super cooking tips, beginners guide for o/s

feefeelalabelle

Hi all, i have been reading through the o/s style boards loads recently but i have found bits of information elsewhere which i thought might be useful for us to have
In my search on here i have found lots of recipes and fabulous suggestions but for me as a complete novice it takes me hours upon hours to read the threads and then i still dont know which would be the best way to go,

quick hints, tips, to start off a complete newbie in the old style way

eg, i saw a post the other day and the OP said that they used a full chicken as it worked out better value than buying two chicken breasts........i never knew that:o,

Also ive seen a post saying that quorn will work out cheaper and healthier than meat in some cases, i took this on board but as we like our meat i never looked any further into it.... but.... ive been told since that quorn will taste like meat in a bolognaise ect ect. No one told me that;)


i feel that this would help a fair few newbies to o/s, i hope no one minds me posting this...... if not then feel free to remove this, sorry in advance

who will start us off with a fantastic tip xxxx

Klug

Hi
Always read the label or work out with a calculator how much the food is either per 100g or per item.
For instance, compare a small pack to a large pack. The pack will have a weight on it. How much for that weight? Work out how much per 100g.
Often, the larger pack although more expensive, will be cheaper per 100g or item than the smaller pack. When you get it home, split the pack and freeze the spare bits if appropriate.
Sorry if this is a bit basic, wasn't sure how back to the bone you wanted.

feefeelalabelle

Thanks klug, thats quite a good tip actually, one which i usually forget to check. I just presume its better value to buy a big box somtimes when in reality its not...........

i like that one xx

[Deleted User]

I always buy a large block of cheese and then divide it up into three and freeze two of the blocks for later I utilise my freezer as much as possi9ble and nothing ever gets binned as if I am not eating it fairly soon it will either get frozen in a portion or cooked,cooled then portioned and frozen.Great way to get your veggies cheaper if as I did and found some reduced carrots and onions chop and freeze for later.I think lettuce is about the only thing that doesn't freeze well.Saves a fortune in time and money the freezer

camNolliesMUMMY

If you see cheap veg, I chop and freeze almost everything except for lettuce.
I have a freezer full of.....chopped
Spring onions
onions
Mushrooms
Peppers
Cabbage
Bean sprouts
Swede
Parsnips
Carrots
Tomatoes
Broccoli
All bought really cheap from the market and I just grab and add to my cooking or put on my hm pizzas when needed and I don't waste it.
Non of it is blanched or part cooked just chopped, bagged then chucked in the freezer.
I've not tried potatoes yet, but I think you have to part cooked those.

sarah222

You really have to check things I ran out of beef stock so bought some and a pack of 8 were £2.48 but 2 x 4 packs were £2 check quantities

Callie22

You can use things like red lentils and oats to bulk out lots of dishes. For example, I'll almost always add oats when I'm cooking mince - so in things like cottage pie, burrito filling etc. They don't taste of much and have a similar texture to the mince, so you don't really notice them at all (my OH doesn't ) but they add bulk and some extra fibre. Lentils are great in mince dishes, soups, things like that. Again, you don't really notice them once they've cooked down.

babyshoes

With most cooking, don't be afraid to experiment!

(Baking is different though, you need to *understand* the recipe before you can start changing it.)

If you find a recipe you like the look of, but don't have all the ingredients, or don't like some of them, you can often leave things out or substitute with something similar. The quantities are not generally set in stone either, so don't panic if your recipe says to use 500g of meat and you only have 400g!

Often you can just think about 2 or 3 ingredients in your fridge/cupboard which you think will taste good together and make something up using them. Watch Nigel Slater on TV or Iplayer - that's the type of cooking he does. Unless you seriously over or undercook your food, the worst that is likely to happen using this method is that it will be 'just edible'. If you taste as you go along (make sure the meat part of the dish is cooked before you taste though, to avoid getting sick) you can adjust flavours, and add things like seasoning, herbs, acidity etc.

