I need to learn to cook !!!

HelenKA_2

Interesting reading what you all do with your mince!

I always do mine in the slowcooker the whole day or the whole night, I do use an older slow cooker though which isn't quite a fierce as my newer one.

I get 1kg (have to watch though as sometimes it's in 800g packs) size of mince when on 2 4 £6 in Mr T.

I always put a handful of soya mince, oats and lentils in plus what every veg I can find needing to be used up but definitely onion and carrot.

I use garlic puree and a beef stock cube, 1 jar of sauce and 1 tin of toms (value). I use tom puree too - tins are usually cheaper so I open it and use what I need and open freeze the rest on a tub lid over night in teaspoon fulls and bag up in the morning to avoid waste. Lastly a good dash of worcester sauce.

When I get home I give it a good stir, take out a bit less than half for freezer and add a tin of drained mixed bean salad to what is left.

This amount will do 5 adults and 3 children with pasta of some sort.

Sublime_2

That does seem a lot of money for the ingredients used. To last a family of four for 2 days, I use either Tesco Beef mince or Steak mince 500g, and pad it out.

Their standard mince has less than 20% fat, the steak mince has less than 12% fat. In reality they are both a lot leaner than they say. I always put mine in my slow cooker without adding any oil or pre-browning. I vary the ingredients from time to time. This is an approximation of what it costs. If I have fresh basil I will use it, if not just dried italian herbs, with black pepper from my store cupboard, so I haven't costed that:

Tesco scottish premium beef mince mince £2.20p
2 Large onions, (or 4 med) £0.32p
6 Large cloves garlic £0.10p
100g red lentils £0.17p
250g Chestnut mushrooms £0.99p
2 Tescos Garlic and herb passatta £1.38p
2 to 3 grated carrots £0.20p
2 tablespoons ketchup (often use instead of puree, just adds something) £0.04p
1 to 2 glases of red wine £0.70p
______
Total £6.10p

Nargleblast

A really good bolognese sauce tastes even better when it is cooked over 2 - 3 hours slowly (do it in the oven when it's on cooking something else) then stir a lump of butter in to finish it off. Amongst the ingredients I recommend some finely chopped bacon to give a bit of saltiness and some red wine. Also a bit of sugar to balance out the acidity of the tomatoes. Once cold you can store it in the fridge for 2 or 3 days before eating as that helps develop the flavour, although it is very good served the day you make it. And I certainly believe you should get the best quality minced beef you can afford.

Nargleblast

Also remember the Italian way to eat it is - a lot of pasta and a little sauce, not bucketloads of sauce with a bit of pasta on the side! One batch of sauce can stretch to several meals if you are crafty, and with grated cheese and salad stuff and garlic bread or foccacia on the side, nobody feels they're being deprived.

Francesanne

I'm not the World's greatest cook but I can manage a very decent bolognaise for about £3.25 all in. I don't use ready made sauces but do use my pressure cooker. This is one of the cheapest and easiest meals to cook. I only use steak mince, I buy a large packet in Tesco's for around £3.95. Divide the pack in two and have plenty in each pkt. for the two of us.

Sublime_2

You probably could shave another £1.60 off mine if you omitted the wine, and used 2 1/2 tins value tomatoes, and only 1/2 punnet mushrooms. That would take it down to £4.50.

Either way, its still cheaper than £9.00, and has good quality ingredients. With the extras padding it out, would last us 2 to 3 days.

Takana

doelani wrote: »

I made bolognaise and pasta last night, just worked out it cost £9.90 !!!

Mince £6
2 jars sauce £2.50
Onions £ 0.50
Pepper £0.60
Pasta £0.30

Ok this was for 6 people but still seems a lot.

£6 for mince? That's for fresh isn't it? I love cooking pasta with fresh mince, but I just can't afford to so I buy a bag of frozen mince and it lasts me a while (theres only 2 of us).

I also used to live off dolmio and ragu sauces, but again, I had to make cut backs. I now buy store own brand sauces for about 36p. Bog standard pasta sauce. And to be honest, we don't notice a difference. I like to add my own herbs and garlic to give it more flavour and sometimes worcestershire sauce or a beef stock cube crumbled in too just to mix things up a bit.

I sometimes use a tin of chopped toms and some tom puree if I've run out of sauce and forgot to buy some, but OH is not as keen. I don't mind, but it does taste rather bitter doing it this way. I've read somewhere that adding a tiny bit of sugar to the tin toms can help take away the bitterness but I have yet to try it.

Tesco usually sell a big bag of onions for under a £1, this works out cheaper then buying a pack of 3 or even an indiviaul onion everytime you want one. Especially if you plan on making these type of meals several times a week. Granted they are smaller, but you could just use 2 and still end up saving.

Pasta for 30p? Is that per head or a bag? I always buy a large 3k bag of pasta, twists normally as OH likes them, for about £3.50 (ish). This bag will last me months. I think you could buy a similar size packet in spaghetti if thats what you prefer.

Hope this helps

Gigervamp

Takana wrote: »

I've read somewhere that adding a tiny bit of sugar to the tin toms can help take away the bitterness but I have yet to try it.

I add a big pinch (probably about half a teaspoon) of sugar. It definitely helps the flavour.

LabLover

I have been known to slug a bit creme fresh(sp?) in my bolognaise if there is some kicking about in the fridge. I second adding a bit sugar if tinned toms are a bit acidic or sour. My bolognaise sauce never tastes the same each time I make it , lol it always depends whats been lurking in the fridge and how long its been cooked for. Second day bolognaise/chilli/lasagne is always the best
xx

jexygirl

Hey all
All I wanted to do was re enforce what everyone else is saying, you can do it - and its not as hard as it looks!
Until last year, I hadn't EVER cooked, my OH did all the cooking, and I was well known for not being able to boil an egg, or capable of burning salad! Our circle of friends even entered me into cant cook wont cook, but I was too bad even for them!
Now... after a succession of unreliable / drunk / useless Chefs, I am the "chef" ( I use the term loosely!) for our Inn, and this year, cooked a 5 course Christmas Dinner, on the day, for 48 people and 4 kids having never cooked a christmas dinner EVER! Seriously - me - can you believe that!!!! And they all paid for it! For stuff I cooked!!!!
I used to be in your situ, I envied the people that could look in a cupboard, see what was there and come up with some fab meal from scratch - now what I cook may not be "fab" as I stick to what I have been shown / picked up / looked up on the net, mainly - tho as my confidence grows, so does our menu and specials board!
Believe me, go for it and you will never look back! This time next year, you will be sitting there saying what I am to you - honestly!
I even bought myself a subscription to Delicious magazine!!! (this time last year I was more of a Hello! magazine girl!)
Go for it - start of small and work your way up - dont think that everything will be perfect, I made some horrendous concoctions! The difference being, then I would have thrown them, now I chuck in some other stuff and turn it into something else - its all about confidence and wanting to learn.
I am by no means a great cook, but I am learning and still now am astounded that I can make stuff without measuring!
Good Luck!
Jex