Ice Cakes

The iconic, lovable gummy bear originated in Germany, where it goes by the name Gummibär— but that's not what makes it so much fun. The base of gummy bears is made up of gelatin, which gives them the signature elasticity that makes you feel like a kid again. But the fun doesn' ...more

Soda bread, corned beef and cabbage, and colcannon are all great dishes to serve up on St. Patrick's Day, but desserts really let your inner leprechaun come out to play. Not only can you have fun incorporating all kinds of tasty Irish liquors into baked goods, you get to dye t ...more

Making a good pie crust can seem intimidating to the uninitiated, but once you master this skill, a whole world opens up to you. Not only can you make all manner of fruit, custard, and cream-filled pies once you know all the tricks, you can branch out into the world of quiches ...more

"Cooking" with liquid nitrogen seems like one of those activities that should be strictly limited to pros who are appearing on Top Chef, but it's the only way you'd ever be able to make Dippin' Dots at home. If that isn't enough of a reason for you to get some LN2 for your kit ...more

Surprise desserts (aka peekaboo desserts) are a gorgeous way to celebrate anything, whether it's a birthday, new baby, or just a brand new day. You can pretty much hide anything you want inside: candy, a cool design, and even other desserts. To help inspire you, try one of the ...more

When I was a little kid, my parents often eschewed cakes for my birthday parties, and instead opted for ice cream sundaes and banana splits. It made perfect sense: ice cream is so easy, and you can get multiple flavors to ensure that everyone is happy. Don't Miss: How to Make ...more

Summertime calls out for desserts that are easy to assemble and don't require heat. Voilà: crème de menthe grasshopper pies. They are minty, fresh, and cold, and are very easy to whip together with marshmallows and a microwave. Another plus? You can make these mini crème de m ...more

Planning a Super Bowl party, or any football-themed party for that matter, can be fun for even the most craft-adverse host, as almost anything brown can turn into a football with just a little decoration. With a little planning, you won't be serving up any Pinterest fails this ...more

We've already shown you how to dunk a regular-sized Oreo cookie while keeping your fingers pristine, how to upgrade Oreos into different desserts, and even make them into lazy ice cream sandwiches. Now we're going to introduce you to a few other essential Oreo hacks that will ...more

Some food jars seem like they're actually designed to prevent you from enjoying every last bit inside. The remnants of sticky foods like Nutella and peanut butter are almost impossible to scrape out with a knife or spoon, and it's a shame to throw out something that tastes so ...more

No one ever said you had to be a culturally-relevant pun for Halloween, you know—or a scantily-dressed version of the inmates from Orange is the New Black. None of that stress for me, guys. I'm going to be what makes me happy this year: food. And here are some of my favorites ...more

We're wild for whipped cream in our coffee, atop our brownies, and in-between wafer cookies, so we always have some in our fridge. To be specific, we always have homemade whipped cream in our fridge, because the taste is just so much better than the pre-made stuff. Don't Miss ...more

As a self-proclaimed chocoholic, any day with chocolate mousse in it is a good day in my book. And thanks to prominent chemist Hervé This, one of the founding fathers of molecular gastronomy, chocolate mousse is not only easy to make every single day—but only requires two ingr ...more

Wait, don't dump that milk! It may have a slightly sour smell and be expiring tomorrow, but you can still put it to good use by making sour milk jam. Sour milk jam is made by cooking down the expiring milk with sugar and then adding crème fraîche. The pleasantly sour flavor o ...more

Tired of the same old brownies? Instead of just making brownies, why not kick up the creativity a notch and make some halloween themed brownie pops. They are really easy to make, and sure to impress your family and friends. Not too mention they are delicious! Enjoy! Follow the ...more

My favorite finishing touch to any dish is a tuile. Small, elegant, and simple—even its name makes it sound delicate. Tuiles are garnishes that are malleable when directly removed from the oven and crisp up as they cool down. I love them because they complement both savory and ...more

Your grater and microplane may look like single-purpose tools, but they're actually one of the most diverse appliances in your kitchen. Sure, everyone knows to use a grater on cheese and a microplane on citrus zest, but why stop there? Here are 10 things you may not have thoug ...more

Ask ten different people how they feel about boxed cake mixes, and you'll likely get ten different answers. Some baking purists will berate them and throw them in the same category as garlic presses and knife sets sold on infomercials. Many people will say that they prefer not ...more

Just like Leslie Knope, I love waffles. Unlike that imaginary character, I don't require that my waffles come from JJ's Diner. I have a deep affinity for frozen waffles as well as the homemade ones. They're so convenient! A few moments in the toaster, and you have a great foun ...more

If eating bacon for breakfast, lunch, and dinner isn't enough to satiate your love for rashers, then how about eating it for dessert too? It's what a true baconphiliac would do. You don't need to go to a gourmet cupcake shop or ice creamery to get your candied bacon fix; it's ...more

