Eating Healthy - September 5, 2022

21 Amazing Cooking Projects to Try in 2018

admin September 5, 2022

0 37 19 min read

Anyone who knows me knows that I love New Year’s resolutions. Every year, I set about a gazillion and one, not necessarily because I think I can actually accomplish them all, but because I just love setting goals—especially when I’ve got that new year mojo and a Pinterest board at my disposal.

As a food person, a lot of my resolutions have to do with, well, food. In the past, I’ve committed to upgrading my meal prep habits from a measly once-in-a-while effort to something I’d do every Sunday (which I accomplished, in case you were wondering). I’ve also tried my hand at a Dry January or two (which have been far less successful endeavors, in case you were also wondering). And this year, I’m finally going to attempt all the cooking projects I’ve been meaning to try. If all goes as planned, I’m going to start baking bread, making homemade nut milks, and maybe even brewing my own kombucha, if I can just find someone to lend me a SCOBY (the yeast base you need to make kombucha) to get me started.

If you want to take on some intense but deliciously rewarding cooking projects this year, too, here are 21 exciting recipes to get you inspired. From the not-so-hard—like 3-ingredient tortillas and refrigerator pickles—to the very hard—hello, croissants—there’s something here for every cooking level.

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https://www.gimmesomeoven.com1

Easy Refrigerator Pickles from Gimme Some Oven

Making pickles was something I also started doing last year. I was super daunted by it at first, but the whole process is actually ridiculously easy. Plus, it’s a great way to save cucumbers that are just starting to turn. This tutorial is a good, basic pickle-making guide to follow. Get the recipe here.
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http://ohsheglows.com2

Homemade Almond Milk from Oh She Glows

While it may technically be more practical to buy nut milks from the store, the homemade stuff is so fresh and so good (and who ever said cooking projects were supposed to be practical?). The big thing with this project is that you’ll have to soak your nuts overnight, but if you remember to do that, everything else is pretty straightforward. This recipe is specific to almonds, but you can apply the same methodology to any other nut. Get the recipe here.

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https://www.gimmesomeoven.com3

Classic Hummus from Gimme Some Oven

Once you start making your own hummus, it’s basically going to be impossible for you to go back to the store-bought stuff. Get the recipe here.
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https://theviewfromgreatisland.com4

Clementine Jam from The View From Great Island

Have a favorite seasonal fruit? Turn it into jam so you can enjoy it at its peak all year long. Since citrus is in season right now, here’s a great guide to making clementine jam (you can also use mandarins, oranges, or whatever citrus you prefer). Get the recipe here.
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https://www.dessertfortwo.com5

Croissants from Dessert for Two

So you just watched that scene in It’s Complicated when Meryl Streep takes Steve Martin to her bakery after hours to bake chocolate croissants. They made the whole croissant-making process look pretty easy and carefree right? It’s not (that’s what they call movie magic, folks). Making croissants is very hard, but so, so worth it. Just be prepared to roll and refrigerate over and over and over again. Get the recipe here.

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https://ohmyveggies.com6

Kimchi from Oh My Veggies

I have a friend who loves to reminisce about how her mom used to make kimchi in a bathtub when she was a kid, so I always thought that you needed a bathtub to make kimchi. You don’t (unless you want to make, like, a TON of kimchi). What you will need to do, however, is check on it and release any pressure build up every day of fermentation. Otherwise, it might go kaboom. Get the recipe here.
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https://www.bonappetit.com7

Homemade Yogurt from Bon Appétit

This recipe for homemade yogurt is super basic—whole milk, a few tablespoons of already-made yogurt, a candy thermometer, and 15 to 20 hours are all you’ll need. But if you want an even simpler yogurt-making process, I’ve heard making it in an Instant Pot is pretty easy. Get the recipe here.
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http://rasamalaysia.com8

Pork, Shrimp, and Napa Cabbage Dumplings from Rasa Malaysia

This recipe calls for store-bought dumpling wrappers, which you can always find at your local Asian market and usually even find at your neighborhood supermarket. If you really want to take it to the next level, use this guide to make your own dumpling wrappers. Get the recipe here.

