You've Got Bragging Rights

Jul 12, 2011 8:16 am

Gallery: 10 DIY recipes for go-to snacks and more

By Jess Kapadia

Bragging rights in the kitchen are a big deal, have no misconceptions about that. Making simple things like whipped cream and salsa from scratch say a lot about the relationship between a guy and his food. It's kind of like Mark Zuckerberg exclusively eating animals he killed himself, only we're pureeing stuff into ketchup. It's basically the same.

We've rounded up 10 of our favorite Bragging Rights recipes, from the very easy to the easiest of the easy (and one or two that are kinda hard, to be honest), so you can thoroughly enjoy the looks on your friends' faces when you roll up to the gathering with homemade beef jerky. Are you the most popular dude there? Why yes, you are. And now all your jerky's gone.

You've Got Bragging Rights

1. Potato Chips

Easily impress by elevating the most mundane snacks to homemade status. It only takes minutes to fry up potato slices and the results are far superior to any bag of kettle chips we’ve tried.

See our Homemade Potato Chip recipe here.

Photo: @joefoodie on Flickr

02. Ricotta Cheese

If you buy your ricotta at the supermarket, you're paying for the dairy and all the stabilizers that lend a rubbery, gummy texture to the final product. The good news is, if you can cook dried pasta — and if you can't, click on that link immediately — chances are you can make your own ricotta to toss it with.

See our How-To: Make Homemade Ricotta here.

Photo: Moritz* on Flickr

03. Tortilla Chips

Sure, you could pick up a big bag full of mostly broken tortilla chips, fried in oil of questionable quality. Or, in less time than it takes to head to the store and back, you can bake up a batch of your own easy homemade tortillas with just a touch of healthy olive oil — no deep fryer required.

See our Homemade Tortilla Chips recipe here.

Photo: cheeseslave on Flickr

04. Sauerkraut

Make your own sauerkraut? Why, you may ask. It's easy, and much tastier than the stuff that comes in a can (though it does take a bit of time). Break it out at the next backyard gathering and boom! You've got bragging rights

See How To Make Your Own Sauerkraut here.

Photo: Iban on Flickr

05. Hot Sauce

If you find yourself indecisively staring down your crusty-capped hot sauce collection more frequently than you'd like, consider brewing a batch of your own. Just imagine the look on your buddies' faces when you pull out an unlabeled bottle or jar of your very own blend and offer this disclaimer: "Careful, that's a proprietary formula I've been working on."

See our Homemade Hot Sauce recipe here.

photo: Paulandrews77 on Flickr

06. Fridge Pickling

It may seem excessive to be DIYing your own pickles. But this quick refrigerator version is cheap, quick, and will give you the deep sense of satisfaction and accomplishment that is missing when you simply open a jar of store-bought dills.

See our Basic Refrigerator Pickles recipe here.

Photo: Meer on Flickr

07. Beef Jerky

Why would you make something you can buy at any corner store? Because you can, and because it's a lot cooler to pull out a bag with beef jerky that you slow-cooked yourself than to unwrap processed beef jerky. Try it, tear off a piece and hand it to a friend. See what happens.

See our Homemade Beef Jerky recipe here.

photo: methTICALman on Flickr

08. Homemade Ketchup

A bottle of ketchup is something that is just so ubiquitous in your fridge that it probably never occurs to you to make your own. But homemade ketchup is easy and impressive, the type of thing that you serve to friends and they're like, "Wow."

See our Homemade Ketchup recipe here.

Photo: photoverulam on Flickr

09. Homemade Pastrami

Sure, you can go into just about any deli and buy a pastrami sandwich. We challenge you to make your own. Not just the sandwich, but the whole pastrami. That's right, cure your own pastrami. It's actually pretty simple. And very impressive.

See How-To: Cure Your Own Pastrami here.

Photo: Jeffrey Tastes on Flickr

10. Homemade Mayo

We aren't suggesting that you get all Martha Stewart and begin your mayo-making by gathering eggs from Araucana chickens you've raised yourself and finishing it by serving on your best hand-crocheted doily. But mayonnaise is one of those things where the investment of effort is fairly minimal and the payoff is huge in terms of being able to impress your friends with your culinary skills. 15 minutes, 4 ingredients, minimal equipment. Just do it.

See our Homemade Mayonnaise recipe here.

photo: fotoosvanrobin on Flickr