help me: food shopping too much - freezable meals

Anne_Marie_2

wendy_ann1983 wrote:

I fancy trying something with lentils and pulses but they seem so fiddly to cook with the rinse, soak for 24 hrs, boil, etc any ideas to make easier?

You can use the likes of red lentils without any soaking, also split peas.

However to cut down on the overnight soak, put whatever pulse (apart from kidney beans - am always wary with this due to the toxins), into a pan of cold water. Bring to the boil, and boil rapidly for a few mins. About 5-10 should do the trick. Turn heat off, leave pulses in the water and leave for about an hour. Drain and then continue to use in any recipe, as if you have soaked them overnight.
You can also do this in microwave - but recommend using a sturdy pyrex type bowl rather than a bendy plastic thing.

Cullumpster

on sunday i did a batch of cooking, started at 9am and was finished by about 11.I went to Home Bargains, they have the foil 'take away' containers 9 for 69p :)i did 4 Lasagnes and 5 Shepards pies, froze them and only 2 of each are still in the freezer !!!i tend to use a lot of mince and potatos so i make sure i get the mince from the bargain butchers in town, you know the one's that sell 5lb for £2.99 (Is that good ?)Also i remember a few people talking about using some sort of dried mince / soya / tofu type thing to bulk out their meals.What is it ??? i looked in Morrissons the other day but couldn't find it also does it taste different my BF is a MASSIVELY fussy eater, gave him turkey instead of chicken the other day and he was nearly sick !! :eek:
Edit: Once again my grammer isn't this bad, even when i edit my posts i can't make my posts have spaces :mad:

annie-c

Cullumpster wrote:

i make sure i get the mince from the bargain butchers in town, you know the one's that sell 5lb for £2.99 (Is that good ?)

This is a really cheap price, but watch out for the very high fat content - you may end up draining so much fat off that it could be better value (not to mention healthier ) to get lower fat meat in the first place.

Cullumpster

i always drain the fat off any way as i don't like to see it floating on the top of the sauce pan

annie-c

The dried soya or TVP is available in Tesco for about 99p per 375g. When reconstituted with water it makes about 2lb 'mince' which isn't a huge saving on the price you are paying for the real thing - but it is a big saving if you are getting 'healthy living' mince. Personally I can't bear the taste, but I know lots of people who don't feel it has a taste, other than the taste it takes on from the mince, and it is low in fat and therefore has health benefits.....

weeMe_3

wendy_ann1983 wrote:

I fancy trying something with lentils and pulses but they seem so fiddly to cook with the rinse, soak for 24 hrs, boil, etc any ideas to make easier?

When I make a broth, I tend to put the dried pulses into a pot of boiling stock. Turn the heat off once it's boiling. Leave it to cool down on the hot metal ring then transfer to fridge. Consume it the next day once re-heated.

I find that the pulses are tender as they would have been soacked over night in the stock. Plus as the stock is at boiling point, it sort of cooks the pulses too. The stock is hence yummier and less hassle.... Hmmmmm bay leaves, love them!!!

The left over goes into freezable pots for the next couple of weeks! :T

kfiggitt

Hi guys,

I'm trying to reduce my food bills and have read your advice on cooking bigger portions and freezing. I think this is a great idea however, i am not a great cook. How long does it take to defrost the frozen meal and whats the best way of doing this? Microwave on defrost or hot boiling water?

annie-c

kfiggitt wrote:

Hi guys,

I'm trying to reduce my food bills and have read your advice on cooking bigger portions and freezing. I think this is a great idea however, i am not a great cook. How long does it take to defrost the frozen meal and whats the best way of doing this? Microwave on defrost or hot boiling water?

Best to take it out of the fridge the night before or in the morning and let it defrost naturally during the day. At a push I use the microwave, but prefer not to overcook things.

Gaia

I use my crock pot/slow cook to make up large batches of chilli or bolognese to freeze. I 'dilute' the mince with 50% grated carrot - cheaper and healthier! Also use all grated carrot and no mince for a veggie alternative and tastes yummy.

Re pulses, I can whole-heartedly recommend the Rose Elliot books such as The Bean Book; Not just a load of Old Lentils etc, for good tasty, healthy and cheap recipies. You can borrow them for free from the library and then copy down your favourites to make your own recipe book. The recipes freeze really well so I batch cook and freeze.

You can save up the stale leftover bits of bread and wizz in a processor/blender to make breadcrumbs. These are good for making a crispy topping or coating things, or even for thickening chilli/bolognese etc. If you dry the bread really well before making into crumbs and store it in an airtight container it keeps for quite a while. If there is any mould throw the whole lot out, don't just get rid of the mouldy bits.

Re freezer containers - empty margerine and ice cream tubs make good, free containers. Remember to label with the date you freeze as well as the contents, so that you can use the older food up first.

kfiggitt

Thanks for the advice annie-c and Gaia. Once the food has defrosted what is the best way to re-heat?