Tag: #KitchenTips

Posted in Kitchen Tips

Everything You’ve Ever Wanted To Know About Meal Prepping Like A Pro

Posted on by Reluctant Retiree

Meal prep used to be something you either did religiously or had no idea about. Or at least that’s how it used to be. While the basic concept behind this trend has been around forever, it’s certainly picked up steam in recent years as regular meal preppers say that they’ve saved money and time and have generally been eating healthier since they adopted the habit (more on that later). If you’re looking at photos of colorful and satisfyingly divvied up meals that your friends have posted—don’t be intimidated, it’s actually pretty easy to get started yourself.

What is meal prepping?

Well, it’s exactly what it sounds like! Basically, meal prepping is dedicating a chunk of time every week to preparing for your upcoming meals in advance. The most popular types of meal prep include:

  • Batch cooking: This is when you prepare recipes that would typically feed five or six people, portion out and freeze the meal directly after cooking, then defrost and eat throughout the week.
  • Meals for one: This is when your prepare your meals and store them in individual containers to eat throughout the week. (Unlike batch cooking, you usually create different recipes for each day and don’t freeze them). People usually use this method for lunches.
  • Ingredient prep: Despite what you might have thought, if you like cooking and serving your meals at once, you can still meal prep! Just do all your chopping, slicing and dicing beforehand, and refrigerate your ingredients until it’s time to use them.

The biggest backlash to meal prep boils down to one idea: Some people just get sick of leftovers. However, meal prep has gained popularity in recent years because fans of it have noticed that it helps them save money, reduce waste, and if you’re on a diet—it helps you stick to it!

delish

Posted in Kitchen Tips

PSA: You’re Probably Washing Your Mushrooms Wrong

Posted on by Reluctant Retiree

Mushrooms are an undoubtedly versatile ingredient. You can sauté them on their own, turn them into a garlic butter masterpiece, throw them into a divine omelet, and virtually use them in any dish that you feel needs a plant-based boost. Store-bought mushrooms range widely in variety, with some of the most popular types being white button, shiitake, and portobello.

If you’re like us, you may have skipped a thorough washing a time or two in favor of a simple rinse. But that’s actually the No. 1 mistake people make when washing mushrooms—because mushrooms grow in dirt, it’s important to wash them as thoroughly as possible before cooking with them.

Allrecipes

Posted in #Recipes

These 67 Meal Prep Recipes Help Me Feel Like My Life’s In Order (Even When It’s Not)

Posted on by Reluctant Retiree

We can all agree that meal prepping sounds like a great idea, right? It saves time and money, takes the guesswork out of what to eat, and can lead to making healthier choices over time. The trouble is deciding what to make. It’s got to be interesting enough that you’ll want to eat it over and over again, easy enough that it can be prepped in one go, and simple enough that the idea of prepping it isn’t overwhelming. Phew! Good thing we’re up to the challenge, for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Check out our 67 best meal prep recipes for ideas—you’ll become a master at it in no time.

If you’re unfamiliar, the idea of meal prepping is just what it sounds like—making multiple meals ahead of time rather than cooking each meal individually. It’s not a novel concept (hello, leftovers!), but it can be tricky to plan to do it for all of your meals. To start, you’re going to want to get some good meal prep-ready containers. The goal is to make you more organized, not less, so we definitely recommend getting a matching set.

Once you’ve got those ready, get to prepping! We recommend starting with a base like pasta or rice (try it in a rice cooker to make it extra easy on yourself). Then get in some veggies and legumes, like our sweet potato salad, our Mediterranean chickpea salad, or our roasted vegetables. Next up should be protein, like our slow cooker Korean beef, tofu scramble (not just for breakfast!), or sheet-pan sausage & vegetables. Speaking of, we’ve got a number of other recipes that include nearly everything you’ll need (including protein, carbs, and veggies) too, like our BBQ sheet-pan chicken, our sheet-pan garlicky shrimp & veggies, or our Thai-inspired basil beef. Just add something to go with them, and you’ll be all set. Check out our halal cart-style cauliflower bowls, our avocado breakfast bowls, our copycat Chipotle burrito bowls, or our salmon quinoa bowls to see examples of what a perfect meal prepped dish looks like, then get creative in making your own.

It should be noted, SO many of our recipes are already meal prep-ready (we love making things easier for you in the kitchen). Check out our favorite one-pan meals, our sheet-pan dinners, our slow-cooker recipes, our top quick dinners, and our best air fryer recipes too.

delish

Posted in Kitchen Tips

Can You Freeze Cottage Cheese?

Posted on by Reluctant Retiree

Cottage cheese is a soft, fresh cheese known for its high protein and calcium content. It is also a versatile ingredient that can be enjoyed as a snack and an ingredient for a variety of savory and sweet dishes.

 Cottage cheese has a shelf life of one week in the fridge when opened and two weeks if unopened. Since it is a perishable product, you might wonder whether it is worthwhile to stock up on it at grocery store sales and what to do with the leftovers when you have too much.

Can You Freeze Cottage Cheese?  

You’ve probably have heard mixed messages aboutfreezing cottage cheese. While USDA guidelines don’t recommend freezing cottage cheese, some home cooks and culinary chefs disagree.

Generally speaking, cottage cheese comes in two main types: dry-curd options and varieties with milk or cream. Dry-curd cottage cheese is basically the curds without lactose, which are removed using a higher-heat cooking process. (Note: It’s similar to but not the same thing as farmers cheese.) Because dry-curd products are, well, dry, they freeze better than cottage cheese swimming in milk or cream—which is the most common variety sold in tubs at grocery stores.

