This Chef Trick Makes Raisins My Favorite Food

My feelings about this ingredient were changed by a little butter and salt.

It’s hard out there for a raisin. As children, we ate the dried fruit by their handfuls, but raisins are less popular. Sometimes they can even be hated.

There are many reasons that things have changed. Sometimes, aversions towards raisins can be caused by misuse. Too many people serve dried-out raisins that have become hard and chewy. Or it’s situational; your first Halloween spent trick-or-treating teaches you to love candy above all other sweets. Or maybe there was a moment when you thought you were biting into a chocolate chip cookie … and it turned out to be studded with raisins instead. The unexpected meaning of raisins is disappointment. A quick search online shows dozens of articles asking “why raisins ruin everything.” Need I say more?

Like a lot of other people, I’m guilty of polishing off a bag of granola or trail mix, finishing everything — except for the raisins. Sometimes it’s because the raisins have dried and hardened into pebbles. But more often, they just aren’t interesting enough to hang with the rest of the mix. And so they sit, loitering at the bottom of the bag — not forgotten, but also not eaten, little orbs that could have become wine, but never reached their full potential.

A few months back, I had a sudden change of heart while helping a chef. Cheetie Kumar An event was held to benefit Jones Valley Teaching Farm in Birmingham. Kumar dumped a large bag with golden raisins into a pan after cooking pots and pots of spinach in a buttery curry. Then she poured butter over the top and tossed the raisins in the butter. Finally, she seasoned them with kosher salt before putting them in a hot oven. A few minutes later, the raisins had grown into sweet, salty jewels that sparkled from the butter. The combination of sweet fruits and fats and salt was astonishing. These raisins are a delight to the senses.

Kumar’s technique transformed everyday raisins into an incredibly special and delicious version of themselves. Since then, I’ve remembered that raisins and other dried fruit become infinitely more enticing when given a little extra treatment. Now, I follow Kumar’s lead and warm dried figs in an oven with a little rosemary-infused olive oil before adding them to a snack platter. I followed her lead and made a snack platter using the contrasting flavors she suggested. Pickled Raisins), I soak dried chopped dates in red wine vinegar and marinate dried cherries in bourbon (while contemplating what might happen when dried apricots are sautéed in a pan with chile crisp). In the meantime, I’ve been buttering and salting raisins before mixing them with roasted vegetables and oatmeal. It’s a reminder that even the most underrated ingredient can shine if you give it a chance.