Food Hacks - Cool tricks for dear frens

[AnOminous]

The secret to making everything taste good is bacon grease.

I'd say fats in general, not just bacon. Bacon grease is the only thing for cooking cornbread in a pre-heated skillet in the oven. But there's also lard, butter, EVOO, heavy oils like coconut oil that are solid at room temperature, ghee (clarified butter), schmaltz, sesame oil, beef tallow, pretty much any rendered fat from any animal.

Almost all things you'd consider delicious have some source of fat in them.

ETA: also not really a food hack but some folk medicine shit that apparently has some basis. Garlic has excellent anti-inflammatory properties. They sell supplement pills but imo it's better and more effective just to take a big clove, peel it, whack it with the spiky end of a meat tenderizer once, then chew it up and eat it. Warning: if you hate garlic this probably isn't for you, but even if you do, it's mildly unpleasant, with a bit of a burn for about 30 seconds after.

But it does a better job than any OTC NSAIDS I've seen and instead of nuking your liver like NSAIDS do, it is actually good for your liver.

A nice part is the initial effect is nearly instant. I doubt this is from digestion so my guess is the intensity of the garlic distracts you from the pain sufficiently that it has a slightly-more-than-placebo effect. And then, it seems to have a fairly lengthy 24 hour or so effect.

So this is probably good for arthritis (and there are studies saying so) and other inflammatory joint conditions.

 

[Ultrapenguin]

I'd say fats in general, not just bacon. Bacon grease is the only thing for cooking cornbread in a pre-heated skillet in the oven. But there's also lard, butter, EVOO, heavy oils like coconut oil that are solid at room temperature, ghee (clarified butter), schmaltz, sesame oil, beef tallow, pretty much any rendered fat from any animal.

Almost all things you'd consider delicious have some source of fat in them.

Ok, that's true, but in a lot of cases that's more about the actual cooking process; sure, oil is involved in making sauteed vegetables for example, but it isn't necessarily a focal element of the dish itself. It adds to it obviously, especially if you're using the standard olive oil/chopped garlic, but it's more to facilitate cooking since lipids won't evaporate and leave stuff sticking to the pan.

Plus if you really want to get technical virtually everything people eat in general has fats in them to some extent, since just like sugars they're necessary for organic function. Even raw celery has fat in it:

Spoiler

To not be a pedantic twit though, obviously I'm sure we all know if you pump enough fat, salt, and sugar into just about anything it'll "taste good" in a very shallow sense, that's why every cheap food in the US is loaded with all the above, but idk, I feel like that gets very old very fast. I figure if your only goal is to light up your reward receptors as easily as possible, just cut out the middle man and go do some coke or something.

And speaking of health and spicing, potassium salt substitute is what I try to use. The only reason I can conceive of as to why it isn't way more popular and pushed much more given how epidemic hypertension is in the US is because potassium chloride is also what's used as the final ingredient in lethal injections, since relatively small amounts intravenously induces cardiac arrest. It's completely safe to eat assuming your kidneys aren't failing and nobody injects you with it, but I could still see why it might make people nervous.

 

[AnOminous]

To not be a pedantic twit though, obviously I'm sure we all know if you pump enough fat, salt, and sugar into just about anything it'll "taste good" in a very shallow sense, that's why every cheap food in the US is loaded with all the above, but idk, I feel like that gets very old very fast.

Even something as refined as French haute cuisine is packed with ridiculous dishes that have the equivalent of a whole stick of butter in them of different fats. Obviously you don't eat stuff like that every day. I currently prefer lean cuts like chuck. Not that I won't eat a marbled New York strip or something along those lines, but certainly not every day or even every week.

 

[SenorCurditos]

Render pork fat (lard) or beef fat (tallow) in a medium pot with a 1/2 cup of water will prevent scorching or yellowing. Added hack, if you're lazy just throw the whole pot in the fridge afterward and next day the fat will form a solid disk on top of the water. Fuck Vegetable Oil.

 

[AnOminous]

Render pork fat (lard) or beef fat (tallow) in a medium pot with a 1/2 cup of water will prevent scorching or yellowing. Added hack, if you're lazy just throw the whole pot in the fridge afterward and next day the fat will form a solid disk on top of the water. Fuck Vegetable Oil.

When I trim a fairly fatty cut of chuck, or any other steak for that matter, I dump the chunks of fat in a Ziploc freezer bag. When I have enough to make it worth bothering, I let them render out at fairly low temperature over a couple hours after pouring warm water over them.

The instead reward for rendering your own chicken and pork fat is you get the crunchy remnants of the fatty skin.

Then I freeze that, and bring it out for dumplings, so if it's chicken and dumplings, I substitute the schmaltz for lard and cut it in cold and cubed with a knife or two (or a pastry blade if you have one). Or if it's beef and dumplings, I cut the beef tallow into it. It really makes it seem meatier when even the dumplings are infused with the main ingredient.

 

[Jaded Optimist]

Left over broth from instant noodles?
-Use it as a liquid to soak shelled boiled eggs for delicious marinated eggs the next day.
-mix in some mayo or oil for an Asian salad dressing.
-add some apple juice and use it as a marinade for pork.
-add whatever other liquids and use as a marinade for any other protein.
-thicken with corn starch and use for a stir fry sauce.

 

[Smaug's Smokey Hole]

ETA: also not really a food hack but some folk medicine shit that apparently has some basis. Garlic has excellent anti-inflammatory properties.

