What food used to be good but they changed the recipe and now it sucks?

Question

Kym · Accepted Answer

That's not true! You can make a really similar one for yourself! It goes like this:  cut russet potatoes into fry shapes, a bit thicker than you want it to be Soak them in water for a few hours Put beef tallow in a wok or equivalent, and with a mesh strainer or equivalent, put the fries in for about 2 minutes at a time Once you've cycled through all the fries, freeze them, overnight works best but it can be a couple hours if you're less patient Take it out of the freezer, and breaking off chunks, fry each chunk until it's golden brown, then put it in a separate bowl.   you might want to towel them off to get some of the grease off  Once done, add salt to the bowl and toss it around to mix it in  It's not quite the same as the old recipe, but it's as close as you can get in a home kitchen. My grandpa showed me how to do it. He was one of the food safety guys for corporate at the time. If you've ever been to McDonald's and had ketchup packets not explode, you have him to th

Merve Adak · Answer

Irn Bru!! They cut the amount of sugar that was in it in half. Healthier now but it's just not the same. Bring it back :(

Heike Drechsler · Answer

Hawaiian Punch and Sunny-D. Both were deliciuos but not at all healthy treats from my childhood. I have a kid now, and I wanted to introduce her to them as a special treat. Yeah, they went and replaced most of the sugar with artificial sweeteners. I react to those AND they taste like chemicals to me. Kiddo feels the same way. You need to read the labels closely to find this before tasting it. You can't get a non-artifically sweetened version anymore. They are still filled with completely unhealthy things... but couldn't we just leave the sugar as it was? No one buying those should really be thinking they are doing so to be healthy anyway!!

Boyce · Answer

Something about Hamburger Helper's Beef Stroganoff changed in the last 2-3 years. It was never great, but as a poor kid growing up, it was a staple. Now it tastes more sharp and acidic, and significantly less creamy. It's just bad now, and I dont know what happened. I usually make it once a month, so it's not like I took a hiatus and it was different when I came back. It's like I bought one box that tasted different from the last one, and from then on, it's all been bad.

Yves · Answer

SIXLETS

Anna-Riikka · Answer

Cadbury eggs. They used to be so creamy. Now they are gritty and gross.

Louise · Answer

I mean it's not as extreme as the title, but I grew up my entire life since the 80s with Taco Bell as my favorite fast food and at some point their beans became a disgusting chalky mess (as its reconstituted from a powder). Also sometime in the mid-2000s there was an outbreak of ecoli with a crop of scallions and pretty much everywhere stopped serving scallions temporarily. At Taco Bell, they just never came back. Lots of things that used to have them (such as the Mexican Pizza and Nachos supreme) to this day have nothing green/fresh on them. Bums me out just a little bit to this day.

Joao · Answer

Digiorno pizza. If you like cheese and sauce on your pizza, might as well skip buying a Digiorno. It's definitely not delivery.

Bettye · Answer

Taco Bell's Steak Burrito Supreme.  That was #1 back in the 90s.  It's garbage now.

THorgerdur · Answer

The funny thing is that almost everything in this thread comes back to a handful of companies buying everything up and changing everything to cheap ingredients to maximize profits with no concern for the quality of the product.

TOSHIKO · Answer

every drink containing sugar in europe

Jade · Answer

In the UK Dr Pepper, they cut the sugar down in it and I swear it messed with the taste a bit. Lucozade also tastes bad and also them cutting the sugar was a bad idea because a lot of diabetic people use it

Janella · Answer

My schools used to have these calzones that thick and filled with pepperoni and sauce. They changed it to a thinner version with different sauce and cheese and it made everyone depressed.

Kermit · Answer

"Those "Cool Brownies" I had in middle school. Now a senior in HS and they switched to a "healthier" variety that is hard and dryer than a desert. Plus, they don't spoil which means something is really wrong. "

Duangduean · Answer

Coco pops no doubt

YI · Answer

Pringles. They barely put seasoning on them now. I remember when the cheddar cheese Pringle used to be all orange and now it's looks like a regular Pringle

JANETH · Answer

Hamburger Helper- Cheeseburger Macaroni. It's kinda bland but I remember this being manna of the gods when I was a child.

