Simple recipes for someone who can't really cook!

tweetyshells

Ok a good friend (learningtosave) thinks you guys are fab and when i ask her stuff she often sends me here etc aswell as helping me so i thought i would get stuck in. will try and keep it brief.

Basically i am no longer working, my 4 yr old starts school tommorow and i am pregnant with our second child.

I have always been crap at cooking, its always pretty much been processed crap. Well since i have more time and i NEED to save money, i have finally had my lightbulb moment and want to cook homemade food and need to shop cheaper.

Thing is i really don't have much of a clue or imagination.

I need help on basics like what do i need to have a decent stock cupboard so that there is always something i can make?

DP likes pretty plain food so it is hard although i am willing to try and convert him .

Any tips at all on any of this would be great. I have read quite a few threads on here over the past few months but now i am commited to actually doing something about it (being skint helps lol).

So far i have made toad in the hole, homemade chips:drool: , cookies (they went wrong) umm soup. Thats about it i think.

[Deleted User]

hiya

How about getting a Slow Cooker they are fab cos you can leave them to do their thing and end up with a yummy meal after a few hours with not much effort. I think they are fairly cheap to run (but someone else can confirm or not) I got one from Asda for about £7 which cooks 2 big portions or 3 reg sized ones and means you can buy cheaper cuts of meat and do stews, curries, casseroles, soups, porridge etc and they come with a basic cookbook.
so you can experiment.

Just buy some stock cubes inc veggie ones, tomato puree, maybe some curry paste and powder, cornflour for making sauces (don't use in slow cooker as the steam created makes its own sauce), mixed herbs, oxo cubes etc

If you have a freecycle group where you live I'd suggest asking for one that way I got a really good rice cooker that way which is fab for steaming fish and veg too.....:D

Good luck! i'm sure other folk will be along with more ideas soon :0)

missty25

Hi, I'm kind of in same boat have just come to end of maternity leave and not gone back to work so pretty skint.
I usually where possible and if funds allow it buy meat in bulk from Costco or reduced meats at supermarket then divide into portions and freeze. Or either that make up batches of meals and freeze.

I make a lot of home made soups and totally agree that the slow cooker is brilliant, I usually make stew or mince with onions, carrots and either use about 1/2 pint of bisto or beef bovril(tho this is not as thick as bisto).

Same with veg that is going to turn, I cook it up and freeze in batches so there is always a meal in the freezer for when you can't be bothered and nothing goes to waste.

Good pasta sauce, tinned chopped tomatoes(value from morrisons 21p), garlic, peppers, onion any other veg kicking about and a 1/2 tsp of cayenne pepper, I either add mince for bolognaise or just plain on pasta.

Stir fry sauce, 60mls of chicken stock, 1/2 tsp ginger, crushed garlick, 2 tbsp soya sauce and 2 tbsp worcetershire sauce and 1 chopped onion is luch almost like chow mein sauce, you can add chicken or beef or whatevers going with this suace.

Sorry to bombard you with the above but I am really trying to cut back and am just coming up with more ideas for myself. lol

Anythign else let me know!

Penelope_Penguin

tweetyshells wrote: »

I need help on basics like what do i need to have a decent stock cupboard so that there is always something i can make?

I s this the sort of thing you're after - store cupboard basics

Good luck - there are loads of recipes and tips on here

Penny. x

tweetyshells

Thanks thats a great start. I will have to look into the slow cooker aswell as the breadmaker. Really skint though so will have to see how much they are and how finances are.

tweetyshells

Penelope_Penguin wrote: »

I s this the sort of thing you're after - store cupboard basics

Good luck - there are loads of recipes and tips on here

Penny. x

Cheers that looks like a very helpful thread, theres so many on here i never know where to start. Theres a few things to add to my cupboards already.

tweetyshells

Anymore helpful peeps?

mummysaver

Good morning!

