Hot Food Hacks Posts
News: Pizza Rolls Are a Better Use of Your Freezer's Built-in Ice Dispenser
I bet you've never put much thought into the water and ice dispensers that comes preinstalled in a lot of modern refrigerators and freezers. For chilled water or perfectly formed ice cubes, all you need to do is push the button and wait, right?
News: These Marshmallow Flowers Actually Bloom in Hot Chocolate
If we learned anything from Mulan, it's that "the flower that blooms in adversity is the most rare and beautiful of them all." Well, these have been a trying couple of weeks in the US, hence the need for a blooming marshmallow flower.
How To: 8 Simple Tweaks to Transform Your Boring Pumpkin Pie
Pumpkin pie is a symbol of autumn, and it's the traditional dessert to whip up for your fam when Thanksgiving Day arrives. But year after year of the same old thing can be a total bore if you're not a strict traditionalist. So, we found 8 unique ways to make that pie a little less snooze-fest and a little more interesting.
News: MSG Is the Ultimate Healthy Flavor Hack
Hear me out. No, really. Before you sharpen your pitchforks and give me anecdotal evidence of your Chinese restaurant syndrome, I think you need to know a few things about monosodium glutamate. First of all, it's a naturally-occurring chemical compound that can be found in anything from tomatoes to cheese, and is used in all kinds of foods from KFC to breakfast sandwiches. So spare me the comments on MSG and Chinese food—you probably eat MSG on a daily basis without even knowing it. (And also...
News: Candy Corn Is a National Treasure & Don't You Forget It [DEBATE]
Seriously, what's with all of the candy corn hate? I don't care what anyone says, candy corn is and always has been the perfect Halloween snack for me. Only recently did I realize that not everyone gets as hype as I do about small, sugary vegetables.
How To: Fish Cooked in Milk—It's Not Gross, It's Magic
Out of all of the "odd couple" food pairings you could imagine, this has got to be one of the outright weirdest.
How To: Your French Press Makes Homemade Apple Cider Easy AF
It's fall—so whether or not it's cold in your part of the world, it's time for apples and anything apple-related. (Please, don't get me started on pumpkin things. Seriously.)
How To: Use Leftover Pickle Juice When Making Dill Bread for Increased Flavor
Pickles are insanely versatile: we eat them on their own as a snack, as a tasty zing on burgers, and some of us even like them in a sandwich with peanut butter. And if you're already an avid reader of our site, you'd know that we're even crazier about pickle juice and its myriad uses.
How To: Flavorful & Intense Whipped Cream Is Simple with Freeze Dried Fruit
We're wild for whipped cream in our coffee, atop our brownies, and in-between wafer cookies, so we always have some in our fridge. To be specific, we always have homemade whipped cream in our fridge, because the taste is just so much better than the pre-made stuff.
How To: Vegans Rejoice! Finally, a Damn Good Substitute for Bacon
Seaweed isn't just for rolling sushi anymore. The food science world is introducing chefs and home cooks to dulse (rhymes with pulse), kale's wacky seaweed cousin that tastes surprisingly like bacon and may even be the next big superfood.
How To: Cooking Fish with Foil Is Fantastically Foolproof
Sometimes the idea of cooking fish, especially for a group of guests, can be intimidating. There's the fear of the fish not cooking right, or sticking to the pan or grill. And even if you cook it right and the fish doesn't stick, you're left with the inevitable fishy-smelling cleanup. Not fun!
Beetroot Ketchup: The Next Big Fry Fad
Step aside, Heinz: there's a new ketchup in town. Beetroot ketchup is the rising star of condiments. It's a vibrant, earthy, and sweet topping for summer BBQ burgers and grilled hot dogs, as well as a pretty un-beet-able dip for French fries. There's no corn syrup, it's paleo-friendly, and the beets give it a bright, bold flavor like no other sauce you have ever tasted.
How To: Never F' Up a Frittata Again with These 5 Tips
A carefully constructed frittata is one of the culinary world's perfect wonders. It's inexpensive to create, can be made with all sorts of leftovers, and is outstanding to eat for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. However, frittatas can go downhill fast and come out spongy, tasteless, dry, and over-done.
