Column and photos by Ali Carter, Wisconsin Potato Growers Auxiliary
I have always thought the term “taste-tester” was an odd one. Yet, as I write this, my mind is unable to come up with an alternative that feels less odd but still clearly understandable. A quick Google search gives me the simple option of
“taster,” and the slightly more explanatory “food taster.”
A deeper search brings up the term “sensory panelist.” That one tickles me, so we will go with it today!
Whatever term you want to use, my friends and family are the ones to fill the role. When they eat at our house, they know that I rarely make the same thing the same way twice, and they will often find something on the table that I have never attempted before.
These brave sensory panelists fearlessly take bites of mystery leftover casseroles and allow me to smother their chicken wraps with the unnamed sauce I whipped up with a little of this and a little of that.
This past September, I was given a fabulous set of circumstances involving some of my very favorite sensory panelists.
The next recipe for this column needed to be developed, and we were welcoming three wonderful friends to our home to enjoy a weekend of fishing with Mike.
These friends all happened to be experienced foodies with adventurous palates! A house full of men, hungry after a day of fresh air and paddling canoes, seemed like the ideal way to do a trial run of a Badger Common’Tater recipe!
