Culinary Hacking

Hacking isn't just a malicious way to get private data out of someone's computer.  Hacking can also be used to refer to solving a problem through inventive means by using what you have.  This easily applies to the everyday kitchen.

Say you've found a recipe you'd like to try.  You have just about everything except one or two ingredients, but either you don't want to go to get them, you don't have much money, or the store is closed...  Unless the ingredient you need is essential (you can't have an apple pie without apples), there is more often than not something you can substitute in place of what you're missing.

If you're missing a certain spice, there's always something you can substitute. It may not be exactly the same but in a pinch it will definitely work.  Some examples of this are if you don't have basil or oregano, you can use some generic Italian seasoning.  If you're missing cayenne pepper or chili powder, use some hot sauce to get the added heat factor. As a note though, if you do use hot sauce, you may get a slightly vinegary taste but this depends on the brand used.  You could also use something completely different for a different taste.  One of the great things about cooking is that you can start with something and alter it to your liking.  If you don't like it, don't use it! :)

Vegetables you can frequently substitute for one another.  Usually you can do it with meats, although this can depend on what exactly you're doing.  I wouldn't necessarily recommend using chicken in place of beef in a pot roast - I don't know if that would work the same.  Land O'Lakes has a great substitution chart that I have used on many occasions.  Their chart covers a lot of common ingredients and I've never had any trouble when using their substitutions.  If you're not feeling very creative, you could always google "(ingredient) substitution" and that will get you to your solution.

Now what if you don't have a piece of equipment.  Cooking equipment can get very expensive.  Some items are worth the money, but before you go out and get it think about how often you would use the item.  If you're not going to use it more than once or twice, try to think of what you can use instead.

When trying to come up with an equipment substitution, I like to think first of what the object actually does on the most basic level.  A spaghetti strainer doesn't just strain spaghetti; it's a way of taking the water out of the pot while keeping the spaghetti from going down the sink.  Now what else do you have that could do the same thing?  It's possible to use a ladle to take all the pasta water out of the pot, but that may take too long and your noodles could end up overcooked.  If you have a lid to the pot, you could keep that against the edge of the pot while you're dumping the water out.  It wouldn't be quite as easy as having a strainer, but it would do the job. 

The key with substitutions is to be creative and take a chance.  If you're not sure it will work, just give it a try!  The worst that can happen is your dish won't work, you'll learn that your substitution didn't come out as planned, and you'll have to order pizza.

**spice cabinet picture used under Creative Commons - http://www.flickr.com/photos/kohara/3351335340/
**The idea for the term 'Culinary Hacking' came from Jeff Potter's book Cooking for Geeks.  It is an excellent book about the science of cooking written in terms such that anyone can understand. Highly recommended!

Eating With Friends With Little to Spend

Every now and again its fun to get your friends together and go out to dinner.  It's not quite so much fun if the bill comes out sky-high.  There are many options for eating out without breaking the bank.

When it comes to organizing a night out, planning ahead is always a good thing.  If you and your friends know what area you're going to be in, do a quick search to see what restaurants are in the area.  I frequently use sites like yelp.com to check what customers say about the service, food, and value of local restaurants.  As a general rule, try to avoid restaurants that are in the middle of tourist areas.  The restaurants at Quincy Market are good, but they charge considerably more for their food because they are in a high-volume tourist area where those from out-of-town will buy a meal at almost any price.  Even the McDonald's that is a ten-minute walk from the Faneuil Hall area is cheaper than their franchise which is right by the tourist attraction.

Another way to shave a couple bucks off your tab is to watch what exactly you're ordering.  If you're ordering a dish with meat in it, be aware of what exactly comes in it.  Anything that uses veal or seafood is almost always more expensive.  If you don't absolutely have to have the veal parmesean or the shrimp scampi, get something else.  Also, be aware of what you're drinking.  Some places don't offer free refills and only note the fact on the back of their menu in small print.  When in doubt just have water (which is better for you anyways).  I typically save some money by getting something for take-out and having a drink with me so I don't need to buy one.  Partaking in alcohol consumption is also very expensive at restaurants and bars.  If you need a drink wherever you happen to be, watch out for drink menus that don't list their prices! I had a friend who ordered a margarita at a restaurant once and there was no price listed - for that one drink they charged her $15!! 

When walking around an area looking for somewhere to eat, I recommend watching both the number of people and the demographics of those people, especially the age.  As a general rule, if there are a lot of people in a restaurant there can be several things going on: it's in a tourist area, it's well-advertised or popular, and/or it's really good.  If you're not in a major tourist area or if you've never heard of the place and it's crowded, it's almost certainly good.  Then look at the age of the people in the restaurant.  If you're looking for a good value in a restaurant, you should look for college-age people as well as elderly people in casual wear.  The casual wear is important because that means that the restaurant isn't just one that they would go to on a special occassion.  Many elderly people also tend to be penny-pinchers for various reasons so if many congregate in a restaurant on a weeknight, you can almost be assured it's a good value.

A quick word of warning: if you see prices listed outside a restaurant that seem too good to be true, they very well might be.  I personally have been to a place that advertised a $5.25 lunch special only to regret eating the food as it made me sick afterwards.  That said I have been to other places and gotten lunch at even lower prices than that and they were absolutely fine.  Use your best judgement.  Generally, if there are a lot of people there, especially ones that look like they go there almost everyday, then you would probably be fine eating there.
If you really want to go to a nicer restaurant that you know is a little more pricey, try going at lunch instead of dinner.  At lunch, restaurants will typically serve smaller portions of the same food they do at dinner and at a smaller price tag. 

