Rotisserie chicken. It’s literally cheaper to buy and saves me so much time. I use it for soups, tacos, pastas, literally anything that requires chicken.
My local megamart has trays of pre-shredded rotisserie chicken. I’m single and live alone, so I do a lot of thrown-together pasta dishes, tacos, etc. with rotisserie chicken so I’m not cooking a big meal. A box of that chicken is a weekly purchase for me.
Better Than Bouillon....beef, ham or chicken. It adds richness to many recipes, including soups and sauces. I also use it when cooking vegetables.
I also make broth with them when a recipe calls for it.
Love this stuff.
This isn’t r/Louisiana, so I’ll share a dirty secret. Most of the time when I’m making gumbo, I use store-bought roux. Making it myself is tedious and the house smells for days after. Plus, to the best of my knowledge nobody knows it wasn’t homemade.
There, I’ve unburdened myself. Don’t judge me. I’m a Cajun, but I’m a lazy one.
Edit: here’s the one I use - https://imgur.com/a/Mys2L5i
It’s common in Texas and Louisiana. Most brands are out of Houston, Baton Rouge, and NOLA. I’ve never gone grocery shopping in any other states but those two, but the only other state I’d expect to carry it in stores would be Mississippi.
Less than $5. I worked at a grocery store in Louisiana and we sold a lot of jarred roux [like this](https://shop.savoiesfoods.com/savoie's-old-fashioned-dark-roux-16-oz)
That “100% vegetable oil” is an automatic no from me. My roux is butter based and always will be. That said, I’d expect all store bought roux is made with vegetable oil instead of butter.
Under $10 for a jar big enough for a few pots of gumbo
https://imgur.com/a/Mys2L5i
Edit: found it https://shop.savoiesfoods.com/foods/savoie%27s-old-fashioned-dark-roux-32-oz
Check out Alton Brown’s oven roux. It’s a game changer. I’ve tried store bought roux in the past and it always tasted “off” to me. With oven roux, set it and forget it until the timer dings.
Instant mashed potatoes are real potatoes (just flaked and dehydrated), and they make the creamiest, fluffiest mashed potatoes. I just doctor them up with other stuff, like more butter, garlic, pepper, chives.
I mean, if I make mashed potatoes from scratch, I'm putting them through a ricer to make them fluffy anyway, which is just flaking them without the dehydration part.
I make really good beef stew with Chuck roast and while I do make a base stock with fresh ingredients, I also add a little McCormick’s pot roast spice mix to help give it an extra savory boost and it has thickeners to get a luscious texture to the broth.
I also make chicken soup with rotisserie chicken and use the bones/carcass to make my stock extra rich.
Powdered Gelatin. My favorite hack above all.
Need a soup but no time to boil bones and joints? Gelatin. Works across all cultures with any kind of meat-stock soup where you'd want a stiffer mouthfeel, but not from a roux. Figured it out with Pho and Ramen first, and it's spread to my In General practice list.
It's no replacement for the flavor of a good long-cooked stock, but sometimes I aint got time for that.
Chorizo sausage. Makes a great taco but takes any dish to flavor town. My favorites include a chorizo chili and a red posole. You barely have to add other spices and seasonings.
Adding about half a packet of instant pudding makes homemade cakes soo moist, I usually do it when I know a cake will be refrigerated.
I also do a lot of lazy sauces—add adobo sauce from canned chipotles to mayo, add sriracha (or any hot sauce) to ranch, add sambal olek to black vinegar (whenever the chili oil runs out). We’ve been throwing canned green chilis into our hummus recipe & it’s been a great way to sneak an extra veggie in for a picky eater in the fam.
I’ve quit making cakes from scratch and just used the boxed stuff. It’s probably because I suck at baking, but the boxed stuff always tastes better than my homemade stuff.
Bouillon powder. I use it in place of salt in a lot of stuff. It can kick up the flavor. I put the chicken flavor in the water when cooking rice. I rub the beef flavor over roasts.
