Happy impending holiday! We at Consumerist HQ are taking the next two days off to eat inadvisable things, because fireworks are illegal in the jurisdictions where 75% of our staffers live, and we have to have fun somehow. So “somehow” involves bacon. Anyway, that made us think: what are your favorite summer foods, either at home or for sharing at picnics and other gatherings? Feel free to swap recipes in this open thread, or just discuss anything else that’s on your mind. [More]
Make Your Own Chocolate Syrup
By March 8, 2012
If you crave chocolate syrup as a dessert topping or ingredient to make chocolate milk, you don’t need to buy it from the store. It’s easy to make it on your own, and doesn’t take much time or effort. [More]
Recycle The Pumpkin Slop In Your Freezer Into Something Edible
By November 11, 2011
Flash back a couple weeks. With Halloween on the horizon, you got festive and butcher-knifed an unsuspecting pumpkin into a Jack-o’-lantern. Feeling guilty about tossing all its waste into the garbage, you stored it in a plastic container and tossed it in the freezer with hopes of one day resurrecting it in the world of tomorrow. [More]
Make Your Own Veggie Chips At Home
By May 16, 2011
Veggie chips are a healthy and tasty alternative to potato crisps but they can be kinda pricey. Not to mention that the ones in the stores are often deep-fried and might not be any better for you than popping open a bag of regular potato chips. But if you make your own veggie chips at home you can have better control over the ingredients and preparation, save some money, and have fun doing it! Chow has got some great recipes for carrot chips, sweet potato crisps and even kale chips. Of course, for an even lower-cal version, it’s hard to beat flavored paper chips… [More]
Make Your Own Thin Mints When The Girl Scouts Aren't Around
By February 1, 2011
Like other delicacies such as the McRib and eggnog, Girl Scout cookies only come around every so often, leaving you to spend your time craving them in abject misery. But anyone with a cookie sheet and the ability to follow directions can easily make the latter for themselves. [More]
Thanksgiving Open Thread And Recipe Swap!
By November 25, 2010
Happy Thanksgiving! We are celebrating
Here’s mine: peanut butter fudge.
Make Ice Cream From Bananas
By July 14, 2010
This recipe will show you how to make “ice cream” from bananas, a cool and cheap summer treat. The milk is optional. Repeat: optional. [Cooklikeyourgrandmother] [More]
Hey You In The Kitchen: You're Doing It Wrong
By July 13, 2010
Are you holding on to some old kitchen myths? If so, this website will shock and astound you as it slap chops the truth into your face. For example, baking soda in the fridge isn’t an efficient way to prevent odors, aluminum cookware doesn’t cause Alzheimer’s, and mayonnaise–at least the commercial brands made in the U.S.–will actually help prevent spoilage in dishes like chicken salad. [More]
Make Your Own Pop Tarts!
By April 30, 2010
Here’s a cool recipe for making your own Pop Tarts at home from SmittenKitchen. Sturdy crust, not soggy filling – the secret is a lil’ thickener – and, according to the author, “the buttery, flaky, no-toaster-required-to-soften-it transcendence the grocery store aisle version can only dream about.” It’s fun, it’s tasty, it’s HFCS-free. [More]
What's The Best Smoothie?
By April 27, 2010
Whatever smoothie I’m drinking at the moment, that’s my answer! Consumer Reports took a nerdier approach, as they often do, and gathered a bunch of people to taste test various store-bought smoothies, then combined those opinions with information from nutritionists. Coming out on top in the dairy category was Lifeway Lowfat Kefir Strawberry, and in the fruit category was Bolthouse Farms Berry Boost Blend. [More]
Here Are A Bunch Of Deviled Egg Recipes
By April 4, 2010
So, it’s Easter. You’ve found the eggs, and now you’re like WTF do I do with all these stupid eggs. Answer: Deviled Eggs. [More]
Cook Your Own Delicious Food At Home, On A Budget
By October 25, 2009
Do you want to save money by making your own meals at home, but aren’t sure where to start? Let the blog Budget Bytes help you. It contains not only frugal but delicious recipes (including vegetarian ones) broken down by total cost and cost per serving, but a guide to stocking your pantry when you first live on your own or learn to cook.
How To Make The Shake Shack Burger At Home
By October 16, 2009
Shake Shack is a place that has burgers (example pictured here) that people in NYC seem to think are good. We have not personally tried said burgers, but we’ve yet to meet someone who has that isn’t enthusiastic about them. With that in mind, we direct you to a recipe that claims to allow you to make the Shake Shack burger at home.
Make Your Own Sports Drink
By August 9, 2009
Why waste money on Gatorade when you can brew an equally effective sports drink from sugar, lemon juice, salt and orange juice? Hit the jump for the simple, inexpensive recipe.
Feed Your Family For $5 A Meal Without Going To Taco Bell
By June 26, 2009
As Oregon Trail teaches us, the easiest way to save a buck on meals for your family is by clicking “meager” every time during meals until someone dies of scurvy and there’s more freshly-killed oxen meat to go around.
Seattle TV Station Offers Delicious Accidental Chicken Barbecue Recipes
By June 4, 2009
Seattle TV station KIRO, like a lot of media organizations, has sponsored links on their front page. This is all well and good, since you have to pay for the camera(wo)men and the antennae and the pixels somehow. The problem is that sometimes sad news stories and contextual advertising lead to… hilarity.
What's Your Favorite Recipe Site?
By June 2, 2009
As numerous commenters on our “50 Restaurants Where Kids Eat Free Or Cheap” pointed out, it’s easier to get good food at a good price with a nice home-cooked meal with fresh ingredients. Then we have the perpetual dilemma, what to make, and how to make it?
Is It Cheaper To Make Or To Buy? Six Foods Tested
By April 27, 2009
Jennifer Reese decided to make six common food items and then determine whether it was better to go the homemade route or to buy from the store. We briefly considered making our own crackers last month in a fit of anger over how expensive generic saltines have become, so we’re glad someone did the research for us.
