Cooking is important. Sometimes it takes up all free hours.
I’ve come to the conclusion that cooking doesn’t have to be a big deal. And here are some simple tips to help you make it simple and affordable.
1. Preparing food from scratch can be quick and easy
Don’t bite off more than you can chew. On busy weekdays, make the absolute minimum. Prepare a side dish – boil rice or potatoes, pasta. Fry the vegetables, serve them with a little meat and eggs, for a quick, tasty meal. Remember that it’s better to just cook every night than to make a complicated dish once.
2. Cooking at home will save you a lot of money
Whenever you or your family sit down to eat at home, you save 25 to 40% of your household budget. It is much cheaper to buy groceries once a week, equip a pantry and cook at home in the evenings. (Or cook several times a week and just reheat). If you can save a lot of money, why not learn this skill?
3. Learn different cooking methods that can save you even more money
For example, beans, beans and lentils are very cheap and easy to make: they just need to be soaked before boiling. Cereals are also very cheap, try something that you have not used before, for example, barley, pearl barley or wheat.
The same buckwheat is cooked very quickly, you can add pine nuts, bacon, cranberries, dill, mushrooms, onions, eggs to it – and each time you get a new taste.
Choose inexpensive tough cuts of meat for cooking dishes that take a long time to cook: stews or soups; Track the seasons when prices are low. Plan your weekly menu ahead of time to cut down on grocery waste and avoid over-buying.
4. Make your own sauces and gravies
If you are crazy about restaurant sauces, learn how to make them yourself, especially the ones that go for the popular Italian pasta. There is nothing complicated, start with everything starting with tomatoes. Cream, butter, and parmesan, here’s the finished Alfredo Sauce. Olive oil, toasted bread crumbs and cheese will make a delicious combo. Beaten egg, ham, and parmesan will make Carbora. Fried vegetables, smoked fish, fresh tomatoes with basil and mozzarella, here’s Pesto for you – try it all and don’t spend money on a pizzeria!
It is more profitable and cheaper to cook Japanese cuisine at home than in a restaurant. If the cost of lunch in an average sushi bar for four is 2.5-3 thousand rubles, then with self-cooking the cost is reduced by at least half. What to do, miso soup in a big city is now akin to borsch in popularity.
5. Buy basic cookbooks, this is a good investment
Read the reviews for each of the recommended books and choose the one you like. Check and Sign up for our meal prep cookbook simple homemade recipes and get new ideas.
6. Baking bread is time consuming and difficult
In fact, you can bake bread in a conventional oven and it will take
You very little time. Bread recipes full, but you can look for a ready-made sourdough, for example, at your local organic farming club or make a request in the local vegetarian group. And then everything becomes even easier. The beauty of homemade bread is that it is natural and you decide how it tastes.
7. Become a master of multiple recipes
Start by creating a small collection of easy homemade recipes that you can always rely on. For example, let it be gourmet spaghetti, vegetable soup, good scrambled eggs and amazing mashed potatoes. You don’t have to cook everything at once, plan your time and you will start to get it right.
8. Baking mixes are a waste of money
If you look closely at the recipes for homemade cakes or cookies, most of them contain surprisingly few ingredients. And any mixture can be made in a bowl or casserole in just 5 minutes, and it will be much tastier than the store one.
9. Use a sharp and fabulous knife
A high quality professional chef’s knife may seem very expensive, but in my opinion, it is the single most worthwhile investment in the kitchen you will ever make. When slicing is easy, cooking will become much easier and you will enjoy doing it.
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