Cooking

Buy $100 of oatmeal at Costco if you eat it every day.

It sets you up for the year.

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Switch to a super-automatic espresso machine that grinds whole beans before brewing.

Whole roasted beans cost one-third or one-fourth the price of pods, and this eliminates plastic pod waste.

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Start the day with a Japanese-style breakfast of riceballs, fruit, small oily fish, miso soup, and tea.

It is cheap, low-fat, and feels good.

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Buy butter in bulk and store the majority in the freezer, keeping only a small amount in the fridge.

Butter can be frozen to preserve it when bought at a good deal.

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Use light roast beans for cold brew to get a milder, sweeter taste.

Dark roasts can result in a sharp taste that emphasizes the roasting process over the coffee flavor.

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Add cardamom powder to your coffee.

The aroma and sweet spice improve the taste and flavor of the drink.

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• Add a cardamom pod, cinnamon sticks, or vanilla extract to coffee grounds during brewing.1

Spend more on high-quality ingredients for home cooking rather than paying chefs at restaurants.

Home-cooked meals can be better than restaurant versions despite lower cost.

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Approach farmers market vendors while they are packing up to buy surplus produce at a discount.

Vendors prefer selling remaining fruit for cash rather than transporting it back home.

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• Ask farmers market vendors for 'seconds' after they have assisted full-price customers.1
• Buy misshapen or 'ugly' fruit from farmers markets at a discount.1

If you struggle to decide what to cook, use an app that provides dead simple recipes with little cleanup required.

To reduce spending on delivery services.

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Use at least 50% frozen fruit in smoothies instead of ice cubes.

This prevents watering down the drink and maintains a stronger flavor.

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Use a moka pot with fine sand-sized grounds to brew coffee.

It uses pressure and a metal filter to produce a strong result that highlights bean quality.

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Buy the pre-chopped omelette or pizza topping kit from Trader Joe's to reduce food waste.

Cutting whole vegetables often results in unused portions being thrown out.

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To lower food costs, one approach is to eat one large meal a day using canned meat from discount stores.

keeping my costs down

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Increase the amount of old yeast used or wait longer for the dough to rise.

Old yeast becomes less effective rather than going bad completely.

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Whip pumpkin puree with cinnamon, nutmeg, stevia extract, espresso, milk, and ice to make a flavored coffee drink.

It tastes better and costs less than store-bought versions.

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Keep frozen versions of favorite takeout foods, like dumplings or pizza, on hand to satisfy cravings at a lower cost.

It allows you to feel like you had the treat you craved while saving money.

• There is a potential issue of relying on them too much.

one person who lived it

Drink hot chocolate as a coffee alternative for its thicker texture and low cost.

It has a similar thicker texture and is very cheap.

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If you want to save leftover espresso for later, mix it with milk before storing or freezing rather than keeping the shots plain.

Plain espresso shots degrade very quickly on their own.

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Let boiled water sit for about 30 seconds to a minute after removing it from the heat to reach an best brewing temperature.

Using boiling water directly can scald the coffee and make it bitter.

2 people, independently

Buy soup bones and freeze them to make homemade stock instead of buying store-bought.

The difference in quality is huge.

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Eat bananas when they are starting to brown for maximum sweetness.

They lose their tartness as they start to go brown and become really sweet.

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Keep frozen fast-food-style items like burgers, fries, and taquitos in the freezer for days when you are too tired to cook.

It provides a convenient meal option at half the price of ordering delivery.

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Choose decaf coffee processed via the Swiss water method to preserve flavor better than other decaf methods.

It keeps the flavor.

• It is pretty expensive.

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Dilute strong cold brew concentrate with water, typically in a 50/50 ratio, before drinking.

Undiluted concentrate can be too strong and cause jitters.

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Use a stick of cinnamon instead of ground cinnamon in reusable filters.

Ground cinnamon clogs the filter.

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• Sandwich cinnamon between two layers of coffee grounds when using a reusable mesh filter.1

Add an espresso shot to brownie batter in place of water to add to the flavor.

It provides a major bump to the brownies' flavor.

one person who lived it

Use high-quality beans and proper brewing methods to make black coffee taste good without additives.

Better coffee requires less doctoring to taste good.

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Make coffee at home with a French press and grinder to save money compared to fancy machines.

The initial investment is small compared to fancy coffee makers and filters, and the result is awesome coffee.

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Store coffee at room temperature if consuming within two weeks, in the fridge for two to four weeks, or in the freezer for over a month.

Prevents volatilization and oxidation of dried natural products.

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Double the chocolate chips in baking recipes unless making ice cream or preferring distinct cookie flavor.

