Really to need to cut costs and save money. Will start cooking from sratch. If you cook from scratch, can you please give me pointers? Thanks:idea:
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Really to need to cut costs and save money. Will start cooking from sratch. If you cook from scratch, can you please give me pointers? Thanks:idea:
Pick a cookbook. Preferably one without too many helpers...i.e. Campbell's Cream of Mushroom soup, Velveeta cheese, etc. Stock up on stuff you use on a regular basis when it goes on sale.
Cooking from scratch is usually time consuming, so I started cooking in big batches when stuff like meat went on sale (or buy in bulk at clubhouses, but their prices aren't always better). In theory it's called "once a month cooking", but I cook once a week and freeze meals. You control what goes into your food, and it ends up being much healthier.
If you don't like the idea of spending a day cooking, you could always double or triple the recipe you are making for dinner and freeze the rest.
Good luck!
i mostly cook from scratch. 98% of the time.
you can usually find cookbooks at thrift stores, but they tend to either be from the 70's, or microwave cookbooks hehe. it is possible however to find some decent ones.
one of my tried and trusted websites for recipes is www.allrecipes.com.
they have a great variety of recipes with the ability to see how ppl have rated them and their reviews. it really helps because you can see how other ppl took the recipe and tweaked it to their own taste. that's kind of what i do, i will browse recipes and then just do a version that suits my taste.
another nice site is recipezaar.com. there you have the ability to search or filter recipes based on ingredients. it's kind of fun to work backwards when you have some ingredients you want to use up, and need some good ideas on what to do with them.
once you get used to cooking from scratch, the thoughtof using processed ingredients and kits just sounds unappealing.
something you can do to make things easier and quicker is to freeze certain things.
i have diced celery and bell pepper frozen in baggies (may or may not be ziploc) for soups, chili, and other one pot meals.
you can cook up a couple of pounds of ground beef. use half for today's meal if you want, and freeze the other half so you have a one pound serving ready to go from the freezer already cooked when you need it. throw it in the fridge in the morning and when you come home after a hectic day just throw in other ingredients, simmer and eat.
if you can, or when you remember to, you can make little packets of semi prepared ingredients to keep in the freezer for those days when you don't feel like cooking but don't want to waste money on restaurant food.
i really suck at the whole be prepared/make ahead thing. i know there are some ladies on SC who are really good at this kind of stuff. there have been threads on this topic before that were full of awesome ideas.
anisa has it right. All recipes is a great site. You don't even need to own a cookbook as you can save the recipes you like and print them out too.
cooking from scratch does take time so being prepared is key. Plan out you menu for the week in advance and shop for the items according to your menu plan. Also if there's something you don't normally use often but need it in a recipe than plan a few meals around that ingrediant.
I'm with you on all this. I freeze veggies like peppers and such all the time (often off the reduced rack at Superstore!), and cook ground beef and freeze it. Cooked meatballs work well frozen too. I often do a bunch when ground beef goes on sale, then I have a quick supper if we haven't planned ahead. Some mushrooms and onions, a jar of sauce and off we go.Quote:
Originally Posted by anisa
But like you, I'm not good at the planning stage. I wish I could be a meal planner who cooked X tonight, then used the leftovers of X and mixed it with Y to make something different. I just don't get it! :)
Thanks fior the great tips Ladies. I will start to freeze some pepers to add in sauces-I add peppers to everything.
Allrecipes is the ONLY site I go to for recipes!
Another good one, for simple, down-home food is "taste of home" site.
www.tasteofhome.com
I love their magazines, and their books, around $15, are invaluable!!
You can find some great sites for homemade mixes (pancake/biscuit mix, taco seasoning etc.) you can premix and then it's quick to make a batch.
When I make pancakes and waffles I make a double batch and freeze for quick reheating in the toaster oven.
When you do cook anything from scratch make more so you can freeze some for another meal. I always have several soups, chili, spaghetti sauce, lasagna, meatloaf, meatballs, premarinated steak, seasoned and formed hamburger patties etc. in the freezer. This saves loads of time and if you line your pans with parchment you can freeze in the pan and pop out into a ziplock and you have quick convenience food that is homemade.
