Food Hacks Features
How To: Plants Like to Binge, Too! The Guilty-Pleasure Foods Flowers Thrive On
Having someone send you flowers will almost always lift your spirits. Wilting, dying flowers, on the other hand, aren't so great to look at and smell even worse. While there are time-honored tricks to keep flowers alive longer (change the water regularly, put a penny in the bottom of the vase, and cut stems diagonally are three that come to mind), it turns out that a few items in your kitchen are pretty useful at making sure those blooms stay perky.
How To: Drink Less Wine Without Even Trying
An open bottle of wine can be dangerous. You intend to enjoy—nay, savor—a single glass, but then two episodes of Top Chef later, that sucker is empty. Now you have to go to work the next day with a wine hangover. What happened? Turns out there are some unconscious reasons you might be chugging more wine than you wanted. Never fear. Along with clenching your fists to make better food choices, there are some tricks you can use to moderate your wine intake. Researchers at Cornell University disc...
How To: Screw Sandwiches—Toast Is Where It's At
Local cafés and food bloggers are catching onto a gourmet toast trend that makes bread and butter look like movies before color TV was invented.
How To: Save Your Money—Sparkling Wine Can Be Just as Good as Champagne
My years in the restaurant business have taught me many things. Some of those things are best left unsaid and other things require a PhD in vulgarity, but the one thing I learned that I keep coming back to night after night is that you do not have to spend a lot of money to drink excellent wine. This is especially true of champagne...I'm sorry, sparkling wines.
How To: 6 Delicious Twists on the Classic BLT Sandwich
When I get struck by a craving for something SCJ (savory, crunchy, juicy), nothing fits the bill better than a BLT. But why settle for the sandwich form when there are so many other possibilities? Some of my favorite alternative ways to serve up a BLT are 1) as a salad, 2) in tomato cups, 3) in mini bread bowls, 4) as lettuce wraps, 5) as a dip, and 6) in bacon cups.
How To: These Impressive Pastries Are Actually Super Easy to Make at Home
If you've ever found yourself staring at intricately woven pastries at your local bakery and wondered how they do it, you'd be surprised to know it's not all that difficult. Those pastries with differing shapes and lovely lattice work may scream endless preparation and meticulous attention to detail, but they're actually quite easy to make at home.
How To: 10 Ways to Take Frozen Hot Chocolate to the Next Level
The original frozen hot chocolate is from Serendipity 3, an extremely famous eatery in NYC. However, its fame had created many copycat recipes, which eventually prompted its owner, Stephen Bruce, into releasing the delicious recipe in 2004.
Food Tool Friday: Yes, You Can Compost (Even Without a Yard)
Food waste is a topic near and dear to my heart, but the truth is, no matter how dutiful we are about finding ways to double-down on food scraps, a lot of stuff goes into the trash needlessly.
News: Put Your Waffle Iron to Good Use by Creating a Pizza Waffle
Chicken and waffles are so yesterday. Well... it's not that we won't always love them, but it's time to move on to bigger and better things, such as the pizza waffle.
How To: 6 Ways to Have Your Bowl & Eat It Too
Edible bowls are glorious for plenty of reasons. They create fewer dishes, they're pretty to look at, and, well... you can eat them. There are many different options out there you can choose, like bacon cups, hollowed out apples, and molded hash browns, but these are 6 personal favorites of ours to use as edible food vessels.
How To: The Perfect Three-Course Meal for Peanut Butter Lovers
The peanut butter and jelly sandwich has officially left the building. When you eat this every other day in elementary school, you've sort of reached your limit. The thing is, peanut butter itself is delicious and quite versatile if used in the right way. Let's explore this kitchen cabinet staple and showcase it via the three dinner courses.
How To: Up Your Latke Game with These Fun Variations for Hanukkah
Unquestionably, one of the best parts of Hanukkah is the prevalence of latkes during the 8-day celebration. But even the most dedicated spud fanatic can get a little "latke'd out" as the week drags on. Here are some alternative preparations for latkes that will give you some variety in your celebratory food choices throughout the Hanukkah season.
How To: Make Tot Chos (Bacon, Tater Tots, Gravy, Cheese)
This is an amazing appetizer, called Tot Chos. This is for anyone and everyone that love bacon, tater tots, gravy, and cheese. Such an awesome combination! You can't go wrong. An explosion of flavor with every bite. I was first introduced to these over a year ago at a burger joint here in AZ. It was hooked after the first bite. So I decided to make them. Enjoy!