Nobody will complain about too many chips in cookies, but it can overwhelm the cookie flavor or result in eating just frozen chips in ice cream.

• Some people reduce chips to preserve cookie flavor.
• Too many chips can make the treat taste like a chocolate bar.

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Use a consistent grind size rather than a coarse one to prevent tiny particles from escaping the screen.

Inconsistent grinds create tiny particles that escape the screening.

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Buy mixed color peppercorns from bulk spice stores to save money and improve flavor.

It is cheaper and has better flavor.

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Keep steeping water below roughly 80°C to avoid burning the grounds and extracting bitter compounds.

Prevents 'burning' the grounds and extracting bitter nasties.

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When making coffee in shared spaces, place regular coffee in black or brown pots and decaf in orange pots to maintain order.

This simple rule separates us from anarchy.

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Grow your own sourdough starter to eliminate the need to purchase yeast.

It is easy to maintain if you feed the starter regularly.

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Sweeten coffee with maple syrup.

It provides a deeper flavor.

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Buy slightly more expensive tortillas marketed as 'wraps' for better structural integrity.

They are easier to handle and do not fall apart as easily as cheaper ones.

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Make homemade sandwiches and heat them up instead of buying frozen prepared meals like Hot Pockets.

It tastes better.

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Ask for your bread and toppings to be served separately so you can assemble the sandwich right before eating to prevent sogginess.

It keeps the sandwich fresher.

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Dip biscuits in coffee quickly when making tiramisu.

Soaking them too long makes the dessert soggy.

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Consider Cafe Bustelo as a cheaper, non-acidic alternative to other budget espresso blends.

It is way cheaper than others, pretty good, and not acidic like other cheap ones.

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Peel fresh garlic, dehydrate it in the oven on very low heat, and grind it up to make homemade garlic powder, which is cheaper than buying it.

Cheaper than buying it

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Store open yeast in a sealed container in the fridge.

Yeast dies quickly at room temperature and loses effectiveness due to moisture and heat.

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Store edibles in a secure, out-of-sight location like a cupboard while leaving regular snacks accessible on the counter.

This makes it less likely that someone will accidentally eat the edibles.

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Make your own limoncello.

It is super easy and delicious.

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Peel and cut bananas before sealing them in a container to freeze for later use in smoothies.

Attempting to use frozen bananas without peeling them first results in failure.

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Put a small pinch of salt into your mug or grounds to boost flavor.

3 people, independently

Do not refrigerate tomatoes.

Temperatures below 50 degrees F permanently disable the flavor compound (Z)-3-hexenal.

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Use Ceylon (Indian) or Korintje cinnamon instead of standard supermarket cassia for superior aroma and flavor; if only cassia is available, buy sticks rather than powder.

Standard supermarket 'cinnamon' is usually cassia, not actual cinnamon.

one person who lived it

• Look for real 'true cinnamon' (Cinnamomum verum) or Ceylon/Sri Lankan cinnamon at Indian groceries for a superior experience.1

Use filtered or distilled water instead of tap water for brewing.

Tap water contains impurities that brew worse coffee and causes calcium buildup requiring frequent cleaning.

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Do not reuse coffee grounds for brewing.

Good flavors extract at different rates and are gone after the first brew; additionally, ground coffee oxidizes rapidly.

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Adjust the type and amount of oil used to customize the outcome.

Outcome depends on these variables

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Buy high-quality British brands of English Breakfast tea instead of standard US brands for a better experience with milk.

It creates a very different experience compared to brands like Lipton.

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Purchase reusable silicone cupcake liners to eliminate the need for buying disposable liners repeatedly.

They can be washed and reused, saving money over time.

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Add chocolate chips to granola only after it has cooled.

Prevents melting.

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Buy a cheap waffle maker and freeze homemade waffles made from pancake mix if store-brand frozen options are unavailable or too expensive.

It provides a low-cost alternative for having hot breakfasts available later.

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Add cinnamon and orange peel to cold brew.

One person reported this combination is pretty amazing.

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Add salt to grapefruit instead of sugar.

to eliminate the bitter rather than masking it

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Make your own spice blends using spices you already have instead of buying expensive pre-mixed specialty spices.

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Blend frozen espresso with sugar to create a smooth iced dessert similar to granita or tiramisu components.

Adding sugar before freezing stops it from freezing too hard, making it easier to blend and resulting in a smooth, non-icy texture.

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Transfer flour from its original packaging into a sealable plastic container to reduce mess when measuring.

Original paper bags are difficult to extract flour from without making a mess.

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If you use Flavacol 2045, apply only a very small amount, such as one-quarter teaspoon per bag, to avoid an overpowering taste and gritty texture.

