Which is Cheapest ?

jcr16

i have been reading the mega index but so much in the cooking section i couldn't take it all in, but will defo go back and read some more.

In the mean time tho , i am trying to cook cheaper meals but meals that really fill u up. My husband said the other evening he didn't like the look of chilli con carne thats why he would never eat it. so last night that is what i cooked as i love it but also to see if he liked it. and yes he ate it and asked for more ( but i'd already put it in freezer for next time) .

But i haven't a clue how to make it. i bought i packet of powdermix from morrisons 39p ( alhthough bogof at mo)
all i needed was 1lb mince ( i think about 90p)
tin of red kidney beans ( tesco value 19 p i think )
tin chopped toms (18p tesco value )
one onion ( 12p tesco)
and rice ( used half a bag which cost 39p a bag, so 19.5p) pretty cheap meal.

here the thing , is is cheaper to buy loads of sauce mix while it bogof , or to buy in all the spices and bit's. i know in the first instantace it would be dearer , but i mean in the long term .

your thoughts on this would be so appericated.

Trow

What was in the powder mix? All I would add to your ingredients to make it from scratch would be some veg (I put veg in everything) and some chilli powder and seasoning.

Magentasue

It's not just cost though. Read the ingredients on those packets. None of it's going to kill you (alledgedly) but do you really want to eat it on a regular basis?

Also, things like fresh garlic and spices are actually good for you.

LearningToSave.

i agree with the others........all i add in with your ingredients when i make chilli is chilli powder and garlic.all of the other things and presevatives in packet sauces etc is horrific.
believe it or not until i found this board i used packets,jars etc...i hated cooking and used whatever seemed easiest.however since finding this board and wanting us all to eat healthier-particularly my two dd's i now have a breadmaker,yogurt maker and we cook everything from scratch!!
it is all healthier and apart from the initial outlay is soooooooo much cheaper and im totally happy with what we are eating.
i buy all my spices and herbs etc in morrisons or makro.........makro are fantastic for the herbs etc but i find morrisons better for things like chilli powder,curry powders,spices.....they are in bags not jars but you get about triple the amount for less than a jar would cost.

savingpennies

I would just add garlic and chilli powder to the rest of your ingredients. You can buy chilli powder in different strengths - mild, medium, hot to suit your tastes. Many of the supermarkets do their own brands and you can also buy at places like Lidl.

Gingham_Ribbon

I agree with the above. Although something like marjoram can give the flavour a little roundness if you're making a meatless chilli and if there's fresh coriander available, chop and add that at the end.

Stompa

A shepherds/cottage pie but using a tin of corned beef as the meat is both cheap and delicious.

Stompa

HOLsale

jcr16 wrote:

here the thing , is is cheaper to buy loads of sauce mix while it bogof , or to buy in all the spices and bit's. i know in the first instantace it would be dearer , but i mean in the long term .

your thoughts on this would be so appericated.

you could make the mix up quite cheaply if you shopped at the ethnic (asian) markets

you can get a 2kg bag of chilli powder (different heat values available) for about £2! now i realise you probably don't need 2kg but even if you give away half or 3/4 of it you're still saving money, though you'll find it lasts for ages if stored tightly closed in a cool dark cupboard.

you can get bags of garlic powder there, smaller bags maybe 500g for about 69p or you can buy garlic granules from lidl a spice jar costs 49p, great stuff, i use it alot

they also sell pickled garlic in huge jars for about £1.50 we're talking at least 10-15 heads of garlic worth of cloves. i chop these up and use them when i want garlic texture but don't have fresh garlic.

you can get cumin at the ethnic stores the same way. they do have smaller bags but the value isn't as good... cumin will really make the difference between a good chilli and a fantastic one!

for an initial outlay of say £5 you could make enough packets worth of chili seasoning (or fajitas or tacos etc) to easily last you for a years! you may need to spend an additional £1 or too to get extra garlic granules if you are like me and like a lot of garlic but i doubt you'd ever be able to match that pricewise buying packets!

that's just for a dry mix as well... i find fresh garlic fiddly so i only use it for soups normally or to roast it so the granules can save time... but you may wish to just buy the garlic and use it fresh. fresh onions are definately better in chilli than dried ones (i lived 8 years in San Antonio Texas, i KNOW what chilli should taste like ) but if you want a quick mix making your own, definately cheaper

you may also consider purchasing bags of dried kidney beans from the same grocers. i get 2kg for about £2.29 i seem to remember that a tin of beans (drained weight) is eqvilant to only 1/3 the weight in dried beans but don't quote me on that.

some people i know cook their beans on the hob by boiling for 1/2 hour then freezing after they've been drained and cooled a bit. the freezer does the work of breaking the cellulose down for you so when you take them out of the freezer they only need something like another 1/2 hour to cook!

i do mine in the slow cooker on low for many hours (about 6 i think can't remember, they're done when they're soft ) then i drain and rinse then i add them back in and add the chilli ingredients and put that back on for another 1 hour (or more if i'm busy) and have crackin chilli!

squeaky

A couple of "secret ingredients" for chilli's - a good dash of tomato sauce (along with some tomato puree added with your tinned ones) and a teaspoon of cumin.

HOLsale

when i still lived in san antonio (texas not ibiza!) every year they had a chilli competition. the same guy won every year for about 6 years runnning... turns out he put a tsp of cinnamon and half a grated nutmeg in his chilli

i've added the nutmeg before, coupled with the cumin it adds really nice flavour and i didn't feel the need to add chilli powder. i'llhave to try it with the cinnamon as well next time

Gingham_Ribbon

My husband's chilli is lovely and I've just asked him. He says to add oregano, a pinch of cumin, coriander (fresh if poss) and a touch of clove to the chilli and garlic. (But that's in a veggie one. Should still work with meat.)