7 Old-Fashioned Foods That Are Suddenly Cool Again, According to Chefs

Goat Cheese

There are a couple of ingredients on this list that seemed to epitomize the 1980s and ’90s culinary scene, and goat cheese is one of them. While it never disappeared from menus completely, a goat cheese salad stopped feeling fresh a long, long time ago. But, the tide is turning back in goat cheese’s favor, according to Jen O’Leary, executive chef at Northstar Restaurant Group and Brassica in Columbus, Ohio. “As more people look for high-quality, locally sourced ingredients with reliable flavor, it’s no surprise that artisan goat cheese like this is gaining renewed appreciation.”

This is an easy trend to bring into your home kitchen. Try whipping goat cheese into a dip with olive oil, salt, and pepper, or crumble some into scrambled eggs.

Caviar

Hands down the number one old-school ingredient I heard about from chefs was caviar. Chef Travis Kirkley, culinary director of The Indigo Road Hospitality Group in Charlotte, North Carolina, explains that sturgeon’s eggs likely fell out of fashion due to overfishing. “Caviar became very popular, and fishermen were over-harvesting wild-caught sturgeon. Now, fisheries are able to farm-raise sturgeon, making the market a lot more sustainable and accessible.” Kirkley puts caviar on anything and everything, from breakfast sandwiches and pasta to baked potatoes, and wait for it, ice cream.

At Lucky Cheetah in Portland, Maine, chefs Wills Dowd and Jared Dinsmore stuff martini olives with caviar. “It’s the best reprise for any ingredient we can think of.”

Turnips

Will turnips be the next kale or Brussels sprouts? Rakim Gaines, executive chef at Capella on 9 in Asheville, North Carolina, thinks they might. In addition to their compelling flavor, turnips’ main draw is their affordability, to both chefs and home cooks. “They’re a credit crunch vegetable, and in the culinary world, chefs are finding fun ways to prepare them, especially for the price point.” Similar to beets, you can use the whole veggie, from root to leaf; it’s like getting two vegetables for the price of one. Gaines suggests roasting them with oil, salt, and pepper. “I also really love stewing turnip greens with mustard and collard greens.”

Cottage Cheese

It’s hard to believe that just a few years ago, this lumpy dairy product couldn’t have seemed more boring. Fast forward to today, and cottage cheese is cool kid-approved. Fidel Cabellero, chef and owner of Corima in New York City credits the popularity of cottage cheese with its health benefits and social media, of course. “With the rise of viral food trends, people are rediscovering its versatility in both sweet and savory applications.” At the restaurant, he adds it to brothy beans. “We finish them with a generous amount of cottage cheese, which brings a bright acidity and enhances the creaminess without adding the weight of crème fraîche.” At home, eat it like a snack (we like Good Culture brand), or use it in place of yogurt in smoothies.

Sweetened Condensed Milk

Here’s an ingredient that your grandma might have used regularly, but these days it doesn’t seem so stodgy. Sweetened condensed milk is clutch in numerous retro-cool baking recipes and a staple in popular drinks like Vietnamese iced coffee and milk tea. Chef Ashley Cannon at Snowbird Mountain Lodge in Robbinsville, North Carolina, thinks people are embracing sweetened condensed milk for its affordability and pantry-friendliness. It is also a reliable baking shortcut. “My favorite way to use sweetened condensed milk is mixing it with sweetened coconut flakes for the perfect coconut macaroon,” she says.

Spam

This canned meat product has been around since 1937, but it wasn’t exactly a cheffy ingredient until recently, explains Alex Green, chef at Mileta in Lexington, Kentucky. “Spam became popular in the years during World War II and the Korean War because of its shelf-stability in the hot, humid, and war-torn Pacific. It has remained popular in Korea, the Philippines, and Hawaii.” Now as more and more chefs explore those culinary traditions they reach, of course, for Spam.

To be on-trend at home, follow Green’s lead. “Slice a can of Spam into six slices, and sear those in a non-stick pan until crispy on one side. I lightly sprinkle the slices with a little sugar and flip them, so the sugar caramelizes. I deglaze the pan with soy sauce, and serve the Spam over rice.”

Sun-Dried Tomatoes

“In the 1980s and ’90s, sun-dried tomatoes were extremely overused,” says chef Andrew McCabe of bar Vetti in Louisville, Kentucky. “You saw them everywhere, often sliced into strips and mixed into some sort of bowtie pasta.” Now, he’s using them again—in measured doses—to add depth and umami to dishes. “Just don’t bring back the huge strips,” he implores.

Anthony Mangieri, chef and owner of Una Pizza Napoletana and Genio Della Pizza notes that the quality matters too, so find a brand you love. “I use them as part of an antipasto plate or sliced thin and put onto a special pizza topped with smoked mozzarella di bufala, some bitter greens, extra-virgin olive oil, and Parmigiano-Reggiano.” Peter Som, lifestyle expert and author of Family Style: Elegant Everyday Recipes Inspired by Home and Heritage, is also a fan. “I use both the tomatoes and the oil, which is infused with the tomato flavor, for bright umami-filled pasta sauces.”