Too much makes the popcorn taste like Cheetos and feel gritty with micro-salt.

one person who lived it

Add lots of rice to soup to create a hearty, porridge-like consistency.

It is cheap and tastes great.

2 people, independently

Add acid like lemon juice or vinegar to dishes that taste bland or 'need something'.

Acid often fixes flavor issues when salt or herbs do not.

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Prepare pasta on the day you eat it rather than in advance.

It takes only 10 minutes after boiling.

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Season cooked rice with soy sauce.

It improves the taste.

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Dry cut potatoes and salt them before frying.

They come out with great results.

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Add fresh ketchup from a packet to leftover fast food burgers to improve the taste.

It can make the burger taste better than when it was fresh.

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Save vegetable scraps to make stock.

Peelings can help add color to the stock.

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Serve sweet cobbler with ice cream.

To cut the sweetness.

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Add pickled banana peppers or just the juice from their jar to dishes.

They are a win for flavor.

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Fry ripe plantains and layer them with cheddar cheese sauce, then bake as a casserole.

Ripe plantains fry up deliciously sweet.

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Make tomato and egg over rice.

It is a Chinese staple in every home.

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When tossing salad directly in the bowl, add vinegar and toss with vegetables first, then add oil.

Adding oil first coats the vegetables, preventing proper dressing absorption.

• For spinach and arugula, some prefer adding oil first to massage it in, then adding acid; adding acid first can make these greens soggy.

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Make pumpkin curry.

Pumpkin pairs well with curry.

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Use chicken bones and vegetable scraps to make broth after cooking the bird.

Adds flavor.

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Make pineapple spam fried rice as an easy recipe variation.

It is an easy recipe.

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Add unsweetened cocoa powder to chili to add to flavor.

It is a secret ingredient for great chili.

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Put Sriracha on various foods to add to flavor.

It increases heat without changing the underlying flavor.

• Some prefer Frank's Red Hot, noting that Sriracha does not make food taste like vinegar.

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Select red potatoes for dishes like salads or casseroles where the potato needs to hold its shape.

Reds hold up better when boiled compared to varieties that fall apart or dissolve in stews or soups.

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Stretch ground beef by mixing in beans, lentils, or diced potatoes.

It makes the meat go further while maintaining a meaty taste.

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Squeeze lime or lemon juice into guacamole to maintain green color and improve taste.

It helps maintain the green color and makes it taste better.

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Char onions, garlic, ginger, and shallots before adding them to broth.

It helps improve the flavor.

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Add soy sauce, protein such as shrimp or chicken, and cheese to fried rice.

One person reported this combination was excellent.

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Scrub potatoes with an aluminum mesh scrubber to clean them quickly without peeling.

It scrubs the skin just enough to make it very clean and is faster than using a brush.

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Make potato and pea samosas if you already have the necessary spices.

They are really good.

• Requires having the specific spices on hand.

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Add maple syrup to salad dressing for sweetness.

It improves the flavor if the dressing lacks sweetness.

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Make pea and ham soup by soaking the ham bone first, then cooking it with split peas, onions, garlic, carrots, stock, and MSG seasoning packets without adding extra salt.

Soaking the ham results in a less salty, better-tasting soup.

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Buy condiments like chili powder, curry, and Tabasco whenever possible to switch up the flavors of rice and beans.

It helps make up for eating the same base every day.

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Make chickpea cutlets by mashing or blending chickpeas, seasoning them, adding flour, and frying them.

chickpeas are really cheap and super good protein

one person who lived it

Eat tamago kake gohan (raw egg over rice) as a frugal meal option.

It is actually pretty frugal.

one person who lived it

Make a potato dip by melting cottage cheese and adding hot sauce.

It is surprisingly delicious.

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Leave potato skins on when cooking to reduce waste and effort.

Skins contain most of the vitamins, antioxidants, fiber, and flavor.

one person who lived it

Use oyster sauce sparingly in fried rice primarily for color rather than taste.

The taste won't be overwhelming if used for color only.

one person who lived it

Pressure cook potatoes instead of boiling them.

It prevents crumbling edges and watered-down taste.

one person who lived it

Toss a little mustard into mayonnaise when making tuna or chicken salad for a subtle kick.

It adds a nice subtle flavor enhancement.

one person who lived it

Add MSG to popcorn to get a movie theater flavor profile.

It provides the specific taste associated with theater popcorn.

one person who lived it

Put capers or shaved Parmesan in the bottle when shaking dressing to act as a shaker ball.

