People need to learn to cook again...

[bamademo]

I used to be a huge fan of the Food Network until it sold out to it's corporate sponsors. The chefs (and I say that lightly) have gone from giving intelligent instructions on how to prepare food to advocating how to incorporate sponsors products into their recipes. For example, several shows use canned or frozen products instead of making things simply from scratch. Compare the cost of frozen potatoes or fries as opposed to raw potatoes. How hard is it to cost up a raw potato and toss it with garlic, olive oil and rosemary and then roasting the pieces. With the economy the way it is, most of the public needs to learn to grow food and cook from scratch. Do public schools even teach home ec any more? See this article from Mark Bittman:

PERHAPS, like me, you have this romantic notion of shopping daily — maybe even a mental vision of yourself making the rounds, wicker basket in hand, of your little Shropshire or Provençal or Tuscan village. The reality, of course, is that few of us provision our kitchens or cook exclusively with ultra-fresh ingredients, especially in winter, when there simply are no ultra-fresh ingredients.

But if your goal is to cook and cook quickly, to get a satisfying and enjoyable variety of real food on the table as often as possible, a well-stocked pantry and fridge can sustain you. Replenished weekly or even less frequently, with an occasional stop for fresh vegetables, meat, fish and dairy, they are the core supply houses for the home cook.

While you’re stocking up, you might clear out a bit of the detritus that’s cluttering your shelves. Some of these things take up more space than they’re worth, while others are so much better in their real forms that the difference is laughable. Sadly, some remain in common usage even among good cooks. My point here is not to criminalize their use, but to point out how easily and successfully we can substitute for them, in every case with better results.

Here, then, is my little list of items you might spurn, along with some essential pantry and long-keeping refrigerator items you might consider. Note that I’m not including the ultra-obvious, things that are more or less ubiquitous in the contemporary American pantry, like potatoes, eggs and honey.

OUT Packaged bread crumbs or croutons.

IN Take crumbs, cubes or slices of bread, and either toast evenly in a low oven until dry and lightly browned, tossing occasionally; or cook in olive oil until brown and crisp, stirring frequently. The first keep a long time, and are multipurpose; the second are best used quickly, and are incomparably delicious.

OUT Bouillon cubes or powder, or canned stock.

IN Simmer a carrot, a celery stalk and half an onion in a couple of cups of water for 10 minutes and you’re better off; if you have any chicken scraps, even a half-hour of cooking with those same vegetables will give you something 10 times better than any canned stock.

OUT Aerosol oil. At about $12 a pint, twice as expensive as halfway decent extra virgin olive oil, which spray oil most decidedly is not; and it contains additives.

IN Get some good olive oil and a hand-pumped sprayer or even simpler, a brush. Simplest: your fingers.

OUT Bottled salad dressing and marinades. The biggest rip-offs imaginable.

IN Take good oil and vinegar or lemon juice, and combine them with salt, pepper, maybe a little Dijon, in a proportion of about three parts oil to one of vinegar. Customize from there, because you may like more vinegar or less, and you undoubtedly will want a little shallot, or balsamic vinegar, or honey, or garlic, or tarragon, or soy sauce. ...


http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/07/dining/07mini.html?_r=1

[The empressof all]

1. Or just visit the DU Cooking & Baking group

We'll tell you all you need to know about cooking great food in your home kitchen. But I'll tell you this up front....Some of us still defy Bittmen and use the bottled salad dressing...:hide:

[bamademo]

3. I know about the DU cooking group. My point is with this economy, learn to cook from scratch

I'm amazed when I go to the grocery how much prepacked shit people buy. It's expensive and it's cheap and efficient to cook a bunch from scratch and freeze and can.

[The empressof all]

17. Right you are

I think the concept of a "pantry" throws some people off. It's most certainly cheaper and healthier to make your own cookies from scratch but when you're on a limited weekly budget doing that initial outlay is a challenge for some. The cost of the flour, butter, baking powder, .....seems high when you're broke compared to grabbing a bag of chips a hoy. Plus we're a society that is use to having our needs met immediately. Most people think they don't have the time to cook let alone make a batch of cookies.

Lots of people's childhood comfort food comes from bags and boxes. Jeeze, I'm in my 50's and still get cravings for Kraft Mac & Cheese and Ramen noodles and I didn't even grow up with that junk. (It's like crack I tell ya)

[4_TN_TITANS]

87. We're still addicted to the boxed mac & cheese and Ramen...

There a number of things that the wife and I used to buy when we first got married and money was short that the kids have now become addicted to.

(typed while eating Hormel chili out of the can at work)

[The_Casual_Observer]

2. What happens to all the folks that work in the packaged food industry then?

I guess they don't count for anything, maybe they can get a job writing advice columns for the NYT.

I suspect that a lot of times the packaged foods end up costing the same or less per actual net serving than buying all the ingredients from scratch.

[bamademo]

5. When they get laid off they need to learn to garden.

I'm not being argumentative, I'm trying to point out that it's more economical to cook then rely on prepacked food.

[Kalyke]

63. I think the point of some of the frozen food is that there are so many

families where both parents work that it's hard to boil up dried beans from scratch - no time.

I cook every night, but I do use some frozen veggies and incorporate it into other "from scratch" food.

I don't, however, have tons of time to soak beans and cook them for a brazillion hours.

[Horse with no Name]

133. Blush. I NEVER soak my beans

and I throw them in a crock pot all day with an onion and salt and pepper and a ham hock.
Good eating I tell you.
Takes me 5 min to prepare dinner.

[ColbertWatcher]

22. Not all of them would lose their jobs in that industry.

In fact, I'd bet the majority of them could stay on while the industry is streamlined to get rid of corporate waste in the giant agri-businesses that destroyed the American family farm.

Packaged food can easily become the preservatives industry. Some people have to have strawberries all year long and there will have to be people to do the work!

[Chovexani]

34. As long as there are college kids

Their jobs are safe.

[sandnsea]

4. Maybe you're sick of roasted potatoes

And want to have an old fashioned french fry, which cooks up differently than a fresh potato, and that's just the way it is.

