Reddit reviews Totally Bamboo 20-2083 Salt Box, 3-1/2-Inch round, Plain

I've got one of these and love it. Have to give the lid a wipe down every now and then but otherwise it's great

https://www.amazon.com/Totally-Natural-Container-Magnetic-Organization/dp/B003PBHGHG

So, full disclosure this (and morning Uber rides to work when it's cold) is my biggest personal struggle, budget wise. That said, there are stretches of weeks/months where I'm damn near perfect with it and I can share those tips :)

So, the biggest thing for me is that I make sure that I've packed a snack to eat at 3pm every day. Even if I'm not hungry and even if I don't want that snack, I eat it. Because when I leave work at 6, I'm not so terribly hungry that even just boiling water for Kraft Mac n' Cheese is too much time/effort and "terribly hungry" is when the cravings get you and next thing you know, you're spending $25 on fancy ramen.

My personal go-to is sliced up red peppers and hummus or tzatziki sauce (which I rarely have at home so it's usually hummus). Protein is key to maintain the feeling of fullness, and the bulk of the vegetable satiates you. But it could be anything: mini Babybel cheeses (this is actually my go-to for breakfast-- some kind of seasonal fruit and cheese), a small charcuterie plate with olives and cured meats... whatever, get creative, don't ignore your calorie/ nutrition goals (this is why peppers and hummus are the best IMO)--just make sure it'll hold up in the fridge from Sunday- Friday and prepare enough to grab and go in the morning or keep in the work fridge and set a daily reminder for mandatory snacktime.

I've also started to make my own hummus, using this recipe1 (but I'm lazy and buy canned chickpeas--I do remove the skins). I can tweak it to my exact specifications and can make a whole lot of the stuff for very little money (compared to the store brands, the major ones of which I've never really loved). I'm not saying you have to do it, but it's something I've come to enjoy and makes me look forward to mandatory snacktime because I'm damn proud of the stuff.

Which goes into a more general tip: learn to cook some basics/ easy go-tos and make them yours and make them your favorite versions of said food (or at least your favorite available). A bit tricky for NYC when there's awesome food everywhere but you can do it.

Make use of that freezer. I have a go-to recipe for Mexican shredded chicken that I'll make pounds of in one go, and then freeze the extras in freezer friendly quart ziplocks (freeze them "thin" so defrosting takes 10 minutes in room temperature water. There are a million different receipes for this concept. Some limey and cilantro-y, some tomatoey and cuminy. Here's a quick and effective way to get an airtight seal and avoid freezer burn. Make a bunch of different types This then can turn into whatever. Stuff a quesadilla, make enchiladas, make some soup, mix in with rice, eat on top of a bed of spinach. Ditto with some sort of spiced ground beef (or turkey).

In addition, if you always have a couple chicken breasts and a pound of ground beef/ turkey in the freezer (take out of original packaging, put in freezer friendly ziplocks, save as thin as possible for space concerns and also ease of defrosting), and even a sort-of stocked pantry, you'll have the ability to "wing it"/ get creative/ bail yourself out in a pinch (my dinner last night: my "emergency lazy food" package of herb and butter Rice a Roni with sliced chicken breast. Not a restaurant replacement but it was fast and I saved myself $20).

Try to always have some basics on hand. Whatever your "basics" wind up being, that will be personal based on your taste and your easy go-tos. For us, it's rice and tortillas (married to a Central American, my favorite food is Mexican, so your mileage may vary, most people seem to gravitate to bread and pasta). We always have a couple different kinds of shredded cheese on hand. Ditto with sour cream-- there's always at least some in the house. We always get a package of spinach, green onions and a lot of limes at the store (and often some extra red peppers) because we've found we use them up every time. We also make sure that the onion, garlic and egg reserves never go down (these items keep for weeks if stored properly). Oh, and canned tomatoes and black beans. Always have a ton of those. I have a lot of homemade chicken stock in the freezer (whenever I make a whole chicken, I put the bones and vegetable scraps in the slow cooker for 12 hours. Boom. Chicken broth), but you could keep canned on hand or "better than bouillon". This helps with soup and also adding flavor to whatever you're cooking. We've got a nice collection of spices and oils and vinegars which helps. Most of this keeps for a long time and can be morphed into anything AND goes well with our standard go-tos.

Once you get your basics to where you like them, you'll start to feel a bit silly going out to get X because it's really just ABC mixed together and you've got A and B in the home and you could pick up C right now for $2 AND yours tastes better. It's also fun and a challenge to learn new things and even more fun to follow a recipe exactly the first time and then make it yours the second. Also, give yourself a bit of leeway. This is "never eat out again" this is "stop paying 10x the price for something I can easily make at home, probably better". You love Indian? Go for it. Top notch sushi? Cool. But you do not need a $20 hamburger. Or Tex-Mex (authentic Mexican food is certainly something worth spending on). Or...whatever.

For inspiration, and bang-up awesome recipes, can't go wrong with America's Test Kitchen. Get a trial subscription or ask for one for the holidays.

Oh, also (sorry, I'm rambling). BUY GOOD SALT. Forget anything iodized. You don't have to break the bank but get some descent fleur de sel. Then don't be afraid to use it. Keep it in something like this, right by where you cook. Go talk to the people at the fancy salt store linked here. They'll back me up on this. Part of why you crave eating out so much is because they season their food properly and there is a 90% chance that you do not (most people don't, from a fear-of-salt thing from the 60s/70s that was the low fat diet scam of its day). You're addicted, basically. A couple weeks of home cooking will break that, especially if you're providing yourself a good substitute. Salt is not evil, and I can guarantee you that even if you feel like you're using a heavy hand in your kitchen, you probably won't be using as much as restaurants anyway.

We've used this one for years.

Totally Bamboo 20-2083 Salt Box, 3-1/2-Inch round, Plain https://www.amazon.com/dp/B003PBHGHG/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_vj2gDbK0DF35M

I use one of these. The top clicks tightly shut with a magnet. http://www.amazon.com/Totally-Bamboo-Round-Salt-Box/dp/B003PBHGHG/

745

1 2 3 ^I ^really ^don't ^know ^what ^other ^Asian ^things ^I ^want ^:(

I've been to China a couple times in the past, any specific spot you're going to?

I bought something very similar to this a long time ago and it's treated me wonderfully since.