The bits help agitate the mixture for better emulsification.

one person who lived it

• Shake the mustard jar vigorously to emulsify homemade dressing.1

Use the meatloaf recipe on Heinz ketchup bottles or Lea & Perrins Worcestershire sauce wrappers.

They provide simple, classic, and awesome recipes.

2 people, independently

Steam red or golden potatoes if you find them easier to digest.

One person reported this method provided the best digestibility for them.

one person who lived it

Use Budget Bytes recipes for pizza dough and sauce to create a cheaper and more appetizing meal.

These recipes include price breakdowns and are considered much more appetizing.

one person who lived it

Use hot sauces as low-calorie condiments since they are primarily vinegar and mashed peppers.

They're vinegar and mashed peppers.

one person who lived it

Use celery sticks to apply blue cheese dressing to buffalo wings instead of dipping the wings.

Celery acts as an effective applicator that prevents blue cheese chunks from falling off, counterbalances the acidity of hot sauce to ease heartburn, and aids digestion in meat-heavy meals.

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Blend slightly wilted vegetables into veggie shakes.

Other flavors and textures mask the slight wilting.

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Shake fast-food salads in their plastic containers with the lid on tightly to evenly distribute dressing and ingredients.

Shaking mixes the dressing and all ingredients together more evenly than stirring.

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Use coarse salt and cracked peppercorn in salads, especially those with sweet ingredients like strawberries or peaches.

It totally elevates the dish.

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Eat ramen noodles with peanut butter sauce and plenty of vegetables.

Peanut sauce is versatile

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Undercook onions when making chili.

The ingredients will meld together during the cooking process.

one person who lived it

Grate carrots into foods like meatloaf or casseroles to increase nutrition and fiber, or steam and mash them into spaghetti sauce for thickness and extra vegetables.

It increases nutrition and fiber content.

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Serve pesto on potatoes.

It is a wonderful flavor combination.

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Partially cut string cheese sticks, freeze them briefly, then process into a crumble for easier cooking.

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Add salt to tomatoes to bind with glutamic acid and form monosodium glutamate.

This enhances umami.

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Toss wings in sauce after cooking rather than before to maintain crispiness.

Saucing before baking or frying prevents the wings from staying crisp.

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Use two-bite brownies instead of graham crackers for s'mores.

They hold together better.

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Cook rice in the same pan used for browning meat so it absorbs the drippings and oils.

The rice soaks up the delicious drippings and flavors from the meat and oils.

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Pan-fry uncooked rice with oil and spices or tomato paste before adding water to toast it and add to flavor.

Frying the rice toasts it and adds a nice flavor.

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Use vodka in frying batter, such as tempura, to slow down gluten formation.

Slows down gluten formation.

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Warm the pan before adding popover batter to help them maintain their shape.

Warming the pan helps popovers keep their 'pouf'.

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Line brownie pans with parchment paper to help prevent sticking and manage texture.

Parchment paper helps tremendously with sticking.

• Some believe parchment paper does not change the taste and the effect may be placebo.

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Use bacon grease instead of oil in cake-mix-to-cookie-dough recipes for extra flavor.

Extra extra flavor.

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Bake brownies in the largest sheet pan possible to cut down on the ratio of crusty edges to center.

Larger pans result in less nasty crusty edges.

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Bake potatoes in the oven with salt and olive oil instead of microwaving them to get crispy skin.

Oven baking produces superior texture and crispy skin compared to microwaving.

2 people, independently

Rinse potato slices until the water runs clear to remove starches.

Otherwise they will burn before becoming crisp.

one person who lived it

Chew popcorn lightly to prevent husks from getting stuck between teeth.

Light chewing reduces the likelihood of driving kernels into teeth.

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Use regular popped kernels instead of microwave popcorn for caramel recipes.

Regular popcorn is better, cheaper, and requires little extra work.

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Use coconut oil instead of butter for popcorn made in air-popper machines to avoid difficult cleaning and achieve a buttery taste with salt.

Coconut oil is easier to clean than melted butter; adding Flavocal creates a buttery, salty taste without needing melted butter.

one person who lived it

Avoid using frozen vegetables in egg mixtures like quiches or omelettes.

One person reported not having much success with this combination.

one person who lived it

Blend oats into flour before adding them to smoothies to avoid chunks.

Blending them first creates an oat flour texture with no chunks.

one person who lived it

Make oat milk as an alternative to almond milk.

It takes less time.

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Use UHT milk to make yogurt if fresh milk spoils too quickly in your area.

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Use a small amount of store-bought yogurt to start your first batch, then reserve a portion from each subsequent batch to inoculate the next one.

• The culture strength may decrease over time.
• Some people prefer to buy a new starter cup every few batches rather than reusing indefinitely.