Wald · Answer

The green skittle.

Alessia · Answer

Carls jr.  When i was a kid it rivaled in and out. Sometimes if you wanted a burger you would choose carls.  Those days are so long gone. Last time i ate carls it tasted like chemicals.

Harwell · Answer

We have the dreaded sugar tax in the UK, so everything now tastes of sweeteners. Even fruit juices. Vile shit.

Sabine Reinhardt · Answer

Maybe I just got old but spaghetti-os taste like shit to me now

DESPINA · Answer

McDonald's French fries. I remember when they tasted like potatoes and were so delicious. Now they're so processed, they taste terrible and I can't even digest them.

hind · Answer

Fruity pebbles.

Elena · Answer

Creme eggs

Claudia Bader · Answer

Pringles.

Jana Pfaff · Answer

Cholula hot sauce.

Seidi · Answer

(Canadian here) Pizza Pizza. They changed the type of cheese they use and now it just tastes plain and gross. Not to mention the past 5 - 10 times I've eaten from their we've had problems with delivery. I use Pizzaville now. Delicious.

Vasilisa · Answer

Chipotle. I feel like there's entirely too much salt in the rice or something. They've gone downhill over the last fifteen years and it makes me sad.

Ailen · Answer

Fucking everything (according to this thread). I'm depressed now.

Latrena · Answer

Kazoozles (aka SweeTarts ropes). When these were sold under the Kazoozles name they were thicker, had more filling, and were amazing. Once they got rebrands the taste and quality dropped.

Kial · Answer

Trix cereal, as soon as they changed the fruit shapes to spheres, it has never been the same

rehana · Answer

Ruby Red Squirt

Seija-Sisko · Answer

Olive Garden breadsticks Way too salty now!

fatime · Answer

"Bruuh thats so my time to shine: So over here in the wonderful reaches of Deutschland we have a candy producer called katjes One of their sweets are called "euro munzen" and let me just establish, i fucking dig those. But now they made them vegan and it hasnt been the same ever since To make matters worse, theyve been all but gone from any store that used to sell them Im depressed. "

Thurstan · Answer

Cracker Barrel.  You could tell before that everything was homemade and fresh. Now I think their biscuits and gravy comse from a can. And dont even get me started on the chicken fried steak, saddest cut of steak I've ever seen.

benthe · Answer

Stouffer's french bread pizzas. I used to eat them like twice a week when I was a kid in the 90s. They did something to the bread and now it never gets crispy like back in the day, it always stays chewy in the middle and just tastes like stale cardboard now. Such a bummer. Reading through these comments is making me realize that so many delicious American treats all just turned to shit so some corporation can charge more for a cheaper product. It's clear consumers don't have the leverage in these relationships that we thought we did. Just think about the inverse of OP's question - I'm struggling to come up with ANY product out there that tastes better now than it used to.

Christina Koehler · Answer

Most chocolate. Using soy instead of actual milk gives it an odd after taste.

Nehir · Answer

Uncle ben's rice, back like in 2010 their rice used to be the bomb but as soon as the maker sold out for profit it's been horrible.

Sihaam · Answer

Fake crab was excellent back in the 80s when it actually tasted somewhat like crab. Now it just vaguely looks like crab.

Katharina Weissmuller · Answer

Tyson buffalo wings. Used to be amazing, now the breading is more like a compacted half-skin that eviscerates the lower intestine. Wendy's burgers aren't like I remember them being. It's a shame because I love the 4 for 4 concept. Little Debbie oatmeal cookies feel a lot smaller and fall apart more easily.

Manuela Krause · Answer

I had some Reese's Pieces last week and they tasted vaguely of beets and turmeric. I thought it may have just been the bodega I bought them from. I bought some at a Walgreens yesterday and...beets and turmeric. I dunno, maybe it's just in my head.

