Kitchen Hacks

[Clueby]

3 hours ago, Harry in WashDC said:

Just saw this.  AND copied it to print out.  THX!  We have some end of season we can try this on.

Note that time is for ONE cob. For 2 I typically go 5 or 6 and for 4 cobs I'll do about 8.

[Harry in WashDC]

22 minutes ago, Clueby said:

Note that time is for ONE cob. For 2 I typically go 5 or 6 and for 4 cobs I'll do about 8.

Wife says she's tried this - doesn't work.  We've been married 46 years.  I, myself, shall try this "again" to show her that it does.  It may take three or four successes, but . . .

[Clueby]

1 hour ago, Harry in WashDC said:

Wife says she's tried this - doesn't work.  We've been married 46 years.  I, myself, shall try this "again" to show her that it does.  It may take three or four successes, but . . .

I'd rather boil it than argue with my wife!

I will say occasionally you get ones that don't come out easily and have to be "peeled" back but the corn is definitely cooked easily.

[evasive]

On 6/15/2022 at 4:23 PM, PhantomLamb said:

Speaking of steak, not really sure it's a hack but grilling them first on cast iron to get a nice crush then finish cooking them internally in the oven.

 

I swear, it's like Ruth's Chris every time, makes even shoe leather steaks taste unbelievable.

I don’t cook a lot of steak these days, but when I do, it’s a nice one, and I want good results. I do this the other way around: cool in a sous vide and finish in a pan. Sous vide is really the only way to get edge-to-edge uniform doneness. Most of my friends who hunt won’t cook their game any other way. 
 

My corn method is also a little different. I have family in Nebraska and Virginia so I’m used to good sweet corn. But here in Montana, what we get is pretty variable and more often than not it’s starchy. My solution to that is to shuck the corn and toss it into a pot of cold water. After it comes to a boil, I turn off the heat and let it cruise while I attend to other things. After 30-45 minute, the starches have broken down and it’s always sweet. It’s also not very time-sensitive so the corn stays plump as long as it’s in the water. 
 

I’ll second the thermometer recommendation. It’s a tool I use all the time. 
 

 

[Harry in WashDC]

2 minutes ago, evasive said:

[SNIP!!  by H]

 

 

I’ll second the thermometer recommendation. It’s a tool I use all the time. 
 

 

Longtime member/follower of amazingribs.com.  Spent too much of my life following my Dad's "thumb test" or "fat bubbles on the meat" test with better than average but still inconsistent results.  Learned to use a Thermopen.  I use it EVERY TIME for short cooks (steak, pit beef, pork chops, fish, London broil, skirts, tri-tip, pork tenderloin, turkeys, roast chicken, butterfly lamb, etc.).  Indeed, I have three just in case . . .  For long cooks (brisket, standing rib, pork shoulders, etc.), I have OTHER thermos with alarms and cables and sharp pointy probes that withstand heat.

 

I agree that sous vide is a great technique, but I usually only cook for two to four and don't mind the extra time cooking from THE RAW takes.  Fora groiup of twelve relatives or so, SV is the ticket so we all eat at the same time.

[Harry in WashDC]

On 10/7/2022 at 11:30 PM, Clueby said:

I'd rather boil it than argue with my wife!

I will say occasionally you get ones that don't come out easily and have to be "peeled" back but the corn is definitely cooked easily.

Oh, yeah - FOLLOW UP after I tried yet again.

 

She ALSO used that word "occasionally" when I presented her with the results - something about being safe not sorry. Sure hope she was referring to the sorry corn .

[jvd99]

As a clean freak, my best kitchen friend is tin foil. Buy it at Costco in the regular and wide. I put it down on the counter whenever I'm doing any chopping, spice use, raw meat handling, baking, anything that could cause a mess. The foil acts as a good place to safely lay down utensils or discard any food items intended for the trash so they don't clutter up the cutting board or anything else.  Sometimes I put it under the under the cutting board sticking out the side, sometimes by itself. Foil ensures a clean surface, no chance of contaminating the counter, no chance of accidentally prepping on a contaminated counter, and when I'm done, I crinkle it up and throw it out. No counter clean up. Easy, breezy and super fast. 

 

@smokinjoe I also use gloves religiously 

 

The combo of foil and gloves ensures reliable food safety in the kitchen.

[smokinjoe]

2 hours ago, jvd99 said:

As a clean freak, my best kitchen friend is tin foil. Buy it at Costco in the regular and wide. I put it down on the counter whenever I'm doing any chopping, spice use, raw meat handling, baking, anything that could cause a mess. The foil acts as a good place to safely lay down utensils or discard any food items intended for the trash so they don't clutter up the cutting board or anything else.  Sometimes I put it under the under the cutting board sticking out the side, sometimes by itself. Foil ensures a clean surface, no chance of contaminating the counter, no chance of accidentally prepping on a contaminated counter, and when I'm done, I crinkle it up and throw it out. No counter clean up. Easy, breezy and super fast. 

 

@smokinjoe I also use gloves religiously 

 

The combo of foil and gloves ensures reliable food safety in the kitchen.

I do the same!  I’ll tape down the foil and cover the entire center prep island before I do the prep.  Then wad it up and toss it when done.   Costco is my source for the foil, as well.  
 

I can’t do anything without the gloves…. 

[bayouredd]

21 hours ago, jvd99 said:

As a clean freak, my best kitchen friend is tin foil. Buy it at Costco in the regular and wide. I put it down on the counter whenever I'm doing any chopping, spice use, raw meat handling, baking, anything that could cause a mess. The foil acts as a good place to safely lay down utensils or discard any food items intended for the trash so they don't clutter up the cutting board or anything else.  Sometimes I put it under the under the cutting board sticking out the side, sometimes by itself. Foil ensures a clean surface, no chance of contaminating the counter, no chance of accidentally prepping on a contaminated counter, and when I'm done, I crinkle it up and throw it out. No counter clean up. Easy, breezy and super fast. 