How To: Screw Store Bought—Make Mochi in Minutes in the Microwave
Mochi seems to be everywhere these days: as a topping at your local frozen yogurt shop, in ice cream balls (the green tea ones are heaven), and as colorful treats all over Instagram. It seems like mocha mania is in full force!
How To: Make Better-Tasting, Healthier Nutri-Grain Bars from Scratch
When we were kids, snacks on-the-go or in our lunch box were often Kellogg's Nutri-Grain cereal bars. There were flavors like strawberry, blueberry, and our beloved apple-cinnamon.
How To: 6 Wonderfully Weird Sorbet Flavors You Have to Try
Ah, the sensation of that first bite of sorbet in the heat of summertime: icy, refreshing, decadent in flavor and texture. We love sorbet almost as much as we love ice cream, and making it at home is actually pretty simple. Most recipes call for just water, sugar, and a base fruit of some sort (like strawberries or watermelon).
How To: Stop Arguing About How to Make the Best Snickerdoodles: We Have the Answer
If I were to write a snickerdoodle FAQ list, the top question would undoubtedly be "Do I really need to use cream of tartar in my snickerdoodle cookies?"
How To: Turn Gummy Bears into Popsicles... And 9 Other Crazy Ways to Eat 'Em
The iconic, lovable gummy bear originated in Germany, where it goes by the name Gummibär— but that's not what makes it so much fun. The base of gummy bears is made up of gelatin, which gives them the signature elasticity that makes you feel like a kid again. But the fun doesn't have to stop there.
How To: Save Money & Make Better Margaritas by Ditching the Store-Bought Mix
The cool tang and citrusy taste of a margarita in the summer is refreshing, to say the least. But when making margaritas at home, many of us opt for the ease of store-bought mix when it's actually really simple to make it instead.
How To: Make Amazing Affogato with Ice Cream Cubes
In Italian, the word affogato means "drowned." Kind of a morbid name for such a delicious goodie, right? But there's a reason it's called that.
How To: You Don't Need a Stone Oven to Make Kickass Pizzas
Making pizza at home is fun and easy—until you get your creation into the oven. Then all of a sudden, your crust gets soggy and your toppings ooze off into one big mess.
How To: Skewer All Your Sausages Together for Easier Grilling
Summer is a sensational time for barbecues of all sorts, and sausages always seem to be in the limelight. From backyards to ball parks and picnic tables, crafting the best barbecued sausage is an art well worth mastering.
How To: Freeze Your Bread the Right Way & Never Have It Go Stale Again
Bread doesn't have a long shelf life, as most of you probably know quite well from firsthand. You get it home from the store and before you know it, the loaf has turned from soft and perfectly pliable to hard and crumbly—and maybe even moldy! So what's the best way to keep your bread from going bad before you've finished off every delicious slice? Put it in your freezer. It's a simple solution that you've probably heard many times before, but one you probably don't use very often because you ...
How To: These 'Eggs in Clouds' Are the Heavenly New Way to Enjoy Breakfast
Scrambled, sunny side up, hard-boiled, soft-boiled, over easy, and poached: there are only so many ways to cook an egg before you get bored and look for inspiration somewhere else.
News: 8 Edible Cups That Make Finger Foods a Snap
"You can even eat the dishes," claims the song "The Candy Man Can" from 1971's Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. The idea of edible cups, even back then, grabbed my attention—any kid would much prefer to eat her dish instead of clean it afterward, of course!
How To: Food Processor Pasta Is So Easy Anyone Can Do It
Fresh, homemade pasta definitely beats the dried stuff from the store. However, most of us aren't usually in the mood to knead dough for 10 minutes... or to clean up a sticky, doughy, floury mess afterward.
How To: Make Disneyland's Famous Dole Whip at Home Using Only 2 Ingredients
A visit to Disneyland is not complete without a trip to the Tiki Juice Bar where the famous Dole Whip soft serve dessert resides. These golden swirls of frozen pineapple-y goodness are an essential part of any magical visit.