How To: Girl Scout Cookie Recipe Rip-Offs: Thin Mints, Samoas, & Tagalongs
CHOW presents a guide that may stir up a little competition for our nation's young Girl Scouts. Prefer homemade to preservatives? Then check out CHOW's spin on three classic Girl Scout cookie recipes below.
How To: This Trick Makes Spaghetti Squash “Noodles” More Like Actual Pasta
Using spaghetti squash "noodles" for a healthy, low-carb meal seems like such a great idea, but as many of us know, turning this vegetable into a decent pasta facsimile usually has less-than-satisfying results. The usual method is to cut the squash lengthwise and roast, microwave, or steam it. Often, it comes out overcooked and underwhelming.
How To: Why You Shouldn't Rinse Raw Meat Before Cooking It (Even if Your Recipe Says To)
Both professional and home cooks have been rinsing raw chicken and turkey before cooking it for what seems like forever. It's one of those divisive practices—either you do it or you don't, and people tend to be rather opinionated on their stances.
Your Fridge: You're Using It Wrong
When you come home from the grocery store, you probably put away every single fruit and vegetable in the bins and drawers in your refrigerator. Any fifth grader knows that fridges work to preserve food, thus everything should go in there, right? Nope!
How To: 10 Quick & Easy Herbal Drinks That Relieve Aches & Pains
When a headache strikes, I reach for the nearest painkiller. Forget closing my eyes, laying down, or even applying an ice pack—I seek the quickest and most immediate relief possible, and normally that comes in the form of pills. However, fast relief can be found from another, more natural source: herbal beverages. So if you're tired of popping pills when you have aches and pains, try some of these herbal drinks out instead.
How To: 5 Ways to Make Crispier French Fries, Chicken Nuggets, & Bacon at Home
I know Americans love to hate on the French, but from my standpoint, they've given us a lot of things we should all be thankful for, like French kissing, casual sex, Pepé le Pew, and of course, French fries. Well, maybe not...
How To: Clean Tarnished Metal Using This Common Condiment
Most of you probably spread ketchup all over hamburgers and fries. Some of you may even drink it straight. But did you know that tame (and slightly addictive) condiment in your fridge is also a powerful cleaning agent?
How To: Yes, You Should Add Water to Your Whisky & Here's Why
Before I get ostracized by all of you whisky lovers who live and die by whisky served neat, let me say my piece.
How To: You Only Need 3 Ingredients for This Amazing Pasta Sauce
One of my favorite things is finding an easy way to make what is normally a complex dish. Case in point: pasta sauce. Usually its depth of flavor is the result of fresh herbs, shallots, tomatoes, seasonings, olive oil, and a touch of dairy being cooked and added in stages. Long simmering mellows out each component's inherent character and turns pasta sauce into something that is far greater than the sum of its parts.
How To: 9 Drinking Straw Hacks That Don't Suck
The drinking straw isn't just there to help you make annoying noises when you get to the bottom of your soda. That little tube of plastic is extremely versatile and can make your life a lot easier with a little know-how. Curious? Read on to find out more.
How To: 10 Awesome Food Hacks That Every Home Cook Should Know
Every home cook has their most-hated kitchen task. For me, peeling hard-boiled eggs and garlic are pretty high up there. Actually, peeling just about anything is, but for every annoying job, there's a shortcut to make it easier.
How To: 5 Lightning-Fast Tricks for Peeling Annoying Fruits and Vegetables
I think part of the reason why I don’t eat more vegetables or fruits is because there's always a process—a simple one, but a process nonetheless. Having to wash my fruits and veggies is just flat out annoying. I just want to eat them, not take a shower with them.
How To: Make Killer Pizza at Home with These Easy Ready-Made “Crusts”
Pizza. It's seen you through your best and worst times. It was there during your first relationship and the subsequent dumping. It got you through college, and maybe even your twenties. Domino's phone number is programmed in your speed dial, and though you won't admit it out loud, you love pizza, you really do.
How To: If You Drink Regular Green Tea for Your Health, You Need to Try Matcha Instead
Many people drink green tea for health reasons, and it's no wonder. This beverage is a superstar when it comes to antioxidant levels, and is being studied for its potentially curative properties on multiple health concerns, whether it's staving off the aging process or fighting cancer.
How To: Make Milk-Filled Cookie Cups & Shot Glasses at Home
Food is a necessity, sure, but every now and then it's so satisfying to eat something because it is fun and delicious. While eating a whole tub of homemade ice cream might satisfy your need for gluttony, there's a way to take it even further—make your dinnerware edible.
