Hyperdecanting: Better Wine in a Minute, You Impatient Philistine [Video]

 Love wine but don't have the time, patience, or inclination to aerate your wine in a decanter forever before drinking? Former Microsoft CTO and master chef Nathan Myhrvold suggests a method he calls "hyperdecanting". Sounds fancy and high-tech, right? It's basically shorthand for "put your wine in a blender for a minute and it'll taste better".

Just about anyone who enjoys an occasional glass of wine will initially recoil at the idea. (I did.) Wine has an almost mystical quality for most of us, and surely only an unsophisticated fool would dump a perfectly good bottle of wine into a blender. But Myhrvold takes a scientific approach to food, the culmination of which can be found in his insane $450 book Modernist Cuisine: The Art and Science of Cooking, and in an article last year in Bloomberg Businessweek, he explains his method:

I just pour the wine in, frappé away at the highest power setting for 30 to 60 seconds, and then allow the froth to subside (which happens quickly) before serving. I call it "hyperdecanting."

Although torturing an expensive wine in this way may cause sensitive oenophiles to avert their eyes, it almost invariably improves red wines—particularly younger ones, but even a 1982 Château Margaux. Don't just take my word for it, try it yourself.

In his article, Myhrvold goes on to suggest how you might set up your own blind taste test to "determine with scientific rigor whether your tasters prefer the hyperdecanted wine". While we haven't given hyperdecanting a go just yet, decanting is a common practice, and at least in theory, hyperdecanting seems to make sense. A few folks have documented their hyperdecanting efforts, including all-things-four-hours author Tim Ferriss, a hyperdecanter who uses a submersion blender:

 

The wine obsessives at Vinum Vita tried it out, too (video at the top of the post), and at least seemed to agree that it changes the flavor of the wine.

Ever hyperdecant your wine? Share how it worked for you in the comments. As for us: We've got a (cheap) bottle of wine waiting to be blended this weekend.

How to Decant Wine with a Blender | Bloomberg Businessweek via Four Hour Workweek

Create a Separate "10 Minute Tasks" List for Those Little Things That Need to Get Done [To Do Lists]

We talk a lot about honing the perfect to do list here at Lifehacker, but Redditor Phospholipids reminds us that sometimes, a second to do list—with those little things you can get done in between tasks—is a great way to get things done.

Phospholipids explains in further detail:

In your to dos, create a category called '10 min' tasks. It has helped me gotten small stuffs done much more efficiently, for those small tasks that you remember at random times of the day, but can never remember when you get home (such as to cut your nails, or to clear up your desk). Those tasks that take maximum of 10 minutes.

I had never made a "formal" 10 minute list, but always ended up making one on a scratch piece of paper, or as a note in Simplenote—just because I wanted to keep it separate from my real to-do list. After formalizing it and making a separate to-do list next to my main one, it's been a big help in keeping these little tasks under control.

LPT: In your todos, create a category called '10 min' tasks | Reddit

Photo by Mike Gifford.

“Power Soak” Your Beans Before Cooking by Giving them a Two Minute Boiling Water Bath [Cooking]

 We've discussed the old soak beans for 24-hours trick to...alleviate excess gas, but if you don't have a whole day to wait before you start cooking your bean dish, this method from the folks at Bon Appetit magazine can save you a ton of time and waiting. Just put your beans in a pot, cover with water, bring them to a boil and keep them there for two minutes, and set aside.

This "power soak" method, as they call it, is essentially just pre-boiling, and once you've finished the two-minute boil, you let the beans stand for about one hour. In that time, some of the more complex sugars that may...contribute to gastrointestinal distress after eating, dissolve in the water, which is then discarded prior to cooking the beans. After the hour's rest, your beans will be ready to use in any recipe, as though it had been soaking for hours.

Have you tried this "power soak" pre-boiling method before, or do you have a different preferred method? Share your tips in the comments below.

The Faster Way to Soak Beans for Cooking | Bon Appetit