 

@smokinjoe I also use gloves religiously 

 

The combo of foil and gloves ensures reliable food safety in the kitchen.

Actually, I do this with the giant roll of butcher paper from Sam's. Same concept and in the past, it has been so cheap for the milage. I just renewed it and the price jump had me pondering to rebuy or not, but again, the lasting value on a roll makes it worthwhile.

I don't use gloves but I wash my hands no less than 20 times while cooking.

 

Another hack from Sam's, the bundle of foil pans make great and affordable drip pans for the bottom of the smoker. (Primo) Also for long cooks dumping a cheap beer or two in them adds moisture.

 

 

 

[ebo]

I've been divorced for 10 years. I never cooked in my life other than hot dogs, eggs or things that just needed thrown in the oven to heat...lol. The ex did all the cooking. I had to learn to cook (somewhat) if I wanted to eat.

 

I learned the basics from a couple of my buddies that are very good cooks. It took a while, but I can make some fairly tasty stuff now. I learned a lot from YouTube... BBQ Pit Boys, Kent Rollins, etc... I'm still learning, and I found that I really enjoy cooking, even though I don't do anything very complicated.

 

This isn't really a hack, but I have come to love my cast iron and carbon steel pans for 95% of everything I make. I even enjoy taking care of them...lol.

 

 

 

 

[Phil T]

We buy a lot of chicken breasts, both for us and the dog.  We will buy bone in. I strip the meat off the bone and the skin off the meat. Both the skin and the bones get vacuum sealed, separately. If I'm frying chicken or french fries, I'll fry the skin. Definitely not healthy, but OMG!! If I'm making a recipe that calls for chicken stock/broth, like chicken noodles or pho, I'll use the bones. Bone in chicken breasts are usually half the cost of boneless and I don't have any waste.

 

Prost!!  Phil 

[Richnimrod]

PHIL!   I could've posted this myself (except for the phooey).   We do much the same for ourselves and our deeohjee.   

Hard to beat the 'health' for him or us... and I agree about that skin; fried, grilled or broiled.   ... A little too much salt ...& Heaven on yer plate!

 

Prost!!!

[Harry in WashDC]

On 1/25/2024 at 2:00 PM, Richnimrod said:

PHIL!   I could've posted this myself (except for the phooey).   We do much the same for ourselves and our deeohjee.   

Hard to beat the 'health' for him or us... and I agree about that skin; fried, grilled or broiled.   ... A little too much salt ...& Heaven on yer plate!

 

Prost!!!

We've had a lot of trouble the past several MONTHS finding chicken breasts with bones left in.  Indeed, most of them also have the skin removed AND are gigantic.  We've even been told by meat counter persons  in six or so different groceries (nat'l chain and regional specialty) that breasts with bones and skin are not available or are available only by special order.  HENCE, my wife has adapted some of her recipes to work with the GIGANTIC thighs that still have their skin and bones and are smaller than those breasts.  We've also taken to buying whole "undersized HAHAHA" chickens which I cut up, freezing those parts we don't need now.  Wife is an anal retentive and is passionate and excellent at keeping her list of what is in the freezer, how much we have, how old it is, and where it is.  My job is to keep like parts close together after I cut the bird up and put the parts n the freezer.

 

I guess this counts as a "hack".

[Richnimrod]

Harry, we've seen the same notable decrease in the availability of bone-in-&-skin-on chicken breasts, too.   They haven't entirely disappeared; but, are often not 'out on the shelf' so to speak.   If we ask they usually can be had.   As far as the HUMONGOUS size of the boneless, skinless ones frequently seen; Yup!    Those are almost always HYOOGE.   The 'regular' ones can be pretty big as well, but not ridiculous as a rule.   We don't routinely get a whole chicken with just the wifey and I eating the meal(s); but, do so a couple times a year.   Usually when we get a whole bird we'll do "stewed chicken" in our crock pot, with the usual seasoning and veggies.   That makes about 6 or 8-meals, so we'll freeze about half and eat the initial meal and one leftover meal.   I've wondered about the change in availability and increase in size in recent times.    My assumption is that the 'growers' and/or 'packers' can maximize profits by selling bigger portions at a time, and can make some extra selling the bones/skin to other food prep concerns for brother, soup, etc. (or pet-food ones).   Strictly a guess on my part here.   

Anybody on the board have insider knowledge of this industry????

[smokinjoe]

Investing in those cheap plastic vegetable shaped containers to be used when you have half a tomato, onion…lemon…etc left over, and you want to save for a later date, is a good idea.  Most of which, it’s easily (should be) spotted in the fridge for later….But, that’s only half the hack.  The other part of the hack is to keep it near the front of the fridge.  Lest, you get a mess like this…uh…I think…a lemon, since it’s in the lemon container…No, that’s not sugar, nor frost, nor snow, nor icing…

[Harry in WashDC]

YES!  Front of fridge or front AND TOP of fruit/veggie bins so I don't end up with three half-lemons turning an interesting green in there.  And, thanks to Phil and bayouredd for the counter cover idea (DUH!).  I have a large roll of butcher paper I use for the occasional brisket or butt finishing and more often for ribs.  While I do use a teflon cutting board (D/W safe) with channel for prep, I usually have to clean up errant bits on the counter with a dilute bleach cleaner, particularly after pork or poultry work and where I rest my knives.  Putting some of that paper under and around my board would make that easier.  PLENTY of gloves left over from COVID, too, which until now I've only used when applying rubs.  Again, thanks.