babetoo
Chef Extraordinaire
i figured the best way to save money in the kitchen, is to stay out of it. 
babe
babe
How do you save money in the kitchen?
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MexicoKaren
Head Chef
Babe has discovered the ultimate solution! Hooray!
ChefJune
Master Chef
my biggest waste problem has been buying more than I can use at one time. I've been working on figuring out what nights I'll be at home, and realistically, what will get eaten before it spoils. For meat and fish, I promptly portion them out and freeze what I won't be using right away. I only buy things I like. If I can catch a sale, great, but I don't buy very many items in the grocery store, and luckily, the farm fresh produce keeps longer than the supermarket stuff, so most of my veggies and fruit are good for about two weeks.
I like to keep a few staples on hand, but I prefer to shop frequently for fresh items.
I like to keep a few staples on hand, but I prefer to shop frequently for fresh items.
Buying in bulk is key for us. I keep a very large pantry, as well. Mine is in the basement, with lots of space so I have about 1/2 as much again as Mama and much of it is home canned, home made mixes. I also do not use commercial mixes like bisquick and taco seasoning because we eat all-natural, but I make them myself to keep on hand. Most everything is stored in glass jars, mostly mason jars, but also large hermetically-sealed jars for things like pasta. My bulk beans and rice are stored in 5 gallon food-grade buckets.
I garden when we are living in the US. I put in a spring, summer, and fall garden and put up what we can't eat fresh. I love my All-American canner and my dehydrator. They save us a lot of money.
I buy our meat in bulk - we have a farmer friend that we purchase a side of beef and pork from once a year. They charge us only the market price for the on-the-hoof beef the day it is butchered. With processing, it cost us less than $1.85/lb for our beef.
We have gotten rid of all plastic and paper in our kitchen (our daily dishes are Corelleware, we use cloth napkins, and dd is now old enough to drink from real glasses). I put leftovers into Pyrex dishes (which, actually have plastic lids, so we use plastic there). It's nice that we have more recycling than trash that we leave at the curb each week. We keep a large bag of rags from old clothes, sewing remnants, etc. for kitchen use. I also have sewn velcro-topped bags to use instead of zip top bags and have Wrap-n-mats for sandwiches. I have made my own as well - they are super easy if you can even barely sew.
Making everything from scratch is also a big $$ saver. As I said, I make my own mixes (love the Make a Mix cookbook) and convenience food. For example, in my freezer, I have 20 premade frozen burritos. I fill tortillas with refried beans (homemade), beef and some cheese (grated myself to save $$). Roll them up and IQF. Then I can put them in a container in the freezer and grab one at a time to bake for a quick lunch or snack. You can do this with most any convenience food: make your own granola bars, snack cakes, biscuit sandwiches, etc. I also premake whole wheat waffles, ww pancakes and ww french toast and freeze them for a quick and healthy breakfast out of the toaster oven. I make up a large batch of macaroni and cheese and freeze these in small pyrex dishes for individual portions. I did a cost analysis of this: my all-natural ww homemade mac and cheese is 36 cents per serving using good Tilamook cheese, 24 cents per serving using store-brand all-natural cheese, and the boxed stuff (highly processed with lots of artificial preservatives and additives) is 33 cents per serving.
I just got a new grain grinder, so I will soon be buying whole wheat berries and grinding my own flour. That will be a saver, too.
I love saving in the kitchen!
I garden when we are living in the US. I put in a spring, summer, and fall garden and put up what we can't eat fresh. I love my All-American canner and my dehydrator. They save us a lot of money.
I buy our meat in bulk - we have a farmer friend that we purchase a side of beef and pork from once a year. They charge us only the market price for the on-the-hoof beef the day it is butchered. With processing, it cost us less than $1.85/lb for our beef.
We have gotten rid of all plastic and paper in our kitchen (our daily dishes are Corelleware, we use cloth napkins, and dd is now old enough to drink from real glasses). I put leftovers into Pyrex dishes (which, actually have plastic lids, so we use plastic there). It's nice that we have more recycling than trash that we leave at the curb each week. We keep a large bag of rags from old clothes, sewing remnants, etc. for kitchen use. I also have sewn velcro-topped bags to use instead of zip top bags and have Wrap-n-mats for sandwiches. I have made my own as well - they are super easy if you can even barely sew.