Anybody who thinks olive oil is in the home of anybody on a true meager budget, has got no room to talk about cooking and the economy.

[Runcible Spoon]

6. I haven't seen shallot in AGES in the regular super

I just use a fucking red onion sauteed in garlic butter. No need to be pretentious.

[KoKo]

25. All my grocery stores carry shallots. They go a long way for flavor and different

from the strong taste of red onion. :shrug: You have to hunt for the shallots on the "end aisle" with the garlic buds, usually.

[Runcible Spoon]

39. yeah I know what they are, and your average inner city store isn't going to carry them

red onions are mild and sauteed with butter/garlic do just fine.

Besides, they're hardly good for people on meagre budgets:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=236x43120

[ejpoeta]

8. we live very meagerly. and i do cook. i make my own biscuits...

do my own tomato sauce. i do a lot from scratch. and i make sure i have olive oil. I prefer to buy a decent size from bj's when I can, because it lasts longer and ends up costing less overall that way. but when i am in a pinch, i will buy a small bottle. i can't survive without olive oil. i make my own pizza dough. it's not the same with vegetable oil. and i have to cook up my onions and mushrooms for pretty much everything i make. that takes olive oil. i may skimp in a lot of places.... but i make sure to have olive oil.

as for old fashioned french fries.... do you know that the difference is that they parboil the potatoes for the french fries? just sayin.

[bamademo]

11. Cut the potatoes into fry shapes, parboil and then fry or oven bake.

Yum!

[sandnsea]

13. Still not the same

Sure it's good, but it's not the same as fast food french fries.

[ejpoeta]

15. you know what's wrong with fast food french fries....

unless you are lucky enough to get them at just the right time.... when they are just made.... then they are really salty and taste like they've been sitting for awhile... or it tastes like they need to change the oil. I do enjoy a good french fry now and then, but the odds of getting any decent ones are slim to none. though, i must admit i don't do fast food very often. not a big fan.

[MarjorieG]

81. Nothing like Belgian, Irish, elsewhere, twice-cooked lightly in butter. The best.

[SoCalDem]

43. Cheap meal in a pan

bake 4 potatoes
cook up some chopped bacon or diced ham..remove from pan & drain

brown some diced onions in the fat..

when the potatoes are cooled, peel and cube them..


mixx it all together in the pan, and smoosh it down & turn over and brown it up ...

Tasty as a side dish or a main dish..

[ejpoeta]

112. sounds good to me.

[Horse with no Name]

134. Baked potato hint for those pressed for time

Pierce them with a fork, wrap in foil...put them in the crockpot without any liquid and turn on low and let them cook all day.
Perfect baked potatoes when you arrive home.

[ooglymoogly]

118. Or yank out a bag of frozen fries from the freezer, put them in a large flat pan

and brown them to perfection....see if you have any half eaten Mc Donald's or Burger king leftovers to throw in the micro, throw in lots of catchup and wallah...you have a meal in 5 or 10 minutes.

[sandnsea]

12. That's not meager

You can afford mushrooms? Not meager.

Yes I know you can parbroil or partially bake a potato, and then fry it. It still doesn't taste the same as crappy frozen fries. Just doesn't. About the only kind of potato I eat anymore is a sweet potato, but I certainly don't begrudge someone a damn french fry.

[Chulanowa]

41. That's because frozen fries are only partially potato

They're shortening, powdered potato, salt, and beef flavor pressed into sticks.

You can make your own at home, it's not too much different from making biscuits, really. You take your potato buds / pearls, cut them together with a little shortening - enough to get the mixture malleable - and some salt / powdered beef flavor, and them shape and fry.

Wait... Did I really see this article talk about saving money using tubed tomato paste... and then reccomend "stocking up" on prosciutto?

[seemunkee]

88. You don't parboil french fries

You double cook them.
Soak in ice water for minimum of 30 minutes, dry, blanch in 280 degree oil for ~7 minutes, cool, finish at 350 for 3 minutes

[TwilightGardener]

91. Or, put some Ore-Ida on a cookie sheet, bake until golden.

Get out yer Heinz, enjoy.

[Chovexani]

37. Uh

The point of the OP is that building a decent pantry and learning basic cooking skills will save someone far more money in the long run than relying on the processed, packaged "convenience" garbage and fast food we are constantly being sold. Both in immediate savings at the grocery store and in medical costs down the road due to hypertension, diabetes, and other health problems that can stem from having a shitty diet.

I'm on an extremely tight budget and always have been, and I've always had olive oil in my pantry. My sister and I go halves on a giant one from Costco and we split it. I use it for everything. You will also not find Pam, etc in my pantry. I buy day old bread from the bargain racks at the supermarket bakery and make my own bread crumbs, it takes me less than five minutes. I also don't buy frozen prepackaged anything except store brand veggies when they're on sale. If my potatoes are starting to go bad I wash, peel, cut and freeze them in single server portions on a weekend. That way if I'm too tired when I get home from work all I have to do is pull a baggie out of the freezer, throw some seasoning on them and cook them however. Doing it that way, I also know no chemicals or preservatives went into it. I grow fresh herbs in a windowbox, the seeds and dirt for one plant cost me less than buying prepackaged herbs at the store that go bad almost immediately, and the shit grows like weeds (I learned to love pesto). And honestly, I've found that the more I do for myself, the less inclined I am to eat prepackaged stuff. It just tastes like shit to me now (except Maruchan ramen, it's my own personal crack).

Unless you're truly impoverished, on a fixed income, etc. this shit is not expensive or time consuming. It just requires some planning and an idea of where to start. I don't think the OP or Bittman were aiming this advice at people on food stamps who are truly struggling to make ends meet. This is squarely at the lazy suburban set who buys dinner in a box on a nightly basis and then wonders why their grocery bills and cholesterol are so high.

[sandnsea]

38. I ate better on food stamps

then I did when I was truly struggling with kids and day care bills and doctors, but made too much to qualify for food stamps. So if you're not talking about that kind of budget, then you're not talking about meager.

