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Ask HN: got any food hacks?

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Re: Ask HN: got any food hacks?

#51

Post by gte910h »

jws wrote: post #41
endtime wrote: post #35

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As it stands, this is a bit of a surreal answer. Why do you advise eating lots of blueberries? And are vegan delivery chefs actually a widespread thing? Is there a central place to find local ones?

I think he's trying to turn the OP blue. I checked the nutrition data at wikipedia and compared to carrots. Except for vitamin B5 and a slight advantage in vitamin C, carrots kick blueberries butt by a wide margin. (plus cost a lot less) Of course, maybe I'm trying to turn people orange.

Blueberries are one of the cheapest foods that prevent the genesis of new blood vessels (and therefore is a good cancer fighting food). Carrots taste much less good than blueberries. Frozen blueberries are only slightly less tasty than ice cream and are nutritious as hell.

Re: Ask HN: got any food hacks?

#52

Post by johnswamps »

pgbovine wrote: post #39

iirc, pg mentioned something about cooking rice and beans or some other cheap but healthy food during his startup hacking days ... could somebody post a link if you remember it?

This is kind of random, but I recognized your username and I think your office is 2-3 rooms away from mine (gates 3rd floor)

Re: Ask HN: got any food hacks?

#53

Post by yesimahuman »

shard wrote: post #3

In my bachelor days during my bulking phases, I'd do the following to pack in the nutrients I needed: 1. Buy several bags of chicken drumsticks (de-skin if you want to lower fat intake), poke holes with a fork, marinate with wine / vinegar / soy sauce / herbs and spices for a few hours, put into broiler. I'd cook 30 or so at a time, and it'd last me days. 2. Ham or turkey or peanut butter sandwiches. 3. bags of froze…

Protein powder is great. It's so easy to make and filling. Add a tablespoon of natural peanut butter and you're good to go.

Re: Ask HN: got any food hacks?

#54

Post by Frazzydee »

phugoid wrote: post #47
Frazzydee wrote: post #4

This is going to sound really simple, but it's what I do. Take at your own risk, because I have a strong stomach. I cook food in bulk, and just re-cook it on the stove, make a bowl of rice, and eat it over the next week. Even meat, and it tastes about as good as the first time. I usually keep it in the fridge, but I'm fine even if it's left outside and covered. Might take a bit of time to cook the first time, but you…

You'll eventually poison yourself, Frazzydee. There are simple steps you can take to limit bacterial growth. If you have a fridge, you probably have a freezer. Invest 20$ in dollar-store tupperware, and freeze your food in single-servings. Try to keep your food either frozen or at least as hot as boiling.

I do have both, although I usually use the fridge.

I picked up this habit in China, where it seemed to be common to cook food and leave it out, covered with a net to keep mosquitos out. So I think whether or not you get really sick from this depends on your immune system.

That being said, you're right there can still be significant bacterial growth in a fridge.

Re: Ask HN: got any food hacks?

#55

Post by ubergeekchick »

Learn to Bake Required Hardware: The best food hack ever is as older than the origins of the word "hack" and almost every one has one: its called an oven.

The best part of baking is all the wonderful things that can be hacked together to improve your daily caffeine supply. From biscuits/cookies, cakes, coffee cake, yummy biscotties, and so so much more.

--BAKING HACK README--

Dependencies: Than on to ready-to-raise flour, eggs, water, and butter. With those four ingredients you can begin an template for many baking projects.

Recommended Ingredients: Sugar, Salt, Cinnamon, and Milk.

Optional Ingredients: Fruits, Veggies, Meats, and just about about any thing.

Optional Hardware: Aluminum foil and any of many various baking pans, e.g.: Cookie Sheets, Pie pans, Muffin pans, Bread pans, Pie pans, and etc.

To prove your "leet skillz": try replacing any said pan with an aluminum foil struct of a similar thickness & shape. Though for reasons of taste & safety this may also prove your absolute stupidity as well. But who care's cause you're leet: right? :-)

Now: go get baked!

Re: Ask HN: got any food hacks?

#57

Post by JesseAldridge »

shard wrote: post #3

In my bachelor days during my bulking phases, I'd do the following to pack in the nutrients I needed: 1. Buy several bags of chicken drumsticks (de-skin if you want to lower fat intake), poke holes with a fork, marinate with wine / vinegar / soy sauce / herbs and spices for a few hours, put into broiler. I'd cook 30 or so at a time, and it'd last me days. 2. Ham or turkey or peanut butter sandwiches. 3. bags of froze…

My list is similar. Healthy, cheap, and dead easy to prepare.

1. Cereal and milk

2. Oatmeal

3. Rice and beans

  - You have to soak the beans overnight before you cook them
  - After that, you cook them with rice in a rice cooker
  - After they're cooked, mix in some frozen vegetables and cook for a while longer to thaw the vegetables
  - Some kind of sweet and sour sauce is good with this
4. Noodles (all kinds)

  - You can also cook pasta in a rice cooker
  - Add frozen vegetables to this too
  - And tomato sauce (of course)
5. Chips

  - The baked variety are healthier and taste better (imo)
6. Fish

  - Buy frozen filets, cook in microwave
7. Melons

  - Cut off the rind with a big knife
  - Cut the flesh up into chunks 
  - Stick the chunks in tupperware and refrigerate
8. Peanut Butter

9. Whole-grain bread

10. Mixed Nuts

11. Carrots

  - Baby carrots are good snacks
12. Apples, oranges, and bananas

13. Cookies

14. Deli cheese

  - My favorite is gouda
Ok, those last two aren't so healthy, but they're delicious enough to be worth it imho.

(Also, I'm pescatarian if you couldn't tell.)

Re: Ask HN: got any food hacks?

#58

Post by reasonattlm »

Alternate day fasting. Cut your work in half, drop your food budget by 2/3 or so.

Cook lentil + onion + carrot + split pea soup in a pot on the weekend, then freeze it in portion sized boxes for the coming week. Buy bread with very high fiber content to go with it. That makes for one meal a day that's so easy no-one can mess it up, and doesn't take more than two hours a week to arrange in advance.

Re: Ask HN: got any food hacks?

#59

Post by dlevine »

A friend of mine runs a blog called BrokeAss Gourmet, which focuses on cheap and easy to make meals http://www.brokeassgourmet.com/

It's not exactly $1 per meal cooking, but you can make a good meal for not all that much (especially because, if you're single, one recipe will yield multiple servings)

Re: Ask HN: got any food hacks?

#60

Post by limist »

cynicalkane wrote: post #43

Problem: Vegetables are gross, and hard to prepare such that they taste good. Solution: vegetable smoothie. Ice, a banana, yogurt, milk, and a whole bunch of spinach, in proportions according to taste. This sounds disgusting, but it actually tastes really good. Make sure you have a banana though. Otherwise it will tastes like spinach, and that's not the goal here. After trying to report my discovery to the world, it…

I echo your choice of "green smoothies" - they're an outstanding solution to the cheap, fast, and healthy requirements. Though like you, the reactions I get from people generally involve disgust, even when those same people will happily pay $4 or $5 for essentially the same concept/drink at a health food store, for a quarter of the quantity and quality. Hell, half the drink may be ground-up ice and they only get half a banana too.

Most people are not rational, especially when it comes to food.

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