations. I came across an article about various casserole contrivances (particularly from the 1950's and 1960's) and It. Was. Scary. (One word -- GELATIN. Shudder!!!) I also read about exotic versions that include my arch nemesis (peas) because at the time, they were considered expensive delicacies that one would serve to impress their finest guests.

I don't care how fine of a guest a host might think I am, I would have to refuse (and bring my own bagged lunch,) if something like this were to be placed on the table (and for whoever is familiar with this and likes it, I apologize.)




I can't think of a more horrifying combination of foods I don't like (raw tomatoes, peas, hard egg yolks) mixed with foods that might be ok in other settings (shrimp.) And what the heck is holding that entire thing together -- I don't even want to know (gelatin laced with a seafood broth??!!) I wouldn't want to offend my host -- but I wouldn't want to have to run for the bathroom, either. What would YOU do if you sat down to this?

And so, what does our Cuisinally Courageous Community here on CC think about casseroles?

* Are casseroles really a crime of humanity? Why or why not?

* What are some casseroles you love -- and some that you loathe?

* Were you raised on casseroles but have grown up -- leaving them behind? Do you/will you feed them to your own family?


I'm going to write a fun poll (multiple choice with visible answer.) I realize the answers are biased because they're based on my own dislikes .

However, I'm hoping this will give people a good reason to come back to the thread and further discuss such a Controversial Casserole Conundrum!

As usual the title caught my eye and I said "must be a seoulsearch thread"
and "talking bout feeding people? right up my alley (cuz it's one of my fave subjects)
but alas, I must leave for an appointment, so can only stay long enough to post something short, in hopes that the notification thingy actually reminds me to come back...

Busy moms/dads and anyone with a full schedule like you are exactly the people I'm thinking about when I write these types of threads -- something funny, fluffy, but yet full of heart because I've seen how much work gets put into feeding a family.

I like trying to give people a small break or funny tidbit to help get them through the day, and the best threads are the ones with relatable participants.

I would actually welcome a few imposters -- think of how much fun it would be if people saw titles and had to guess if it was me or 3 other people who wrote the thread!

We've actually had that happen a few times over the years. I should have bookmarked it when it happened.

There was one time when even Lynx said he mistook another thread for something I wrote, simply because the title was long and Almost Every Word Was Capitalized -- something I was taught in grade school and have never stopped doing.

In fact, over time, It's Probably Gotten Worse!

Some of y'all may be too young to remember, but back in the day going out to eat was not nearly as feasible. Mothers had to cook meals whether they wanted to or not. For those who were not really into cooking, casseroles were handy. You could throw in anything you want, mix it up, bake it and call it a casserole.

In other words...

Give us a break. Casseroles were all some of us had to rely on.

Now, I'm all for a good casserole -- I'd fix them for myself (especially the ones with delectable potato chip or butter cracker toppings!!) if I could keep myself from scarfing down half the pan at a time.

But that right there -- is pure visual assault.

And now my eyes (and stomach) don't know how to ever recover.

I'm sure chocolate and an owl will factor heavily in your recovery.

I don't know, that casserole picture was A LOT of trauma to deal with at once. You might need to send extra owls and extra chocolate as reinforcments.


On a side note... as eye-bleeding as that picture was, what did you put in for your search? I did a couple of searches and admittedly didn't find anything close to be as magnificently terrifying as that image you found.

Cookbooks lawless wasteland.

Indeed; I typed up "cookbooks lawless wasteland" and clicked "images and that was the first to show up.

What on earth inspired you to mix the words "lawless wasteland" with "cookbooks"??!

I'm genuinely curious.

I mean, even when looking for pictures of bad food, "lawless wasteland" is something I associate with Mad Max and apocalyptic movies -- not food!

I have seen that picture before, with that caption. I looked it up by using those words.

I understand times were tough and people needed to pinch pennies, but c'mon, you gotta give me something a little less revolting than this:




Were bananas really cheaper and more plentiful than eggs back then?

The cookbooks and sites that really crack me up are the ones with really questionable looking food but claim, "Every Recipe Tested."

Tested?!! By who or by what???

John Rambo when he's hiding in the wilderness??

Inmates on death row??

Herds of pigs on a farm??

No one in their right mind would be volunteering to try those recipes!

I checked all of the boxes. Not a big fan of casseroles I guess.

Not a huge fan of chocolate owl casseroles either.

I have to admit, I would be curious about a chocolate casserole. Like, how many kinds of chocolate would it have? What would be used as a binder -- sweetened condensed milk? Is a chocolate casserole really just a pan of fudge?

But a chocolate owl casserole -- now that's just a crime against nature.

#OwlsAreNotPoultry

okay, does this count as a casserole? (and is the next big debate going to be "what counts as a true casserole"?)

Now there's a casserole I wouldn't mind taking a gander at.

Though I guess there are supposed requirements.

According to Cambridge Dictionary, a casserole is: "A dish made by cooking meat, vegetables, or other foods inside a heavy container at low heat."

But another source says there are sweet casseroles and no set rules, so... Yeah. I'd say if that was baked in an oven, it goes under the casserole umbrella.

My dad always used to say, "never eat anything that you can't identify."

No. Just no. Ham, banana and hollandaise should never go together. Worse than pineapple pizza.

Reminds me of that lost in space remake. I read the book, not watched the movie. When the pilot rummages for a snack bar to give the alien, he says, "and the flavor of the day is... Banana beef. Who comes up with these flavor combos?"

And just what is so wrong about pineapple on pizza mister? Hmmm?