# Cooking. I admit it, I use \ **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 8, 2010, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooking-i-admit-it-i-use-this-short-cut/553072 "2010-09-08T17:12:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2010, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooking-i-admit-it-i-use-this-short-cut/553072/21 "2010-09-08T19:18:09Z")
> [@DCnDC](#): > > I dump copious amounts of onion powder on virtually everything. Saves the time and trouble of chopping up real ones, and it makes everything taste better. I don’t have onion powder, but I have dried onions. Not quite the same but they add a nice touch to some things. I’ve had the jar for 8 years now, so I guess I don’t use it al that often. ---
**Author:** ![Fried\_Dough\_Ho](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a88e57/32.png) [@Fried\_Dough\_Ho](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fried_Dough_Ho)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2010, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooking-i-admit-it-i-use-this-short-cut/553072/22 "2010-09-08T19:28:46Z")
> [@tdn](#): > > > [@DCnDC](#): > > > > I dump copious amounts of onion powder on virtually everything. Saves the time and trouble of chopping up real ones, and it makes everything taste better. > > I don’t have onion powder, but I have dried onions. Not quite the same but they add a nice touch to some things. > > **I’ve had the jar for 8 years now** , so I guess I don’t use it al that often. I’d throw them out at this point. These dehydrated things (and spices!) lose their flavor and potency after six months to a year. I’m one of those freaks who scribe the date on the bottom of my spice jars to help me know when to replace them (which is rarely needed since I buy fresh, in bulk, and cook a lot). ---
**Author:** ![Taomist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/53a042/32.png) [@Taomist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Taomist)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2010, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooking-i-admit-it-i-use-this-short-cut/553072/23 "2010-09-08T19:37:53Z")
I’ve tried making chicken stock, and still end up adding stuff from the jar, so I don’t bother trying homemade anymore. BTW, I highly recommend getting the stock paste-in-a-jar rather than boullion cubes OR the liquid version. It tastes immeasureably better than either, and you can adapt to your tastes. Lasts quite a while, too; I don’t know a restaurant that doesn’t use it. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2010, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooking-i-admit-it-i-use-this-short-cut/553072/24 "2010-09-08T19:39:23Z")
> [@](#): > > I keep the jar of chopped garlic around in case there is no fresh or the fresh has dried to dust. In my experience, the fresh lasts longer than the jarred, anyway. And it’s not really all that hard to chop up a clove or two to begin with. I do, however, use store-bought pie crusts. I got all my recipes from Gramma, and she says that her own pie crusts never came out right after they changed the formula for Crisco, and nobody can really tell the difference with the frozen ones. ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2010, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooking-i-admit-it-i-use-this-short-cut/553072/25 "2010-09-08T19:40:36Z")
If I have to chop more than half an onion, I will probably be hauling out my [Vidalia Chop Wizard](https://www.chopwizard.com/) (over the protests of my kids, who have to clean the thing). Hey, I _like_ teeny uniform onion cubes. ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Scud](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f08c70/32.png) [@Tom\_Scud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Scud)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2010, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooking-i-admit-it-i-use-this-short-cut/553072/26 "2010-09-08T19:43:46Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > > [@](#): > > > > I keep the jar of chopped garlic around in case there is no fresh or the fresh has dried to dust. > > In my experience, the fresh lasts longer than the jarred, anyway. And it’s not really all that hard to chop up a clove or two to begin with. A clove or two? Who uses garlic in such small quantities? (Okay, if the dish isn’t going to be cooked, that much will do. Sometimes.) ---
**Author:** ![Kyla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/eada6e/32.png) [@Kyla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kyla)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2010, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooking-i-admit-it-i-use-this-short-cut/553072/27 "2010-09-08T19:58:55Z")
I make guacamole by stirring a bunch of (pre-made) salsa in with some chopped avocado. Delicious and super, super easy. ---
**Author:** ![Rhythmdvl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/85f322/32.png) [@Rhythmdvl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhythmdvl)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2010, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooking-i-admit-it-i-use-this-short-cut/553072/28 "2010-09-08T20:04:27Z")
What’s with all the broken anchovies, vindaloos, curries, moles, and gingers? Maybe instead of pasting them together you took a bit more care in the kitchen you wouldn’t need so many repairs. What? Oh. 'Kay then. We’ll occasionally roast a veggie or use them in recipes, but most of our vegetables get washed, prepped, and put straight in the microwave. 'Waves cook by heating water … veggies steam via heated water. Took a bit to get the timing right on certain things, but we end up with consistent just-right vegetables with minimal cleanup or fuss. Yeah, you can nuke the crap out of the them, but done right and they’re indistinguishable from their conventionally steamed brethren. On the more unforgivable side; it’s gotten to the point where we use _canned_ refrieds more often than real beans. :eek: ---
**Author:** ![antonio107](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/7ea924/32.png) [@antonio107](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/antonio107)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2010, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooking-i-admit-it-i-use-this-short-cut/553072/29 "2010-09-08T20:05:05Z")
Pre-made soup stock. If I’m making chili or a stew, I’ll buy some canned soup stock, even though I can make my own. Of course, since my mum and grandma both have hypertension, sometimes I will just replace the stock with water altogether, so that I can save on the salt. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2010, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooking-i-admit-it-i-use-this-short-cut/553072/30 "2010-09-08T20:28:11Z")
I do use mostly canned soup stocks and soup pastes. I tried garlic-in-a-jar once and threw most of it away. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2010, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooking-i-admit-it-i-use-this-short-cut/553072/31 "2010-09-08T20:38:40Z")