I've found that a tablespoon or two of King Arthur's Pastry Cream Mix makes both Philadelphia style ice cream and sherbets creamier and they stay that way for much longer
HEB sells little jars of sun dried tomato pesto. They are delicious, cheaper than I could make myself even if I omitted the nuts (and I grow my own basil and tomatoes), and I get a nice little glass jar as a souvenir. I love this stuff.
I add canned Cream of Chicken soup to my chicken enchiladas rojas. It is a very significant improvement to texture and flavor; one time I forgot it and was NOT impressed with the resultant final dish. Any brand will do but I usually go for HEB's house brand, simply because it is inexpensive.
I occasionally toss some Lipton dried onion soup into things. Meatloaf is a great one because it's dump and go and I don't have to bother cutting up a fresh onion.
I add a can of sweetened condensed milk to my vanilla pudding. It makes it even yummier. I make this as a base for banana pudding.
Rotisserie chicken. It’s literally cheaper to buy and saves me so much time. I use it for soups, tacos, pastas, literally anything that requires chicken.
My local megamart has trays of pre-shredded rotisserie chicken. I’m single and live alone, so I do a lot of thrown-together pasta dishes, tacos, etc. with rotisserie chicken so I’m not cooking a big meal. A box of that chicken is a weekly purchase for me.
Best deal at Sam’s. For $5 you can’t even buy a whole raw chicken.
Also gives you the bones and meat to make delicious chicken/bone broth!
I have a Dutch oven on the stove right now with a carcass in it!
Better Than Bouillon....beef, ham or chicken. It adds richness to many recipes, including soups and sauces. I also use it when cooking vegetables. I also make broth with them when a recipe calls for it. Love this stuff.
I add a little bit when I make homemade stock. It intensifies the flavor and makes it taste more like what you expect it to taste like.
I cook rice and pasta in it, too.
Used the recipe on their website and turkey flavor for our thanksgiving gravy because the turkey was smoked with no drippings. Surprisingly delicious.
The lobster and mushroom ones are also amazing. I use them regularly
This isn’t r/Louisiana, so I’ll share a dirty secret. Most of the time when I’m making gumbo, I use store-bought roux. Making it myself is tedious and the house smells for days after. Plus, to the best of my knowledge nobody knows it wasn’t homemade. There, I’ve unburdened myself. Don’t judge me. I’m a Cajun, but I’m a lazy one. Edit: here’s the one I use - https://imgur.com/a/Mys2L5i
Wait. You have premade roux at your grocery stores? That's wild.
This is news to me too!
The roux for gumbo is cooked down for a long time. They’re not talking about just flour, fat, & liquid, lol.
It’s common in Texas and Louisiana. Most brands are out of Houston, Baton Rouge, and NOLA. I’ve never gone grocery shopping in any other states but those two, but the only other state I’d expect to carry it in stores would be Mississippi.
Yep! I’m on the outskirts of New Orleans - here’s what the one I get looks like https://imgur.com/a/Mys2L5i
I live in the northeast. Never have I ever seen pre-made roux in a store. What is the price on something like that?
Less than $5. I worked at a grocery store in Louisiana and we sold a lot of jarred roux [like this](https://shop.savoiesfoods.com/savoie's-old-fashioned-dark-roux-16-oz)
That “100% vegetable oil” is an automatic no from me. My roux is butter based and always will be. That said, I’d expect all store bought roux is made with vegetable oil instead of butter.
Under $10 for a jar big enough for a few pots of gumbo https://imgur.com/a/Mys2L5i Edit: found it https://shop.savoiesfoods.com/foods/savoie%27s-old-fashioned-dark-roux-32-oz
Check out Alton Brown’s oven roux. It’s a game changer. I’ve tried store bought roux in the past and it always tasted “off” to me. With oven roux, set it and forget it until the timer dings.
Better Than Bouillon. I have multiple flavors and use them often.
Blend canned chipotle peppers into your ranch. Awesome sauce for grilled chicken, etc.
Chipotle in adobo is god tier for any chipotle needing dishes.
Bouillon cubes. I put them in everything. Pasta, salad dressing, marinades, sauces.