A slow cooker is a great investment, and Asda do a bargain one, as do Argos I think. Fab for just throwing stuff in in the morning and magically producing dinner in the evening, bolognese is nice and easy, curry, casseroles - all things I'm certain you can cook, but if not we can always recommend recipes.

A bread maker is a big investment and making bread by hand isn't really that hard, it is fairly time consuming though! But like everything else it's really just getting into the habit. Asda and Tesco both have Hovis ready made bread mixes for just under 30p for the granary and white at the mo.

What sort of things do you like to eat? Making a menu plan of the things you like and having a browse around for the recipe for any ready meals you would normally buy can be helpful. The grocery challenge thread (a sticky at the top of os threads) has lots of good and easy recipes on the first page.

As for what to keep in the store cupboard, mine always has mixed herbs, garlic, tom puree, tinned toms, baked beans, flour, baking powder, raisins, curry paste, tinned sweetcorn and tinned potatoes. There is lots of other stuff in there too, but they are the things I use most. I always keep mixed veg in the freezer, and there is always milk, eggs and cheese in the fridge. At the mo everywhere is stuffed to bursting, but these are the things I always have in stock.

Hope some of this helps, think this post is a bit jumbled, but trying to type it between phone calls - aren't call centres a pain!

Lunar_Eclipse

tweetyshells wrote: »

Ok a good friend (learningtosave) thinks you guys are fab and when i ask her stuff she often sends me here etc aswell as helping me so i thought i would get stuck in. will try and keep it brief.

Okay, I'll try and help .....

I would start by spending a couple of hours reading through the various threads in this OS section. From that, you will firstly see that it contains a friendly and highly creative bunch of people. Secondly, you will quickly feel positive about cutting your food spending since a lot of people spend very little. It will also make you think about what you are prepared to do, such as baking your own bread for instance.

I would then consider meal planning and shopping to the meal plan. This is the one single thing I suggest starting with. Once a week I get out cookbooks, write a menu & shop online for that menu. We (I?) like flexibility and ever changing variety in our diet. But there are loads of methods that work; some people have a monthly meal roster typed into Excel for instance. Personally, I wouldn't worry about stocking up a pantry or buying any new equipment until you are underway with cooking more, and for less (money.) Otherwise you could feel pressured into it. Just take one week at a time and shop accordingly.

Batch cook and put portions into the freezer if you can. This is a lifesaver when you are tired or home late. Consider having a supply in the freezer as you hit 8 months pregnant for instance since it would really take the pressure off!

Consider how you like to shop (frequency/online/farmers mkt etc) and whether you would be willing to frequent a range of shops to buy items where they are cheapest or are prepared to pay a slight premium for the convenience of shopping in one place.

Ask local supermarket/s when they reduce items and consider shopping then. If you have a freezer (I'd recommend it) you could always put things straight into the freezer if they were priced correctly (ie a bargain!)

When I started addressing our food spending at the beginning of the year, we had a leftovers night once a week. Nowadays there are no leftovers (obviously I've got portion control down to a fine art!;)) but I now batch cook for the freezer. I suppose this shows that things change over time as you progress.

Hubbie & two kids have packed lunches as this saves us about £5/DAY! I make sandwiches in batches and freeze them. I also cook extra pasta or rice if we have it as/with an evening meal and make up a salad with it for lunches the following day.

I used to throw a lot of food away; I honestly can't recall the last time I did that. If ever in doubt whether something will be eaten in time, get it into the freezer asap.:D Basically you need to find what works for your family. But I hope this helps you get started a little.

As an example of my cooking now, today I am cooking a packet of pork mince which will go into a bolognaise sauce, a chilli and a mix for fajitas. Could be used for lasagne and cottage pie type dish too = very time and cost efficient. We're having chicken for dinner tonight so when I've made the various sauces I'll freeze them in separate labelled containers for use as we need it. Good luck!

mambury

Hi Lunar, a bit off topic but can you let me into the secret of your incredible shirinking mortgage ? I;ve just seen your sig and I want a magic mortgage too!

Mambury