Cooking on a budget

[randomshenans]

Good food site is great, as is the mag to be honest. Really good mix of things online and between the pages. You can make some cheap and massively tasty soups, caseroles, curries etc.

 

[moremoney]

Chicken thighs/drumsticks are also a lot cheaper than chicken breast and much tastier too

With a lot less meat, another false economy idea where cheaper is not better.

 

[moremoney]

[QUOTEAnd never underestimate the power of a black pudding sarnie, I never get sick of them.[/QUOTE]

+1

 

[z0mbi3]

Whatever you do cook, always cook extra and put some in the freezer.

Also maybe invest in a slow cooker.

 

[K.C. Leblanc]

I made potage crecy (carrot soup) tonight. I use 1lb carrots diced, 1 onion diced, a pinch of salt, a large pinch of black pepper and 1 chicken stock cube dissolved in 2 1/2 pints of water. Soften the veg in a large knob of butter (you could use oil) then add the seasoning and stock, let it boil uncovered for about an hour then blend. It's simple, cheap and surprisingly tasty. With bread it should serve 3 quite comfortably.

I did something similar last night to take with to work with me. Was quite nice. The best thing about receipes like that is once you're comfortable with them they're very easy to adapt. When you get to the stage when you have the confidence to take whatever you've got left knocking about at the end of the week and make something with it (and at worst it'l just be a bit wierd), that's where the fun starts.

I find The Works is often well worth a look for cook books.

 

[Glaucus]

Good food website is decent with pics for many things.

http://uktv.co.uk/food/homepage/sid/566

TTo keep cooking cheaper, either cook in bulk and freeze. Or use recipes that have similar ingredients. This is what I do as I don't have a freezer (wel only tiny one above fridge). Find 5 recipes for the week. And that ingredients go into a least wo meals.
For wexample
meal1 = sausages + mash
Meal 2 = beef hotpot (reusing potatoes left over from meal one)
Meal 3 = sausage stew (reusing sausages from meal one and veg from meal2)

So on and so forth

also never plan more than 5 meals as you will always be late home one day, or out drinking, or you really have craving for a certain dish and so go buy ingredients that night or something else. I usually plan 4 or 5

 

[doodah]

Aldi etc sell 1kg of cous cous for £1 - can get anything from 10-20 meals out of it. Nice way of cooking it:

Fry some veg (onions, courgettes, peppers, garlic, chili, mushrooms - anything)

Chuck some curry powder on it

Prepare your cous cous with hot water and add some lemon juice to the mix

Once the cous cous has soaked up, add to the pan and mix in

Add some salt and pepper (and any herbs and spices)

I like to add pine nuts (cook quickly on the side and then chuck in near the end) and you can add any meat too.

 

[jms198]

+1 for UKTV food

 

[Xordium]

Just go and see what is on offer at the supermarket and then add it into the recipe guide on the BBC Food site. That's what I often do.

 

[I get around]

With a lot less meat, another false economy idea where cheaper is not better.

Not really, debone a few thighs and it'll still work out cheaper to use thigh meat instead of breast. Once I've finished the breast i'll cut up the thigh next, good in a curry.

 

[jms198]

Have you checked your chicken breast/thighs for water content? Thats a false economy. River cottage cookbook has a bit on eating less but better meat; a very good idea.

If you have local farm shops then they are full of good deals and often cheaper and much better than supermarkets; not sure what is available in Southampton though; here in Kent I'm very lucky.

 

[qqg3]

4 ingredients is a great book, does what it says on the tin, some good stuff there, available frommost bookstores.

I use it as a starting for some bigger recipes normally.

 

[Fourstar]

I saw some liver on the reduced shelf yesterday so snapped it up then found this Delia Liver Stroganoff recipe.

Replaced the Crème fraîche with double cream and used button mushrooms as they were what I had. Served with rice and broccoli.

Really cheap and full of omm nomm nomm goodness

 

[I get around]

Have you checked your chicken breast/thighs for water content? Thats a false economy. River cottage cookbook has a bit on eating less but better meat; a very good idea.

If you have local farm shops then they are full of good deals and often cheaper and much better than supermarkets; not sure what is available in Southampton though; here in Kent I'm very lucky.

This man speaks the truth.
Cheap watery meat is a false economy, just doesn't have much taste to it, and it shrinks as well. You're better off buying decent fresh meat and making it last.

Usually with stuff like chicken from a good supplier, you buy one and theres a hell of a lot more meat on it than a supermarket one too.

Plus growing vegetables severely cuts down costs in your food bill, I've had an allotment for about 6 months or so and I love it. Lots of fresh veg, and it's satisfying harvesting your crops. Theres nothing like sitting down your allotment on a hot day with a cold beer and a book just relazing and letting time pass. Lots of the guys are quite a bit older than me but they're great guys, always have a bit of banter with them. Apply for an allotment and you won't regret it.