Cottage cheese with milk or cream is a high-water-content dairy product regardless of how much fat it has (for example, full-fat versus low-fat products). If frozen, the liquid turns into ice crystals. And when the cottage cheese is thawed, the ice crystals transform into liquid, causing the curds to become a grainy texture. However, full-fat cottage cheese tends to freeze better than the fat-free variety due to its higher fat content, retaining a creamier texture when thawed. 

So if you don’t mind the grainy texture of thawed cottage cheese, then it is perfectly fine to freeze it to enjoy later. Defrosted cottage cheese is best used for cooked dishes such as lasagna, casserole, and breads.

Allrecipes

Posted in Kitchen Tips

How to Keep Your Brown Sugar Fresh (and Soft)

Posted on by Reluctant Retiree

One thing that can derail your baking plans is discovering that the brown sugar your cookie recipe calls for is as hard as a rock. Luckily, we’ve got a super simple tip for keeping brown sugar soft and fresh from the start, preventing lumps—or the need to chip away at that solid block of golden goodness (we’ve all been there). 

Brown sugar can be one of the more temperamental baking ingredients in your pantry arsenal. From the get-go, it’s best to store brown sugar in a cool, dry space, and in an airtight and moisture-proof container such as a secure resealable bag, or a glass or plastic canister with an airtight lid. Once you’ve got that covered, adding a moisture source is a wildly effective extra measure for maintaining the softness and freshness of your brown sugar. Read on to discover my go-to trick that works like a charm every single time. 

Allrecipes

Posted in Equipment Reviews

9 Best Food Storage Containers of 2024, Tested and Reviewed

Posted on by Reluctant Retiree

Tested by Lambeth Hochwald

If you’ve ever opened up a cabinet or drawer and watched as every single piece of plastic came tumbling out, you know how frustrating it can be to have a food-storage-container collection consisting of missing lids, stained containers or odd-shaped items that don’t match. Whether you’re trying to incorporate more produce into your diet and are looking for ways to keep your fruit fresh or just want to ensure your pantry staples reach their maximum shelf life, the proper storage is necessary (and available). That’s why we decided to do some container research for you. Here, your shopping list of nine food storage containers to consider buying for everything from meal prep and storing leftovers to bulk food storage.

This article has been reviewed since its original publish date for accuracy, pricing and availability. We stand by our list of topfood storage container picks.

Food Network

Posted in Taste Tests

The Actual Reason McDonald’s Diet Coke Tastes the Best

Posted on by Reluctant Retiree

Every McDonald’s fan knows that whether you’re going to the fast food chain for a Big Mac, Quarter Pounder, Filet-O-Fish, McNuggets, or even a simple order of fries, you can’t leave without a fountain drink. Mickey D’s has always been highly regarded for its sodas—and for good reason. 

There’s just something about a McDonald’s Diet Coke or Sprite that hits different. And actually there is something that makes the fountain sodas stand out—and, according to our taste test, better—than any other fast food restaurant. 

So, how does McDonald’s do Diet Coke so well?

Allrecipes

Posted in Kitchen Tips

Storing Your Onions in This Room Could Have Some Unexpected Benefits

Posted on by Reluctant Retiree

TikTok has gotten incredibly popular in recent years, and some of the most shared videos on the app involve food hacks like the viral feta pasta or last year’s epic Dalgona coffee trend — but every now and then there’s a tip that really leaves people scratching their heads.

The latest controversial life hack to come out of TikTok is shower onions, and it’s exactly what it sounds like: keeping onions in the bathroom. And it turns out, there’s an actual legitimate reason someone might be doing this.

This conversation grew out of a video posted by TikTok user @karalynndunton, who met a guy on Tinder and then found herself in his apartment, snooping in his bathroom. While all this seemed a bit commonplace (except maybe not under the backdrop of a global pandemic, though that’s another story entirely), she came across pretty common items in the bathroom, from hygiene products to grooming products. She even marveled about how neat and well-organized his bathroom was. Things were about to get odd, though.

Allrecipes

Posted in Kitchen Tips

I Tried 6 Ways to Make Hard-Boiled Eggs Easier to Peel, and This Is the Best One

Posted on by Reluctant Retiree

How do you peel a hard-boiled egg without the shell sticking? And how do you peel hard-boiled eggs without tearing them up? Some say easy peeling starts with how you cook eggs, whether it’s adding baking soda, salt, or vinegar to the water. Others say your peeling technique matters most, from enlisting a spoon or a jar to dousing eggs with water.

So, what is the easiest way to peel hard-boiled eggs? I tested six of the most popular methods on the internet to find out.

Allrecipes

Posted in Kitchen Tips

Our Most-Requested Recipe Tool Is Finally Here—And It’s Going to Make Dinner So Much Easier

Posted on by Reluctant Retiree

Allrecipes community, rejoice! We just launched a new recipe scaling tool that’ll make resizing recipes so much easier. There are two reasons we know you’ll love it: 

  1. We understand that recipes aren’t always one-size-fits-all. Sometimes a recipe makes enough for two, but you need it to feed a family of four. That’s just the nature of cooking—it needs to be adaptable. 
  2. You asked for it. This is one of our community’s most-requested features. You’ve waited patiently while we perfected the tool and now it’s finally here! 

Allrecipes