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Where to find good horseradish?
By BostonDog on Thu, 08/12/2021 - 7:46am
Very recently, Gold's Horseradish changed their factory and recipe and now using a new, bitter vinegar -- a far cry from their "Passover vinegar". As a transplant from the NYC area and from a Jewish family, this change is devastating. (Well, at least to breakfast).
So where locally can one find really good prepared horseradish?
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Comments
Kelchner's!!!!
I have purchased Kelchner's in Boston - maybe at the Shaw's in Packard's Corner?
I thought it was fantastic!
https://www.kelchnershorseradish.com/
Ha
I bought a container at Wegmans and threw it away. Nothing like Gold's. It was bitter and medicinal. That's how the new Gold's tastes.
But to each their own.
Curious if you like half-sour pickles?
Born & raised in Pittsburgh and never had a half-sour in my life until I moved to Boston. I think half-sour pickles are B.S. and just salty cucumbers! I want my pickle to be a vinegar, dill and garlic punch to the mouth so maybe I prefer vinegary horseradish.
Then you'd really hate
"new pickles." I make friends trek down to the Lower East Side of NYC to buy them for me by the gallon.
/Pickles are like pizza. There's lots of different kinds, and most of them are pretty good. Unless they're pickled beets, in which case they can burn in Hell.
Make your own?
It's literally just horseradish, vinegar (whatever kind you prefer), and some salt (kosher if you like). Pulse the horseradish in a food processor until the size you want, add the vinegar and salt (as much of either as you like) and pulse a bit more to mix, then transfer to whatever you want to store it in in the fridge for a few weeks.
Just be careful when you're working with it as it turns very potent in the air initially.
Whole Foods often has the root. Probably Russo's as well but I've not looked myself.
My mother makes her own
For Passover, anyway. Adds beet juice to make it pink if that's your thing. I think she gets the horseradish at Russo's.
And, yes, it can get very potent in the air coming from the food processor.
There should really be a name
There should really be a name for the pathological behavior that compels someone to post "You could make it yourself" every time someone asks about purchasing a product.
Sometimes it's the right answer
The market doesn't always provide.
Vinegar
The vinegar is what makes good horseradish good. I have not found white vinegar which is good for anything beyond cleaning.
The old Gold's horseradish vinegar was good. Got any suggestions on where to get flavorful white vinegar?
Maybe it wasn't white vinegar?
I wonder if they were using an apple cider vinegar before and now use a white vinegar because it was cheaper/easier to source.
No clue but ...
I now know what a pair of Gold's horseradish bottles would look like if they could dance.
New vs Old
If you look at the bottles you can tell if it's the new or old recipe.
The ones with the little red or white circle on the lower left (as seen in the video) is the "classic" formula which is good. The circle says "Kosher for Passover and year round use".
The newer mix no longer uses "Passover Vinegar" and lacks that circle.
The Butcherie in Brookline
The Butcherie in Brookline has Ba-tempte. Or at least they did when I was shopping before Passover in 2019. It's worth a look.
That's a Texas-size ten-four.
As well as Ba-Tampte (made in Brooklyn), The Butcherie carries the Noam (also made in Brooklyn) and ChefMan (imported from Israel and truly eye-watering) brands of prepared horseradish.
And Gold's, which looks like a victim of late-stage capitalism, the longtime family business selling out to a private equity firm with predictable results: the closing the original 1930s-vintage factory (which also made the iconic U-Bet chocolate sauce of egg cream fame), laying off all the workers, relocating to a cheaper location, and bastardizing the historic original horseradish product. Sic transit gloria.
Baltic European Deli in South Boston
Baltic European Deli in South Boston makes fresh horseradish.