Ah, the dreaded word...cooking from scratch! It's not as overwhelming as it might sound to you, if your kitchen is organized! it can be as simple as using that can or box. Keep like things on the same place. Baking powder and salt, and soda should be on the same cupboard. Flour and sugar together in the same set of canisters, it's not efficient of you are running around the kitchen to get your ingredients together. Another trick is to get a tray, or a baking sheet and gather all your ingredients. That way, you know if you use an ingredient and out the can etc aside, it is on the recipe. No forgetting to put the sugar in the pumpkin pie! We have all done similar things in our time.LOL
You also don't get on the middle of cooking and discover you don't have an ingredient.
Having a substitute book is another cooking tool that is really useful. You can probably google ot and find the same information, if a recipe calls for some exotic thing that is too expensive for your budget, don't throw out the recipe quite yet, look for a substitution. In regular cooking, you can substitute anything that you think would taste good. I often substitute celery for mushrooms, my hubby doesn't like mushrooms, think same texture and bulk. In baking some things have to be the same ingredient, it's more precise to make things rise etc. you can, however substitute craisens for raisens or walnuts for pecans or some things like that.
There are a few things that are cheaper to buy premade than scratch. Or, they are too time consuming to make scratch worth your while. Refried beans, pasta, pasta sauce ( when you get hunts in a can ) and tortillas come to mind. I buy canned beans because I like to cook ahead. Rice and beans have a short fridge life. They go bad fast. Cooking and holding the beans means I can't have leftovers and still feel comfortable about the dishes freshness.
Some things are just plain stupid to buy. Bread crumbs is one. You are paying for someone else's dead bread and throwing your own away. Put the heels of your bread or the leftover baguettes in the oven to dry. I use a cold oven. Of the oven is still warm from cooking, even better. When enough bread is there and it is dry. Process in the food processor or grate on the largest side of a box grater.
A French bread on the largest box grater gives you a more designer breadcrumb. Croutons are also overpriced for their lot in life.
My daughter and I dissected a hamburger meal box. The results were amazing. See precious blog.
There are alternatives that are better, cheaper, faster. My nephew coined it no Brainer pasta. LOL
Some things like pudding in a box that you cook is just as easily done from scratch than it is from a box. Ditto oatmeal in the microwave. You are already measuring your water, just add measuring oatmeal and the savings are amazing. One cup water, 1/2 cup oatmeal, 1-1/2 minutes. If your oatmeal boiles over. Cook 1 min, stir on craisens or anything you want, and cook 1/2 minute. If you want it more thick, add an additional 30 seconds. Watch it, now would be when it boils over!
Precooking meat when you are more relaxed is another scratch way of doing things. We already talked about buying the so called loss leader and cookin a months worth, rotating with the sales.
Hamburger we all know is just as versatile as chicken in making different dinner dishes. Defating your ground meats lowers the fat content to less than a boneless, skinless chicken breast. Remember, when you take out the fat, you need to replace it with flavor.
Hamburger crumbles can be added to a pizza, or pasta sauce or a cassarole. Meat balls can be added to cream sauce, or a gravy over mashed potatoes, noodles, or rice. Meatball subs, anyone?
Chicken can be a chicken dinner, chicken pot pie, chicken soup, chicken stir fry, buffalo,chicken pizza, BBQd legs and thighs. Wings. Cooking a whole chicken is easy and a lot less expensive than deli,chicken. ( see earlier posts) .
Also, see earlier posts on almost free pizza complete with easy crust recipe and secrets your grocer doesn't want you to know!
Thanks for stopping by
Pleas share
Jane
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