I need to learn to cook !!!

doelani

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.

I am making lasagna for monday and after a trip today to shops has realsied it is costing me approx £7.50 :eek:

Mince £3.50
large jar sauce £2.00
White suace jar £1.20
Onions + pepper £ .90
Pasta sheets ???

This will be for 4 people.

I am really doing something wrong, I buy ready made sauces in jars, I am a terrible cook so have only attempted to make bolognasise once without the jar and hubby complained it did not taste the same.

Some nights I have 6 or 7 to feed , others only 2 of us but can never seem to make cheap meals, even a pot of stew can cost me £8 to make.

Am I being unreasonable ? i see people on here who feed family for say £1 a head per meal, I just cannot do it .

debbym

No your not being unreasonable but it is something that has to be learnt - most of the crowd on here have already beaten the learning curve and you are seeing the final result. Also some people are lucky enough to live near shops/markets which have very low prices due to local competition. (I wish I did!)
If you regularly use processed ingredients (like your pasta sauce) they will taste a little different because they have more salt and sugar and it takes a while to wean yourself off these onto something which IMHO is healthier as well as cheaper. I think it is great that you want to learn how to cook from scratch (whatever the reason) and both tomato (pasta) sauce and white sauce are easy things to start with and will probably cost you half the costs you quoted. Delia online is a really good site for a beginner and pretty foolproof. Give yourself a big pat on the back for making the initial effort and don't give up.

Little_Vics

it might be worth getting some basic cookbooks from the library - some of the student ones are very good for basics. Don't give up - I LOVE cooking from scratch now and barely have anything pre-made in the larder or freezer any more.

doelani

debbym wrote: »

No your not being unreasonable but it is something that has to be learnt - most of the crowd on here have already beaten the learning curve and you are seeing the final result. Also some people are lucky enough to live near shops/markets which have very low prices due to local competition. (I wish I did!)
If you regularly use processed ingredients (like your pasta sauce) they will taste a little different because they have more salt and sugar and it takes a while to wean yourself off these onto something which IMHO is healthier as well as cheaper. I think it is great that you want to learn how to cook from scratch (whatever the reason) and both tomato (pasta) sauce and white sauce are easy things to start with and will probably cost you half the costs you quoted. Delia online is a really good site for a beginner and pretty foolproof. Give yourself a big pat on the back for making the initial effort and don't give up.

thanks for reply

I really need to start cookingf rom scratch. I could buy a large ready made lasagna from supermarket cheaper than I make one, something wrong there :rotfl:

I think it is all about my thinking, I stood today and looked at mince for example. 12% fat or 20 % fat, I just could not buy the 20% fat one even though it was on offer. Do not get me wrong I fry it and drain all the access fat anyway so would the 20% fat really have tasted different ?

Pasta sauce, I only ever buy ragu or dolmio, own brand was half the price but would it be as nice?

Maybe next time will buy the cheaper mince and the cheaper sauce see what it tastes like. I just have this memory of once buying frozen mince from iceland, it was awful, put me off I think.

I am not a " brand snob" I buy loads of stuff own brand lol

debbym

As Martin would say it should not be about buying the cheapest it is about buying what you want at the lowest price. If you don't like the taste of the cheaper stuff after giving it a go you can go back to the ones you know you do like knowing that you may be paying more up front but at least it won't be wasted because no-one likes the taste. I have to say I haven't managed to wean the family off Heinz Baked Beans and I would rather pay the extra above the supermarkets own rather than feed the bin!

Little_Vics

I personally never scrimp on cheap meat - the more you pay the better the quality. If you buy cheap mince, you'll find that once you've drained the water/fat that seaps out you won't have much left. Pasta sauce - buy passata (sieved toms, with the chopped toms aisle), fry an onion, garlic, add the passata and simmer for 20 mins - delicious. You can add dried mixed herbs if you like.

misskool

12% fat mince is fine but why not bulk out the mince by using lentils/oats/soya protein.

Some fat is good for holding mince together, I would buy the 20% mince if making hamburgers.

Ready made sauces are where the cost rack up for not very much if making your own.

A basic white sauce is about 50g butter, 50g flour, milk, salt and pepper. Make a roux, by melting the butter, then adding the flour in small quantities until it all sticks together. Fry for a few minutes then add milk in small quantities. It would be easier to swap to a whisk here. Don't stop whisking, that's the only thing. It's the whisking action that make it into a sauce. Add milk until it's the consistency you want then season, add nutmeg, salt and pepper. A bit of cheese makes it very rich.

Tomato sauce is cheaper if you buy passata and then add the onions and herbs. a carton of passata is only 49p from Lidl and that would make enough sauce for 6 people.

To make tomato taste like from the jar, you will probably need to add a bit of sugar, they add loads of sugar and salt

doelani

Thanks for the replies and idea's

I have already bought the stuff for monday but MAY try to make a home made sauce instead. I have never made a white sauce, silly I know.

Little_Vics

why don't you give it a go, and if it's goes wrong you've got the jar as a back up? It's all about building confidence - am sure you'll be fine!

Penelope_Penguin

doelani wrote: »

i see people on here who feed family for say £1 a head per meal, I just cannot do it .

Please, please, please don;t compare yourself to those posters. A lot of the people who appear to feed themselves on very little supplement their food shop with eggs, allotments, bartering, free food from friends and rellies, or simply include meals, not snacks, or fruit, which can add a lot to a weekly bill.

As someone has said, try getting a basic cook book from the library to help you learn to cook. I like Delia's Complete Cookery Course, but Jamie Oliver's Ministry of Food is good, too. Try the library to find one you like, then you might like to splash out and buy one :T

Please don;t despair - I simply don;t believe that anyone is incapable of learning to cook :j

Penny. x