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Frugal Cooking Tips
Frugal cooking is a common sense way to save money every time you cook a meal.
There are so many simple ways to economise in the kitchen, without compromising the end result.
Cooking on a budget is as much about conserving gas and electricity and using kitchen equipment like freezers and microwaves cleverly, as it is about making meals from low cost ingredients.
FRUGAL COOKING: RECIPE IDEAS
Shun ready-made cook-in sauces and sauces for pasta, and rustle up your own. You can make a basic tomato sauce in the time it takes your pasta to cook - soften a chopped onion and some garlic in a little oil, add a can of chopped tomatoes, a squirt of tomato puree, a scattering of dried or fresh herbs, stir well and simmer.
Start making your own salad dressings, sauces and healthy soups - all these can be put together quickly, and you can make batches in advance, so you always have a supply on hand.
Make a healthy homemade cake every so often - you might find home baking becomes addictive, and it'll certainly save you money and give you much nicer cake to eat into the bargain.
Check out all the ideas for healthy dinners on this site and experiment with more cooking from scratch. It has to be cheaper than ready-made meals or takeaways.
Shop wisely at the supermarket in order to save money on groceries and look out for foods that will lend themselves to bulk cooking like chicken pieces or salmon steaks.
Cook once, eat twice. Double-up on favourite dishes like shepherd's pie or chicken curry, eat one today and save the other for later in the week, or freeze it.
Cook the way your mum or grandma did, and have a big roast chicken or piece of meat that can earn its initial cost by providing dinners and lunch boxes for several more days.
FRUGAL COOKING: USE YOUR FREEZER
Clever freezer-use can really help you to cut down on food waste. If the last couple of slices of a loaf always go stale before you can use them, freeze half the loaf when you bring it home, and keep the other half in the bread bin. Keep bread for toasting in the freezer and take off slices as you need them, they'll thaw instantly on the freezer setting of your toaster. If you have a couple of crusts left that no one wants to eat, make them into breadcrumbs in a food processor and freeze for toppings for pasta bakes and other dishes.
Don't throw away the hardened end of a piece of cheese. Grate and freeze to use in cheese sauce or to top baked dishes.
Freeze dregs of wine and beer in ice cubes and add to sauces and stocks.
Freeze leftovers in single portion sizes until you've accumulated enough for a meal, or use on nights when you've only one or two people to feed.
Keep an up-to-date list of what's in your freezer. Use some of your frozen foods every week, so that your supplies turn over regularly and don't languish in the bottom drawer.
FRUGAL COOKING: SAVE ON GAS AND ELECTRICITY
Take frozen food out of the freezer the night before and let it defrost in the fridge rather than having to heat it in a pan or the oven.
Keep the glass door of your oven clean so that you can check food without opening the door and losing masses of heat.
A microwave uses less energy to reheat food than an oven.
Always choose the right-sized pan for the burner, turn the heat down to a simmer as soon as the water has boiled and always use a lid.
FRUGAL COOKING: EQUIPMENT
Although you don't have to spend in order to save, it's well worthwhile gradually building up your collection of cooking equipment that can help you save money regularly in the longterm.
Big pans, casseroles and dishes are vital if you want to make batches of stock, soup or bulk-cook and freeze your favourite dishes.
Equip yourself with cake pans and bun and muffin tins for home baking.
Other items to consider include pressure cooker, slow cooker/crockpot, bread maker, food processor and blender. Each one of these can earn its keep in the quest to save money on food.
Freezer packaging materials are useful and will keep your frozen foods in top condition. Foil containers and plastic bags can be washed and reused.
Enjoy the results of your frugal cooking efforts - it's great to have homemade healthy food that hasn't cost a fortune, so make the time to appreciate the good food you've produced.