Making everything from scratch is also a big $$ saver. As I said, I make my own mixes (love the Make a Mix cookbook) and convenience food. For example, in my freezer, I have 20 premade frozen burritos. I fill tortillas with refried beans (homemade), beef and some cheese (grated myself to save $$). Roll them up and IQF. Then I can put them in a container in the freezer and grab one at a time to bake for a quick lunch or snack. You can do this with most any convenience food: make your own granola bars, snack cakes, biscuit sandwiches, etc. I also premake whole wheat waffles, ww pancakes and ww french toast and freeze them for a quick and healthy breakfast out of the toaster oven. I make up a large batch of macaroni and cheese and freeze these in small pyrex dishes for individual portions. I did a cost analysis of this: my all-natural ww homemade mac and cheese is 36 cents per serving using good Tilamook cheese, 24 cents per serving using store-brand all-natural cheese, and the boxed stuff (highly processed with lots of artificial preservatives and additives) is 33 cents per serving.
I just got a new grain grinder, so I will soon be buying whole wheat berries and grinding my own flour. That will be a saver, too.
I love saving in the kitchen!
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JoeV
Washing Up
Funny I was reading this thread just after I bought a used meat slicer yesterday for $20 off Craigslist.com. Works great! I bought it so I can make my own lunch meat, not necessarily to save money. I'm on a reduced salt diet and by cooking my own meats I can control the salt. If I save some bucks in the process, so much the better. then I can buy another kitchen toy.
Joe
I havent read the entire thread ....
Economies of scale extend further than buying in bulk. I try to save money by cooking in bulk.
Frying up a couple chicken breasts is one thing, but bringing the oven up to temp for one loaf of bread is quite another.
In the winter it's not really a concern because the heat goes into the living area, in the summer the 'wasted gas' bugs the heck out of me.
And we're looking at getting a small chest freezer.
Economies of scale extend further than buying in bulk. I try to save money by cooking in bulk.
Frying up a couple chicken breasts is one thing, but bringing the oven up to temp for one loaf of bread is quite another.
In the winter it's not really a concern because the heat goes into the living area, in the summer the 'wasted gas' bugs the heck out of me.
And we're looking at getting a small chest freezer.
Dina
Executive Chef
I'm trying to save $50 a week to put into my son's tuition fund but it seems that every trip to the grocery store gets more expensive. Argh! We're spending about $250 a week for a family of 5.
Jeekinz
Washing Up
Wart, we tried the chest freezer thing. It sounds good in theory, but wasn't worth while in our case. Since we would buy bulk, everything had to be repackaged for long term freezing. If we got lazy, we would have freezer burned meats in there which ultimately got tossed.
As far as stocking the kitchen, we do what June does. We keep frozen veggie and pantry staples along with frozen pork, chicken and beef. usually we have enough food for a week and a half using leftovers for lunches. Any fresh produce we pretty much buy in small quantities to have the freshest possible. Having a garden is a serious plus.
As far as stocking the kitchen, we do what June does. We keep frozen veggie and pantry staples along with frozen pork, chicken and beef. usually we have enough food for a week and a half using leftovers for lunches. Any fresh produce we pretty much buy in small quantities to have the freshest possible. Having a garden is a serious plus.
Chipotle Tom
Senior Cook
- Joined
- Jun 20, 2006
- Messages
- 102
I try to buy in bulk when possible, but we don't have a lot of storage space, so I have to really figure out what to use the space for to save the most money. We save a lot of money if I go grocery shopping by myself, but DW has improved a lot over the past year.
We don't really have room to store more than two whole chickens, so I usually buy split breasts still on the bone. It's $1.00 more per pound than the whole chicken, but I still get bones for stock and I don't have to figure out what to do with the dark meat since DW prefers white meat.
I'm still working on halting all deli meat purchases. I haven't stopped it all together, but DW loves her convencience.
We planted a vegetable garden recently and I put in some rainwater collection barrels (2 for now, working up to 6). I have a bit of convincing left to do on starting a compost pile (would really cut down on our trash). Almost always fit groceries into canvas bags, so not many plastic bags to deal with (but they're good for cleaning up after the dog). Am I officially an eco-nut yet?