4 people, independently

Make a homemade dressing using 6% yogurt, mayo, salt, pepper, garlic, paprika, mustard powder, herbs, olive oil, and lemon; let it rest in the fridge to improve the taste.

It tastes even better after resting.

one person who lived it

Add uncooked oatmeal to smoothies to increase volume and satiety.

It bulks up the smoothie and makes it quite filling.

one person who lived it

Substitute butternut or buttercup winter squash for pumpkin in recipes to save money and achieve a similar taste.

It is often cheaper and tastes just like pumpkin.

2 people, independently

Mix plant-based milk with bouillon paste to create a rich, dairy-free broth without adding plain water.

It is fantastically rich and delicious.

one person who lived it

Use Better Than Bouillon as a stock substitute.

It is highly flavorful and considered better than some homemade stocks.

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Use thick rolled oats for homemade granola.

They are heartier when toasted.

one person who lived it

Substitute coconut oil for regular oil in cake-mix-to-cookie-dough recipes for extra flavor.

Extra flavor.

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Shred string cheese and use it as a substitute for shredded mozzarella in dishes such as homemade gluten-free pizza, chicken parmesan, stuffed peppers, or stuffed mushrooms.

String cheese is essentially low-moisture mozzarella.

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Make tomato soup with milk instead of water to tone down acidity.

It naturally tones down the acidity and improves flavor compared to using water.

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Use Textured Vegetable Protein (TVP) as a meat substitute in dishes like chili.

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Substitute applesauce for oil in brownie recipes.

it's even better

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Incubate the yogurt mixture in a warm environment for 8–12 hours, such as overnight, allowing the cultures to activate.

• Ensure the temperature is not too high, or the milk may spoil.

4 people, independently

Fold Greek yogurt into whipped aquafaba (chickpea water) to create a flavored alternative.

It is cost-effective if you are already using canned chickpeas.

one person who lived it

Substitute Reese's Peanut Butter Cups for plain chocolate when making S'mores.

Extra deliciousness.

2 people, independently

Sweeten homemade oat milk with dates, vanilla, honey, maple syrup, cinnamon, or nutmeg.

3 people, independently

Flavor plain yogurt with ingredients like vanilla and stevia only when serving specific dishes like parfaits.

Keeping it unflavored maintains versatility for other uses.

one person who lived it

Cook mug brownies for 1 to 1 minute 20 seconds depending on microwave power, and wait for them to cool because they are extremely hot.

it's SO FUCKING HOT

one person who lived it

Poke holes in a raw potato, wrap it in a damp paper towel, and microwave it for 6 to 8 minutes.

4 people, independently

Disassemble frozen breakfast sandwiches and reheat the components separately.

The patty takes longer to heat than the egg, and the muffin can be toasted.

one person who lived it

Break apart large pieces of frozen broccoli before eating or cooking.

The pieces are often unmanageably large to bite directly.

one person who lived it

Butcher your own pork if you have access to a source to create various products like chorizo, smoked meats, chops, and loins.

It creates fabulous results.

one person who lived it

Char cabbage instead of steaming it to get a complex, juicy flavor.

Steamed cabbage is described as soggy and smelling bad, while charred cabbage is gourmet.

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Refrigerate meat drippings to use as a fat source in savory dishes.

It saves on butter and oil.

one person who lived it

Adjust cooking methods for grass-fed beef, as it is typically leaner.

Grass-fed beef is typically more lean.

one person who lived it

Use sous vide to pasteurize pork at lower temperatures for a moister, tender result.

It safely pasteurizes the meat while keeping it moist and tender.

one person who lived it

Sift flour before measuring by volume to ensure uniform density and prevent adding too much flour.

It ensures uniform density and prevents adding too much flour, leading to homogenous batter and consistent results.

one person who lived it

Check retail chain policies before requesting custom messages on cakes.

Different chains may have different policies on this.

one person who lived it

Learn to cook Indian food to improve vegetarian or vegan meals.

Indian cuisine is designed for vegetarians and vegans, offering many flavorful plant-based dishes.

one person who lived it

Use frozen vegetables in dishes like protein bowls or leftovers where texture changes are less noticeable.

They retain a decent texture in these applications, unlike roasting.

one person who lived it

Verify ingredients when eating Indian cuisine, as it is predominantly vegetarian (containing dairy) rather than vegan.

Vegetarianism is popular in India, but most Indian vegetarians eat dairy, including ghee (butter).

one person who lived it

Serve hummus, pasta salad, couscous, quinoa dishes, or tacos as popular vegan party food.

These dishes are often vegan and tend to go surprisingly fast, sometimes becoming the most popular items at parties.

one person who lived it