Lucio · Answer

Apparently we all want the Trans Fats back.

Sallamaria · Answer

Pizza Hut. They did something different with the dough and cooking process since the early 2000's. It doesn't taste the same.

YUK · Answer

they haven't changed the recipe but KFC have changed their chips where i live, not sure about anywhere else because my nearest KFC is like an hour away so i rarely go anyway. The old chips were so nice. The new chips are loved by everyone but i think they taste like ass

Annett Fruehauf · Answer

Green skittles and sweet tarts. Apple is the fucking worst. I want lime back.

Erma · Answer

TRIX!! There were a few years where they weren't fruit shapes but weird earth toned flavorless balls. I think they changed it back recently though

Ulla-Bell · Answer

Skittles since they changed the lime flavor to green apple

safina · Answer

At my local grocery store they changed the chocolate chip cookies. The dough and the chocolate chips. I hate it!

Liselott · Answer

Kraft Mac 'n cheese. I remember getting a sloppy mess as a kid (with the shapes!) that was delectable. Nowadays it's just kind of like melting American cheese over noodles.

Nattawan · Answer

One of my favourite sushi places had shrimp covered in coconut shavings & then was deep fried. I went back there the other day & they changed it so it's deep fried shrimp with some coconut sauce on top, it's not the same :(

regitse · Answer

McDonald's french fries. I tried making them the old way myself (since my grandpa was a food scientist there back in the day, he showed me how). It is so much better, and it's actually more filling too. Plus, as this podcast talks about, it's not at all obvious that their new recipe is better for people, despite that being the reason they switched in the first place.

Silfa · Answer

Tomatoes you buy at the grocery store. They engineered them to last longer and lost the flavor.

Brita-Lena · Answer

Portuguese drink Sumol, if that was the name. Something like Fanta but way better taste (more fruity, orange-y...) IMO. Two years ago tried it again, shit was heavy acid, I think I could swap my car's battery liquid with that and increase performance

SHALONDA · Answer

It seems a lot of these comments are about fast food chains, and i think i know why they are dropping in quality. I think its because a lot of these places based most of their marketing strategies on their prices rather than the quality of their product. $5 footlongs, 5-5-5 deals, etc., their advertising was mostly about how low their prices were, rather than how much better tasting their food was. I believe this locked the expectations of the public as to what food should cost, so when the cost of producing that food went up, due to inflation or fluctuations in market value or availability of ingredients, the companies had to find ways to lower costs or risk losing their customer base. The price of a Little Caesar's pizza hasn't changed since i was a teenager, but the value of a $5 bill surely has decreased due to regular inflation.

Krissie · Answer

Not sure if available else where, but for the British out here: Ribena drinks

Esau · Answer

Technically a drink, but I will never forgive Costco for fucking up the berry smoothie.

Sole · Answer

I'll never forget those Stouffer's Fettuccine pasta + chicken + broccoli meals that used to have a ton of fat pieces of chicken, only for them to gradually cut down to very tiny shreds, and barely any in the meal. Fuck you, Stouffers. Dumb bitches.

basma · Answer

Every single main comment in this thread, is 110% due to companies either going public, and answering to a shareholder, instead of making a quality product, or putting profit over quality.  The few that stood out to me is : 1: Breyers Ice Cream. Used to be 3 simple ingredients. Cream, Sugar, Whatever its flavor was. Now its ingredients read like stereo instructions.  2: KFC in Canada splitting the Thigh piece into two pieces. I mean, that's just being cheap, and thinking the consumer is too oblivious to notice.  3:McDonalds French Fries. Used to be cooked in beef fat from their burger processing. Nowadays? Who knows. Probably palm oil. They just taste like salt now.

Anna-Diana · Answer

Kirkland protein bars. They changed something in the formula that now gives me brutal gas. While the extra farting is fun at home, I don't want to feel all bloated and gassy in a 10am meeting at work.