In other words, eat whatever the hell you want, but if you're going to talk about it being economical, you better know of what you speak because I will call you on it every time.

Having said that, that's a great idea about the potatoes that are about to go bad. I just tossed some yesterday. I had never thought to do it. So thanks!

[EstimatedProphet]

48. Exactly right

The point is: all other things being equal, you get more for the dollar by going to natural and basic ingriedients, like staples, than you do with already prepared foods. The difference comes from making things yourself rather than paying someone else to make it for you - plus any added surcharges in dealing with the corporate food world. The end product is almost certainly better too, because it's fresher and has less preservatives.

[Subdivisions]

54. moved. wrong place. n/t

[Heidi]

90. You're mistaken about olive oil. Millions of poor Italians swear by it.

It takes only a little, and its a hell of a lot healthier and cheaper (here, anyway) than Crisco and the other crap I grew up cooking with in the South. My husband and I very strictly budget what we spend on food, and olive oil is one of the things we regularly buy. :hi:

[crim son]

94. I disagree.

I have a friend who is perpetually underemployed. He also loves to cook, so he uses canola oil for most of his oil needs, but he has olive oil on hand for very special things. He makes his own bread, and we dip it in herbed olive oil for a snack. It's expensive, but for the price of two bags of tortilla chips you can get a small bottle of good olive oil. I know this because I went shopping with him for olive oil yesterday. We were at Ocean State Job Lot (discount store) and he took a long time selecting his oil.

[Phoebe Loosinhouse]

7. Well, I'm trying to bake my own bread on a more regular basis

There is lots of good info in the Cooking and Baking Forum.

I was in the habit of buying "neo-Tusan boules" at $3.49 a pop becuase that is the bread my husband prefers. Just this week I have baked 2 1lb loaves and 3 2lb loaves of a very similar bread for a bag of flour that cost $2.50 plus yeast, salt and water. I can't factor in exactly the cost of the gas to cook it - but I would say I am getting almost the same bread for about $.75 a loaf as far as I can roughly make out. That's enough of a savings to keep me going.

Making soups is also a good idea.

[KoKo]

28. I'm finding all the breads even specialty ones are so salty and don't have that yeasty

taste homemade breads do. If one read the ingredients they are using fast starting yeast and chemicals that they didn't years ago. I think they increase the salt to cover up the fact that the bread has no taste, anymore without the salt.

I've thought about baking my own bread again...but the last time I did it the kitchen was covered with flour and I was a mess...made too much...but did freeze it and it was a treat for a month. It's a lot of work though. Maybe if one gets into a routine and finds other things to do between "the risings" and "kneading" it could be much better. And with much more flavor and so much less salt.

[Phoebe Loosinhouse]

31. Please go to the Cooking and baking forum and look at all the recent

threads about bread baking - particularly the ones that mention "Mother Earth" bread or 5 Minute Artisan Bread.

It is easy, it is simple, it is fast, it is cheap and it takes no particular skill - believe me, if I can make this stuff, anyone can and it is as good if not better than loaves people are paying anywhere from $3.50 - $6.00 a loaf for.

[MarjorieG]

82. For fiber and calorie sake, I'm happier with grainy flatbreads. Some are very tasty.

[stuntcat]

9. salad dressing

I started making my own salad dressing. Now looking back I can't believe how much money and plastic I used to waste. We don't even eat that much salad so half of it was always thrown away.

Check out this thread!!!! - http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=389&topic_id=4591570
It's a LOT to look at but there are some great tips there! Best thread ever, I think :)

[colorado thinker]

16. How do you print out an entire thread?

This thread, and the url's notated, should be available in some other media.

[stuntcat]

47. "view all" .. maybe

then it would show the whole thread and you could say "post screen" (I think) It's a loooooong thread though, I've bookmarked it so as long as I'm signed into DU I can go look at it. The thread was started in GD but then got cross-posted to the Frugal/Energy efficient living board.. a very nice board that I was proud to find on DU :)

[Marrah_G]

59. look at the top and click "printer friendly format"

[Lucinda]

60. if you have a PC you can probably right click anywhere on the page and select print

You can also look for File - Save in your browser controls to save it on your hard drive, or File - Print to send it to your printer.

[hlthe2b]

10. I like the thoughts but I'd venture to guess there are one heck

of a lot of singles and similar working households that have a pantry full of canned goods, 5 year (or older) dried spices, peanut butter and that's about it.... I had to pay premium for the smallest bag of flour possible, because I just don't go through it. Unless I can wok it, crock-pot it, or nuke it, it doesn't get cooked in my home and even then fairly rarely because of all the left overs and limited freezer space. For folks that commute, the ability to cook without eating dinner after 9 pm is limited. And, I, for one can not eat a big meal late at night...

So, good advice, but.... I think I'll spend the money with a bit less guilt and gain back the 15 minutes saved by supporting Newman's own when I buy salad dressing--maybe stretch it out or double a bottle using my own oil, vinegar, and lemon juice. I agree with the author on the olive oil versus aerosols and the home made stock seems reasonable.

[enlightenment]

18. You can freeze flour. When I lived alone

that's what I did - and I only had minimal freezer space. Separate it into plastic bags in amounts that you'll use. Wrap each bag in aluminum foil and make fairly flat packs. Store them in your freezer. Won't hurt it at all, done that way. You don't want to just stick the bag in the freezer as it will absorb moisture and odors.

I also used to spend one weekend day, once a month, making my own 'frozen' lunches and dinners - I used the plastic containers that frozen dinners come in for the storage. Precooked and then frozen - I could nuke them or toss them in the oven (or for spaghetti I made sauce and boiled the pasta, mixed it together and then put portions in the bigger baggies. Then I tossed the baggie in a pan of boiling water until the food was warmed through). Eventually bought one of those vacuum sealer gizmos - it works really well for making single serving portions for storage.

Not saying you should do any of this, just sharing what I used to do . . . (I do have a good chicken stock recipe, if you're interested . . . I'll tiptoe away now . . .)