I don't know what your eating habits are right now but I dont think you will find cooking from scratch to be cheaper, just the opposite usually. You cook from scratch for the amazing tasting food and health benefits.
boneless skinless chicken breast, steamed veggies and a potato is going to cost you more then a box of kraft dinner.
If you mean that you eat out a lot then you will likely save some money for sure :)
There is a show on the food network called $10 dollar dinners that has some great recipes. She usually gives out tips while cooking for saving money as well, such as buying spices from the dollar store not grocery stores.
http://www.foodnetwork.com/ten-dolla...ian/index.html
example of an AMAZING recipe ;) http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/m...ipe/index.html
Cooking from scratch is almost always cheaper. You get what you pay for, try using a dollar worth of cheese milk flour butter and pasta, you may be surprised.Quote:
Originally Posted by tennyis
1 can of Hunt's tomato sauce will make 4 pizzas.
Make the crust using a cookbook recipe; this will make 2 pizza crusts.
Let rise and spread out on lightly greased pans.
Spread each crust with 1/4 of a can of tomato sauce (add sugar to the sauce first, and taste-test)
Add toppings: sliced pepperoni, mushrooms
Grind some spices: basil, oregano, thyme; add to top of pizza
Cover with some hand-grated cheese off the block.
Cover 1 with plastic wrap, and freeze.
Bake the other at 425 degrees for 25 minutes or so.
Cost: about $2.00 - $2.50 per pizza
Scratch cooking and baking costs less than the purchased product, and tastes better, and is healthier for you.
This treat is for a time when you have a craving for bread, but little time to prepare dough.
Preparation:
Heat up a cast iron skillet on medium-high heat.
Add oil to skillet and heat, but do not heat till smoking.
In the meantime, quickly mix the ingredients. (2 minutes)
The whole idea is that you want to do this as fast as possible, because you hate to spend time cooking. So grab an apron, grab a medium sized bowl, and quickly pour 2 cups of flour into the bowl. I use 1 cup white, and the remainder a mixture of brown, rye, cornmeal.
Toss 1/2 tsp salt in the bowl, grab a few spices (whatever suits your fancy). Remember, all the while the oil is heating and must not smoke. So take some basil and onion salt, grind some caraway seeds in your mortar quickly, just to add a spicy aroma and give you more enjoyment of the task. Now wisk the ingredients together with fingers.
Then add 2 tbsp. olive oil, and some water to center. Quickly mix the dough; if it's too sticky, add more flour; if too dry, add more water. By now, you should be able to flop the whole piece of dough onto the floured counter. Knead it a few seconds, then divide in 2 pieces. Make a bun of 1 piece, then flatten it on the counter with your hands to the size of your pan. Then very carefully lay this onto the hot pan, and bake for 5 minutes or more. Enjoy the wonderful aroma of the spices and flour baking. Now's the time to pour a quick beverage for yourself.
Lift baked edge carefully with egg-flipper, and when it is brown, remove it & place it on the counter. Re-oil the griddle and then using an egg-flipper on each side of the dough, place the uncooked side down onto the griddle to finish baking. Otherwise, you may get a hot-oil-splash.
In the meantime, prepare the other piece of dough same as before, and while it is baking, eat at least some of the other one. I just like to put it on a plate, and snap pieces off of it, and have it with a beverage. Very filling and satisfying in many ways.
Only costs a few cents to make.
Yum to both.
Bread machines are great things, you can get them cheap secondhand. I use mine to make pizza dough, it has a timer so I can have the dough ready for when I get home. Great for homemade bread too, especially if you're concerned about what goes into your bread.
