A Cooking Idiot

bertietheblue

Oh yes, I like good food - that's another obstacle putting me off eating my own! Plus I get a bit spoilt by my ex who invites me over 2-3 times a week. Anyway, I'm trying to wean myself off that - got to stand on your own two feet, etc! - though she does make fantastic sushi (she's Japanese).

bertietheblue

£50 April challenge clutterydrawer! See what I mean, I must be closer to £150 and I bet I don't eat any better - so there you go: £100 down the drain just because I'm useless in the kitchen! As I said, a cooking idiot!

clutterydrawer

bertietheblue wrote: »

£50 April challenge clutterydrawer! See what I mean, I must be closer to £150 and I bet I don't eat any better - so there you go: £100 down the drain just because I'm useless in the kitchen! As I said, a cooking idiot!

I haven't made it though :rotfl:i'm over budget already and I have another 6 days to go yet!

I've probably kept it to about £60 though which is good for me as I suspect I used to spend £100-£200 :eek:

the good news is that my curring down is thanks almost solely to this board

I would start by writing down exactly what you buy, what you eat and what you throw away.

Definitely plan out what you're having for each meal in the week. some meals will use up the ingredients started by the others. for example, i have a rice dish which involves sweetcorn and tuna. Then I have half a tin of each of these left, so I make sure I do a tuna salad two days later to use them up.

another good plan is to cook a recipe that serves four, eat some, and freeze the three remaining portions. then there's no waste and you save cooking for three more nights

good luck!
ETA I've jsut noticed you don't feel you can cook very well. Personally I think anyone can cook given a couple of decent recipe books and some time....I was never exactly taught to cook but just forced myself to learn when i moved out of home. so i'm sure you can do it too.

misskool

What do you like to eat and what can you cook? We'll work from there

And where do you buy your food from? Fresh vegetables taste the same from waitrose as they do from lidl.

mouseymousey99

Clutterydrawer - I did say it was my opinon.

I throw very little away - and I make everything (& I do mean everything from bread onwards) but if you are just starting out cooking it is a bit of a shock and rather than rattle the lentils I was trying to establish what bertie actually wanted the rubic being hazy (& at that point I thought he/she was another journo). If you read on further you will see I did modify my opinon.

bertietheblue

Hello misskool

Well, I'd like to cook simple but adventurous meals. I'd like to know how to use a range of pulses and herbs, to use parsley in soup and know I'll not waste it next day not knowing what to do with it! To not have jars of dried herbs and spices just sitting there gathering dust. I love cheap meat, offal - liver, kidneys, tripe, etc. - but have no confidence cooking it. I'd love to make cabbage soup, beetroot soup. I would like more spinach in my diet. I am not too fond of salads - or maybe it's the way I make them - besides, I've never seen a lettuce for one! And I love exotic foods, though I did turn my nose up at a horse's penis when in China a few years back!

misskool

Well, start with one pulse and work your way around it. Buy some chickpeas, soak them overnight and then the next day cook them up. Boil them a few hours on low if on a hob or pressure cook them for 15-20 mins.

Then make chickpea and spinach curry, hummous and warm chickpea salad with a selection of roasted vegetables.

See, 3 meals from one ingredient and you can portion up the rest of the cooked chickpeas to be frozen in bags to be used as and when.

If you buy fresh parsley to use in a recipe and there's loads left, make tabbouleh, it's literally just cous cous, LOADS of parsley, lemon juice and olive oil. Season well. To make it more adventurous/exotic, mix with some fresh pomegranate.

Salads are great for one, lettuce actually lasts quite long in the fridge, shred and wash. Make sure it's dry and then store in an airtight container, lasts a week or a bit more.

Cheap meat, it's best to start with something like livers that you can sear in the pan quickly and then dress it on top of some salad. Or something like pork belly, slow roasted.

Gosh, maybe put what you've got in the cupboards and then make a meal plan for the week?

Skint_Catt

If it means less waste buy the bags of lettuce - easier to get through for one person I find and not too much more expensive. Add some to a large bowl, add chopped cherry toms, cucumber, olives, different coloured peppers, capers - whatever you fancy - then it's ready to add to the side of a plate/into a sarnie whenever you fancy it!

clutterydrawer

mouseymousey99 wrote: »

Clutterydrawer - I did say it was my opinon.

I throw very little away - and I make everything (& I do mean everything from bread onwards) but if you are just starting out cooking it is a bit of a shock and rather than rattle the lentils I was trying to establish what bertie actually wanted the rubic being hazy (& at that point I thought he/she was another journo). If you read on further you will see I did modify my opinon.

I wasn't having a go :S

i just thought I would explain how I went about using everything up....clearly yet again i have annyoed someone though

poorandindenial

I live on my own and save a fortune these days compared to what I used to spend on food, and I eat a hell of a lot better too.My 'fill up the freezer' meals are:-spaghetti bolognaise (sometimes veggie, sometimes meat - soya mince and lentils provide the protein in my veggie version of this)-meat chilli (could probably use soya and lentils in this for lower fat/cheaper version if you wanted)-chicken casserole/stew/curry-soup (generally I just stew up any the left over veg in stock and then blend for a nice thick soup - sweet potato, potato and swede with garlic, chilli and coconut is really tasty I have discovered - you can lob in any other spices you fancy too)I have also discovered the joy of the rubber chicken (roast it on a sunday, then use the remainder to make meals that will last for ages) generally I do a chicken soup of some sort, a curry (the easiest if you aren't into long winded cooking I think are coconut based - get curry paste, fry it off, lob in chicken and any veg, throw in a can of coconut milk and cook through - you might want to put in the chicken later to stop it falling apart if already cooked; you can do a veggie version of potato and spinach although not much protein in that but it is lovely) and a stir fry or two.All of the above can then be used for lunches to save on spending during the day.I always have flour tortillas in the freezer as you can do all manner of wrap type things with these (sausage/bacon, egg and mushroom is lovely and helps me to use up left over weekend fry up ingredients from time to time but I also love chilli with cheese served with crispy salad)Personally I am not mad for frozen veg but peas and sweetcorn are OK, on that note thai sweetcorn cakes are yum and easy to make with either frozen or tinned corn.