In this presentation Jason Smith and I discuss how you can apply the hacker mindset to cooking. We provide several tips and tricks for cooking like a hacker and making food with maximum deliciousness and minimum effort. Photo credits to Serious Eats.

1. HACKING FOOD
Chris Sanders
@chrissanders88
Jason Smith
@automayt

2. HACKING FOOD MANIFESTO
We have to eat. So make it have…
Maximum flavor
with
Minimum effort

3. MEASURE
THINGS

7. MEASUREMENTS
Temperature Volume Weight

8. STEAK

9. CHRIS’S HIERARCHY OF
STEAK
Ribeye
Chuck Eye
Skirt
Strip
T-Bone
Filet Mignon
Range of Deliciousness
Ribeye Ceiling
Filet CeilingFilet Floor
Ribeye Floor

10. PERFECT STEAK
1. Use good quality meat (you get
what you pay for)
2. Use a cut at LEAST an inch thick
3. Make sure the steak is DRY on
the exterior
4. Apply plenty of salt
5. Cook it on low heat until -15
degrees less than final temp
6. Sear in a VERY hot pan/grill
w/butter

11. SOUS VIDE

12. SOUS VIDE = UNDER VACUUM
o Seasoned meat + vacuum sealed bag + hot
water
o Goodbye timing and skill requirements
o Very little hands-on attention for minimal
effort
o Cooks in juices for maximum flavor

13. SOUS VIDE = UNDER VACUUM
+ +

14. SOUS VIDE – FOOLPROOF

15. SOUS VIDE – FOOLPROOF

16. SOUS VIDE – PRECISE AND
CONSISTENT

17. SOUS VIDE – SUPERIOR
RESULTS

18. SOUS VIDE -
MAXIMUM FLAVOR
MINIMUM EFFORT
15
10
20
20
10
10
30
45
30
30
SALMON PAN ROASTED
BONELESS
CHICKEN
BONE-IN
FRIED
CHICKEN
PORK
TENDERLOIN
STEAK
ACTIVE TIME (MINUTES)
Sous Vide Traditional
Timing is based on similar levels of doneness. Sous vide allows for things like medium chicken and

19. SOUS VIDE – GETTING
STARTED
Requirements
1. Sous Vide Immersion Circulator (Anova, Joule,
etc)
2. Ziplock bags or vacuum sealer
3. Pretty much any container large enough for the
food and cooker
4. Something to sear with (any REALLY hot surface
or flame)
Steps
1. Season meat generously
2. Place seasoned meat in vacuum bag
3. Place bag in warmed water bath, cooking
according to ideal doneness (add an hour if
previously frozen).
4. Remove meat, carefully dry the meat, and sear
the meat.seriouseats.com/sous_vide_101

21. SOUS VIDE – VESSELS

22. ANO
VA
SOUS VIDE – PRECISION
COOKERS
JOUL
E

23. SOUS VIDE - RESULTS

24. COMBINE
FLAVORS

26. COMBINING
FLAVORS
o Chocolate +
Strawberries
o Meat + Citrus
o Lime + Jalapeno
o BBQ +
Sauce/Sauce
o Chili +
Chocolate/Coffee
o Shrimp + Grits
o Chicken + Waffles

27. NEEDS MORE…
o Sweet: Sugar, Syrup, Honey, Jam,
Molasses, Fruit
o Sour: Citrus, Vinegar, Yogurt, Tomato
o Bitter: Coffee, Chocolate, Beer, Greens
o Spicy: Peppers, Horseradish, Mustard,
Wasabi
o Savory: Soy Sauce, Fish Sauce,
Mushrooms, Meat

28. FLAVOR BOMB

29. FRIED CHICKEN

31. FRIED CHICKEN – KEEP IT
SIMPLE

32. FRIED CHICKEN–
GETTING STARTED
Requirements
1. Peanut Oil
2. A Deep Fryer or a large deep frying pot
3. Patience (required) or Sous Vide
(recommended)
General Steps (traditional)
1. Brine Chicken (optional)
2. Coat Chicken (egg then breading mix)
3. Fry Chicken until 165° internal temperature
General Steps (Sous Vide)
1. Cook pre-seasoned Chicken in Sous Vide bath
(155°)
2. Coat Chicken (egg then breading mix)
3. Fry Chicken until it looks pleasant and salt as
necessary