I make a foccacia bread dough in my machine, just set the machine to mix the dough in there and roll out like pizza dough when it's done. Let it rise for half an hour, then top it with roasted garlic, Italian seasoning, carmelized onion and mushrooms, and mozzarella cheese (and parmasan if I have it in) and bake. YUM!
i'll plug my blog on here too! ;) I have quite a few recipes up there. Healthy, cheap, and from scratch.
http://startingoutfit.wordpress.com
cooking from scratch is defintiely cheaper then pre-made food items if you shop smart. (ie. DH and I only purchase meats that are on sale, however something like ground turkey is always dirt cheap at walmart so we buy that on a weekly basis)
Such cooking platforms are good enough for people from all over the world. Thanks to you for putting your effort on this side. cooking or baking accessories must be mentioned on platforms so that people could buy them.
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+1 :top:Quote:
Originally Posted by muggos0101
We use to buy the Arctic Garden frozen rice with veggies in the small 270 gram pack. When Uncle Ben's comes on sale, it takes not time to prepare the same rice + veggies for next to nothing. With a little butter and salt and pepper, you're good to go. We make large batches, split into smaller containers and freeze. Now we have home made "Arctic Garden frozen rice".:shade:
When we watch TV (like the Young and the Restless:)), we multitask. So we are cutting up red peppers bought on the discount shelf in the product department. We freeze these ready to throw into our soup, chicken, turkey, fish, ground beef. Yum.
You can do this!Quote:
Originally Posted by freshvintage
Trust me.
Start small. Master one meal. They go from there.
Start with rice. That's easy.
Try oatmeal cooked, batched in separate containers and freeze. Add your favourite toppings.
Pick one chicken dish. Use the boneless skinless (bought on sale of course:)). Add your spices and salt and pepper or soy sauce. Try it in a stir fry with frozen veggies (bought on sale, of course:))
Post in the What's For Dinner Forum.Love to hear about your first success!:top:
Well, I can see comparing a full course meal against a box of kraft dinner, which is meant as a side dish for four people, it would seem like the chicken dinner is more expensive, but it's comparing apples and oranges.Quote:
Originally Posted by tennyis
Cooking from scratch will always yield more food than the equivalent you'd buy already prepared at the grocery store.
Making a pizza from scratch might cost you less or about the same as a frozen pizza; however, the kids will be full after two pieces of the home-made one, when they need half the frozen pizza to do the same. A pot of baked beans will cost you the equivalent of two cans of prepared beans, but it will yield enough for at least two dinners. A big pot of spaghetti will give you the equivalent of 10 jars of pasta sauce.
So, yeah, comparing cost side by side might lead one to believe it's more expensive to cook from scratch, but if your recipe is spread over multiple dinners, that's where the savings really add up.
We cook from scratch 95% of the time, but i'm sorry I just dont agree its the CHEAPEST way to eat.
It absolutely tastes 100 times better, is 100 times healthier, etc. I dont dispute that.
A lot of the items being suggested here are not exactly healthy eating though such as pizza and pasta. It's the meat and veggies that add up (dont get me wrong they are worth every penny)
Here's what I mean, we are a family of 5, we can two pizzas from little cesars for 11 bucks and its enough for us. We do this once every couple months as a treat, and i'd rather have a roast beef dinner any day but its more for the kids :)
I just made a batch of brownies from scratch that cost 11 bucks, I could have bought the premix stuff that you add water to for half the price (and half the flavor)
sorry not really staying on topic of the thread, one point for the OP is to always know whats in your fridge. Be creative in the kitchen, last nights left over chicken breast is tonight chicken stew. Don't let anything go to waste, the best cooks can make an amazing meal out of the scraps left in the kitchen :)
I search a lot online for recipes, if I have some left over steak from a bbq I will find a recipe for steak and go with something like stir fry.
Again, different things are being compared. You could probably make two pizzas at home for half that price. If you're going to talk about meat and veg, compare what you would pay at a restaurant serving the same items. If you bought a gourmet brownie such as you made, it would probably be like 3 bucks a square?Quote:
Originally Posted by tennyis
I can't understand how some people are insisting that baking and cooking from scratch costs the same or more than buying the packaged foods.
I can make a batch of brownies for less than two dollars, tops.
That is the actual cost estimate of each of the ingredients, plus electricity for baking. :shrug:
And it's even cheaper when you use bargain bin produce, or produce from your own garden or a Farmer's market.