News: Potatoes + Microwave = Lazy Man's Gourmet Chips
Easy as 1, 2, 3. Dorm room cooking reaches new heights with this simple gourmet-esque potato chip recipe.
How To: Peel an Entire Bag of Potatoes in Under a Minute
Have a need for drama? Sick of doing kitchen prep and having no one appreciate just how much work you're doing? Then take a tip from a few seriously lazy cooks and peel a few pounds of potatoes in less than sixty seconds using a power hose, a bucket, a drill, and a cheap toilet bowl brush.
How To: 6 Watermelon Hacks You Have to Try This Summer
Watermelon is the perfect snack for hot temperatures. It's hydrating, crisp, and refreshing, especially when it's chilled. Yet some people aren't content with leaving a good thing alone, which has given us many watermelon-based innovations, some great (vodka-filled watermelons) and some delightfully strange (square watermelons).
News: 5 Common Mistakes That Will Ruin Your Thanksgiving Turkey
When I was 12, for some mysterious reason, my dad put my little brothers and me in charge of cooking the Thanksgiving turkey. Naturally, my brothers and I spent the rest of the day playing hide-in-seek in the backyard and forgot all about the humble bird defrosting in the sink.
You're Drinking Coffee Wrong: Here's How to Really Maximize Your Daily Caffeine Boosts
The first thing I do when I wake up in the morning is run to the kitchen to make coffee, and I know I'm not the only one. According to a survey by the National Coffee Association (yes, there's such a thing), 83% of Americans drink coffee, and I'd bet most of that consumption happens in the morning.
How To: Make a Freakin’ Great Cup of Joe Without Any Coffee Swag
As an avid coffee drinker, I used to be a big fan of single-serve coffee machines. One day, the machine decided to stop working—which does happen from time to time—so I decided to go old school and use my automatic drip. Then, I realized that all I had were pods of single-serve coffee grinds, and I was all out of regular coffee filters!
How To: Take Your Cocktails to the Next Level with Egg Whites
Most primary cocktail ingredients just sound delicious. Lime and tonic water? Yes, please. Bitters and simple syrup? Sign me up. Egg whites and... wait... egg whites? In a cocktail?
How To: 8 Delicious Frozen Waffle Food Hacks
Just like Leslie Knope, I love waffles. Unlike that imaginary character, I don't require that my waffles come from JJ's Diner. I have a deep affinity for frozen waffles as well as the homemade ones. They're so convenient! A few moments in the toaster, and you have a great foundation for a sweet or savory topping, or just a big fat slab of butter and a little syrup. Turns out there's a great big world of frozen waffle innovation out there that I had never dreamed existed. And remember, frozen ...
How To: The Number One Way to Get Moist, Juicy Chicken Breasts Every Time
Chicken breasts have gotten a bad rap. Dry, flavorless, boring... poor white meat gets no love, and dark meat gets all of the credit for being sinfully flavorful and delicious. But the truth is, even though chicken breasts are lower in fat and calories, they can also be incredibly versatile and full of flavor... if they're prepared correctly. You're probably familiar with poaching, which is a technique that gently cooks more delicate meats such as chicken or fish fully submerged in a liquid b...
How To: The Fastest, Most Efficient Way to Peel Fresh Ginger Root (No Knives or Peelers Required)
I always have fresh ginger around in my kitchen, but before I started to use it on a regular basis, I made a lot of mistakes when it came to prepping it. It has a very different texture from most other produce, and the thin, papery skin makes peeling it a little more difficult. Speaking of peeling, I learned the hard way that a knife is not a great tool for peeling ginger. I didn't have a peeler at the time, and I'd used a paring knife to peel potatoes and plenty of other vegetables, so I fig...
How To: Turn an Ordinary Apple into a Deliciously Artful Swan
The next time you come across a basket of fruit, don't just eat it—have fun with it. In this guide, I'll be showing you how to turn ordinary apples into exquisite-looking edible animals. More specifically, I'll be showing you how to cut an apple into a tasty, decorative swan, a design that has a few modifications to the original idea.
News: Store-Bought Almond Milk Is Bad for You (And the Environment)
While Kobe beef cows get massaged, American dairy cows are taking a real beating. Many people are cutting back on dairy while a growing number of people are discovering that they're lactose intolerant. As the public's disdain of cow's milk grows, milk sales themselves are at a forty-year low.