The DECLINE of the biscuit.

[Helix]

joking aside, i've heard others bitching about biscuits recently, so the OP might have a point. around here, biscuits and gravy are big, and people are very particular about the biscuit part of that combo. if it changes at all, people notice. i can't tell the difference, but at least a couple people in my close family have mentioned that a local restaurant's biscuits aren't as good as they used to be. i'd like to learn to make my own, and probably will at some point.

 

[Helix]

i wan't joking about liking McVitie's digestives, though. they are awesome, and should become a thing in America. my wife and i just split our last packet of Highland Shorties biscuits from the hotel in London. it survived the plane ride, and i've been saving it back.

 

[Tanngrisnir]

"The crux of the biscuit is the apostrophe" Frank Zappa

"He told me later the stuff in the bottom
Was like punching an eclair"

 

[PoS]

If you talk to a Brit about biscuits, he'll think you're referring to a type of cookie.

 

[radcen]

If you talk to a Brit about biscuits, he'll think you're referring to a type of cookie.

Brits need to get with the program. :2razz:

 

[jamesrage]

It's hard to find a good biscuit in restaurants these days. I know I am usually disappointed.
You can always make your own but kinda defeats the purpose of grabbing a quick bite to eat. The ingredients in mine are unbleached flour, cold butter, buttermilk, baking powder and baking soda.
The less you work the dough the better. Make a batch and freeze them.

I use these for quick biscuits. I put them in them on a cookie sheet, slap them in the oven and taste almost like homemade.

They taste way more like homemade than the stuff you buy in the can.

 

[radcen]

I use these for quick biscuits. I put them in them on a cookie sheet, slap them in the oven and taste almost like homemade.

They taste way more like homemade than the stuff you buy in the can.

What would be the difference? Ones's in a can, one's in a bag. Do they look different? Are the ingredients drastically different?

I don't recall ever seeing the bag ones.

 

[Hawkeye10]

What would be the difference? Ones's in a can, one's in a bag. Do they look different? Are the ingredients drastically different?

I don't recall ever seeing the bag ones.

The frozen in a bag biscuits (uncooked) are very good, they are evidence against the alleged decline of the biscuit in fact.

 

[Hawkeye10]

I'm sensing a misplaced nostalgia. To hear people tell it... everywhere, not just this thread... literally everything has gone down hill. I think evolving personal tastes have as much to do with it as recipe changes.

Are you arguing that going from a good biscuit with real butter and real honey to a coffee cake sort of thing that is sweet with no butter/honey nor even any butter/honey substitute is not a decline?

I think we have gotten to the point where it needs a new name at least, this is insulting to biscuits.

 

[radcen]

Are you arguing that going from a good biscuit with real butter and real honey to a coffee cake sort of thing that is sweet with no butter/honey nor even any butter/honey substitute is not a decline?

I think we have gotten to the point where it needs a new name at least, this is insulting to biscuits.

No. I'm saying that if you liked X-Brand biscuit in 1979, and you think the same tastes not as good today, that it might be you and not the biscuit. Your tastes may have changed. You may have a faulty memory. Could be any number of reasons.

Key word there was "might". It also might be that the recipe has indeed changed. Just saying that's not an automatic.

 

[ecofarm]

Aint's got a woman in the kitchen. So that right there is what ya git. The good Lord told ya how ta git a biscuit. Did he say go to Churches? Well, sure He did but not for biscuits.

 

[JANFU]

I'm sensing a misplaced nostalgia. To hear people tell it... everywhere, not just this thread... literally everything has gone down hill. I think evolving personal tastes have as much to do with it as recipe changes.

Add in lifestyle- more money- busier lives- so those specials, chicken to pizza, whatever, the quality of the ingredients drops to offer lower prices.

 

[Hawkeye10]

No. I'm saying that if you liked X-Brand biscuit in 1979, and you think the same tastes not as good today, that it might be you and not the biscuit. Your tastes may have changed. You may have a faulty memory. Could be any number of reasons.

Key word there was "might". It also might be that the recipe has indeed changed. Just saying that's not an automatic.

No, I am better than that. Besides, the lack of butter and honey is well beyond your claim of faulty memory or changed desires.

Now it could be that they screwed up my order and did not give me my fake butter and fake honey.

Who has been to Churches Fried Chicken lately?