Ear ache/infection, stuff a garlic in there. That's what I learnt growing up and like you say there is something to it.

The initial crushing is what does it I think. You can use the flat of your knife to do that, and it usually works. Or you can just buy dry granulated or wet minced garlic.

I always crush them between my thumb and index finger then with a slight twist strip it with my other hand. Quick and easy and every single flake goes into the trash, no need to pre-flake it! I'm not a strong guy and I have friends who could pop my hand like a balloon during a handshake but they they still do the knife/crush thing/lifehack ~because that's what chefs do~. Even though I showed them.

Crack-twist over a temporary trash bucket on the counter is the fastest, cleanest and greatest method in my opinion.

 

[wtfNeedSignUp]

Almost any recipe just double the spices, especially salt, unless it's something very strong or spicy.

 

[Dammit Mandrake!]

Yolllllllllk

 

[L50LasPak]

When you make instant rice, just boil the water separately, then pour it into the bowl of rice and cover the bowl with a pan lid. If you measured correctly the rice should absorb all the water, just make sure to mix it up at least once so the top layer doesn't stay too dry. Avoids you having to clean a pan since all you did was boil water in it.

 

[Jaded Optimist]

Something I tried last night and it worked great. If you are making instant custard (ie birds) temper some egg yolks and stir them in for a much richer tasting custard.
I'm making mini strawberry, raspberry, and hibiscus custard tarts.

 

[𝕺𝖑' 𝕯𝖎𝖗𝖙𝖞 𝕱𝖆𝖙𝖘𝖔]

If you're making hummus from canned chickpeas you should still boil them for like 10 minutes or until they get mushy and then shock them with cold water like you do when you blanch spinach. They're usually too firm straight out of the can and won't blend very well.

 

[Cheeseburger Picnic]

- Buy spices at asian or mexican grocery stores if you can. 5 dollars of those shitty little McCormick bottles at a grocery chain can buy like a pound of the same spice at an ethnic grocery and they're usually better quality. Bulk aisle spices at grocery chains also an okay option but quality more iffy

- Buy spices like cumin whole and grind them yourself in a coffee grinder. If you grind a few tablespoons of rice afterwards it will remove the oils

- Saute your spices in a little bit of fat before adding your other ingredients, don't just dump them in the pot

- Saute rice with garlic and spices in some fat before cooking. Stir frequently until the rice smells toasty and isn't translucent. Then add salty water and cook the usual way

- Secret to really good chili: don't use chili powder. Rehydrate dried chili peppers in simmering water and blend them into a paste instead

- Add a tablespoon of vinegar when simmering bones for stock to help dissolve collagen and marrow, also try to crack the bones open before adding them to the stock pot

- Herbs like cilantro will last forever in the fridge if you put them in a jar full of water bouquet-style

 

[AnOminous]

- Saute rice with garlic and spices in some fat before cooking. Stir frequently until the rice smells toasty and isn't translucent. Then add salty water and cook the usual way

I do this with basmati but with just butter. Or ghee if I have that which I usually do not.

I also do it with steel-cut oats before adding water or whatever.

I also have a bizarre thing I call marmite risotto which is literally making a broth of marmite and slowly adding it to arborio, but in a really lazy and casual way nothing like actual risotto and more like I just want marmite flavored rice.

 

[HenryKissiger]

Whenever I'm cooking food, I like to add 1-2 tablespoons of Robinson's cream letters. I want to live my life of a sweet taste! You can also use dar, but use half the amount if you're not sure.

 

[AnOminous]

How to turn any fruit into sorbet: cut in cubes, freeze, put in food processor, add a bit of lemon juice.

Do NOT add sugar. There's already plenty in there.

Maybe add a bit of mint as garnish, then you can look fancy. It won't matter, it will be delicious anyway.

Also this way you can have watermelon in the middle of winter.

 

[𝕺𝖑' 𝕯𝖎𝖗𝖙𝖞 𝕱𝖆𝖙𝖘𝖔]

Microwave hot dogs wrapped in a wet paper towel for 30 seconds then put them on the bun (unwrapped obviously) and microwave for another 30 seconds to steam it

Yeah it's trashy but it makes a pretty good hot dog

 

[Shek$il]

Bread is never dead as long as it's not covered in mold. Even if your loaf has become like a stone, you can restore it to the freshest, softest and most lovely warm thing you've ever eaten. "How", you may ask?

"What do I need to buy to revitalize my petrified italian bread?"

Nothing. Pour water all over the bread. I mean turn on the sink and run the loaf under the water until it's wet. Then pop it in the oven at 350 for a bit (just check on it every 5-10 min) until it dries off. You'll have a delicious (and very hot), soft, revived loaf.

 

[Kel1 shi1]

Stand any leafy greens you have brought in a sink of water for an hour or so when you get them home, it revitalizes them like a bunch of flowers. It makes the veg last longer if you are not going to eat on the same day as well as you've arrested the drying out process.

 

[Begemot]

I do this with basmati but with just butter. Or ghee if I have that which I usually do not.

I also do it with steel-cut oats before adding water or whatever.

I also have a bizarre thing I call marmite risotto which is literally making a broth of marmite and slowly adding it to arborio, but in a really lazy and casual way nothing like actual risotto and more like I just want marmite flavored rice.

Would you be willing to use vegemite instead?