Hey all, things are getting tough out there so I wanted to seek out what your tips are for getting a little more value out of cooking
My tips:
- I throw all my vegetable trimmings into a freezer bag for stock later
- Breaking down a whole chicken can be cheaper than buying specific cuts. This varies a lot depending on the sales.
- Save the drippings in your pan after cooking meats. I put them in containers and label them, then use them for flavouring or roux
- This one will sound weird, but I smell the potatoes at the store. After a while you’ll be able to smell a difference in which ones will last longer.
In general I just try and find ways to use up all the bits of food that get discarded.
I’m still only a novice chef, so any of your tips would be greatly appreciated.
There are some things that I get in bulk at Costco since I use them enough that they won’t go bad before I get through them: Peppercorns, salt, olive oil, frozen berries, frozen salmon. Bananas are dirt cheap there, if I can’t get through them all before they’re overripe, i peel and freeze them for smoothies and banana bread. I always get a sack of organic yams when I’m there. I slice and dehydrate half for dog treats. Roast and mash the rest for spicy tuna yam cakes. Canned tuna is often a good price there too.
The $5 roast chicken is a great deal. I grab that, the giant two pack of spinach and cheese ravioli, a jar of pesto and a pack of whatever veggies look decent in the produce section (often organic zucchini). That’s a few days of dinners plus a bunch of ravioli and pesto that will keep for a month and a chicken carcass for soup.
Keep masking tape and a marker in the kitchen. Label and date everything. Periodically check to make sure you’re using everything before it goes bad.
Soups, stews and curries are super filling and can be very nutritious and economical. Recipes that use beans are excellent for health and cost.