Reverse image search is step one, but it fails a lot. I've started looking at the shadows and light in the picture. If a photo claims to be from a secret base but the sun angle proves it was taken at a totally different time of year than the story says, you know it's fake. Also, check the file data if you can. A picture from a "recent leak" that has a 2010 timestamp in its metadata is a dead giveaway.

Why mess with what works though? My grandma never used weights and her kraut was fine, just gotta keep everything clean. Seems like an extra step for no real reason.

Templates can be a decent starting point, but they're not a safety net. You still need to know what should be in there, which kind of defeats the purpose for most people lol. Paying for a real review is the only way to be sure.

Saw a cooking blog once that said a lot of spice rubs go wrong because people add salt before they taste the mix. They said to mix all the dry spices first, then fry a tiny bit in a pan to test it. If it's good, then you add salt. I burned my tongue testing a chili powder blend that way, but it did save a whole batch of chicken from being ruined.

Okay but you're missing the BIGGEST time save: decision fatigue. Picking lunch every single day wastes mental energy. Having it DONE means one less thing to worry about all morning. I just grab my same container and go, zero stress.