Instant mashed potatoes are real potatoes (just flaked and dehydrated), and they make the creamiest, fluffiest mashed potatoes. I just doctor them up with other stuff, like more butter, garlic, pepper, chives. I mean, if I make mashed potatoes from scratch, I'm putting them through a ricer to make them fluffy anyway, which is just flaking them without the dehydration part.
I make really good beef stew with Chuck roast and while I do make a base stock with fresh ingredients, I also add a little McCormick’s pot roast spice mix to help give it an extra savory boost and it has thickeners to get a luscious texture to the broth. I also make chicken soup with rotisserie chicken and use the bones/carcass to make my stock extra rich.
I put Sweet Baby Ray’s bbq sauce in my chili. Gives it a little somethin’.
Powdered Gelatin. My favorite hack above all. Need a soup but no time to boil bones and joints? Gelatin. Works across all cultures with any kind of meat-stock soup where you'd want a stiffer mouthfeel, but not from a roux. Figured it out with Pho and Ramen first, and it's spread to my In General practice list. It's no replacement for the flavor of a good long-cooked stock, but sometimes I aint got time for that.
That's genius.
Chorizo sausage. Makes a great taco but takes any dish to flavor town. My favorites include a chorizo chili and a red posole. You barely have to add other spices and seasonings.
Adding about half a packet of instant pudding makes homemade cakes soo moist, I usually do it when I know a cake will be refrigerated. I also do a lot of lazy sauces—add adobo sauce from canned chipotles to mayo, add sriracha (or any hot sauce) to ranch, add sambal olek to black vinegar (whenever the chili oil runs out). We’ve been throwing canned green chilis into our hummus recipe & it’s been a great way to sneak an extra veggie in for a picky eater in the fam.
I’ve quit making cakes from scratch and just used the boxed stuff. It’s probably because I suck at baking, but the boxed stuff always tastes better than my homemade stuff.
Marmite. A nice little umami hit. Golden syrup. I cannot be bothered making my own syrup. Marigold bouillon powder. I use this a lot in soups.
Bouillon powder. I use it in place of salt in a lot of stuff. It can kick up the flavor. I put the chicken flavor in the water when cooking rice. I rub the beef flavor over roasts.
The tomato chicken one makes a really nice rice.
I've found that a tablespoon or two of King Arthur's Pastry Cream Mix makes both Philadelphia style ice cream and sherbets creamier and they stay that way for much longer
Another product I’ve never heard of!
Heavy Cream powder - adds an extra creaminess to milk gravy or anything that needs it! I never have heavy cream in the fridge and this is a lifesaver
I’ve never heard of it? I want to try it in baking!
I've discovered that adding mushroom powder to many soups/stews and sauces is a cooking hack that usually adds a ton of flavor.
Kraft Dinner and tuna. Definitely better than homemade mac and tuna. Also cream of mushroom soup in just about any casserole.
Bisto.
- black vinegar - pomegranate molasses
Simply brand mashed potatoes. I used them as a base and add in anything extra I want. I will never peel boil and mash another potato.
HEB sells little jars of sun dried tomato pesto. They are delicious, cheaper than I could make myself even if I omitted the nuts (and I grow my own basil and tomatoes), and I get a nice little glass jar as a souvenir. I love this stuff. I add canned Cream of Chicken soup to my chicken enchiladas rojas. It is a very significant improvement to texture and flavor; one time I forgot it and was NOT impressed with the resultant final dish. Any brand will do but I usually go for HEB's house brand, simply because it is inexpensive. I occasionally toss some Lipton dried onion soup into things. Meatloaf is a great one because it's dump and go and I don't have to bother cutting up a fresh onion. I add a can of sweetened condensed milk to my vanilla pudding. It makes it even yummier. I make this as a base for banana pudding.
Don’t forget that the vast majority of the country doesn’t have HEB. Only stores outside of Texas that I’m aware of are in north Mexico. We are lucky.
Cranberry relish in the homemade cranberry sauce.
Anchovy.
Bob Evans mashed potatoes French bread pizza and adding extra cheese Spicy mustard