When is scratch cooking , scratch cooking? Scratch cooking conjures up thoughts of the commercial of several decades ago where some lady is cooking biscuits out of a can. Pits flour in her hair and makes like she is slaving over a counter to bake the biscuits or cookies or something. ...
Scratch cooking is not what it used to be. No one makes their own crackers, pretzels, or refried beans. Well, no one I know anyway.
Convenience food these days is often loaded with preservatives and salt. Many times the regular food has been reduced to a lot of fake something..
Groceries on the cheap spends more to,e buying the food than cooking it. You get paid for finding food 1/2 price in having an adequate supply of food to eat and have on hand in case of an emergency. Buying food 1/2 price is like getting fifty percent on your money. No bank anywhere is going to give you fifty percent on your money, Because we all love busy lives, the time o spend shopping and planning is made up by cooking from scratch efficiently.
If I cook two chickens at the same time, it takes the same oven space, saves power and saves time. Portion controls save money. And I am cleaning the kitchen once for eight dinners. Dinner is a snap when the protein is already cooked.
We make our own taco seasoning, dry rub, and cream soup base. There was a time when I made my own biscuit mix, but it takes shortening, and that is something I avoid these days.
There are some convenience foods that I still buy. My criteria is is it cheaper than scratch? Or is it something that takes a lot of time to make without superior results.
I'm not going to lay top dollar for so,done else to mix some vegetables in my chicken and lit it in a bag. I am going to lay for stir fry vegetables in a bag at Costco, because it is less expensive than buying all those vegetables for a small family. I can portion control and not waste.
I buy Bisquick, I buy instant mashed potatoes, and a few a gratin potatoes. At the cheapest price, they are about the same price as making them from scratch, or cheaper. Tortillas are inexpensive. I keep them on the fridge and have them whenever we need them.
I make our Mac and cheese from scratch with real cheese. Read the ingredients on the back of the package. If the first ingredient is the food on the package, you have a winner most of the time. By keeping boxes of things in moderation, you are getting the best of both worlds. Too much ready made is not the best for your health.
I am starting to learn to cook rice from scratch. It's better for you than instant and cheaper. I just have never been able to make it come out good.
The bottom line is that we eat well. We eat balanced and a variety of foods. We always have fresh fruits and vegetables on the house. And I have consistently fed us on 75.00 a week. That , right now, is 2/3 of the snap basis. And, I have built and maintained a stock fir that money.
I'm not a rocket scientist. Anyone can do this. It takes initial planning and some follow up planning, Actual tome shopping is usually an hour or so a week.
Shop the same stores, I pick two chains a week. Hit the grocery outlet, dollar tree ( name brands only) and Costco on a need to basis or when I am on the area for another errand.
By shopping the same stores you can direct your own path, and only hit the places you need to be. This saves a lot of time, avoids impulse buys, and gets you in and out. I know what I am buying when I walk onto the store. Only of a coupon matchup hits me between the eyes, or I see an unadvertised special on a staple I, running low on do I deviate........except for a treat for granddaughter every once in a while.....I get to spoil my granddaughter, right!
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