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http://www.cookingandbeer.com9

Fresh Homemade Pasta from Cooking and Beer

You’ll need a pasta-maker for this project, and if you don’t already have one, you can buy one here for less than $30. Making pasta isn’t just delicious, it’s also a fun activity. Invite friends over and throw a pasta-making party. Get the recipe here.
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https://www.isabeleats.com10

3-Ingredient Authentic Mexican Corn Tortillas from Isabel Eats

The three ingredients you’ll need for these tortillas are masa harina (a type of corn meal), salt, and water. You’ll also need tortilla press, which you can buy here. From there, all you have to do is combine the ingredients, let the dough sit for an hour, and then it’s tortilla time. Get the recipe here.
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https://www.epicurious.com/11

Sourdough Starter from Epicurious

Making a sourdough starter—the base for freshly baked sourdough bread—from scratch takes weeks of waiting, but all you need is rye or wheat flour, bread flour, and bottled water. Once your starter is mature, you can continue to feed it and use it for various bread baking projects all year (and beyond!). Get the recipe here.

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Bon Appétit’s Best Bread from Bon Appétit

If you don’t have a sourdough starter, you can still make freshly baked bread! Real talk: You probably won’t get this recipe right the first time—maybe not even the second time. But if you keep at it, before you know it you’ll be a bread-making master. Get the recipe here.
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https://natashaskitchen.com13

Sausage from Natasha’s Kitchen

If you love the taste of sausage but the mystery meat-style filling has always kind of freaked you out, cut out the middleman and make your own. You’ll need a meat grinder and a sausage maker which you can often buy as one gadget. But if you have a KitchenAid stand mixer, there are compatible attachments you can use instead. Get the recipe here.
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https://www.gimmesomeoven.com14

Naan from Gimme Some Oven

As far as homemade breads go, naan is at the easier end of the spectrum. It doesn’t even have a very long rising period—only five to ten minutes! Get the recipe here.

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https://sugarandcloth.com15

Flavored Bitters from Sugar and Cloth

Homemade bitters make excellent gifts for all your cocktail-loving friends. There’s also no harm in hoarding them for yourself. Get the recipe here.
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https://www.dessertfortwo.com16

Small-Batch Macarons from Dessert for Two

If there’s anything that macarons prove, it’s that the French love a good challenge. These may take a few batches to get just right, but when you do, the Instagram possibilities will be endless. Get the recipe here.
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https://theviewfromgreatisland.com17

Fresh Lemon Ricotta from The View From Great Island

The only fancy equipment you’ll need for this is a cheese cloth. Everything else is pretty easy from there (especially in comparison to some of the other stuff on this list). Get the recipe here.

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Beef Jerky from Gimme Some Oven

This jerky will take either four hours to make in the oven or eight in a dehydrator, and it’ll stay good in a sealed container in your fridge for up to a month. Get the recipe here.
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https://www.thehealthymaven.com/19

Kombucha from The Healthy Maven

Like you need a sourdough starter to make sourdough bread, you’ll need a SCOBY (that stands for symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeasts) to make kombucha. The Healthy Maven notes that while it’s possible to make your own SCOBY, it’s way, way easier if you get one from someone else. Once you have one in your posession, the rest of the process is pretty straightforward. Get the recipe here.
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https://www.jolynneshane.com20

Limoncello from Jo-Lynne Shane

Making homemade limoncello is one of the many things you can do with lemons. And, aside from the fact that it needs to sit for one to two weeks, it’s really easy to do. Get the recipe here.

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http://www.recipetineats.com21

Cured Salmon Gravlax from RecipeTin Eats

Your greatest bagels ever are just 36 hours to three days of curing time away. Get the recipe here.