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Ask HN: What kitchen/cooking hacks that have been really effective for you?

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Re: Ask HN: What kitchen/cooking hacks that have been really effective for you?

#51

Post by yen223 »

zer00eyz wrote: post #34
ilovetux wrote: post #27

Good quality equipment especially a good stand mixer, food processor and stainless steel everything helps a lot. Shop at Sam's club or costco and potion large items ahead of time. Plan menu items that can be prepared in individual servings like a restaurant so everyone can have what they want for dinner with little hassle. The above tips let me run a family of 5 for about $300 per month food budget while serving deli…

I have to say that a decent blender is ALMOST a requirement as well. Off the top of my head things you can do with a blender that don't go well in the other devices you listed: Broccoli soup, vegetable stock and hollandaise have all come out of my blender recently. The blender makes all of these items rather trivial to make compared to their classical preparations.

If you have to choose, go for stick blenders or immersion blenders over tabletop ones. They're easier to store, easier to clean, and can work with all sorts of bowls and containers.

Re: Ask HN: What kitchen/cooking hacks that have been really effective for you?

#52

Post by yesenadam »

DoreenMichele wrote: post #49
yesenadam wrote: post #48

Earlier quoted context omitted.

ohh I didn't even notice I was replying to you . :-) p.s. You said you've done a lot of blogging - where can I find that online?

I recently removed a bunch of my work from the web or simply stopped developing it. There is a partial list of new/current (not very fleshed out) projects here: https://www.patreon.com/DoreenMicheleTraylor An old personal blog with substantial content is here: http://micheleincalifornia.blogspot.com/ I also have an old health blog called Mic Eats on blogspot that has substantial content. Like the one above, it is not…

Aha thanks. (Well, nothing can be removed from the web - still accessible via the WaybackMachine...)

Have you read Steven Pressfield's Nobody Wants To Read Your Shit? An entertaining read. Maybe will help you take it less personally that no-one seems to want to read/hear you.

>>There's a mantra that real writers know but wannabe writers don’t. And the secret phrase is this:

NOBODY WANTS TO READ YOUR SH*T.

Recognizing this painful truth is the first step in the writer's transformation from amateur to professional.

“When you understand that nobody wants to read your shit, you develop empathy. You acquire the skill that is indispensable to all artists and entrepreneurs—the ability to switch back and forth in your imagination from your own point of view as writer/painter/seller to the point of view of your reader/gallery-goer/customer. You learn to ask yourself with every sentence and every phrase: Is this interesting? Is it fun or challenging or inventive? Am I giving the reader enough? Is she bored? Is she following where I want to lead her?"<<

Re: Ask HN: What kitchen/cooking hacks that have been really effective for you?

#53

Post by yesenadam »

yesenadam wrote: post #52
DoreenMichele wrote: post #49

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I recently removed a bunch of my work from the web or simply stopped developing it. There is a partial list of new/current (not very fleshed out) projects here: https://www.patreon.com/DoreenMicheleTraylor An old personal blog with substantial content is here: http://micheleincalifornia.blogspot.com/ I also have an old health blog called Mic Eats on blogspot that has substantial content. Like the one above, it is not…

Aha thanks. (Well, nothing can be removed from the web - still accessible via the WaybackMachine...) Have you read Steven Pressfield's Nobody Wants To Read Your Shit ? An entertaining read. Maybe will help you take it less personally that no-one seems to want to read/hear you. >>There's a mantra that real writers know but wannabe writers don’t. And the secret phrase is this: NOBODY WANTS TO READ YOUR SH*T. Recognizin…

Sorry to quote this here, not sure if you mind. Maybe emailing would be better than being so 'off-topic' on HN.

"I spent a lot of years hoping that if I did something good for other people, it would come back to me somehow. I am currently realizing this was a really naïve idea"

To me, it doesn't sound naive enough! Sounds selfish.. Isn't knowing you are doing good for people enough? Isn't that something coming back to you? I've noticed a similar thing in people who say they believe "what goes around, comes around" as a reason for being a good person, without noticing that, well, it isn't really ethical behaviour then, it's an indirect way of being selfish. Christianity is infected with a similar thing re getting to heaven.

edit: ohh, also I guess I assumed you are new on here (like me), I see you are very far from that.

Re: Ask HN: What kitchen/cooking hacks that have been really effective for you?