We don't really have room to store more than two whole chickens, so I usually buy split breasts still on the bone. It's $1.00 more per pound than the whole chicken, but I still get bones for stock and I don't have to figure out what to do with the dark meat since DW prefers white meat.
I'm still working on halting all deli meat purchases. I haven't stopped it all together, but DW loves her convencience.
We planted a vegetable garden recently and I put in some rainwater collection barrels (2 for now, working up to 6). I have a bit of convincing left to do on starting a compost pile (would really cut down on our trash). Almost always fit groceries into canvas bags, so not many plastic bags to deal with (but they're good for cleaning up after the dog). Am I officially an eco-nut yet?
PanchoHambre
Washing Up
I have recently had to tighten my belt but the flip side is I have TIME to cook! I have allready been shopping based on what is on sale and avoiding whatever items are overpriced (I noticed lettuce costing to Pacanis)
The other thing I am doing is trying to stretch my shopping trips more. When the cupboard gets bare I try to figure out what I can make out of the ingredients at hand with little or no shopping required where usually I would have just run to the market and bought more stuff.
This week I had to add two dinners that I did not have planned. One was based on unexpected company and I had nothing ready so some frozen pizzas along with a bag of frozen ravioli and some of those tube muffins amde for a reasonably satisfying if sadly unculinary meal but I was determined not to blow money on take out and those were all things that were languishing in the fridge and the point of the evening was to watch a movie not dinner.
The other night I wanted to use up some of the left-over pork shoulder but not to eat the same thing so I whipped up a pasta salad with some veggies from my garden, oil and vinegar and made pork sandwiches on english muffins as that is the bread I have.
The pasta salad was large and is now serving as lunch.
Normally I would have spend money in both cases in one case on take out and the other on ingredients to make things perfect but in both cases I achieved decent dinners without spending additional cash.
It is really not easy for me to be thrifty when it comes to food but I need to.
The other thing is removing alcohol. I usually drink beer or wine with dinner but I am keeping that for special occassions now.
The other thing I am doing is trying to stretch my shopping trips more. When the cupboard gets bare I try to figure out what I can make out of the ingredients at hand with little or no shopping required where usually I would have just run to the market and bought more stuff.
This week I had to add two dinners that I did not have planned. One was based on unexpected company and I had nothing ready so some frozen pizzas along with a bag of frozen ravioli and some of those tube muffins amde for a reasonably satisfying if sadly unculinary meal but I was determined not to blow money on take out and those were all things that were languishing in the fridge and the point of the evening was to watch a movie not dinner.
The other night I wanted to use up some of the left-over pork shoulder but not to eat the same thing so I whipped up a pasta salad with some veggies from my garden, oil and vinegar and made pork sandwiches on english muffins as that is the bread I have.
The pasta salad was large and is now serving as lunch.
Normally I would have spend money in both cases in one case on take out and the other on ingredients to make things perfect but in both cases I achieved decent dinners without spending additional cash.
It is really not easy for me to be thrifty when it comes to food but I need to.
The other thing is removing alcohol. I usually drink beer or wine with dinner but I am keeping that for special occassions now.
Billdolfski
Senior Cook
I worked at a restaurant (15.95 was the cheapest entreé, just for scaling) and all of the butter that was on a plate returned to the dish tank was reused.
Illegal and nasty.
Regardless, I'd say they saved some money.
Illegal and nasty.
Regardless, I'd say they saved some money.
GB
Chief Eating Officer
Let us know what restaurant that was so we can be sure NEVER to go there!
One of the ways I save money in the kitchen is to "protect" the energy that escapes from my stovetop, especially during the hot weather months because our house isn't air-conditioned. What do I mean? This:
I always keep a full kettle of water on one of the burners. After I'm done using a burner, especially if it's been on for a while, I transfer the kettle of room-temperature water to the now turned off burner. The mass of the kettle full of water absorbs the residual heat of the burner. I was skeptical of this tip at first, but it does seem to make a bit of a difference.