[hlthe2b]

21. Good ideas, thanks....

and do share the chicken stock recipe... I value realistic tips.

[colorado thinker]

14. Wow, another coincidence

There have been a LOT of coincidental things like this lately . . .

I just spent the entire weekend baking from scratch. I did use a mix for one thing, mango bars by Krusteez. This is usually a good choice for prepackaged baked good mixes but I don't recommend this particular item, tastes nasty.

Or maybe, since the rest of the items made this weekend were from scratch using my grandmother's recipes from the turn of the LAST century, the mix fell short in comparison?

I had no actual reason to do all this baking, I just decided it was time to dust off the kitchen and get back into it. Weird.

[Odin2005]

19. I get the feeling that I'm the only 20-something guy I know that can cook worth a damn

Hell, I LIKE to cook, and I especially like to be experiment with my cooking. Partly this is because I am a cook at a preschool and probably the hardest part of my job is making sure the kids get all the proper servings from each food group at lunch (something that is required by North Dakota health regulations), and thus I am forced to find ways to get fruit and veggies into the lunch in a way that gets the kids to eat them. So, for example, one of my recipes I make there is a kind of "Mac-in-Cheese" Hot-dish, which is elbow macaroni, lots of plain and white cheddar cheese, ground beef, peas, and carrots, with whatever fresh fruit we have available on the side.

[AngryAmish]

20. No I don't

[1]

23. madon... i grew up in michigan, the thumb. my first job in hs was as a wedding photographer...

well, i followed my boss (the real photographer) around. shooting some candid stuff. simple people, just getting by. simple family weddings. large gregarious receptions in their backyards or maybe at the church. always catered by friends and family or women from the church.

my favorite part of this job was, after the guests had eaten, they always invited us photographers to eat too.

my god the food! this was not from professional chefs or caterers, just simple home cooked food from each and every one of the "elders" celebrating the union of the couple. i have never eaten such fine food in my life. all of the different cultures, all of the fine recipes "passed down" from (yeah, i'll say it and it is probably sexist but) grandmother to mother to daughter... dudes invented putting dots on plates. women invented great freaking food.

i have eaten in all sorts of the finest restaurants growing up since then. but i will never eat food as good as i did in those few short summers eating food cooked with love as it should be.

i am sad it is such a lost art. putting a hot pocket in the microwave is now considered enough...

[KoKo]

35. We used to hit the Vermont Church Country Fairs...years ago...

OMG...the food was to die for. We didn't have money to eat out much and we went up there in the Fall for our "get away treat" once a year on a tank of gas. We ate for $3.00 a ticket...and the food was just unbelievable. Back then hams tasted like "real ham" (no water added that makes it like rubber) and turkey was Big Tom Turkey from someone's farm and juicy and filled with flavor...Fried Chicken crisp and juicy and (not coated in one inch breading and dry and tasteless in the middle} the casseroles were all so different and delicious mixtures of veggies, noodles, potato's and everything inbetween. Amazing desserts one just doesn't see anymore, made from scratch.

I drool thinking about those dinners at the Church and Country Fairs.

[knitter4democracy]

99. Many Michiganders I knew still cook.

Home of the potluck and casserole. :D Don't forget the pasties!

[fortyfeetunder]

24. For those on restricted diets, cooking from scratch is best

can control the fat, sugar, and sodium content and seasoning.
A whole lot healthier, if you ask me.

[mopinko]

26. people don't cook because they don't have time.

they let girls get jobs now, you know.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

40. Every time I cook, I make more than I need and freeze the leftovers

(unless there's tofu in them--tofu gets weird when you freeze it). This gives me instant TV dinners without preservatives or other bizarre chemicals for those busy times

[JCMach1]

44. My mom cooked every day after working as a child...

However, I'm not about to spout some Republican fantasy... Instead, she did one thing that was great... She taught her son how to cook and take a big part of that duty.

Teach a man to cook and he will never go hungry... but he will put on weight.

[Lorien]

66. Most people have the time, but they choose to spend it on television

or online (like now). I'm self employed and have never had another person around to help out. I work six to seven days a week, 12-16 hours a day when I can find work, but I cook all my own meals. I have to; I have too many food sensitivities to eat prepackaged stuff. It's really not that difficult or time consuming once you get into the habit of doing it. Of course, I don't watch TV-but I do read DU!

[lukasahero]

68. Well, they let boys cook now

so it all evens out.

People have time, they just need to choose to cook instead of spending those extra few minutes in front of the TV or video game.

[madmom]

27. I cook from scratch as much as I can. My sil used to get mad at me at family gatherings because

I would make from scratch and she from a box.

[KoKo]

30. Every event I've been too for "Pot Luck" the past 10 years...someone brings

Buckets of "Kentucky Friend Chicken" and store bought potato salad, macaroni salad, along with a plate of chopped cheese and presliced veggie platter. Nothing unusual or homecooked or taking much thought. But, then...most folks just don't have time anymore for the planning and prep and cooking for these events. I can understand...but miss when one used to find some great food and share recipes and new ideas years ago before we all had to work two jobs to make ends meet. Some work three jobs and there just isn't time.

[1]

32. i know. i'm just sad the line of teaching has been broken...

my mom taught me all sorts of wonderful recipies. amazing recipes. incredible recipes.

even, and including, when you are short on time you crush some potato chips over some tuna and some noodles and some canned soup to make!

tuna noodle casserole! you put in the oven for 30 minutes...


hey! its big, it warm and it fills you up.

i love my mother...

[madmom]

36. When making large batches of stuff cook ahead. Cook potatoes the day before, for

potato salad,make cake one day frost the next.Makes home cooking alot easier.

[knitter4democracy]

100. Come to my church. We still do it right.

Very rarely does someone bring something that isn't homecooked, but if they do, it's the best in the area.

[nadinbrzezinski]

29. We do, but we are the exception

I cook, rather... but again I am the exception

[Chovexani]

33. I love Mark Bittman

He's seriously one of the last reasons I even read the Times anymore.