#55

Post by tom_mellior »

DanBC wrote: post #47
ambivalents wrote: post #37

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Here's the tl;dr for anyone else interested: > It's remarkably simple. By boiling the rice in water mixed with coconut oil, you change the architecture of the rice, turning it into a "resistant starch," where two polysaccharides, amylose and amylopectin, connect to form indigestible bridges. Chilling the rice for 12 hours leads to further conversion of starches. The result is a food with far fewer calories. How did y…

> I've heard the same about potatoes - they are a resistant starch and with each subsequent cooling off/re-heating cycle you increase the resistant starch levels. Don't do that to rice though, you significantly increase the risk of food poisoning. (And heat doesn't prevent it.)

Reheating rice can cause food poisoning? I'd never heard of that, but it seems to be legit: https://www.nhs.uk/chq/Pages/can-reheating-rice-cause-food-p...

However, you have to leave cooked rice at room temperature for that to be a concern. The method discussed above speaks of "chilling" the rice.

In any case, I've eaten plenty of rice (and lots of other things) left at room temperature for a day, and I've never had problems. But yeah, anecdata.

Re: Ask HN: What kitchen/cooking hacks that have been really effective for you?

#56

Post by matt_the_bass »

anotheryou wrote: post #19

- chopping (onions): - - Cut with a big, sharp knife, use your knuckles for alignment so you don't cut yourself. - - Cut one direction, but don't worry about retaining the shape for the next cross-cut. Roughly align the stick-shapes after the first cut (spread out in to a longer line if too much to handle) and do the 2nd cut. It's not so bothersome if some onion pieces are not perfectly square, for things to cook eve…

Also out onions in the freezer for 10-15 minutes before cutting if they make your eyes tear. The cold reduces this effect.

Re: Ask HN: What kitchen/cooking hacks that have been really effective for you?

#57

Post by vram22 »

This thread reminds me of a similar one entitled something like "What are your food hacks?" that I saw on HN years ago.

I did a quick search for that thread on hn.algolia.com so that I could post the link, but did not find it, maybe because their data collection does not go back that far.

One of the comments in it that I found interesting was by PG, who wrote about how to cook rice and beans, to save on costs.

Wasn't just about the costs, was interesting otherwise too.

E.g. (after the prep) put the stuff in the cooker, and forget about it :)

Was reminded of it by both the thread subject and by this comment by navd in this thread:

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16144700

Re: Ask HN: What kitchen/cooking hacks that have been really effective for you?

#58

Post by vram22 »

When using green chillies in Indian gravy (i.e. wet) dishes, instead of adding and cooking them in the traditional way, try slicing them on both sides longitudinally (also remove heads and tips), and then add them to the dish somewhere in the middle or near the end of cooking. I discovered this technique while experimenting, and found that the resulting taste of the dish differs from the traditional use of chillies. It gives more of a good flavor and less of heat / spiciness.

Re: Ask HN: What kitchen/cooking hacks that have been really effective for you?

#59

Post by vram22 »

matt_the_bass wrote: post #56
anotheryou wrote: post #19

- chopping (onions): - - Cut with a big, sharp knife, use your knuckles for alignment so you don't cut yourself. - - Cut one direction, but don't worry about retaining the shape for the next cross-cut. Roughly align the stick-shapes after the first cut (spread out in to a longer line if too much to handle) and do the 2nd cut. It's not so bothersome if some onion pieces are not perfectly square, for things to cook eve…

Also out onions in the freezer for 10-15 minutes before cutting if they make your eyes tear. The cold reduces this effect.

I've heard that cutting them under water helps for that. I don't do it myself because I think (unscientifically) that the tearing they cause might be good to clean out the eyes of any gunk - particularly if living in an area with dust.

Re: Ask HN: What kitchen/cooking hacks that have been really effective for you?

#60

Post by vram22 »

fermienrico wrote: post #3

Freeze herbs - most herbs will retain flavor. I've used rosemary, thyme and lemongrass as old as 6 months. Ginger becomes really easy to grate if its frozen. So stick it in the freezer. Add freshly crushed Cardamom, saffron and pistachios to vanilla ice-cream. Orgasmic. Whack a garlic clove with the back of the knife. It will peel instantly. Put a lid on to boil faster (~10-15% faster in my experience) Add butter to…

>Whack a garlic clove with the back of the knife. It will peel instantly.

That reminds me of a supposedly Punjabi technique I heard from someone: take a whole onion and whack it hard onto a table. Instantly becomes sweet-tasting instead of pungent (if eating it raw). Don't know the science behind it, but have tried it, it works.

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