I saw this post and wanted to ask the opposite. What are some items that really aren’t worth paying the expensive version for? Preferably more extreme or unexpected examples.
I saw this post and wanted to ask the opposite. What are some items that really aren’t worth paying the expensive version for? Preferably more extreme or unexpected examples.
salt
table salt, iodized salt, himalayan… they’re all the same for me. I don’t think my taste buds are adapted to the subtle differences so cheaper ones are better.
show-off jewelry, wallet, purses
showing off jewelry is an invitation to be mugged (again, imo. ymmv) so the cheaper ones are the better options.
coffee
if only you’re fine with cheaper ways to wake yourself.
wax-based lip balm
anything beeswax is good. then again ymmv since people can be allergic
pure or as-is things like land, electricity, internet, water, oxygen cans, gas/ heating, alcohol (disinfectant)
I mean, I do make coffee myself… But good coffeebeans do come at a premium.
I totally agree and it’s within reasonable bounds.
Like all things food related, coffee needs to be somewhat fresh, which increases price.
It’s not just the freshness but the trees/breed, growing conditions, etc. But I just stick to Adderall.
Salt isn’t so much a case of different flavours but of different uses. Like how you’d use rock salt on an icy path, it’s better to use maldon salt to garnish a salad and you’d chuck fine sea salt on a soup base. If you think MSG tastes like table salt, though, it’s time to hand your tongue in at the front desk. You can also get smoked salt and that kind of carry on.
you have a good point with “use” as a differentiator.
this is similar to buying non-potable water vs potable, with pretty much the potable water being more expensive.
I think it’s within reasonable bounds because the extra cost comes from the added iodine or the minute minerals in maldon to add the extra taste.
Maldon is a sea salt, the extra cost comes from the extraction method rather than adding anything. I don’t think it tastes noticeably different, but the large crystals stop it from clumping together and gives you better distribution when sprinkling it over stuff.
this dimension isn’t real
Or cleaning vinegar vs. malt vinegar vs. balsamic vinegar.
There certainly is a difference between regular and himalayan salt, with the latter tasting more, like…uhm…cavey? In a good way. The point of iodized salt is not the taste but the actual iodine, which supports your thyroid gland and other parts of the body.
Internet service may vary greatly in quality; also, for all pure and as-us things it’s the source that may matter. I’d pay a little extra for more green options (as in solar electricity, properly treated water, etc. etc.).
Thanks for the input on the salt, I’ll try it again and see what I am missing on the cavey sensation.
You have a good point with electric sources being a differentiator. This is like with watered bottles saying their water comes from a natural spring in a mountain.
Here’s another viewpoint to that, if you will: maybe you are paying a mark up for the source (or the assurance of such source, depending on the marketing) and the pure commodity itself doesn’t have to be marked up for it.
As for internet, I think quality happens because businesses tier it to be. And, of course, with pure internet you have to pay for what amount you have used. I still don’t think you need to go full bells and whistles as it is more reasonable to just pay what you used. I understand though that some areas don’t have much choice on this.
About salt, afaik there is no difference in taste, only in texture (by grain size) and color.
And density. There’s more salt in a spoonful of table salt than a spoonful of kosher salt
I love my speckled ax coffee beans, but if you didn’t go down the rabbit hole of a good grinder and coffee machine then expensive coffee is not worth it.
NGL, I’ve never had an issue with cheap/expensive coffee at all, as long as it’s real coffee rather than instant. I use a pour-over or aeropress rather than machine (or make cold brew), but I’ve never even had a cheap bag of preground coffee that was bad enough call it worse than an expensive one, rather than a different.
Ok, but everyone’s pallet is different and some can taste the difference between a fresh roast and a sale one. Personally, I can taste the difference in coffee when I have a bag that’s opened for over a few weeks, but not sure if it matters how recent the roasting was done.
I spend $$ on coffee more to support a roasting business that is small and makes a fresh batch to order. It’s also nice that the bean sourcing is better for the workers, so I hope.
I find the aeropress makes a really great cup considering how quick it is to brew.
Sorry, yeah, this is more what I meant - as long as the coffee is relatively fresh (my house goes through about a bag a week, so it never gets time to sit and go stale) the price doesn’t seem to get you a better/worse cup of coffee.
Of course, my aunt got me an expensive bag of coffee for christmas that apparently makes really good cold brew, so it’s sat in the freezer for now waiting for better weather, so I might change my mind in a couple of months. Gonna stick with Lidl own brand beans for now though.
Nice, I use Lidl beans before, let me check if they have a light roast.
🤣 This is an awful list. Pretty much everything on it is worth the better version. Except jewelry and electricity I guess.
this is where your-mileage-may-vary(ymmv) comes in.
I am sure everybody has different preferences to things and the point still comes across. You might still splurge on to some preferences but “better version” doesn’t mean the “expensive” bells-and-whistles one.
I am happy reading each comment and knowing how people treat their salt, coffee and internet with different kinds of values.
Pretty spot on in my opinion.
I buy the cheapest coffee beans I can from supermarket, and have had coffee snobs comment how much they love the coffee I make and where I buy it from.
Salt is salt, it tastes the same.
Not sure on the land one… That one is a bit odd admittedly.
Everybody is stuck on defending salt while I’m like….land? Like real estate? Because there are definitely reasons to buy nicer properties than cheaper ones. I’m confused.
Do yourself a favor and find some blue salt. It’s absolutely better/different in flavor vs those other ones!
But as far as salt goes, you have to know when and how to use it. Finishing salts are generally added on top of food, and not mixed into recipes. You also don’t want to use table salt as a finishing salt.
But try the blue salt. Seriously.
Thank you for the suggestion! I’ll try it when I stumble on some.
I get a kilo of whole bean coffee from Costco for like $15 and it lasts me 2-3 months. I bought a pricey French press 3 years ago after using a keurig for years, and the press has paid for itself many times over with not having to buy k-cups. The improvement in taste is also night and day. I won’t even touch keurig coffee anymore.
I haven’t really done the math to price out each 20 oz cup of coffee I drink, but it can’t be more than like $0.25 per cup. If there’s a way to throw a quarter at something and wake me up more effectively than that, I’d love to hear about it.