**menu picture used under Creative Commons - http://www.flickr.com/photos/ataradrac/4539297682/

Frugal Food Finding (or Buying Food Cheaply)

We're poor college students with little money to our names.  We have to eat - that's not an option.  What can you do to make the money you have count?  How do you save yourself money at the store, but also get the food you need with proper nutrition? Ramen only does so much...

Before I go shopping I always look at the sale flyers.  If they don't get delivered to your building, most stores now have them online.  There are several items that I don't buy unless they're on sale.  Don't limit yourself to the one store you know well.  If there's another grocery store nearby, look at their prices.  I make mental notes of which places sell the things I need at lower prices so I don't waste my money elsewhere.  There's also a plethora of coupons available, but I honestly don't bother to look at them unless I know there is a) a coupon for something I would buy anyway and b) a coupon that gives me savings that are worthwhile (example: if it only saves you 25 cents, it's not worth it).

There is an excellent money-saving trick that I learned only recently.  When you're shopping, do NOT skip over the international food aisle.  Items in the international aisle tend to be considerably cheaper.  While most items are cheaper in this aisle, I notice that spices are especially inexpensive.  I have done some comparisons and in one store, a spice was less than a dollar in the international aisle and the same size bottle in the normal spice aisle was about $3.  The international aisle will definitely save you money.

It's also possible to save money if you change your own eating and cooking habits.  Junk food like chips, candy, and ice cream add up to a lot of money really quickly.  Not indulging (or at least not overindulging) in this sort of food is not only better for you, but better for your wallet.  I also personally don't typically buy something that I can make quickly and easily.  Pasta sauce can be made with a little bit of oil, crushed tomatoes, and spices.  You can make enough sauce for two whole boxes of dried pasta for less than $2.  There are a wide range of other recipes that are just as simple and cheap.

Earlier in this post, I mentioned buying things that are on sale.  If there is something on sale and it's feasible to buy multiples (i.e. it won't spoil and isn't too expensive), buy more and keep what you don't need immediately in the freezer.  Buying things in bulk can also save you a lot of money, but this technique is most helpful when you buy the things you use the most in bulk.  However, buying something in bulk that you don't use often can waste money because the product might spoil.

Making a Mountain (of Food) Out of a Molehill

The following situation occurs to me quite frequently.  I buy meat at the grocery store and it's not really cheap even when it's on sale.  Eating that amount of meat with nothing else, it would only last for one meal and then I would have to go out and buy more meat, spending more money which I don't have.  What can you do to stretch that meat (or any other expensive food for that matter) further? 

One thing you can do is to cut the meat smaller or smash the meat with a meat mallet.  That way you get what looks like more from the same cut of meat.  Then when you cook you will have leftovers which you can eat the next night (hopefully - it works for me).  Another thing that stretches your meal further is to not just have whatever meat you may be cooking.  Have something with it.  Rice, pasta, and potatoes are particularly cheap and definitely help to fill you up.  Frozen vegetables and beans are also cheap and are generally easy to add into just about any dish. You could also have a piece of bread with your meal to make it feel like you're having a little more food.  Those are the general principles that I think of for making your more expensive ingredients go further. Do some experimenting and find what works for you.

Ramen: Not Just Cup O' Noodles Anymore

Ramen noodles.  I'm not sure I know anyone, college student or otherwise, who doesn't have at least one package in their kitchen somewhere.  There's no denying that ramen is a cheap, quick, easy meal to prepare - perfect for lunch, dinner, breakfast, or late night snack (trust me - I've done all of the above).  How can you get any cheaper than going for a cup of ramen?  The answer: using the ramen that comes in brick form which is typically less than 25 cents a package.

For a long time I only thought that cup ramen could be prepared in the microwave for somewhat obvious reasons. Cup ramen is made for the microwave and on the back of the block ramen it looks like you need a pan and stove.  Here is how to make block ramen in a microwave.  You need: microwave-safe tupperware container, water, and brick ramen.  Put a couple cups of water in your tupperware and heat it in the microwave until its really hot (time depends on microwave).  Then take the tupperware out, put the noodles in the hot water, and put it back in the microwave for another two minutes.  Take the ramen out of the microwave, add the seasoning, stir and enjoy.

Sometimes, though, you want a little more than just ramen.  You may or may not have much in your kitchen.  So you do what you can with what you have.  If you have some leftover cooked meat from the other night, cut it up and put it in.  Have some vegetables in the fridge?  Whether they are fresh or frozen, you can put them in your ramen (if frozen, I'd recommend thawing them a little first).  Want to spice it up?  Add hot sauce, cayenne pepper, Italian seasoning...whatever you have and whatever you're in the mood for.

What else can you do with ramen?  As a kid, it was trendy at my elementary school to eat it dry like you would potato chips with the seasoning packet in place of salt.  You also have a wider range of alternative noodle dishes if you leave out the seasoning.  If you have pasta sauce but no pasta, you can cook the ramen, drain the water, and add your sauce.  You can also do the same thing, but instead of pasta sauce add some salad dressing and maybe vegetables and you have a pasta salad.  Ramen can also be used as a side dish to whatever else you may want for dinner.

Ramen: inexpensive, fast, and satisfying.  It's esteemed place in my apartment kitchen shall not be overtaken anytime soon.

**ramen picture used under Creative Commons - http://www.flickr.com/photos/pinprick/3630858688/