One time he did a really good video segment on the Times website on how to stock your kitchen with good tools on the cheap. Amazingly useful stuff, plus he's funny as hell.

[Mrs. Overall]

42. One thing (of many) I did to save money, was to stop buying packaged cookies and crackers--

I bake everything from scratch now: cookies, brownies, cakes, all sorts of sweet treats. It's more work but much cheaper and I know what ingredients are going into the food--no high fructose corn syrup and no chemicals or preservatives.

I make lots of cookie dough and just freeze it. The kids can take it out and slice off some pieces and bake up some cookies anytime.

I also found a nice whole wheat pastry flour, so I often make a lot of my desserts with half whole wheat/half regular non-bleached flour. No one notices the difference and we're getting a little extra fiber.

To save money I make nearly all of our food and buy very little pre-packaged items.

[EmeraldCityGrl]

45. I just made bread tonight after watching this very

cool woman on YouTube...the bread was amazing!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JUiwmpcQuC0

[Lucinda]

64. Very interesting lady. Thanks for posting the link.

[earth mom]

69. Isn't Tree the coolest? She is so interesting & creative!

Here's part 2 & her website:

The Magic of Making Bread part 2:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XVC5fKap3JY&feature=related


Margaret Fabrizio
http://www.margaretfabrizio.com/

[Liberal_in_LA]

46. I NEVER buy bread crumbs. I love the tips in this article. Thanks

I recently whipped up a salad dressing. It was delicious

[RebelOne]

49. Since I'm only cooking for myself, I don't cook for scratch.

It's too expensive to buy fresh foods because I have to throw out the leftovers. So, I have a well-stocked freezer. I zap my meals in the microwave.

[cali]

50. I agree with all the outs except for the

broth one. I never use the other products.

[PeaceNikki]

51. One of the best investments EVER for cheap/quick/easy/TASTY cooking at home

is a pressure cooker.

I am a working single mom and I can buy a $2.50 fryer chicken and cook that bad boy up in 15 minutes.

I can take the cheapest cut of beef roast, throw in some potatoes and carrots and have a fantastic dinner in 30-45 minutes.

I can make a huge pot of chili in under 30.

[jpljr77]

52. I totally agree. Specifically, people need to get smarter about chicken.

Buying cut and skinned breasts/thighs is a rip-off.

Go buy a whole cut up chicken, you know, the package with 2 breasts, 2 thighs, 2 legs, 2 wings and the organs/neck. This will cost around $10.

Remove the wings and the organs/neck and roast the remaining chicken at 350 degrees for about 40 minutes. Remove it and cool it. Strip the meat off of the bones and coarsely cut it and place in large pot. Retain the bones. Add a can of diced, peeled tomatoes, onions, garlic, some chipotle peppers in adobo sauce and about 2 cups of water. Cook uncovered on medium-low for about an hour, or until water is gone and chicken has fallen apart. You can use this chicken in tacos, enchiladas, quesadilas, etc. and it should be enough for two meals. (you can skip all of this and just boil the chicken down for chicken salad, or put it in a casserole, etc.).

Meanwhile, place the bones back into the roaster and place in oven for about 15 more minutes, or until they begin to brown. Place the roasted bones in a large stock pot with raw wings and organs/neck, diced carrots, celery and onion, and cover completely with water. Bring to a boil and then simmer for about an hour. Strain the stock to remove all solids. This creates the best chicken stock imaginable, for use in soups, rice dishes, pasta, etc.

For about $15 total, you will have enough chicken for two meals and a ton of stock. Sure, it takes a while, but isn't that what Sundays are for?

[HamdenRice]

53. In my neighborhood, a whole chicken is LESS than a pack of skinless breasts

I agree, it's total insanity. Perhaps you are referring to a roaster which is closer to $10, but chicken parts generally come from what's called in the trade "fryers" because they are young and tender enough to make fried chicken, even though they aren't only used for frying.

A fryer here costs about $4 -- which is about the same as the cost of a package of boned, skinned breast from the same size chicken.

Who on earth buys that stuff? Maybe the big investment putting people off is that you need two sharp knives, a chef's knife and a boning or fillet knife.

I mean, if you want a breast, buy a fryer and by all means cut the breast out. Then have roast or fried chicken parts for two more meals!

[jpljr77]

56. I'm in an urban area, so maybe food costs are higher.

But still, you can get a whole, cut chicken (yes, roaster) for around $10, usually a little less. Whole chickens are typically a little less, but not $4. I used whole cut chicken in my post for convenience, so you wouldn't have to deconstruct an entire chicken.

[HamdenRice]

58. I live in NYC. There are lots of immigrants here and they drive prices down...

because they are frugal shoppers. But you're right, roasters are more expensive, about $8. But I find they are not good for cutting up. A fryer is about $4 and more versatile.

Interestingly, a roaster is not just more expensive because it's bigger; it's more expensive per pound also because it has lived longer, taken up more space, eaten more food that wasn't put on as live weight, and so on.

The cheapest and most delicious (go figure!) are "chicken quarters" which are big bags of basically a dozen or so leg, thigh and part of the back and some other connecting tissue I can't figure out. It's a bit of a chore to cut off the back and that piece, but it's worth it because that cut is so versatile and flavorful, and it only costs $.49 per pound. The back portion goes into the stock pot.

[tabbycat31]

125. in my area the rotisserie chickens

have a very small price difference to the raw whole chickens. Last time I was at the store, a raw whole chicken was $4.79. The cooked rotissery chicken was $4.99

For all the work that goes into cooking a whole chicken, I figure my time is not worth 20 cents and will buy the already cooked one (great on salads)

[knitter4democracy]

101. That package is cheaper than ten bucks here.

I love Horrocks.

[Subdivisions]

55. The days of people eating out vs. cooking @ home are fading...

A short time ago I marveled at all the packed restaurant parking lots in the face of all the economic bad news of late. Then I realized, they're eating on credit cards and because they can't be bothered to cook at home.