TAI · Answer

Turkey Hill Peanut butter ice cream. The best ice cream in the world until they started putting in less peanut butter chunks...thinking we wouldn't notice. Oh...we noticed!

Guillaume · Answer

Julian bread.  https://youtu.be/IdDfF4hXfj4

Ines Baer · Answer

I lived on a steady diet of meatball subs at Subway in the late 1990s. They changed it completely by ~2001. It's unrecognizable.

Ing-Margret · Answer

Don't know what happened but subway used to be fucking delicious. But now their food tastes artificial and doesn't have the same flavor.

Wendell · Answer

Wendy's honey mustard sauce.

Myrlene · Answer

"Panera has greatly disappointed me. They changed up all their shit, started calling it "artisan" and charged two bucks more, and it sucks. The food is disappointing, and the service, at least out my way, is worse than the shitty fast food joints being staffed by dumbass kids. "

LATONIA · Answer

I don't know if it's just me, but in the UK in the 90s and 80s, McDonald's used to have a completely different taste to it. I distinctly remember the taste of the burgers and milkshakes being completely different to what it is now - then again I was a small child so maybe my tastebuds were fucked up or something lmao Edit: it's not just me

Lyndsay · Answer

Pizza Hut. They're still fatty pizza but something definitely got low quality over time.

Levon · Answer

Campbell's Clam Chowder soup, it used to be thick and have plenty of clams, a decade or so ago they changed it to be watery and have more potatoes.

Dorene · Answer

"This is from way back.  Back in the 90's, Snapple was killing the drink scene. Like murdering all other drink sales.  So Coca Cola decided they'd get in on it, and released their own natural juice based drinks, called "Fruitopia". They had a few kinds, but the absolute best one was called "strawberry-passion awareness" and it was freaking delicious. So refreshing and not too sweet.  Then, they changed it.  No more snapple-esque glass bottles. Plastic. No more real fruit juice. HFC's. No more refreshingness. Fake fruit punch. No more subtle sweetness. Pure sugar. I hated it. It was like making an awesome friend at summer camp. Then seeing them at school the next year, and they're an asshole. "

Frankie · Answer

Boston Market mac and cheese used to be awesome, but I think they changed their recipe for the cheese sauce a few years ago and it hasn't been the same.

Janenna · Answer

Burger Kings chicken nuggets and fries. They used to be the best. Now they are cheap shit.

MUOI · Answer

Panera Bread Frontega Chicken. Shit's a travesty.

Langston · Answer

Pringles I don't know what changed, but they don't taste nearly the same.

Maeve · Answer

Canadian 'Smarties'. They totally changed the flavor of the chocolate maybe like 10 or 15 years ago, and now they taste awful.

Seamus · Answer

Arby's Horseradish sauce. Back in the early 2000's, it used to be so potent it was a very good stuffy nose remedy. Now it's not. :(

YON · Answer

Tim Horton's coffee. I don't know what they did but it almost always tastes burnt, even when it's not.

TAMEKA · Answer

Everything my mom used to cook for dinner that I try to make on my own

Nensi · Answer

Half the chocolate in the UK since Cadbury's got bought by Kraft

MIRTHA · Answer

"Outback. When they went public, they downsized all their dishes and raised prices. You can tell some board room asshole was all like "aw, downsize the Aussie chips and salads by making the presentation seem larger with oversized, random shaped dishes" I remember at one time you had to wait to eat there and now, even at peak times, you can waltz right In. Still pisses me off. "

Carley · Answer

"Breyers used to be the best for store-bought ice-cream, but now it's just a crappy mess of what it used to be and is now considered a "frozen dessert" since it's anything but what it used to be. I also remember Wendy's burgers being much better than now. "

See · Answer

Chips Ahoy. I'm not sure if it's because I'm older now. I remembered as a kid they used to taste so good and cookie-like. Now it just tastes like a rock of sugar with chocolate in it.

Cameron · Answer

Ritz crackers. For some inexplicable reason, maybe around 5 years ago the crackers went from being nice and firm and dippable to nowadays easily crumbling to bits with even the lightest dip. The flavor too is noticeably less buttery than it once was, maybe they went on the cheap with whatever oil or shortening they use.

