Remember the time when you stared at a menu with a price that made your wallet weep? That $200 dish could even be worth more than your allocated monthly grocery budget. Well, that’s luxury food for you, as they’ve mastered the art of convincing diners that high prices meant superior taste. However, you’ll be sad to know that these 10 foods aren’t really worth your hard-earned money. Better skip them, your wallet will thank you.
10. Artisanal Salts
Imagine paying for finishing salts from specific regions. While their flavor variations and harvesting justify their prices, it isn’t something that’s worth splurging on. Most of us wouldn’t even distinguish the difference between artisanal salts. It’s better to save your money or spend it on something consumable that isn’t salt.
9. Aged Steaks of 28+ Days
Proper dry-aging of beef can definitely improve flavor. However, extreme ones going 60 or even 120 days have a funky, cheese-like scent that isn’t really that appealing. The aging process also reduced the meat’s weight, so you’ll be paying for water loss. The unpleasant flavor is an acquired taste to appreciate.
8. Sea Urchin
Sea Urchin is perishable, so it loses their sweetness after harvest. This is why it develops a bitter and metallic flavor that is different from the actual fresh flavor. Its high price often translates to its rarity, and paying for something that you might find inedible is a much better dinner.
7. Gold Leaf in Food
Edible gold adds absolutely nothing to the taste of food, which is why it’s ridiculous to spend much. It just gives off a psychology of consuming something that only the rich would eat. Honestly, even the richest people would prefer a cheeseburger like any of us. Also, restaurants charge around $50-200 for food with flavorless decoration. If you think about it, you’re paying for something you can’t taste.
6. Kobe Beef Outside of Kobe, Japan
Real Kobe beef belongs to the Tajima strain of cattle that’s raised in Japan’s Hyogo Prefecture. Still, many restaurants serve cheaper alternatives while charging prices for real Kobe beef. The truth is, many establishments label their beef incorrectly, as they charge $400 for just a small portion. Sadly, cooking methods also destroy what makes the Japan-born beef special, as many chefs don’t understand how to cook it well.
5. White Truffle Dish
Did you know that white truffles cost as much as $3,000+ per pound? With that, they’re incredibly fragile and easily lose their potency when harvested. Yup, it’s safe to say that most restaurants mishandle them as they lose much of their aroma as soon as they land on your plate. Also, their garlicky and earthy taste overwhelms the dish where they’re paired. Paying for a dish isn’t worth it anymore.
4. Expensive Caviar
Caviar can produce an amazing flavor, but paying for premium ones like Beluga and Kaluga that taste the same is just too much. Many expensive caviars are priced based on their rarity rather than their flavor. Even professional chefs admit that they can’t distinguish premium ones from regular ones. Also, the caviar market has its fair share of fraud and mislabeling. It’s better to think twice when you want to splurge on premium caviar.
3. Imported Water
Yup, there are premium bottled waters that come from exotic locations like glaciers or volcanic springs. With that, they cost much more than your regular convenience store bottled water. But if you think about it, water is water, and those premium ones are nothing but a marketing gimmick to cost you more money. Just get a bottle of water, end of discussion.
2. Truffle Oil in Restaurants
News flash: that aromatic oil drizzled over your $40 pasta isn’t made from real truffles. Sadly, they’re usually synthetic truffle flavorings that are mixed with olive oil. Can you be able to tell the difference? Real truffle oil would cost you hundreds of dollars per bottle, and it also spoils within days. You’re paying for premium food for a flavored oil.
1. Wagyu Beef Outside of Japan
Only A5 Wagyu in Japan is considered authentic Wagyu beef. Yup, you’re paying a heavy price for fake Wagyu beef. Most Wagyu that you can find in restaurants comes from crossbred cattle that share a small amount of DNA with the real Japanese Wagyu. Yet somehow, you’re still charging the same as the authentic one.