I suspect those parking lots are going to begin to thin out going forward.

[demodonkey]

75. Yep, more jobs lost as the restaurants go under. nt

[MarjorieG]

83. Noticeable emptiness at staple, good NYC lunch places due to layoffs.

[Le Taz Hot]

57. Agree with everything you said except

". . . especially in winter, when there simply are no ultra-fresh ingredients."

In the winter you have winter veggies such as kale, lettuce, turnips, parsnips, mustard and collard greens. Granted, you'll have to supplement what you can get at your local farmers markets but there are actually a lot of winter vegetables.

And for those who are saying, "but I don't have the time," when you do cook, double or triple the recipes, put in plastic containers with lids (you can either buy these or save them from take-home restaurant food) and freeze. Also, don't forget that crock pot or the pressure cooker. You can cook an entire chicken in 20 minutes or less in a pressure cooker. As for crock pots, here's a couple of easy recipes:

Chicken, whole or cut up.
Bar-B-Que sauce (jarred or homemade)

OR

Roast (any type)
Lipton's Instant Onion soup mix
1 cup water

Put on Low and let cook all day.

Come home in the evening and all you have to do is to steam a couple of types of veggies and make up a salad and you're done. (I try to stay away from carbs).

[Arugula Latte]

62. The poster didn't write the article. It's from the NY Times.

:)

[Le Taz Hot]

70. Too late to edit.

Should read: I disagree with the author . . .

[TwilightGardener]

61. I hate food snobs. There's nothing wrong with using convenience-type foods

over fresh/raw/bulk if that's what makes sense for your family. I haven't washed a head of lettuce in years, because there are lots of good salad mixes out there to save me from having to buy and wash and chop up my own carrots, romaine, cabbage, etc. I can open the bag, flop the mix into bowls, open a bottle of dressing, and my kids are eating green vegetation within seconds. Sometimes I make my own dressing, but when time is short and I've got lots of other preparation and cooking to do for the entree, I don't really want to have to deal with dragging out yet another bowl and more ingredients for...a salad. It's really not any cheaper to buy produce in "bulk" form anymore, anyway--it used to be, but produce is expensive now. It's actually very costly to buy lots of separate produce "ingredients" to cook with, and the remainder often goes bad in the fridge--wasteful. Case in point--last night we had fajitas for my family of four (two teenage boys). By the time I got done buying the beef (two pounds of round steak, about the cheapest, toughest cut out there--slice it thin against the grain, and it's not so bad), buying the tortillas, the cilantro, some prepared guacamole (would have cost even MORE to buy the avocados/jalapenos and make it from scratch), the red onions, the bell peppers, and a couple of fresh limes, I was out almost thirty dollars at SuperTarget. I'm lucky that I had the cumin, the sour cream, and a side dish already at home. I might as well have just gone to a Mexican restaurant, for the expense and trouble. I suppose I could cut corners and just use beef, tortillas, and onions, and nothing else, and save money by skipping the little "extras" like fresh cilantro and lime, but I like flavor, unfortunately.

[jpljr77]

65. It's not about being a food "snob", it's about reality.

Packaged lettuce/greens is FAR more expensive than a head of the same stuff. And if you know how to manage it, it's really not more time consuming.

Case in point: buy heads of Romaine. They are very, very easy to prep: you just cut it width-wise. It takes literally 45 seconds.

Also, in your fajita scenario you laid out, maybe it did cost nearly $30 and take a lot of work. But you have at least some sour cream left over and probably cilantro. Make something with that THIS WEEK. And you know that if you had gone to a Mexican restaurant and bought fajitas for four you would have spent at least $60, probably more. So you made the same meal for less than half of what you would have spent out.

[TwilightGardener]

67. RE the salad ingredients--if want more than just lettuce in my salad, then no, it's not cheaper.

If I want a little radicchio or red cabbage or carrots or field greens or spinach along with the romaine, then I'm out a lot of money, and I'd better want salad every night for the rest of the week, too, to use up everything. I can often find a bag of pre-washed greens/salad mix for maybe a buck more than the loose stuff, it can usually be stretched to two meals if I ration it, and the convenience of ripping open a bag is worth it to me. I am trying to get away from pre-packaged foods and cook more from scratch, but I hate people trying to make me feel guilty when I take shortcuts--everybody's got their priorities. I, for one, would never spend a Sunday making all my lunches or whatever in advance. Gack.

On edit--yes, I saved some money on eating out at a restaurant--however, I very much enjoy eating out at restaurants, more than I enjoy spending two hours chopping, slicing, cooking and then cleaning up.:-)

[EstimatedProphet]

72. Yeah, but that's not really as much of what this article is about

buying greens in a bag is more expensive than buying all the ingredients separately, because you can get all the ingrediants to make several bags of greens for maybe a little more than the cost of one bag. It may still not be worth it though, because you may end up wasting a lot by having it spoil before you can use it all. that's where the bagged greens mixes come through. If you're by yourself, wasting a lot by buying the ingrediants separately is likely. If you're cooking for a family of 6, it's very unlikely.

[TwilightGardener]

89. I was addressing the OP more than the article. The article suggests I buy miso paste

and pine nuts and prosciutto just to "keep on hand"--LOL! Not allowed to buy a $1.50 bottle of salad dressing (terrible rip-off!!), but I'm supposed to store up pine nuts and miso paste (exotic ingredients for rural Nebraska) just for the fuck of it. Sheer idiocy. The OP rails against people using prepared foods--yeah, sorry, I guess I should have made my own fucking tortillas instead of buying them for $2.50--I should have turned my dinner into an all-day slave-a-thon to save a little money (though even bags of flour aren't free, last time I checked).

[bamademo]

96. I take help from the store where I need it...

I buy bagged slaw rather then cut up all that cabbage myself. The point of posting the article was that you could take bits from it that were helpful. You don't have to follow every single thing to the letter that Mark Bittman says. I made homemade tomato soup yesterday but I bought the chicken stock that went in it.