Kali · Answer

Honeycombs. The cereal, not actual honeycombs. I swear it used to have an actual flavor to it - sort of reminiscent of honey, even - but now it just tastes sweet. Sort of like if someone replaced your Malt-O-Meal with Cream of Wheat. Still obviously the same kind of thing, but with a flavor missing.

viktoriia · Answer

All Canadians ought to agree when I say: Everything at Tim Horton's

Erik Engel · Answer

"Pilsbury cookie dough in a tube. about 8 months ago the package advertised "great new recipe!" it was not great. Call me a grouchy old man, but I full on wrote a letter to the company telling them I didn't like it and I would not buy it again unless they changed it back. "

Thorsten · Answer

"Cadbury Creme Eggs. I bought one a few years ago and could've sworn it was old/stale, because the "creme" inside was nearly crystallized, and it tasted horrible. But nope, it was just a new recipe they were using for them. Never had one since. "

Anne-Maritta · Answer

My local Chinese place changed owners. That was my spot for 15 years! Then bam. New owners, new chefs. Haven't been back since. It's been 5 years. My wife gets annoyed when we walk past because I always bring it up.

Unseli · Answer

From the UK: I bring to you, the humble Cadbury Creme Egg. Every Easter millions were be sold. They were considered a staple part of the diet by every gap toothed Brit across the realm. Then in 2016, Cadbury's overlords at Mondelez International decided to replace the usual Cadbury Dairy Milk chocolate coating with a cheaper product. It led to an initial PS6 million drop in sales (around 10 million eggs, or 12 chocolate geese). With thousands of complaints and allegations of heresy. Though many have gotten used to the difference, to this day we still debate whether it is appropriate to burn their shareholders at the stake for this affront to humanity.

Lindi · Answer

Fast food hamburgers just about everywhere.

anna-sofie · Answer

SNAPPLE ever since they started putting it in the plastic bottle it sucks peen

JENAE · Answer

Mcdonalds apple pie. Taste good but just not the same

Kristyn · Answer

Dunkin Donuts They used to bake them fresh, now I think they are made in supply facilities and shipped to stores. You can actually taste the old EDIT: It's called Dunkin now, thanks for reminding me.

Karl · Answer

Hear me out. I really hope someone can chime in here but I seriously thing Doritos have had less cheese powder for the last several years. The problem seems to be worse in the small bags.

Daniela Muller · Answer

I'm from the UK but my dad used to bring Fruit Loops back from 'Merica a lot, noticed they massively dulled in taste. Were never the same. Also TUC biscuits if anyone knows what they are.

Janina Freeh · Answer

A pizza restaurant near me completely changed from Neapolitan style to football bar food pizza style out of the blue and I guess expected nobody to notice.

Antje Muller · Answer

Buffallo Wild Wings, Food changed now it bad   Edit: I was always told it was BW3's I didn't know why I just knew it was Buffalo Wild Wings. Comments teach you a lot

abir · Answer

Tuc crackers. Wagon Wheels. Twix. Twix in particular is a mere shadow of its former self.

Ute Schultheiss · Answer

Pizza Roll sauce.

Heddi · Answer

chunky soup   used to eat it by the fucking gallon - loved me a good chunky soup  then those fuckers changed to a lower quality of meat and it was sooooo fucking greasy. holy shit.  I wrote them a big long email and haven't eaten it since. fuck those guys. their response to my email was to send me a coupon. fucking joke

Astghik · Answer

Cholula hot sauce. I don't know if they actually changed anything or if my tastes just changed, but it used to be my go to hot sauce and now it has this metallic flavor to it. Thought maybe I got a bottle from a bad batch or something so I bought another but had the same results.