I always keep a full kettle of water on one of the burners. After I'm done using a burner, especially if it's been on for a while, I transfer the kettle of room-temperature water to the now turned off burner. The mass of the kettle full of water absorbs the residual heat of the burner. I was skeptical of this tip at first, but it does seem to make a bit of a difference.
babetoo
Chef Extraordinaire
my dad always thought the small amount of steam left was good for humidity in air. could be.
babe
my dad always thought the small amount of steam left was good for humidity in air. could be.
babe
Actually, babe, it's not the steam since the burner is off and there's no pot or anything on it. The mass/water in the tea kettle absorbs the heat from the turned off burner and isn't dissipated into the kitchen. It's that remaining heat that's the challenge.
Around here in the summertime, it's extremely hot and humid. Yesterday the "feels like" was 103 degrees with 90% humidity. Now...in the wintertime, it's a different story.
babetoo
Chef Extraordinaire
maybe he only did it in the winter, the heater would dry out the air in closed up house . was near memphis so got pretty cold weather, snow, hail etc.
babe
BreezyCooking
Washing Up
First off, I have to say that I'm blessed with a plethora of terrific supermarkets & farmers markets. I never have to buy pre-measured plastic-wrapped produce.
Second, since I obviously enjoy cooking, I buy the dried herbs & spices I use the most in bulk. Stuff like dried oregano, crushed red pepper flakes, ground coriander, cumin, whole black peppercorns, sea salt, etc. Things that I normally use a lot of that I know will be used up long before they have a chance to lose their essence.
Third - I shop the sales. I don't drive from market to market. I pick the one that has the most of what I want at the time, & that's where I go. And sometimes this enables one to splurge a little. For instance, recently a market had duck on sale. So I bought a duck for approx. $10. Got two meals out of it, so we (it's just two of us) had two duck dinners for $2.50 each. That's a bargain to me.
Last & most important - I both shop & cook WITH A PLAN. "Steamer Clams" for dinner? I buy extra & plan on "Spaghetti with Clam Sauce" the day after next. Big chunks of Turkey Ham on sale? "Western Omelettes with a Green Salad" one day; "Fleetchkie" (sort of a Czech baked ham/noodle/cheese casserole) another. Or maybe some of that ham will make it's way into a main dish Asian "Fried Rice". The leftovers from that chicken I grilled outdoors the other day becomes part of the "Chicken, Smoked Gouda, & Grape" salad on greens supper a couple of days later.
Get the idea? Plus, thinking ahead enables you to make sure you have or pick up any ingredients you need to make the leftover meals "special". The key to using leftovers is not making them look/taste like leftovers.
Even with grocery prices (& everything else) going through the roof, my grocery bill has remained the same, & I think the key to it all is in the planning.
Second, since I obviously enjoy cooking, I buy the dried herbs & spices I use the most in bulk. Stuff like dried oregano, crushed red pepper flakes, ground coriander, cumin, whole black peppercorns, sea salt, etc. Things that I normally use a lot of that I know will be used up long before they have a chance to lose their essence.
Third - I shop the sales. I don't drive from market to market. I pick the one that has the most of what I want at the time, & that's where I go. And sometimes this enables one to splurge a little. For instance, recently a market had duck on sale. So I bought a duck for approx. $10. Got two meals out of it, so we (it's just two of us) had two duck dinners for $2.50 each. That's a bargain to me.
Last & most important - I both shop & cook WITH A PLAN. "Steamer Clams" for dinner? I buy extra & plan on "Spaghetti with Clam Sauce" the day after next. Big chunks of Turkey Ham on sale? "Western Omelettes with a Green Salad" one day; "Fleetchkie" (sort of a Czech baked ham/noodle/cheese casserole) another. Or maybe some of that ham will make it's way into a main dish Asian "Fried Rice". The leftovers from that chicken I grilled outdoors the other day becomes part of the "Chicken, Smoked Gouda, & Grape" salad on greens supper a couple of days later.
Get the idea? Plus, thinking ahead enables you to make sure you have or pick up any ingredients you need to make the leftover meals "special". The key to using leftovers is not making them look/taste like leftovers.
Even with grocery prices (& everything else) going through the roof, my grocery bill has remained the same, & I think the key to it all is in the planning.
I am glad I read your post before I posted. That is what I do. Use leftover ingredients for a completely different meal. GMTA
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