Tech

How to Turn Corn Into Hominy (aka Nixtamal)

Published

2 weeks ago

October 16, 2020

theworldtrend

Even if you haven’t eaten straight up nixtamal (known in the Southern US as “hominy”), you have most likely consumed nixtamalized corn in one form or another. Tortillas, masa dough, proper grits, and even Fritos are all made with corn that has undergone nixtamalization, a process wherein corn is soaked in an alkaline solution to make it more digestible, more nutritious, and—in my opinion—more delicious.

In an excerpt from his book Beautiful Corn, Anthony Boutard explains how nixtamalization makes certain nutrients in corn more available:

Steeping the grain in an alkaline solution makes it more digestible and, most important, more nutritious. In untreated corn, the niacin (vitamin B3) it contains is bound to a large molecule that does not break down in our gut. The alkaline treatment splits off this molecule, making the niacin available in the human digestive tract. In addition, corn steeped in slacked lime has a higher calcium content than raw corn, especially important in the pre-Columbian culture without any dairy animals providing this essential mineral in the form of milk and cheese.

Native Central Americans used slaked lime (calcium hydroxide)—called “cal” in Spanish—to achieve this, while Native North Americans used wood ash; each process contributed its own minerals to the dish. Nowadays, industrially processed hominy is nixtamalized with food-grade lye (sodium hydroxide), which contributes a soda-y, sodium-heavy flavor and… not much else.

Fortunately, making your own nutritious, intensely fragrant nixtamal is extremely achievable. You can make it with calcium hydroxide, which makes all of that niacin Boutard talked about readily available while also contributing—I bet you can guess this one—calcium into the mix (the nix?).

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In addition to nutrients, which I’ve heard are important, nixtimalization gives the corn a divine aroma and a fun, chewy texture. The nutty, sweet, extra corny and puffy kernels are absolutely intoxicating and, once transformed, can be used to make grits (my personal favorite), pozole, tortillas, or tamales. Or you can just serve it as a simple side.

How to make nixtimal (aka homily)

First, you will need some dried corn. You can technically nixtamalize any corn (even popcorn), but some varieties are better suited to the process than others. Anson Mills sells a very bougie yellow corn expressly for this purpose, but Hickory King and Boone County White are also banging.

Once you have acquired your corn, you will need some calcium hydroxide, which you can find as “pickling lime” wherever pickling supplies are sold, or you can get some online. One you have your corn and your corn chemical, the only other things you’ll need is water (some recommend distilled, but I used Portland tap water to fine result) and a nonreactive pot (stainless steel or enameled—not aluminum, which will etch).

Transforming corn into hominy is a fairly hands-off process, but it does require a tiny amount of very simple math. First, you need to weigh your corn. Two cups of my bougie-ass yellow corn came out to 350 grams, a nice, round number that made me happy. Next, calculate 1% of your corn weight (3.5 grams in my case) and weight out that amount of calcium hydroxide. Finally, take your corn weight and double it, then measure out that amount of water. If you weighed everything in grams, just change the units from grams to milliliters (because one milliliter of water weighs one gram). Thusly, I used 700 milliliters of water.

Add the corn and water to your pot, sprinkle the calcium hydroxide on top, and stir with a wooden spoon to disperse the powder. Bring the water to a boil, reduce to a steady simmer, and cook for 30 minutes to an hour. I know this sounds like a large window, but it really does depend on the type of corn you’re working with. What you want is a “medium rare” kernel. A paring knife should slice through the outside with ease, but meet some resistance at the starchy, white endosperm. Start monitoring the pot at 30 minutes, checking every 10 or 15 after until it’s done.

Once you hit that medium-rare end point, take the pot off the heat, cover it, and let it sit overnight, or for at least eight hours. If a lot of the water was absorbed by the corn and it looks a little dry, just add enough to bring the water level up about a half inch over the corn.

Illustration for article titled How to Turn Corn Into Hominy (aka Nixtamal) — Photo: Claire Lower

In the morning, you will be greeted with hominy suspended in a thick sludge. That’s the dissolved pericarp (the outer coating), and it’s what you want. Rub the hominy/nixtamal/former corn between your palms for a few minutes to get rid of any last pericarp bits (don’t worry about any little black nubs on the end), then rinse in a colander until the kernels look plump and shiny.

Your hominy/nixtamal is now ready to be cooked or processed into masa, grits, or whatever else you desire. Fresh hominy will keep one week in the fridge or three months in the freezer, so you have plenty of time to decide its fate.