[TwilightGardener]

97. Is bagged slaw "cooking"? How hard is it to just slice up a head of cabbage

and shred some carrots? How is using frozen potatoes any worse than using pre-bagged slaw? You can't criticize people for using convenience products, and then admit to using them yourself--that's totally inconsistent.

[bamademo]

114. You obviously have some sort of chip on your shoulder and I don't mean chocolate.

You just like to argue for the sake of it. Jesus!

[alarimer]

122. It's ridiculous.

I can buy one of those bagged salad greens and eat salad for two or three days before it goes bad. That 2.99/3 or about 1 dollar per day. Buying all the (expensive) salad ingredients one at a time just leads to more waste for me (a single person). I've had enough of all the food snobs telling me what I should eat. "Eat local"- can't do because they mostly grow cotton and sorghum around here. A little too much fiber for me, thank you very much. Anyway, I said in another post that there is no way in hell I am shopping EVERY DAY (it seemed like the guy in the article was nostalgic for those days. Whose has time for that- I am there enough as it is).

[earth mom]

71. I was surprised when I learned that Home Ec isn't being taught in schools anymore.

Which is no doubt one reason why some people don't cook-because they don't know how to.

That said, while I consider myself a pretty good cook, I'm not a fan of spending hours and hours in the kitchen. But, since I hate frozen & prepared foods, I end up cooking more than I want to-as in the majority of the time. Which is why the ideas about freezing food/meals on this thread are great for someone like me, lol! :thumbsup:

[NNN0LHI]

77. I was just going to ask if they still had that? I took it in high school

I was the only boy in a class of about 30 girls. I was in heaven.

Learned how to cook and got lots of phone numbers.

:7

Don

[lukasahero]

73. The resistance and justification for eating poorly here is stunning

For some reason it still surprises me to see Dems fight any suggestion that we need to tend our bodies and our earth better.

We already 'shop the outside' of the grocery store but there are still tips in this article that I can use. There's always something new to learn if we are open to listening.

[alfredo]

74. Pssst... young men. Women love men who cook. You don't need a

new hot car, flashy clothes, or any of that expensive crap. A well cooked dinner in your freshly cleaned apartment could be a better way to her heart. A woman of quality will understand and appreciate your skills.

Gals don't expect a macho man like you to know his way around the kitchen. She will be pleasantly surprised. You may not be able to express your feelings in words, express them in action. Show your feelings through your cooking.

If you had a chemistry set or took chemistry in school, you are half way there. Being handy with weights and measures is important, but imagination and passion are just important, if not more.

If you don't attract the love of your life through your cooking, you can swallow your loneliness with a pot of home cooked beans, cornbread, Kale, and case of beer.

[EstimatedProphet]

76. Quite true

The Prophetess loves the fact that I cook, and cook well.

[alfredo]

79. Men need to do more than sit on the couch and fart. We also need to learn

how to do laundry, sew, clean, and other "domestic arts." Being useful is sexy and smart.

[NNN0LHI]

78. Nothing better in life than cornbread and beans

And I can makes some real good. Think I am going to make some today now that you mentioned it.

Got to run to the store to get a ham hock to throw in the beans right now.

See you guys later.

Don

[alfredo]

80. Don't forget the beano.

[tjwash]

86. No beano needed...just soak the beans for 24 hours in cold water before you cook them.

[alfredo]

105. I do soak them, still fart.

[tjwash]

128. There is nothing as overated as an orgasm and as underrated as a good fart though.

nt

[alfredo]

130. Orgasms are a personal thing. A fart you can share with those around you.

[formercia]

84. Vertical integration of the food industry based on cheap oil

to make fertilizer, run machines and factories so harried housewife needs to go to work and pay for all of the pre-processed quick meals because she can't afford to stay home and still make ends meet. Then she has to buy a second car to get to work because there isn't any public transportation in suburbia and all of the local mom and pop food shops went broke when Wally World moved in, so she has to drive there to buy groceries and a new outfit for work so she can make the insurance and property tax payments on her car......

[tjwash]

85. I cook everything from scratch...it's the only way to control what goes into your food.

Once I started doing my own cooking from scratch, everything afterward that was prepackaged, processed, or fast tasted like crap and made me ill afterward. I am also lucky, because I have enough land to grow my own fresh fruits and vegetables as well.

I also had the added bonus of saving a ton of money in the process.

[WilmywoodNCparalegal]

92. Italian poor people food

I grew up in northern Italy in good and bad times. During the bad times, I ate a bowl of pasta whose only garnishment or sauce was thin slivers of butter and a leaf or two of sage.

Another one is a bowl of spaghetti with crushed tomatoes and a little olive oil. Or another favorite (and still found in many Italian restaurants): pour some olive oil in a pan. Add a couple of cloves of garlic (or garlic powder). Don't go crazy with the garlic. I know Americans think Italian food has lots of garlic, but that isn't true. Take out garlic cloves (or pick up garlic powder out with a spoon). The objective is to lightly flavor the oil with the garlic and not to make garlicky oil. Then cook your favorite kind of pasta and toss with the oil. That's it.

Another one... grab a can of sliced mushroom. Pour in a pan. Add some milk. Add a little flour (for thickening). Simmer at low heat. Cook your favorite kind of pasta. Toss with sauce above.

[TwilightGardener]

93. First you have to buy the ingredients and make all your own pasta.

And the can of mushrooms? You're not allowed to used canned anything, according to the dictates of this thread.

[Luminous Animal]

104. If you read the article,

it's focus was on fast tasty solutions for busy people.

[TwilightGardener]

106. The article has some good suggestions, combined with utter silliness.

The THREAD was supposed to be about being thrifty in these hard times, and cooking from scratch and growing your own food or raising your own chickens and goats or whatever--didn't see fast and tasty for busy people. Fast and tasty is different for different people--thrift and economy vs. labor is what most people are able to sort out for themselves. I don't like the judgmental tone of "I make everything from scratch and you should too, or you're not really living or eating well"--bullshit.

