Potatoes form the base of gnocchi, but I don't reach for the usual white potatoes when I make mine. I start with sweet potatoes, then turn the cooked flesh into a dough with two types of gluten-free flour. The swap changes more than the color. Continue Reading
I Stopped Draining Canned Beans Before Adding Them to Chili
Pouring canned beans into a colander used to feel like an automatic step. Chili changed that. Now the kidney beans go into my Crock-Pot with the liquid from the can. That liquid isn't something I forgot to drain. I want it in the pot. The liquid Continue Reading
My Grits Needed More Flavor, So I Stopped Cooking Them in Just Water
Water will cook grits, but I wanted more flavor before the cream and cheese went into the pan. Instead of relying on water alone, I use chicken broth as part of the cooking liquid. The broth goes in from the start, so the grits cook in it for Continue Reading
I Don’t Add Broth to French Onion Soup Until the Onions Cook for 30 Minutes
French onion soup uses plenty of beef broth, but I don't pour it into the pot once the onions start to soften. I give the onions about 30 minutes first. Four sliced onions cook with garlic over medium-low heat until they become translucent and Continue Reading
She Adds One Shortcut Ingredient When She Needs Sourdough Faster
Sourdough can take much of a day or stretch into the next one while the dough ferments. Hannah Dela Cruz has a shortcut for the days when that schedule doesn't work: commercial yeast. Dela Cruz, founder of Make It Dough and author of Sourdough Continue Reading
I Covered a Bowl of Apple Cider Vinegar With Plastic Wrap to Catch Fruit Flies
Fruit flies kept showing up around my kitchen even after I cleared away fruit and cleaned the counters. Instead of reaching for a store-bought trap, I found a method that starts with a cup of apple cider vinegar and a piece of plastic wrap. The Continue Reading
She Starts Pasta in Cold Water Instead of Waiting for It to Boil
Pasta usually starts with a large pot of boiling water. One home cook skips both parts of that routine, putting dry pasta into a wide pan with cold water before turning on the heat. Reddit user u/ILoveLipGloss uses the method for flat pasta such Continue Reading
She Turned Beef Bourguignon Into Lasagna and Thickened It With Roux
Beef bourguignon already has beef and a rich sauce, but lasagna wasn't where I expected to see it end up. One home cook took the French stew in that direction, using it as the basis for a lasagna instead of serving it in a bowl. Reddit user Continue Reading
She Makes Japanese Beef Curry With One Ingredient I Didn’t Expect
Beef, potatoes, carrots, onion, and curry roux all make sense in Japanese curry. Instant coffee was the ingredient I didn't expect to see go into the pot. Reddit user u/SantaSantitaMaldita added a small amount while making Japanese beef curry in a Continue Reading
He Left Beef Stew on High for 4 Hours by Mistake and Thought He’d Ruined It
Four hours passed before one home cook noticed his beef stew was still running on high. His usual routine called for just 30 minutes on that setting before turning the slow cooker to low for another eight to 10 hours. Reddit user u/madgross makes Continue Reading