During our high school years, one of us (hint: her name starts with a B) worked at Cold Stone Creamery. She loved working there, and from this love emerged a fascination with adding creative ingredients to plain ol' vanilla ice cream. We now keep this blank palate of frozen g ...more

It's almost time for Halloween, which means that it's time for the nastiest-looking food and drink to make its appearance. Severed fingers, brains, vomit... everything that would normally make our stomachs turn at any other time of year makes us cackle with glee instead on Hal ...more

Your waffle maker might just be the most underutilized tool in your kitchen. This one appliance can make bacon, eggs, hash browns, cupcakes, falafel, mac and cheese, and cinnamon rolls much more quickly and with less mess than traditional methods. Plus, the results all come ou ...more

Sometimes just drinking your alcohol can feel a little dull and boring. Eating your alcohol, however, is always a party. Whether you're hosting a party and looking for a unique idea to serve drinks, or have a problem with people judging you for drinking at noon, all you have ...more

To prevent melted ice cream from leaking out of the pointy bottom of a cone, plug the hole up with a marshmallow before adding any ice cream on top. This will also give you a nice treat when you're almost finished, as the marshmallow will absorb some of the ice cream. Or, if ...more

Right now is that magical time of year when the general public decides to embrace their inner fattie and get baking in the kitchen. Hello, pies and cakes and cookies and everything carbs. Goodbye, diets—see you in the next year, when you cripple us with unbridled guilt and lon ...more

Ah, the sensation of that first bite of sorbet in the heat of summertime: icy, refreshing, decadent in flavor and texture. We love sorbet almost as much as we love ice cream, and making it at home is actually pretty simple. Most recipes call for just water, sugar, and a base f ...more

Perhaps the best part about Easter is the fact that, even after the day is over, there's usually still a lot of candy left. Jelly beans, gummy bears, Cadbury eggs, peanut butter cups, marshmallow peeps — there's no end to the sugary goodness in your awesome Easter basket. Yet ...more

Mushrooms are glorious: they're nutritional powerhouses, add meaty savor to just about any dish, and are cheap and plentiful (mostly). But just when you thought you knew best how to use edible fungi (in gravies, as portobello burgers, stewed and served over pasta, just to name ...more

You're better than a can of Reddi-wip, which is why you should always make fresh whipped cream at home. It's extremely easy to make, won't have all those nasty preservatives, is thicker and creamier in consistency (like cream should be), and tastes much richer. Don't Miss: 4 ...more

For generations, parents have been struggling to come up with innovative ways to get their kids to eat their vegetables. They'll cut them into fun shapes, bake them in cheese, batter, and deep-fry them. Don't Miss: 5 Ways to Make Your Vegetables Taste Better Japanese food st ...more

Whether you've watched Game of Thrones or read the A Song of Ice and Fire series by George R. R. Martin, you probably know the White Walkers (aka the Others) all too well. They're creepy, otherworldly humanoids shrouded in icy white skin and ice-blue eyes. They are not to be c ...more

These cinnamon buns baked in orange peels are one of the easiest, cutest, and tastiest treats you can make for breakfast, a sweet snack, or dessert. Whether you bake them in the oven or grill them over a campfire, the orange peels infuse the cinnamon rolls with a fragrant, cit ...more

Baking used to be a fun, relaxing hobby and a way to make treats for friends and family. These days, this hobby has become a creative battleground among out-of-work graphic designers with Pinterest accounts. People everywhere are now upping their baking game by adding interest ...more

While I frown upon any form of uneaten cookie, sometimes we overestimate our late-night cravings for baked goods leaving us with extra cookie dough at 4 a.m. If you're in the privileged dilemma of not having enough excess dough to make another batch of cookies but just enough ...more

I wrote this about two years ago to help people make realistic passwords. The best part was while writing it I realized I encrypted the list in a manner only the maker would know.... on to the show Pa$$w0rdz Passwords should easy to remember. Now I'm not saying 123456 is ok, ...more

True home automation doesn't require interaction from the user. But let's be real, no system is going to be 100% autonomous. You'll always need a manual override for situations programming can't account for. So what's the best manual override system? I'll tell you right now, i ...more

The Disney Research Lab is using projector-based illumination to paint actors' faces during live performances. You know what that means? Disney just took Halloween to a whole new level. Here's how they did it: The actors move on stage, sans makeup, while the AR light follows ...more

Each year we inevitably fall into the pumpkin spice game. From the usual (like lattes and muffins) to the slightly more absurd (like Pringles and beef jerky)—if the leaves are turning colors and food ain't pumpkin spiced, it ain't worthy of consumption. The same seasonal rule ...more

Emojis, for better or for worse, have essentially taken over online forms of communication. And now, thanks to a recently discovered feature in iOS, they are going to change the way you search for nearby places. The process is actually very simple. Let's say you're looking fo ...more