 

[Hawkeye10]

Apparently these "biscuits" came out mid 90's, and were reformulated in 2013:

Church's sweetens deal with honey-butter - Houston Chronicle

Church’s Chicken® Customer Favorite Honey-Butter Biscuits on the Menu with a New Look and Taste | Business Wire

 

[vesper]

I use these for quick biscuits. I put them in them on a cookie sheet, slap them in the oven and taste almost like homemade.
View attachment 67223913
They taste way more like homemade than the stuff you buy in the can.
View attachment 67223914

Hawkeye mentioned the frozen ones earlier. I have used them on occasion and yes they are much better than those canned things. But if you read the ingredients on the package you will find bleached flour, a flour that has gone through so many processes it is basically empty of nutrients but still packs the calories. And they use shortening a process of turning vegetable oil into a solid. But often some shortenings contain cottonseed oil which isn't a good thing. Cottonseed oil is good for oil lamps but not cooking and it is cheaper than pure vegetable oil. That may be why so many biscuits in restaurants taste so yucky these days. They purchase them from a vendor for a cheaper price because they are not using quality ingredients. Places like Church's, Popeye's, KFC offer those $5.00 meals. Well in order to make a profit you can bet the best ingredients are not being used.

I use unbleached flour in everything I bake or make. And when it comes to the fat needed to make biscuits I use ice cold butter. I start with a chilled bowl and butter I have sliced and put into the freezer for a few minutes. While the butter chills, I sift together the flour, baking powder, and baking soda in a chilled bowl. I use old-fashioned buttermilk as my wetting agent and when mixed with the baking power/baking soda creates a great rise in the biscuits.

Now there is a big difference between cultured buttermilk and old-fashioned. Old- fashioned is slightly sour, and is the residual liquid which remains after butter is churned. It has bits of butter in it. Cultural is a man-made process that involves adding bacterias etc.

So some of you old farts like me that long for a good biscuit, start with good ingredients, ingredients that have not been overprocessed or man-made.

 

[ecofarm]

Hawkeye mentioned the frozen ones earlier. I have used them on occasion and yes they are much better than those canned things. But if you read the ingredients on the package you will find bleached flour, a flour that has gone through so many processes it is basically empty of nutrients but still packs the calories. And they use shortening a process of turning vegetable oil into a solid. But often some shortenings contain cottonseed oil which isn't a good thing. Cottonseed oil is good for oil lamps but not cooking and it is cheaper than pure vegetable oil. That may be why so many biscuits in restaurants taste so yucky these days. They purchase them from a vendor for a cheaper price because they are not using quality ingredients. Places like Church's, Popeye's, KFC offer those $5.00 meals. Well in order to make a profit you can bet the best ingredients are not being used.

I use unbleached flour in everything I bake or make. And when it comes to the fat needed to make biscuits I use ice cold butter. I start with a chilled bowl and butter I have sliced and put into the freezer for a few minutes. While the butter chills, I sift together the flour, baking powder, and baking soda in a chilled bowl. I use old-fashioned buttermilk as my wetting agent and when mixed with the baking power/baking soda creates a great rise in the biscuits.

Now there is a big difference between cultured buttermilk and old-fashioned. Old- fashioned is slightly sour, and is the residual liquid which remains after butter is churned. It has bits of butter in it. Cultural is a man-made process that involves adding bacterias etc.

So some of you old farts like me that long for a good biscuit, start with good ingredients, ingredients that have not been overprocessed or man-made.

See?

Chruchs, you gotta be jokin'.

 

[jamesrage]

What would be the difference? Ones's in a can, one's in a bag. Do they look different? Are the ingredients drastically different?

The bagged ones almost have the same look, taste and texture of homemade biscuits. Looking at the website the ingredients look about the same.

I don't recall ever seeing the bag ones.

You can usually find them in the frozen bread section in the grocery store.

 

[radcen]

Hawkeye mentioned the frozen ones earlier. I have used them on occasion and yes they are much better than those canned things. But if you read the ingredients on the package you will find bleached flour, a flour that has gone through so many processes it is basically empty of nutrients but still packs the calories. And they use shortening a process of turning vegetable oil into a solid. But often some shortenings contain cottonseed oil which isn't a good thing. Cottonseed oil is good for oil lamps but not cooking and it is cheaper than pure vegetable oil. That may be why so many biscuits in restaurants taste so yucky these days. They purchase them from a vendor for a cheaper price because they are not using quality ingredients. Places like Church's, Popeye's, KFC offer those $5.00 meals. Well in order to make a profit you can bet the best ingredients are not being used.

I use unbleached flour in everything I bake or make. And when it comes to the fat needed to make biscuits I use ice cold butter. I start with a chilled bowl and butter I have sliced and put into the freezer for a few minutes. While the butter chills, I sift together the flour, baking powder, and baking soda in a chilled bowl. I use old-fashioned buttermilk as my wetting agent and when mixed with the baking power/baking soda creates a great rise in the biscuits.

Now there is a big difference between cultured buttermilk and old-fashioned. Old- fashioned is slightly sour, and is the residual liquid which remains after butter is churned. It has bits of butter in it. Cultural is a man-made process that involves adding bacterias etc.

