OS in the kitchen

spadoosh

Looking at ways to get old school in the kitchen. And would like some moneysaving tips with meat in particular.

We normally shop at aldi and generally buy the cheapest meat we can. So we'll buy the cheap mince, chicken thighs/legs, breasts, sometimes a bit of pork and if we're feeling flush some lamb mince. We make our meals from scratch.

We really like our food but can get a bit repetitive with what we cook. Everything is cooked on hob/oven. We dont have huge portions (250g of mince will be split between two and normally a chicken breast each is enough). Most of our cooking equipment is budget end (baking trays and pans etc), id like a skillet and cast iron stuff but not sure if it would be worth the outlay.

I want to start doing bulk lunches on a sunday for the work week.

Basically we have some imagination in the kitchen and are fairly decent cooks but i wouldnt say the knowledge is comprehensive. I'd like to do things like make our own chicken nuggets (would a meat grinder be worth an investment) etc and thats another problem, we have 'modern' tastes (chinese, pizza etc) but want to make them the OS way if that makes sense?

Anything to inspire me? Or maybe if you could direct me to any good OS foodie websites. Sorry im not being that specific!

*Margaret*

I'm not a meat eater so will be mostly useless here, but I am wondering if a slow cooker might be worth considering? I see lots of lovely recipes for meat when I'm looking online, it's cheap to run and you can make stews, casseroles and curries bulked up with veg or things like pearl barley which are cheaper. It also works very well with cheaper cuts of meat.

My slow cooker was only £10, it's very small but would do for two people especially as it sounds as if you don't have huge portions.

spadoosh

We had one but gave it away based on the fact we didnt use it. Since then weve started doing things like pulled pork, think its something we could easily use especially when OH returns to work after maternity. Ill keep an eye out for one.

ETA, doesnt have to be solely meat based. There things like yoghurts, bread and cheeses id like to have a go at making from scratch (the last loaf i made was gorgeous excluding the stodgy uncooked bit in the middle!) but dont really know where to start with being organised with things like that. Its thing slike, i make cookies a lot, but you can taste the flour, guessing its because we use cheap flour but then it could be the recipe?!

I like self sufficiency so anything i can make from scratch (That doesnt necessarily require days of prep) will be good to know.

caronc

I'd say a slow cooker is a good investment to make the most of cheaper cuts.
I bulk out mince with a handful of lentils and with this method I get 4 decent portions out of 250g of mince. The lentils take on the flavour of the cooking sauce so are hardly noticeable.
Re kitchen kit - as someone who has, uses and enjoys more kitchen kit than I want to admit to I'd say you probably don't need much more than you already have:) but if you want to replace/upgrade I'd keep an eye out for sales. Sainsbury's cast iron range is pretty decent and offers come up from time to time.
HM pizza is easy - you don't need to make a yeast based dough if you don't want to simply mix yoghut with self-raising flour ( I find 1 cup yoghurt to 1.5 cups flour works for me but add a cup and see how you go) to you get a non-sticky dough that you can roll out thinly. Toppings are a good way of using up fridge bits and it only takes 8 or so minutes in the oven. I made one from scratch last week in the time (or less) than it would take for a delivery.
Chicken breast - have you though about using thighs instead. Very versatil, cheaper and can take more cooking than breasts without drying out.
Nuggets - no need to mince (though you could blitz in a processor if you wanted) simply cut into strips dip in milk then seasoned breadcrumbs. Pop on a tray, spray or brush with a little oil and cook for 15-20 minutes in a medium oven
Hope this gives you some ideas:)

*Margaret*

Could you start off with breadmix? Aldi do one, I think it's about 65p. I worked out that it's not really cheaper to make my own bread once I factored in the oven cost, but it's certainly nicer than shop bought. Scones are also a nice, easy and relatively cheap option.

I use cheap flour and can't normally taste it - if things keep coming out a bit undercooked then you might need to adjust the oven temperature a bit? I suspect that my oven is often not as hot as it is telling me it is.

Do you ever make soup? That's pretty easy to start off with, always comes out cheaper than the fresh soups you can buy and usually on a par with the basics tins but is usually nicer.

Caterina

Hi, 250 g of mince between two sounds like a lot of meat, if you want to reduce costs you can stretch it using cooked lentils, or grains, or oats, or do it the Italian way where you make a large pot of sauce with a smallish amount of mince, lot of veg and tomato sauce and use it for pasta, lasagne, topping on jacket potatoes. You can make shepherds pie or moussaka, or add a can or two of kidney beans and make chilli.

If you want to use meat in your diet (I don't now but have been an OS carnivore for many years before going veggie) is to use the best quality meat possible, but make it go a long way by stretching it with alternative proteins. Many people add vegetarian soya mince (reconstituted) but some people don't like using soya so that's up to your taste.

Many people on this forum talk about the Rubber Chicken, where you stretch a chicken for several meals, roast, rissoles, chicken wings, whatever you can use from the bird, then use the carcass to make stock. So an OS way would be buy a chicken instead of two chicken breasts and make it go a long way.

I am not very good at posting links but if you go to the first post of any month of the Grocery Challenge, which is usually at the top of the threads, you will find a very comprehensive list of recipes and ideas.

Hope this helps.

Caterina

caronc wrote: »

...
I bulk out mince with a handful of lentils and with this method I get 4 decent portions out of 250g of mince. The lentils take on the flavour of the cooking sauce so are hardly noticeable.
...
Chicken breast - have you though about using thighs instead. Very versatil, cheaper and can take more cooking than breasts without drying out.
...

SNAP! :T:rotfl::T

suki1964

It is worth splashing out on good quality equipment

I have two vitreous enamel baking trays that are 25 years or more old. Haven't buckled and they look as good as new

Stainless steel roasting pans , once again mine are donkey years old. One used to be my grans so I'd say 40 years old. Still shines like new

And my Best Buy has been my cast iron shallow casserole. Was a bargain buy at £15 in the sales about 4 years ago and I use it nearly every day. I cook everything in it, from Chinese to Indian and everything in between

You don't need a mincer/grinder for nuggets, just cut a chicken breast into 4 to 6 chunks

A food processor and a hand blender are my kitchen tools I couldn't live with out. Oh and a knife sharpener as I'm too cack handed to use a steel

Pizza is so easy to make at home. Google Gordon Ramsey's pizza in a frying pan

Tasting flour in the recipe means you haven't mixed it properly or cooked it enough. Nothing to do with the flour. I use lidls and get as good results as any. Bread, you don't need any special equipment , just a large bowl and a solid baking tray

There's a zillion recipes found in the grocery challenge thread

There's numerous threads on what to take for lunch

My two favourite cook books which are always in the kitchen are Ken Homs Chinese and the hairy bikers curry book. Easy recipes to follow without needing a zillion different ingredients or loads of special equipment

caronc

Caterina wrote: »

SNAP! :T:rotfl::T

Great minds and all that ..........:rotfl:

suki1964

Caterina wrote: »

SNAP! :T:rotfl::T

That's me three :rotfl:

arbrighton

250g of mince would do us two meals here. We're not especially OS in the kitchen, but you don't need that much protein or servings of that size. So yeah, me 4. However, I will not buy cheap/ value meat for ethical reasons. Not bothered about organic but am bothered about animal welfare. Plus cheap mince etc is usually actually not as nice. Spend a bit more but eat less of it.
Value/ basics flour, yep, fine. Recipe/ mixing at fault.