Watch cooking shows and read recipes on the internet for inspiration and to get a feel for various cooking methods. I have very few savoury recipes printed out from my 'research'; I just look at the main ingredients and method of a few different variations of the recipe, then improvise my own version.

That said, there is nothing wrong with following a recipe exactly if you don't feel confident. After a while, you will only need to do that for new recipes and techniques that you haven't used before!

maman

sarah222 wrote: »

You really have to check things I ran out of beef stock so bought some and a pack of 8 were £2.48 but 2 x 4 packs were £2 check quantities

Own brand stock cubes in Sainsbury's are only 10p a pack. I use them all the time, they're fine.

camNolliesMUMMY wrote: »

If you see cheap veg, I chop and freeze almost everything except for lettuce.
I have a freezer full of.....chopped
Spring onions
onions
Mushrooms
Peppers
Cabbage
Bean sprouts
Swede
Parsnips
Carrots
Tomatoes
Broccoli
All bought really cheap from the market and I just grab and add to my cooking or put on my hm pizzas when needed and I don't waste it.
Non of it is blanched or part cooked just chopped, bagged then chucked in the freezer.
I've not tried potatoes yet, but I think you have to part cooked those.

Thanks for that tip. We enjoy beansprouts in a stir fry but they don't sell them in Aldi or Lidl and the bags in Sainsbury's are too big for one meal. I love the idea of having a bag in the freezer and grabbing a handful.

My tip would be to make your own ready meals for the freezer so you never waste money on buying them or take aways (plus they'll be healthier and better portions). I always have curry, bolognese or chilli available for those CBA moments.


A couple more:

• don't buy chicken breasts unless it's essential for the recipe. IMO, thighs are great in casseroles.
• don't waste money on buying lunches/coffees at work. Depending on facilities take/make your own. If you can, plate up a portion of your meal at suppertime and take it to work next day.

camNolliesMUMMY

maman wrote: »

Own brand stock cubes in Sainsbury's are only 10p a pack. I use them all the time, they're fine.



Thanks for that tip. We enjoy beansprouts in a stir fry but they don't sell them in Aldi or Lidl and the bags in Sainsbury's are too big for one meal. I love the idea of having a bag in the freezer and grabbing a handful.

My tip would be to make your own ready meals for the freezer so you never waste money on buying them or take aways (plus they'll be healthier and better portions). I always have curry, bolognese or chilli available for those CBA moments.


A couple more:

• don't buy chicken breasts unless it's essential for the recipe. IMO, thighs are great in casseroles.
• don't waste money on buying lunches/coffees at work. Depending on facilities take/make your own. If you can, plate up a portion of your meal at suppertime and take it to work next day.

I bought my beansprouts yellow sticker at tesco for a biggish size bag at 25p so I got the two last bags. I do the takeaway secrets chicken chow mein every other weekend and only use a quarter of the bag.

I used to waste so much by leaving veg salad in he fridge and it going bad, which was money down the bin.

I've actually got some brownish bananas sliced and frozen for a bannana crumble next Sunday.

Hardly anything in our house goes to waste now.

Tesco value stock are 10p too.

THIRZAH

You can freeze bananas in their skins. They go brown and mushy when they defrost but are fine for banana bread or muffins.

I keep a tub of grated cheese in the freezer for cooking and cut blocks of puff pastry into portions and then freeze them-there are only two of us so a block is too much for us.Also we always have a sliced loaf in the freezer-you can toast it from frozen.

Its easy to do double portions of things like chilli, pasta sauce and casseroles and freeze them. I also do double portions of the meat base for shepherds pie but prefer to add the mashed potato just before putting it in the oven-I don't find that mash freezes too well.

Cakes , I slice before freezing so I can just take out a couple of slices.

I make up a weeks sandwiches for DHs lunches and freeze.

Look out for yellow-stickered items in the supermarket .