[Luminous Animal]

107. The article's slant was not about being thrifty...

though the OP advocates growing your own food and cooking from scratch and certainly doing so can be thrifty.

And, of course fast and tasty will be different for different people. Bittman even makes that point in his article.

I simply find your irritation amusing. You seem to think that the points presented are directed at you personally.

[TwilightGardener]

111. The OP opines on people using convenience products, as if they're

some sort of wasteful extravagance (and then later admits to using them, after all). So I say, hell yeah, I sometimes use those types of products, and there's not a fucking thing wrong with that. And that's pretty much the whole jist of it. I have no idea of the point you're trying to make, other than you must be lonely, to keep chatting with me.

[Luminous Animal]

124. Nah, not lonely. Just bored. I was waiting for a meeting to start. (n/t)

[Name removed]

126. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[K8-EEE]

117. Yes! I do this -- with whatever is growing in my Square Foot Garden box

Here in L.A. we can garden all year -- now I have beautiful "Bright Lights" swiss chard, it is yummy sauteed with garlic (AND I LIKE LOTS AND LOTS OF GARLIC!) with some white beans and pasta.

[NashVegas]

95. IN - DU Cooking & Baking Group

Which you can participate in when you donate :_)

[krabigirl]

98. Maybe some people like and can afford take-out all the time?

I hate articles like this. I cook more now, but when I was single, I ate out all the time. I still would, if I didn't have kids. I loathe cooking. Luckily, my husband doesn't mind.

[Luminous Animal]

102. It's not all about you...

If you don't like the article, don't read it.

[appleannie1]

103. Wow, I was just talking about this sort of thing yesterday.

I have always been able to stretch food so it feeds many well for little money. It was a part of my growing up. In recent years I have gone back to canning, something I did every year when my 7 kids were growing up. I save the carcasses of turkey and chicken and make soup stock and freeze it. I save the juice from ham and cabbage and make vegetable soup with it. These are things most people throw in the garbage even if they cook. There are many ways we can eat well at low cost if we are willing to take the time. I read your bread crumb ideas. I keep a paper bag on top of the fridge and toss the crust ends of bread into it. When I need crumbs, I have stale bread ready.

[TWiley]

108. I won the chili cook-off at the Grange Hall Saturday.

I took home the trophy !

[stuntcat]

109. lol sweet!

I LOVE me some chili.

[Lucian]

110. I agree.

Once I get my own place, I'm going to cook with fresh ingredients and I'm going to drastically cut down on the convenience shit that's not healthy anyways.

[LSdemocrat]

113. I'd suspect the real problem is that people just know almost nothing of basic fresh food prep

For example: what to look for in fresh ingredients, when certain fruits and vegetables are in season, how to take a whole chicken or fish and prepare it for cooking instead of buying pre-cut fillets and pieces, etc.

In other words I would suspect that a rather disturbing number of people can't prepare anything that requires more skill than is required for the directions you'd find on most packaged foods in a supermarket.

[wildeyed]

115. I agree with Bittman, and then I don't.

I know how to cook, even grow most of my own veggies in the summer, but on certain days, convenience food really makes sense. And I figure it is cheaper to use pre-packaged bread crumbs and some pre-grated cheese than it is to buy a whole mess of carryout.

[bamademo]

123. I don't totally agree with Bittman, either.

I take some of his suggestions and incorporate them into my life. Realistically, we all can't take everyone of those suggestions and make them work in our everyday lives. I just offered the article as a touchstone that everyone could take something from. I had no idea it would create controversy. But then again, this is General Discussion.

[K8-EEE]

116. ALSO IN: Double Batch cooking (one for the freezer)

I do so many things that way -- brown rice takes and hour to cook, but if you do a double batch and then freeze it in cupcake pans, you can pop out the frozen 1/2 cup portions and keep in a freezer bag, they cook up one at a time really fast...oatmeal also, you can do like this, chili, lentil soup, it's so easy to have a really stocked freezer of homemade food, even if you only cook on the weekends.

[K8-EEE]

119. Also, people really don't need to eat a chicken or cow or fish EVERY DAY!

I just think the constant factory farmed chicken and stuff -- it's gross!! People are so brainwashed to think they have to eat dead animals every day when if they saw the conditions these were raised, they'd prob barf. I'm not even a vegetarian but I think the amount of meat and chicken consumed by Americans is not necessary or healthy.

[VirginiaProgressive]

129. yea..

yea, the book "The China Study" has some interesting thoughts/studies done on our over-eating of animal protein and what it is doing to us. While I haven't read it, and can't vouch for the book's validity, it's an interesting argument. Basically, the guy, in one experiment, takes 5 rats, gives them the amount of animal protein that someone in a poorer country would consume (its about 10% or something like that), and then gives 5 rats like 50% protein (the typical american diet). He then injects the rats with something that causes cancer (not sure what it is). Well, all five rats with the "poor person" diet did not get cancer. The five that were given the american diet all got cancer. There's a lot more to it - he tracks a family from china who moves to america and how healthy they were in china and how as generations go by, the less healthy they got. So, besides how this food is processed, it isn't really that good for you.

[pleah]

120. I have my winter crop growing nicely in my garden right now.

Lettuce, cabbage, onions, cilantro, dill, collard greens and I just planted some carrots today. I have been cooking since I was about 8 years old. Growing up we took turns for our turn in the kitchen (cooking for nine). When I got married, I had to learn how to cook all over again, because I didn't know how to cook for two. I buy flour in bulk, as well as a lot of other goods and buy very little pre-packaged food.

[alarimer]

121. I for one am at the grocery store often enough.

I am not going every day just to buy vegetables. The hell with that- frozen ones are just fine.

[myrna minx]

127. This is a really helpful thread. Thanks for posting.

Bookmarking.

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

131. I think Alton Brown does a really good job on Good Eats, it's quite educational.

[Horse with no Name]

132. This is one place we were taking a huge hit

We cut out eating out last year and have saved quite a bit of money as well as gained in nutrition.
It is a win-win situation.
And yes--I agree with the above...check out the cooking and baking group. It's fabulous.