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Tech

Buy the AirPods Pro for $200 Before This Rare Offer Disappears

Published

1 day ago

October 30, 2020

theworldtrend

Best Tech Deals

Best Tech DealsThe best tech deals from around the web, updated daily.

Apple AirPods Pro | $200 | Amazon
Apple AirPods Pro | $200 | B&H Photo

If you’re an iPhone user with some cash to blow, skip the pretenders and even the lesser AirPods to go for something better. The AirPods Pro stepped the game up with rubber tips, noise cancellation, and better overall audio quality. They’re a bit expensive and the price has dropped bit by bit over time, leading up to today’s opportunity to save $50 on a pair of your own, complete with a wireless charging case. With active noise canceling, automatic pairing on iPhones and iPads, and water/sweat resistance, picking ‘em now is a no-brainer if you were already in the market for them.

We saw these drop just before Amazon Prime Day, and the price has held steady since. However, B&H Photo has a similar offer that’s set to expire October 30, which may be a signal that the opportunity is about to pass. Be sure to get your order in while there’s still time!

This story was originally published by Quentyn Kennemer on 5/1/2020 and updated by Gabe Carey with new information on 10/27/2020.

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Tech

The 10 Best Deals of October 29, 2020

Published

1 day ago

October 30, 2020

theworldtrend

Gif: Juliana Clark

Best Deals of the Day

Best Deals of the DayThe best deals from around the web, updated daily.

Thursday’s Best Deals | Kinja Deals

It’s October 29, and we at Kinja Deals are here to bring you the top 10 deals of the day. Protect your data by purchasing a plan from NordVPN. Snag that 55″ Smart TV you’ve been saving up for from TCL. Get started on those DIY home repairs with the RYOBI One+ 3-Tool Combo Kit.

And if you’re still looking for more savings, take a look at Thursday’s best deals overall.

In his roundup of the best VPNs at Gizmodo, Andrew Couts called NordVPN “fast and easy to use,” citing accessibility and affordability as reasons to subscribe. Though it’s almost always marked down from its $287 list price, the 2-year plan is nonetheless the cheapest option to get started with the service and continue using it long-term. For a limited time only, though, it’s not only 68% off, bringing your total to just $89 for 730 days, but it also comes with an extra plan on top of that—chosen at random by the Nordic gods. Couts says in his abbreviated review:

No matter what you pay, you’ll get access to more than 5,400 servers in more than 60 countries, a bunch of features you may or may not want, and, because the company is based in Panama, assurances that your data—or lack of data, as the case may be—is outside of U.S. and European jurisdictions. Like every other VPN on this list, NordVPN claims to have a “strict no-logs policy,” so most of your data isn’t collected, the company says. It does still collect your email address, payment information, and the timestamp of the last time you launched the VPN.

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But NordVPN isn’t without its downsized. “…some researchers have found that it sends your email address and Google Ad ID to a marketing company when you register through the Android app and contains some trackers,” Couts explains. “Another downside is that some of NordVPN’s servers are rented, which means another company you need to trust is in the mix. And yes, one of those servers got hacked in 2018.”

Still, if you want the one of the most reliable VPN clients, with the budget to support its robust infrastructure, you can’t go wrong with NordVPN. Plus, with availability on virtually every platform you can think of—from macOS to Android TV—it’s equal parts ubiquitous and acclaimed. Endorsed by PCMag, Wired, CNET, Business Insider, and more, it may be time to board the Nord hype train if you’re somehow unwedded to a VPN already.

This deal was originally published by Gabe Carey.

Best Buy has an insane deal going for a brand new 55″ 4K TCL smart TV. It’s the S434, which is pretty baseline for TCL’s lineup, but at just $200, there’s little to complain about. TCL’s panels are plenty sharp and accurate, and with this set, you’ll get HDR10 compliance for enhanced color and brightness in supported games and video content. This model has Android TV onboard for all your app needs, and with an included voice remote, all your favorite content is just a shout away with the help of Google Assistant.

This deal was originally published by Quentyn Kennemer.

For a short time, you can grab an Eight Sleep Pod Pro Cover for $1359+. Here’s the deets from one of our wonderful writers, Chaya:

Ranging from $1,445 to $1,745 depending on the size of your bed (or $175 off using our exclusive promo code KINJA175), the Pod Pro Cover from popular mattress brand Eight Sleep turns ANY mattress into a five-star sleeping experience. In short, Eight Sleep took the very best technology from their mattress and turned it into what is essentially a cover that transforms any bed into a smart bed. The encasement is placed on top of your current mattress and appends bed cooling and heating technology, a virtually silent vibration alarm system, sleep tracking, and a whole lot more. The cover is a two-part system: the encasement, which retrofits your mattress for a “PerfectFit TM” and the Active Grid cover, which adheres securely to the encasement to make your new smart bed manageable by app. A water hose and small hub connected to the Active Grid make the whole thing possible so that you can keep the rest of the bedding you’ve already got—no unnecessary spending or excess waste required.

