Note, this article has been revamped and updated as of 08/24/20.
Center-cut bacon is thick bacon, no? Once upon a time I thought so, but no. So what’s thick-cut bacon, and regular bacon, and is there a difference in nutritional value? Don’t get me started on Canadian bacon.
Gelatin versus pectin: what is the difference between these two thickening agents?
As always, let us start at the beginning, with their definitions. Be forewarned that they will not put you in the mood for eating.
Quinoa versus couscous – let us investigate these rice and pasta alternatives.
Confession: I did not know quinoa was pronounced “keen-wah” until I began researching this post.
As with the Philly cheesesteak, cornstarch and cornmeal can be also be spelled as two words; I’m using one word for both to keep it consistent.
As simple as these two ingredients are, finding the difference between cornstarch and cornmeal proved more confusing than I anticipated.
In addition to the difference between cream cheese and Neufchâtel, there is a difference between the American and French versions of Neufchâtel itself.
The difference between light brown sugar and dark brown sugar is an interesting topic, because many recipes do not actually specify which one to use.
This begs the question, are they always interchangeable, then?
As a commenter on SeriousEats.com says, “[Shortening] is to lard as margarine is to butter. [Both] were created/marketed to be the better/cheaper/healthier versions of the original products.”