So some of you old farts like me that long for a good biscuit, start with good ingredients, ingredients that have not been overprocessed or man-made.

Right. Goes for pretty much anything. I have been on a gradual back-to-basics kick the last few years. I don't go to the measures you do, but I do do things like make my own pasta sauce, make my own taco seasoning, we haven't had margarine in the house for over a year, only real butter, that kind of thing.

The pasta sauce I didn't want the added sugar. The taco seasoning I didn't want all the chemicals. The butter is fine, doesn't have all the crap, and do it in moderation.

 

[vesper]

Right. Goes for pretty much anything. I have been on a gradual back-to-basics kick the last few years. I don't go to the measures you do, but I do do things like make my own pasta sauce, make my own taco seasoning, we haven't had margarine in the house for over a year, only real butter, that kind of thing.

The pasta sauce I didn't want the added sugar. The taco seasoning I didn't want all the chemicals. The butter is fine, doesn't have all the crap, and do it in moderation.

I love to cook and eat healthy because it makes me feel good. But I also like to eat out. But hubby sits across from me and often complains about the food. I think that is because I have spoiled him.

When hubby and I got married 45 years ago I couldn't make Jello. Well that may be an exaggeration as my mom and grandma taught me a few things but man I sucked as a cook. Hubby lost weight he didn't need to. One time I caught the kitchen on fire frying chops. But I made it a point to learn as we were too poor to eat out every night. And then came the kids. When I was responsible for what went into their mouths I started paying attention to food and nutrients, process etc. Today I am a pretty darn good cook so they tell me. But there were a lot of trial and errors to get to that point. Once you mastered one thing you go on to the next. And yes, it requires good ingredients starting with the basics.

 

[PirateMk1]

It's hard to find a good biscuit in restaurants these days. I know I am usually disappointed.
You can always make your own but kinda defeats the purpose of grabbing a quick bite to eat. The ingredients in mine are unbleached flour, cold butter, buttermilk, baking powder and baking soda.
The less you work the dough the better. Make a batch and freeze them.

If you have a good powerful food processor it will literally cut the butter or lard right into the flour just a couple of pulses and your dough is done and the ingredients haven't had time to warm up. We use a mix of lard and butter in our families biscuits.

 

[PirateMk1]

I love to cook and eat healthy because it makes me feel good. But I also like to eat out. But hubby sits across from me and often complains about the food. I think that is because I have spoiled him.

When hubby and I got married 45 years ago I couldn't make Jello. Well that may be an exaggeration as my mom and grandma taught me a few things but man I sucked as a cook. Hubby lost weight he didn't need to. One time I caught the kitchen on fire frying chops. But I made it a point to learn as we were too poor to eat out every night. And then came the kids. When I was responsible for what went into their mouths I started paying attention to food and nutrients, process etc. Today I am a pretty darn good cook so they tell me. But there were a lot of trial and errors to get to that point. Once you mastered one thing you go on to the next. And yes, it requires good ingredients starting with the basics.

I learned cooking from the parents, my mom sort of learned on her own and from pop, who when he was a kid worked in a diner as a short order cook so he knows all the tricks of the trade. Pop made did with what ever he had in the kitchen, mom likes her gadgets. I have been trying to get all the families recipe's and variations together into a family cookbook. One time we had garden that was pumping out so many zucchini, we couldn't eat them all or give them away. Needless to say we were all tired of eating zucchini. Pop decides he is going to use them and made these fabulous zucchini pancake/crepe things that were really good. All we added to em was a bit of butter.

 

[Mr Person]

The decline of the biscuit? But not it's fall, not it's fall.....



That reminds me. I ought to make buttered biscuits too. Probably with the next roast beef, then.

 

[radcen]

If you have a good powerful food processor it will literally cut the butter or lard right into the flour just a couple of pulses and your dough is done and the ingredients haven't had time to warm up. We use a mix of lard and butter in our families biscuits.

 

[Lord Tammerlain]

No. I'm saying that if you liked X-Brand biscuit in 1979, and you think the same tastes not as good today, that it might be you and not the biscuit. Your tastes may have changed. You may have a faulty memory. Could be any number of reasons.

Key word there was "might". It also might be that the recipe has indeed changed. Just saying that's not an automatic.

Tastes will have changed


A persons taste buds get less sensitive as they age. Something that was too spicy when you were young is merely mild when you are old

 

[americanwoman]

No, I am better than that. Besides, the lack of butter and honey is well beyond your claim of faulty memory or changed desires.

Now it could be that they screwed up my order and did not give me my fake butter and fake honey.

Who has been to Churches Fried Chicken lately?

I went to one not that long ago and I was not impressed at all. The last biscuit I ate was at the Waffle House and it was really really good.