Cooking from scratch

[freshvintage]

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

[nothingfancy]

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!

[anisa]

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.

[anisa]

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.

[caroman]

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.

[Zonny]

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.

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.

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!

[freshvintage]

Thanks fior the great tips Ladies. I will start to freeze some pepers to add in sauces-I add peppers to everything.

[Lynn49]

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!!

[jujubetwins]

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.

[tennyis]

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

[muggos0101]

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.

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.

[Valiant]

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.

[Valiant]

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.

[freshvintage]

Yum to both.

[Zonny]

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!