Some people find cooking therapeutic, while others consider it a necessary evil. No matter which category you fall under, you will agree that cooking at home is an excellent way to ensure healthy and budget eating.
If you want to further save money in the kitchen, here are some easy ways to lower your cooking expenses. Take a look.
1. Save Scarps & Trimming
Why throw away vegetable peels and trimming when they are extremely nutritious? Keep all scraps and trimming and store them in a sandwich bag in the freezer. When you have a bag full of peels, put them in a pot of boiling water with peppercorns, garlic, onion, leeks, and any other aromatics you fancy a delicious stock. You can freeze this stock and use it in soups and gravies. Store-bought stock doesn’t even come close!
2. Buy in Bulk
You can save a significant amount by buying pantry stables in bulk. Items like rice, beans, frozen berries, dried fruits are some products you should buy in bulk.
3. Buy Seasonal & Freeze
Season produce is a lot cheaper than off-season produce. You can buy such products in bulk and freeze them to extend their shelf life. Nearly every fruit and vegetable can be frozen.
Moreover, if you feel like any product is going to go bad soon, you should consider freezing them. You can even freeze bread!
4. Find New Energy Plan
Most kitchen appliances like the oven, dishwasher, and refrigerator require a lot of electricity to run. In addition to controlling your consumption, you should also compare energy plans in your area and switch to a better energy plan. If you’re looking for a competitively-priced plan, check out Momentum Energy.
5. Eat Legumes & Pulses
Legumes and pulses are packed with nutrition and extremely affordable. In fact, legumes are practically free from cholesterol and are rich in protein, fibre, carbohydrates, and many other nutrients. They are also quite versatile. You can use them to make anything from salads to chili.
6. Try Overnight Oats
Oats is another cheap yet nutritious item that you should have in your pantry. Oats offer fibre and antioxidants and will keep you full for a long time. To further save, you can try overnight oats, which is a delicious way to prepare oats without using any heat.
7. Start Meal Planning
Meal planning offers several benefits. Firstly, it allows you to decide your meals ahead of time and avoid buying groceries you don’t need. Secondly. It’s a great way to get yourself excited to cook at home instead of ordering food. It also helps lower food wastage.
8. Repurpose Leftovers
Most times, leftovers stay good for a day or two, so don’t throw them away! You can find creative ways to repurpose leftovers. For example, you can chop up last night’s grilled veggies and whisk them with some eggs to make a scrumptious omelette for breakfast.
9. Buy Generic Brands
Generic brands are not that different from name-brands. For pantry staples, stick to generic brands and enjoy discounted prices.
10. Use Whole Chicken
Did you know that buying a whole chick is a lot cheaper than buying pre-cut pieces? Yes, breaking down a chicken is a skill you’d have to learn, but it’s not that difficult. In addition to saving money, you can use the entire chicken to make a variety of things. You can even use the bones to make flavoursome soup.
11. Go Meatless
Meat is expensive as well as adversely impacts the environment. Try to eat meatless meals at least a couple of times a week. Mushroom, tofu, quinoa, and lentils are some cheaper, yet protein-packed meat substitutes you can use.