Saving Money: How to Enjoy Cooking
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It is no surprise that cooking your own meals can be hugely cost effective. The more you “eat in” the more money you will save. I enjoy cooking, but it can be a chore, especially when it is 5 o’clock and kids are clamoring for food, you are exhausted and nothing sounds good. Here are some tips to help ease the cooking woes. (each one will be expounded upon in further posts 
).
- CAYC (Clean As You Cook): Start with a sink of warm, soapy water and as you dirty a dish, drop it in. While waiting for food to finish… clean a dish or two.
- Practice makes perfect: The more you cook, the better and quicker you will be at it.
- Stock up on materials you use often: This includes the types of foods you eat as well as storage containers and bags. Having everything on hand saves time and buying in bulk saves money.
- Keep a list of recipes you like: The more you cook something, the faster you will be at doing it.
- Read a recipe over first and “cook it in your head”: It helps if you can mentally plan out how you are going to cook.
- Cook large amounts and save left overs: This will help cut back on your need to cook so frequently.
- Have a list of quick meals on hand: Nothing wrong with quesadillas and scrambled eggs!
Lastly, a lot of people get caught up with “professionals” on cooking shows touting proper technique and quisine. Don’t get hung up on using top ingredients or being a ninja with a chef’s knife. Sure you might be able to impress your friends with your filetting skills or the dish might be more authentic with slow cooked beans in a clay pot. When all is said and done, if you are going to be cooking on a regular basis… you are going to have to give yourself some shortcuts!
I would love to hear cooking tips from you?
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Comments
My rules for cooking:
1. Only use fresh garlic. You can mince it in advance, then wrap a clove or two in plastic wrap and freeze. It will thaw quickly for any recipe.
2. Don’t get a big expensive knife. You can find decent cheaper ones and replace them often for the same cost or less and no sharpening. Unless you care about the environment, I guess… Hmm.
3. Definitely plan out a meal according to what cooks faster. When in doubt, undercook your meat. You can always put it back in the pan but once it’s dry, it ruins all your efforts.
4. Make sure there’s enough ingredients to make every bite equally delicious. If you’ve cooked some salmon, don’t just have three or for capers or one dollop of caviar or one drizzle of sauce or whatever it is. There should be enough topping so that each bite is equal. Pizza should have enough toppings so that every bite is about the same. Toast should have jam spread to the EDGES, not just in the middle. Etc.
Cleaning up as you go along is definitely a great tip.
Also, The Complete Tightwad Gazette from your Amazon list is an AWESOME book. One of my faves. Entertaining too.
Wonderful ideas! It has taken me eight years of being our “household chef” to have worked out the kinks along the way, but it would have been helpful to have started off with these tips!