Cool, refreshing fruit, ice-cold margaritas (or beergaritas), and popsicles... this combination of food and drink just screams summer. Turn up the chill jams on the stereo, fire up the grill, and throw on your shades—you're just one pool away from the best summer party ever. ...more

We've both had a fondness for pancakes since we were kids; The way the smells of syrup and warm batter permeated the kitchen and lingered for hours drove us crazy—and still does. Recently, we started to notice that when we had guests over to indulge in pancakes for brunch, th ...more

The internet was blowing up recently over this mind-blowing, mouth-watering video of a woman making a cake decoration out of… wait for it… chocolate bubble wrap. Yes, that's right: she turned the ubiquitous packing material into the mold for an absolutely gorgeous cake embelli ...more

Whether your holidays are cause for celebration or exhaustion from over-celebrating, alcohol is more often than not involved in the merrymaking. We at Food Hacks are very fond of enjoying this particular indulgence in lots of different ways. Flavored liquors and liqueurs have ...more

There are few things that make me smile more than ice cream… or bread! So why not combine them for double the happiness? We've discussed the art of making ice cream bread before, but not everyone has the time (or, let's face it—the patience) to bake bread in the oven, no matte ...more

Convenience in the kitchen can be a very, very good thing. As fun as it can be to spend hours toiling over Julia Child's boeuf bourguignon, there's a reason that we have canned soup, microwave dinners, bouillon cubes, and, of course, boxed mixes. Boxed mixes get a bad rap, bu ...more

Ice pops are like summer on a stick, with all the sweetness and stickiness of July and August. Store-bought popsicles, although refreshing, are never as good as homemade. So it's time to up your popsicle game with some of these beautiful creations, including some boozy pops (p ...more

I've always had an affinity for pretty wine bottles. When I was younger, my parents and my siblings would give me their empty wine bottles so I could collect them, and I loved every single one. Of course, once I reached a certain age, I realized that I loved what resided in t ...more

Rather than reaching for aspirin the next time a headache strikes, try grabbing a drink of lemonade instead. Not only can it help ease your head pain, but it can also help relieve stress, anxiety, and depression. But not just any old lemonade will do the trick—reach for the la ...more

One lump or two? That was the age-old question with sugar cubes, which used to be a staple of any tea salon or dignified household this side of Downton Abbey. These days sugar isn't really used in cubes much except in bars and restaurants, and that's a shame. Cubes are a lot l ...more

These cake eggs are a gorgeous treat that also makes a delicious April Fool's Day prank. Getting a fairly humdrum breakfast of boiled eggs and fruit and discovering that it's cake instead is an eggcellent surprise, isn't it? If you want to make these for Easter instead, then t ...more

When it comes to pizza, everyone has strong opinions about how they like their pie, whether they prefer deep dish, thin crust, Chicago-style, or gluten-free. However, most people agree that a pizza is composed of some basic parts: a single layer of crust (usually wheat-based), ...more

The wait is almost over. The sixth season of Game of Thrones kicks off this Sunday, April 24th at 9 p.m. (PT) on HBO, or at 5:57 p.m. (PT) on HBO GO and HBO NOW, with the first episode "The Red Woman." Video: . Whether you're watching GoT with friends or at home by yourself, i ...more

Last week, I showed you why your refrigerator is one of the best tools in the kitchen when it comes to saving money and preserving food at its tastiest. But did you know your freezer is another underutilized ally in the cooking game? Chances are, you've been using your freeze ...more

If you use the internet regularly, it's nearly impossible to avoid memes. They are the epitome of internet culture, demonstrating how jokes can spread and change like wildfire. While there are many different types, the most common ones you'll come across are images and GIFs wi ...more

There are two types of Halloween lovers: Those who like culturally-relevant costumes and serving precious ghost cupcakes, and those who live to freak their friends the hell out in the most disgusting way possible. We tend to fall into the latter category. We're talking edibl ...more

From vodka to beer, booze is great for drinking, great for mixing, and, yes, great for cooking with. But there's really no alcohol better for bringing into the kitchen than wine. From savory dishes to sweet ones, wine is so versatile that it can make almost any meal better. An ...more

Back in July, Oreo released their newest, limited-edition flavor, Choco Chip. These one-of-a-kind cookies are made up of golden, vanilla chocolate chip wafers with a chocolate chip creme filling. Don't Miss: Dunk Oreos Without Getting Your Fingers Messy With this new flavor ...more

The decadent, chewy, fresh-from-the-oven brownie is a classic American dessert. US History Scene states that the first brownies ever made were a result of socialite Bertha Potter Palmer's request of her chef at Chicago's Palmer House Hotel in 1893 "to create a dessert that cou ...more

Turning your oven on in the summer is just asking to convert your house into a sauna. No matter how badly you want to bake cookies during a heat wave, having to deal with the boost in temperature is a deterrent at best. However, this doesn't necessarily mean you have to go co ...more