TORA · Answer

Butterfingers!!!!!!!!!  Edit: Wow! Didn't know so many people felt the same way, Awesome! We need to James Gunn the shit out of this on Twitter. Go tell Nestle/ Butterfinger how you actually feel!! #bringbackoriginalbutterfinger

karen-marie · Answer

Andy Cap hot fries and cheddar fries. They once were a bag of delicious, but now they are bland and taste stale even when fresh.

KRYSTINA · Answer

Cape Cod Salt and Vinegar chips... not sure what they did, but all of a sudden they were different and bad...

anastasiya · Answer

Kraft Mac and cheese. I liked the taste of the yellow number 5 cancer version

KATELYNN · Answer

Gardettos when they got rid of the sesame seed cracker/stick.

YUETTE · Answer

Steak at Chipotle. Used to be Med-rare, delicious. Now well-done, not-delicious.

Austine · Answer

Marie Callender's microwave meals. They used to be awesome and tasted amazing. I noticed a huge drop off within the past few years to the point where they are just like any other cheap microwavable dinner which sucks. I was a chef and I liked their meals before so that's telling. Specifically it was their chicken fettuccine alfredo with broccoli that I used to love but they changed the recipe and took away the pepper packs that it used to come with. Now it's less creamy, fairly bland, less chicken, and less broccoli.

natali · Answer

Chili's. It's so obvious they tried to cut costs with pretty much everything on (what's left of) their menu

Kissiah · Answer

KFC

Katee · Answer

From this thread - it seems like everything. Companies care too much about their bottomline, and less about quality.

Lynnett · Answer

All bottled barbeque sauce is now way too sweet.

REVA · Answer

Pizza Hut....when I was younger (the 90's) the crust and dough was like buttery and crispy similar to Old Chicago restaurant, but slowly over the years the pizza went seriously downhill, now its very greasy, the dough is cheap and rubbery and the cheese is so cheap, you can see where it breaks off instead of stretching like normal cheese.

Maria Eichmann · Answer

Breyer's Ice Cream. Used to be milk, cream, & sugar. Now I have no idea what the hell it is.

Aive · Answer

THE SKOOBY DOO FRUIT SNACKS!!!!

Monika Busch · Answer

Kraft Deluxe Mac & Cheese. When I was a kid, there used to be so much macaroni in the box and the cheese was so thick it would take it so long to melt. Now they changed to a different pasta that takes so long to cook and still isn't soft and the cheese isn't the same at all.

JONE · Answer

When I was in Girl Scouts I obviously sold cookies each year a a fundraiser.  Now there are 2 Girl Scout cookie bakers ABC bakery and Little Brownie bakery. Each council gets to choose which bakery they use. The bakeries are require to make thin mints Samoa's (Carmel delights) and shortbreads (trefoils) but both bakeries also sell Tagalongs (peanut butter patties, which are like a Reese's cookie)  A couple years ago I met a family who lived several states away and in that state the used little brownie bakery. Their lactose intolerant daughter loved Tagalongs, but couldn't eat them anymore because they had changed the recipe and now it has milk.  But where I lived we use abc bakery and they still don't use milk in the cookie.  The family ended up buying almost 4 cases of Tagalongs from me.  Each box is $4 and each case has 12 boxes. They spent almost $200 dollars on Girl Scout cookies.

Leena-Anneli · Answer

Doritos were WAYYYYY better before they removed the trans fat.

Dolli · Answer

Starbucks pastries. Used to be fresh daily and big.. now they are prepackaged garbage, and coincidentally more expensive

Biff · Answer

"Gardettos "original" snack mix WHERE ARE THE SESAME BREADSTICKS? "

helle · Answer

Sour patch kids. Once they added that blue flavor I think they changed the recipe of all the others. They now all are thick and hard where the old ones were really nice and soft and chewy.  Lemon was my favorite flavor before because it actually tasted like real lemons. But now it tastes like unbearable artificial lemon flavor

What food used to be good but they changed the recipe and now it sucks?

Clare

Lucila

Barnaby

Godfrey

Walton

Jennifer Boehm

Angelika Jager

Heike Huber

MILAGROS

STEPHINE