For Example: A small bag of vegetables bought at a farmer's market can be blanched and frozen in bags. That yields 2-4 bags of veggies for about 2-4 dollars.
Bananas can be bought over-ripe in bulk for cheap. I pay $1 for 5 bananas, and they are just nice and ripe, not rotten. Then I peel them, lay them on cookie sheets and freeze, then remove them and place in plastic bags and keep frozen for milkshakes, banana bread, muffins.
It really pays to have a few good basic recipes that cost little for ingredients, yet yield a lot of good food. Good recipes for breads, buns, pancakes/waffles, cakes, cookies, pie, juice, jam, canned fruits, ground beef recipes, casseroles, stews, soups, pizzas, parogies. All of these foods cost very little to make, yet they yield a lot of food. A little meat can go a long way, when it is complimented by rice, pasta, vegetables and breads. Even a few cooking skills will save you a fortune in the long run.
IE: Instead of buying iced tea, boil a whole pot of water. Use 1 teabag in 1 cup to quickly make yourself a cup of tea. Then while you're drinking your tea, place that same teabag in a clean jar and fill it up with the rest of the boiled water. Seal with lid and allow to steep for hours. Remove teabag and store in fridge. To use, pour some out and add a small squirt of lemonjuice, and cold water to make 3/4 cup. Add sugar and icecubes. This is a good way to use leftover teabags and still get about 3-4 cups of good tea out of 1 teabag.
See what I mean...it's a lifestyle, and you get to eat good, healthy and cheap.
Pasta sauces are easy to make in big batches, then portion them and freeze. Also buy whats in season. And if you have any leftover fruits like banana or berries -- you can freeze them and use it in baking or making smoothies/shakes. Having a slowcooker is also helpful, it's a one-pot meal that you plug-in in the morning and you have dinner when you come home from work! Hope all the advice you're getting helps.
Good luck on your meal adventures! =)
Cooking from scratch is only as hard and expensive as you allow it to be. When I make a shepards pie for dimmer I make 3 so we have 2 in freezer same with lasagna and chicken pot pie. We always have a home cooked meal and sometimes it takes me an afternoon of cooking other times it takes me 10 seconds to turn on the oven. My mom taught me how to freeze and can and bake and I have taught my children. I do have a couple of cookbooks that have helped a little for pantry mixes, make a mix and more make a mix thats the name of the books and I think they are great.
well said! :) :top:Quote:
Originally Posted by Valiant
We're probably saying the same thing, but in a different way.Quote:
Originally Posted by tennyis
The brownies you bake at home include butter, eggs, whole grain flour, chocolate, and good quality cocoa. The boxed mix is made up of white flour, hydrogenated vegetable oil, dried egg powder, corn syrup and cocoa. If you used the exact same ingredients and the same recipe, it would end up cheaper for you than buying the mix.
If you were to buy brownies equivalent in taste and quality to match your recipe, you'd head to the bakery where they'll sell you a piece for $2.50. In comparison, that $11 recipe is now a bargain.
When I think of processed versus cooking from scratch, Hamberger Helper always comes up in my mind. The price of one box is way over what it would cost in using pasta and spices from the pantry.
I agree with what you guys are saying, you get better quality. But the OP isn't asking about quality... "Really to need to cut costs and save money. Will start cooking from sratch."
All that i'm saying is that I dont believe if your goal is simply to get a meal on the table that cooking from scratch is the cheapest way to do it. Which is why I asked what eating habits they had.
We might also have different ideas on cooking from scratch, to me making say spaghetti from scratch is not going to walmart and buying a can of ragu for a buck and a bag of noodles for a buck. Cooking from scratch would be making your own fresh pasta and your own sauce. I don't think I could match the price of $2 by the time I buy flour, eggs, tomatos, spices, etc.
I think we need to know what goals the OP has for cooking from scratch, is it simply to save as much money as possible or is it to eat healthier, better foods.
you can't even buy the chocolate to put in a batch of brownies for $2... I'd love to know your recipe for a $2 batch of brownies as I'd ditch my recipe and start using yours!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Valiant