33. FRIED CHICKEN – TRADITIONAL
NON-SPICY
Marinade
1. 3 large chicken breasts (add salt and pepper to them), cut into
nuggets
2. Combine ¾ cup milk, ¼ cup dill pickle juice, and 1 egg into a
ziplock bag and safely let the chicken nuggets marinade for 2
hours in the fridge.
Ingredients for breading (add to another ziplock bag for ease)
1. 1 ¼ cup flour
2. 2 Tbsp powdered sugar
3. 2 tsp salt
4. 1 tsp pepper
Directions
1. Remove chicken nuggets from marinade, shake nuggets in
breading bag, and deep fry for 5-8 minutes. If using a deep
skillet instead, cook for 3-4 minutes, flip, and cook for 3-4 more
minutes. Remove thickest nugget and check internal temperature
with expensive thermometer.

34. THERE IS NO REALISTIC BENEFIT
TO TRADITIONAL METHODS OF
FRYING CHICKEN OVER SOUS
VIDE AND THEN FRYING.
68.4
27.5
9.2
2.8 0.75 0.25 00
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
136°F 140°F 145°F 150°F 155°F 160°F 165°F
Pasteurization Time for Chicken (Minutes)

35. FRIED CHICKEN – SOUS VIDE
NON-SPICY
Directions
1. Lightly salt Bone-In Chicken Thighs with fine sea salt
2. Add chicken thighs to ziplock bag or vacuum bag.
Remove air from bag.
3. Cook in bath at 155° for 1.5hr at minimum.
4. Remove thighs from bag, pat dry
5. Coat chicken in flour mix, egg, then flour mix again.
6. Gently place chicken in fryer for 1-2 minutes or until
they look pretty.
7. Remove chicken from fryer and place on rack above a
plate. Salt as needed.

36. FRIED
CHICKEN
SPICE
Ingredients
1. 3 Tbsp cayenne pepper
2. 1 Tbsp packed light brown sugar
3. ¾ tsp fine sea salt
4. 1 tsp fine black pepper
5. ½ tsp paprika
6. ½ tsp garlic powder
7. ½ cup hot oil/lard
General Steps
1. Create large batches of this if you like
spice. To apply, add hot oil from fryer to
spice mix, whisk together, and then pour
onto finished fried chicken while
whisking so the spice doesn’t settle.

37. BBQ

38. AMERICAN
BBQ
1.Meat
2.Heat
3.Smoke
4.Time

39. MEAT
• Beef Brisket
• Pork/Beef
Ribs
• Pork/Lamb
Shoulder
• Whole
Chicken

40. HEAT & SMOKE
• Low and Slow (225-
275)
• Fueled by Wood
• Smoker Considerations:
• Ease
• Flavor
• Portability
• Budget

41. SMOKER SELECTION
Difficulty
Deliciousness
Pellet
Electric
Stick
Burner
Kamado/E
gg

42. BBQ FIRST STEPS
1. Rub/Marinade/Injection –
Doesn’t matter at first
2. Buy a smoker
3. Buy a pork shoulder
4. Rub with S+P
5. Cook it at 225-275 until it
reaches 195 degrees
6. Let it rest in a cooler for an
hour
7. Pull and eat

43. FOOD HACKING PARAGONS
Kenji Lopez-Alt
Food Science
@kenjilopezalt
seriouseats.com
Stella Parks
Baking
@bravetart
seriouseats.com
bravetart.com
Alton Brown
Food Science
@altonbrown
altonbrown.com
Meathead Goldwyn
BBQ
@meathead
amazingribs.com

45. Chris Sanders
@chrissander
s88
Jason Smith
@automayt