Grab it before it’s gone!

This deal was originally published by Ignacia Fulcher.

If you’re planning on getting your hands dirty with a DIY project at home, now is arguably the best time to do it since, well, you’re stuck there most of the time anyway. But, of course, in order to pull it off successfully, you’ll need the right tools for the job. Fortunately, the RYOBI One+ three-tool combo kit includes everything you’ll need to start cutting and drilling your way through the pain. For $99—a whopping 64% off—you can fetch a cordless drill, circular saw, and reciprocating saw with a single 1.5Ah battery to share between the three. An 18W charger keeps your power tools revved up and ready to go whenever you need ‘em most. To sweeten the deal, a carry bag can also be found in the box.

Save $177 on this versatile, multi-purpose kit today and get three essential utilities for the price of one. At The Home Depot, discounts like these don’t last long, so jump on it before stock runs out!

This deal was originally published by Gabe Carey.

Sony’s new WH-1000XM4 headphones are leading the way in their noise-cancellation technology, alongside the gestures that come with these new models. They were down to $298 during Prime Day and $284 at Newegg just a couple of weeks ago, but BuyDig is piledriving the competition with a $278 sticker price today.

They will pause the track once it detects you’re speaking, and will also switch off the noise-cancellation when a hand is put on the right-cup. They feature fantastic sound and are able to be paired for up to two devices, so you can switch between your phone and your tablet with ease.

This deal was originally posted by Daryl Baxter.

Though they’re mostly for keeping things clean, even towels get dirty eventually. Sure, it might’ve started as a way to rinse off after a shower karaoke sesh, but eventually that white will start to fade and might not look as nice hanging up. Or maybe after a few too many pup accidents in the house, it’s just time for a new set of linens.

Huckberry’s Turkish towels usually sell for a bit over $40, but right now they’re down to just below $30, and you’re getting some pretty fancy looking towels for your money. The striped towels come in plenty of variants to match your decor, and their unique design will certainly earn a few compliments if we’re ever safe to have people over.

This deal was originally published by Jordan McMahon.

If you want all your Alexa tunes playing in your car then you’re in luck! For $20, which is a good 60% off the original list price, you can connect to the Alexa app on your phone and play music through your vehicle’s speakers via auxiliary or Bluetooth. The Echo Auto has eight microphones so it can hear your voice through loud noises throughout the duration of your trip. You’ll also be able to stream Amazon music, Apple Music, Spotify, and other services with just the sound of your voice. I would grab this deal before it is gone!

This deal was originally published by Ignacia Fulcher.

I don’t know about you, but as a tangental Star Wars fan, I only made it through the first season of The Mandalorian because of Baby Yoda. Luckily, the masses have done us all a favor and gave us what we all need—a plush of our favorite character for a decent $18. You can cuddle with him when the new season drops in a few days. Thank me later.

This deal was originally published by Ignacia Fulcher.

Animal Crossing: New Horizons is all about vibing out and literally minding your business, so why not hop on a themed Nintendo Switch for $270? It’s refurbished via Best Buy Geek Squad, so there’s a 90-day warranty if things go wrong. You’ll get the Joy-Cons in those calming colors which just set up a mood of relaxation. And while you’re at it, if you still haven’t bought it, Animal Crossing: New Horizons is only $50, $10 off its original list price. What are you waiting for? That weird owl thing is waiting for you.

This deal was originally published by Ignacia Fulcher.

This deal was originally published by Quentyn Kennemer.

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Tech

Through the End of the Week, Get an Extra Plan Free When You Sign up for 2 Years of NordVPN

Published

2 days ago

October 30, 2020

theworldtrend

Best Tech Deals

Best Tech DealsThe best tech deals from around the web, updated daily.

2 Years + One Free Plan | $89 | NordVPN

No matter what you pay, you’ll get access to more than 5,400 servers in more than 60 countries, a bunch of features you may or may not want, and, because the company is based in Panama, assurances that your data—or lack of data, as the case may be—is outside of U.S. and European jurisdictions. Like every other VPN on this list, NordVPN claims to have a “strict no-logs policy,” so most of your data isn’t collected, the company says. It does still collect your email address, payment information, and the timestamp of the last time you launched the VPN.