> [@Kyla](#): > > I make guacamole by stirring a bunch of (pre-made) salsa in with some chopped avocado. Delicious and super, super easy. I do that, too. It’s killer! It takes a bit of practice to get the proportions, right, though. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2010, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooking-i-admit-it-i-use-this-short-cut/553072/32 "2010-09-08T20:47:41Z")
> [@](#): > > We’ll occasionally roast a veggie or use them in recipes, but most of our vegetables get washed, prepped, and put straight in the microwave. 'Waves cook by heating water … veggies steam via heated water. Took a bit to get the timing right on certain things, but we end up with consistent just-right vegetables with minimal cleanup or fuss. Yeah, you can nuke the crap out of the them, but done right and they’re indistinguishable from their conventionally steamed brethren. Nothing at all wrong with microwaving veggies, if you get the power and timing right. The only problem is that it can take a fair amount of trial-and-error to get the power and timing right, since microwaves differ from each other so much. It can be tricky enough to learn that I actually consider steaming them the old-fashioned way to be the shortcut. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2010, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooking-i-admit-it-i-use-this-short-cut/553072/33 "2010-09-08T20:56:45Z")
I remember having Thanksgiving dinner at a friend’s sister’s one year, and my job was to “cook” the frozen peas. I think I had them in there for three cycles of maybe 5 minutes each. It would have been faster to just throw them into a pot and put them on the stove. Since they had two stoves it wasn’t like they were running out of burners. ---
**Author:** ![FairyChatMom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fairychatmom/32/21906_2.png) [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2010, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooking-i-admit-it-i-use-this-short-cut/553072/34 "2010-09-08T21:02:32Z")
I use pre-fab pie crusts. I know how to make my own, I have made my own in the past, and I usually have all the ingredients on hand. But the frozen crusts are as good as mine - maybe better because they look nicer and I’d rather put my efforts into the pie filling. I can honestly say that even my father-in-law, who married a primo piecrust-maker, has never turned down a pie I baked. I also use the pre-chopped garlic. And canned gravy. And dried onions sometimes. I’ll add onions and/or mushrooms to my gravy. I’ll usually chop my own onions, but on occasion I just need a little and it’s quicker to shake some out. ---
**Author:** ![YogSothoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/8edcca/32.png) [@YogSothoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YogSothoth)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2010, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooking-i-admit-it-i-use-this-short-cut/553072/35 "2010-09-08T21:12:22Z")
What’s with all the garlic jar people? I love to peel and chop garlic. Just cut off the little hard bit on the tip, then smash the garlic a little with the side of the blade. The skin comes off quite easily after that > [@Fried\_Dough\_Ho](#): > > Anchovy paste. > > The perfect condiment for sautéed vegetables and into soups and sauces. I never tell people I’m using it until they beg me for what the secret ingredient is in my vegetables. In lieu of salt, it is the perfect flavor component with a pat of butter and a small handful of pinenuts for pan-sautéed veggies! I’m going to have to try this, it sounds great. But where do you get anchovy paste? ---
**Author:** ![Tethered\_Kite](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a5b964/32.png) [@Tethered\_Kite](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tethered_Kite)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2010, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooking-i-admit-it-i-use-this-short-cut/553072/36 "2010-09-08T21:16:28Z")
Some people used to call me lazy. Now skin-on french fries are kewl. ---
**Author:** ![Casey1505](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/dc4da7/32.png) [@Casey1505](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Casey1505)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2010, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooking-i-admit-it-i-use-this-short-cut/553072/37 "2010-09-08T21:35:01Z")
> [@pseudotriton\_ruber\_ruber](#): > > > [@John\_Mace](#): > > > > Pre-chopped garlic in a bottle. > > “Avoid at all costs that vile spew you see rotting in oil in screw-top jars. Too lazy to peel fresh? You don’t deserve to eat garlic.” > > —Anthony Bourdain, Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly. Never heard of a garlic snob before. Hmm. I buy my jar of chopped garlic from…WAL MART!! _(Did you hear Bourdain wince? I did!)_ ---
**Author:** ![Omniscient](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omniscient/32/3290_2.png) [@Omniscient](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omniscient)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2010, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooking-i-admit-it-i-use-this-short-cut/553072/38 "2010-09-08T21:59:00Z")
I had absolutely no idea that jar garlic was in any way considered inferior to the fresh chopped kind. The universal consensus here is baffling to me, I figured it was a lateral move. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2010, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooking-i-admit-it-i-use-this-short-cut/553072/39 "2010-09-08T22:05:48Z")
> [@Omniscient](#): > > I had absolutely no idea that jar garlic was in any way considered inferior to the fresh chopped kind. The universal consensus here is baffling to me, I figured it was a lateral move. It may be bleached, it may be old, it may have additives for color. Anything canned is going to suffer in the flavor department. ---
**Author:** ![purplehorseshoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/purplehorseshoe/32/2996_2.png) [@purplehorseshoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehorseshoe)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2010, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooking-i-admit-it-i-use-this-short-cut/553072/40 "2010-09-08T22:05:55Z")
Yeah, I came in here to say two that already got mentioned: - frozen pie crusts Seriously: Cook’s Illustrated says they’re almost indistinguishable from homemade, and that’s more than good enough for me. Like **FairyChatMom** , I can make my own, but why bother when I’d rather concentrate on the filling? - boxed chicken stock Like **TheFifthYear** , I make my own as often as possible (OMG soooo good) but we friggin’ blow through the stuff in my household, so there’s a few boxes in the pantry. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooking-i-admit-it-i-use-this-short-cut/553072.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooking-i-admit-it-i-use-this-short-cut/553072.md?page=3)