How To: This Weird Chopping Technique Helps Veggies Cook Faster
Chopping veggies is pretty straightforward: grab the right knife and start slicing. Nothing to it! However, the way you cut your food does affect the length of time it takes to cook, as well as how evenly it cooks. So the next time you need to get your vegetable from hard and crunchy to perfectly soft in mere minutes, give the oblique cut a try.
How To: Inject Tons of Flavor into Boring Dried Pasta by Toasting It
One of the common complaints about dry pasta is that it lacks depth of flavor. This is why, once cooked, it often pairs best with bold and complexly flavored sauces.
How To: Grate Fresh Tomatoes Instead of Buying Canned (You Can Thank Us Later)
The thought of peeling tomatoes for pasta sauces and soups has long been an overwhelming idea for us, one we often steer clear from when reading recipes or searching out new dishes to create. Even the methods that are supposed to speed up the peeling process (like roasting, poaching, and freezing) are more work than not.
How To: 10 Ways to Open a Beer Without a Bottle Opener
As exciting as it can be to crack open a beer, there's nothing fun about wandering around a party and asking other partygoers for a bottle opener.
How To: The Absolute Best Way to Prepare & Cook Artichokes
You've probably noticed artichokes at the front and center of your local grocery store or farmer's market recently, as spring is artichoke season; They may look like strange, complicated vegetables if you've never cooked them before.
News: 10 Matzo Dishes That Will Make Passover Way More Bearable
With Passover soon upon us, many Jews are dreading a week (or eight days for Conservative and Orthodox Jews) of making matzo, the staple of their diet. Matzo is also known as "the bread of affliction," and I'm pretty sure it's because by day three or so you're convinced that matzo is the 11th plague.
News: Sip in Style with These Delectable Cocktail Rims
Cocktail rims are an easy way to add extra fun and pizzazz to your favorite drink; Most cocktail rims only take a few minutes to put together, and are a great way to add a burst of flavor to compliment what you're drinking.
How To: Add a Burst of Flavor to Your Drinks with These Fruity Ice Cubes
A cold drink on a hot day is a welcome sight; but a cold drink with ice-encased fruit is both both refreshing and irresistible.
How To: 10 Ways to Take Grilled Cheese to the Extreme
I know I'm in the majority when I say that grilled cheese sandwiches are one of life's simplest and best pleasures: gooey, rich, melted cheese, sandwiched between two perfectly-buttered pieces of toast... perfection.
How To: Impress Your Drinking Buddies with These 10 Pro Cocktail Hacks
Once again, you've found yourself inviting comrades, companions, and compatriots over for beverages on a Friday evening whim... but alas, your alcohol cabinet is looking rather meager, and your skills are lacking. No worries—just utilize these 10 tricks and spice up your at-home mixology game. Your friends will be none the wiser (and swear that you are a cocktail-concocting genius).
How To: This Hack Keeps Ingredients from Sticking to Your Measuring Cups
One of the more annoying parts about cooking or baking at home is dealing with sticky ingredients. You scrape the peanut butter out of the jar and into a measuring cup to make sure you have the right amount for your recipe, then scrape the correct amount into the bowl you're cooking with.
How To: Here's the Trick to Making Klondike Bars in All Your Favorite Flavors
Let's set the scene: you're at home, it's late in the evening, and you have a hankering for those deliciously decadent chocolate-wrapped squares of ice cream goodness. You could drive to the store and pick up the usual pack of Klondike Bars in the ice cream aisle... or, you can easily make these babies in the comfort of your own home with only three ingredients for a fraction of the cost—in any flavor you want! The choice is obvious. So, without further ado... Ready, set, Klondike!
How To: These 5 Recipes Prove That Tea Is a Delicious Addition to Anything
A cup of ginger tea with lemon first thing in the morning, a pick-me-up cup of green tea (or matcha) to fight off the afternoon slump and a soothing cup of chamomile tea to help me unwind before bed—I would be lying if I said I weren't a major tea enthusiast.