CrottyKid said:

---

Even the word "elevated" implies that the chef somehow made it better. I disagree most of the time. Fancier? yes. Better? no.

---

Yeah, lot of ways to interpret the term elevated. Take the KRC and GBC ValleyRat mentioned. I make those without opening cans, but, I consider my version to be scratch not elevated.

Cheeseburgers for sure.

Queso
Grilled cheese

Crispy beef tacos

Was the "elevated" frito pie the non-sense with scrambled eggs cooked trackside?

rooftop18403 said:

---

I saw a "grown up" recipe for one of my favorite meals online the other day and it looked horrible. In protest I made the basic version which I don't think should ever be "elevated". Frito chili pie. Whats on your Do Not Elevate list?

---

Was it this?

White beans and Havarti cheese?

https://www.tastemade.com/videos/high-brow-frito-pie

Tanya 93 said:

---

rooftop18403 said:

---

I saw a "grown up" recipe for one of my favorite meals online the other day and it looked horrible. In protest I made the basic version which I don't think should ever be "elevated". Frito chili pie. Whats on your Do Not Elevate list?

---

Was it this?

White beans and Havarti cheese?

https://www.tastemade.com/videos/high-brow-frito-pie

---

Oh my word. How many ways can you screw up perfection?

AggieChemist said:

---

Kraft Mac and cheese. Fight me.

---

Love me some Kraft. This is a pretty dang good (and easy) change-up though.

AggieChemist said:

---

Kraft Mac and cheese. Fight me.

---

My family has changed from Kraft Mac and cheese to Kraft shells and cheese and it's been a big hit.

Vienna sausages, crackers and Louisiana Hot Sauce.

AggieOO said:

---

TheFirebird said:

---

Barbecue brisket sandwiches (especially messing with either white sandwich bread or a plain hamburger bun)

---

I'm sorry, but a jalapeno cheddar bun is a million times better than your plain white bread.

---

I mean, it's all just taste. For me, it's mix and match onions, pickles, jalepeno slices, and maybe sauce to your taste. The nutritionally worthless white bread is there to hold it together and sop up any juice.

AggieOO said:

---

TheFirebird said:

---

Barbecue brisket sandwiches (especially messing with either white sandwich bread or a plain hamburger bun)

---

I'm sorry, but a jalapeno cheddar bun is a million times better than your plain white bread.

---

I'd be puking on the table or the floor. Cheese does that to me.

TheFirebird said:

---

I am taking elevate to mean fancy up or add/change flavors to make something sophisticated not necessarily using good ingredients or cooking from scratch.

Breakfast tacos
Barbecue brisket sandwiches (especially messing with either white sandwich bread or a plain hamburger bun)
Fried shrimp
Fried oysters
Fried chicken and biscuits
Guacamole
Pinto beans
Almost all pies and cobblers (example: a pecan pie that's heavy on the pecan to Karo ratio is better than any pecan bourbon or pecan chocolate, etc variation. Homemade crust for sure though.)
Brownies
Banana pudding
Malted milkshakes (stick with vanilla, chocolate, strawberry)

---

Does https://texags.com/forums/34/topics/1394477 count as elevating pinto beans?

Only if you think canned beans can be elevated.

The real trick to that bean recipe is the clamato. If you take dried pintos and cook them with bacon, seranos, onions, and half clamato half beef stock, you get a better end result takes like 8 hrs tho.

In general, I subscribe to more purist cooking techniques done properly as opposed to everything and the kitchen sink. (So, I agree with most of the lists here)

I will NEVER believe that canned cream of mushroom/chicken/etc soup will make a superior casserole though. I am prepared to die on that hill.

eric76 said:

---

TheFirebird said:

---

I am taking elevate to mean fancy up or add/change flavors to make something sophisticated not necessarily using good ingredients or cooking from scratch.

Breakfast tacos
Barbecue brisket sandwiches (especially messing with either white sandwich bread or a plain hamburger bun)
Fried shrimp
Fried oysters
Fried chicken and biscuits
Guacamole
Pinto beans
Almost all pies and cobblers (example: a pecan pie that's heavy on the pecan to Karo ratio is better than any pecan bourbon or pecan chocolate, etc variation. Homemade crust for sure though.)
Brownies
Banana pudding
Malted milkshakes (stick with vanilla, chocolate, strawberry)

---

Does https://texags.com/forums/34/topics/1394477 count as elevating pinto beans?

---

I love that recipe and won't argue against it but I'll tell you for something super easy and close enough I take a can of HEB Brand Hot Charro beans and add roughly a 1/3 cup fresh Pico (per can) and let it simmer 20-30 minutes while I prep/ grill the rest of the meal. When we do fajitas on a weeknight that's usually my go to side.

But if you want a big batch by all means use that recipe.

The HEB brand beans have MSG...as does the Clamato. That's the secret ingredient it seems.

rooftop18403 said:

---

I saw a "grown up" recipe for one of my favorite meals online the other day and it looked horrible. In protest I made the basic version which I don't think should ever be "elevated". Frito chili pie. Whats on your Do Not Elevate list?

---

I worked in a restaurant that had a bunch of leftover chili from a competition and the head chef wanted us to do this. I told him we should just make some masa, crumble in some fritos, make sopes and fill them with chili and top them with the standard toppings.

They made the sopes before I got there that day, and they messed them up. Pissed me off.

What I really wanted to do was freeze the chili into a silicon mold, bread them with coarse crumbled fritos, fry them, then serve them with queso, onion, pickled jalapenos


Probably my biggest thing I don't want to see a fancy version of is a cheeseburger. A fancy burger is never as good as just a cheeseburger made with good beef. I also hate a brioche bun on a burger. It does not hold up; I just want a toasted, white, squishy bun.

BSD said:

---

Icecream_Ag said:

---

Bruce Almighty said:

---

Grilled cheese

---

I fancy them up all the time (Brie, Bacon, Avacado, Green Chiles is the current favorite), but if want a grilled cheese and tomato soup it's 2 slices of kraft American cheese as intended.

---

If you add anything but cheese to a grilled cheese sandwich, it's no longer a grilled cheese. It's a sandwich.

---

What about sliced pickled jalapenos? Please allow it.