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There is nothing more frugal than saying NO to recipes and cookbooks (it saves money & time right there).
Yes, I am finding this to be the case! I was looking for advice to broaden my collection of generic "do-every-day" or "do every week" types of cooking....frugality + variety.
There is nothing more frugal than saying NO to recipes and cookbooks (it saves money & time right there). Frugal nutrition requires nothing more than common sense. Do you really need a recipe for a salad, mash potatoes, sauce, pasta, soup, fried eggs .... Common, that's ridiculous, even fast food raised people know basic food ideas. You just mix stuff you have on your hands and cook using nothing more than your whims and imagination. Basic frugal cooking requires no cookbooks. Does TS need a cookbook to tell him how to mix frozen vegetables with hot pasta and add tomato sauce as a side? Or how to mash potatoes with vegetable oil instead of organic butter? Even bread baking doesn't require a recipe, you mix whatever flour you have into a stretchable dough, let it rise and bake. Usually it's quite edible.
You are giving people far too much credit. There are a lot of people who have no clue as to how to prepare anything. I had one guy put a whole egg in the shell in a frying pan when I asked him to fry a couple of eggs. I had to show him how to crack the egg open.
The problem with recipes is that you end up running to the store to get ingredients taht you don't have. OR you buy a special ingredient that you will never use in another recipe (like anchovy paste or capers). Those ingredients also tend to be pretty expensive.
If you have a TV and especially if you have a DVR watch and tape $10 meals with Melissa D'Arabian . She has some great ideas and good meals. She cooks for 4.
The problem with recipes is that you end up running to the store to get ingredients taht you don't have. OR you buy a special ingredient that you will never use in another recipe (like anchovy paste or capers). Those ingredients also tend to be pretty expensive
I usually look for recipes that call for the things that I already have.
There are some spices and seasonings that I use a lot more than others and I always keep them on hand. Garlic powder, onion powder, basil, thyme, cinnamon, cumin (if you cook mexican food), chili powder are all good to have. I also keep basics like baking powder, baking soda, and cornstarch in the pantry, along with flour and sugar. You can get spices at Big Lots or the dollar store.
The reason it's nice to have recipes or at least some seasonings for your food is that it helps keep you from getting bored with what you make, and then you don't get the urge to eat at restaurants as often, which helps you stay within your food budget.
As a foodie as well as an opportunistic buyer of salvage groceries, I have tons of food stuffs in my pantry. For example, I have a bag of quinoa, 15# of dried beans, 5# of dried posole, a tuna curry entree, two cans of low-fat coconut milk, eight different salad dressings, and enough spice to open a small spice store.
Going forward, I am trying to limit all purchases to fresh food so that I can use up the staples as we will eventually be moving.
Every week is an episode of "chopped". If I am out of red beans, I am using another bean for chile con carne.
Six months ago, teh freezer was full, almost overflowing. Now, it is less than half full.
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There are two things that I hate about recipes.
First, you buy stuff to make the recipe in a given week. I prefer to go and see what is on sale at the market and then plan my meals. That way, I am eating what is on sale as opposed to paying full price.
Second, as noted above, I hate buying ingredient that I will not use again I have remnants of many recipes in my pantry.
The first thing I do when reviewing recipes is scan the list of ingredients to see if there is something I don't have or don't plan to buy. For example, I rarely use some off the wall spices or herbs so I quickly say - No not for me- and go to another recipe. I refuse to buy an ingredient which will not be totally used in that one recipe or for which I can find other recipes later on. I haven't bought buttermilk in years since i learned how to make buttermilk with milk and vinegar.
I usually look for recipes that call for the things that I already have.
There are some spices and seasonings that I use a lot more than others and I always keep them on hand. Garlic powder, onion powder, basil, thyme, cinnamon, cumin (if you cook mexican food), chili powder are all good to have. I also keep basics like baking powder, baking soda, and cornstarch in the pantry, along with flour and sugar. You can get spices at Big Lots or the dollar store.
The reason it's nice to have recipes or at least some seasonings for your food is that it helps keep you from getting bored with what you make, and then you don't get the urge to eat at restaurants as often, which helps you stay within your food budget.
These are great spices to have and won't break the budget. IMO, recipes that call for too many different spices aren't budget-friendly but you can't go wrong with garlic, onion, basil or thyme. I use a lot of cumin, especially when making taco filling.
I've even made my own mayonnaise before but I can mess it up fairly easy and then it's a waste so I just buy the one with the olive oil in it. I don't use much of it, unless I'm making macaroni salad or a creamy salad dressing. I never buy salad dressing. I always make my own because I like the fresh ingredients. My favorite is red wine vinegar and oil with black pepper. I use a lot of vinegar. It's good for the body. I like the homemade buttermilk idea, no kudzu.
The first thing I do when reviewing recipes is scan the list of ingredients to see if there is something I don't have or don't plan to buy. For example, I rarely use some off the wall spices or herbs so I quickly say - No not for me- and go to another recipe
I find myself doing the same thing, skipping stuff with oddball ingredients....
I have a collection of cookbooks, but that's because most were gifted to me due to changing dietary needs and memory loss issues.
When I come across a seasoning for a recipe I want to try, that I don't have, before buying, I will check with a friend or neighbor to see if they have it. Most times they do. Also, I tend to get mine at Whole Foods (for now) from the bulk bins so I can just get a tiny bit.
I tend to do a lot of substitutions and such. I make a lot of plain meals that are jazzed up with seasonings. I will spend money on the seasonings and skip the meat and do a lot of beans and rice, or beans and quinoa.
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