In 2019 I published an e-book - “Splitting Atoms and Grating Cheese” or life's too short to faff around - at the time I didn't realise how useful it would be! It was a combination of making the most of your time and in turn saving you money and waste.
I asked the questions :
How do you shop and cook now?
How many times each week do you visit a supermarket?
How much food and therefore money do you waste each week?
Now more than ever it's time to take stock and consider.
Rocket Science and light bulbs
If there's two things I'm passionate about it's food and people – you can't beat good food and good company, preferably together. If I can help you save time with the former so that you can spend it with the latter then my work here may not be done but it's a start!
You could deliberately cook more than you'll use so that you create your own home cooked ready meals to freeze, so, when you're suffering from the Revolving Door Syndrome - everyone coming and going at different times - you're able to pull meals out of the freezer.
In our house we've one meat eater and one vegetarian. As the cook, I never prepare one portion of any dish – I always make extra of at least one element. If you're cooking pasta and making extra, you're halfway to the next meal. Run with that idea – why not cook off the rest of the carrots and potatoes and bag for later. What this habit generates is the ability when you are planning your week to draw on the contents of your fridge or freezer. The little bits and bats can save you time and money!
Think about creating a store cupboard of staples. Dried pasta, stock cubes/pots, oils – for me, rapeseed and vegetable are the best for general use. Keep a stock of microwave boxes and foil containers with lids in various (small to medium) sizes – both ideal for freezing individual meals. Check out the cheap shops for the best deals. If you're going to freeze liquids, i.e. stock, soups etc., Wilko's sell resealable pour & store bags especially for liquids – a really good product, very strong and inexpensive.
Create an emergency freezer store cupboard. Buy bags of frozen cauliflower cheese – enhance by adding extra grated cheese. Gruyere and parmesan also work well either on their own or mixed – you could add breadcrumbs too and bacon bits it makes an ordinary cauliflower cheese yummy!
Whilst we haven't been talking about rocket science I hope that you may have had a light bulb moment!
Here's an idea or two.
If you're cooking think ahead, if your oven is turned on then fill it! For example wrap six large baking potatoes in foil and bake. Bake for and hour and a half and then test – you want your paring knife to move firmly through the potatoes. Remove and set aside to cool, bearing in mind they will continue cooking because they are insulated by the foil.
Line a baking sheet with foil and cover with bacon of your choice. Bake for 15 minutes, turn and repeat – it will be crisp. Let the bacon cool and break into small pieces, box and fridge. That few moments you took whilst the oven was on and threw the bacon in might not seem much but for the next time you're making a salad or toastie you will not regret it!
Grate cheese, box it and fridge – taking the minute or two to grate the cheese saves washing the grater 19 times and gives you easy access to flavour. Buying the block vs. ready grated is more economical and can soon add up.
Check out the meal deals.
Liberation!
I find slow-cooking liberating – not a word that immediately springs to mind where cooking is concerned – there'll be no bra burning!
It might sound a touch dramatic but to illustrate how much time, effort and money you'll save - I give you, the slow-cooked whole chicken.
This is the simplest and most efficient way of cooking :
I mentioned checking out bargains and deals – you'll usually find a chicken. A recent trip around a couple of supermarkets showed that a whole chicken is comparable if not cheaper to a prepared pack of four chicken breasts. What you get for your money pays dividends if you put a little time in yourself. Rocket science it ain't but if you want to make the most of your good deal with a chicken then let the slow cooker take the strain and do the cooking for you - that's two massive ticks!
Slow Cook a Whole Chicken
1 chicken – between 1.5kg – 1.75kg
1 chicken stock pot
2 tsps of garlic paste or 1 garlic stock pot
generous sprinkle of oregano or garlic
Italian seasoning
Alternatively use two whole star anise in the cavity
and omit the herbs
Place your chicken in the slow cooker and mix the stock pot with the garlic paste and spread over the chicken. Either - sprinkle with the herbs or add the whole star anise to the cavity. Switch your slow cooker to the low setting and leave it for 8 hours.
Strain the stock and freeze the resultant liquid gold, strip the chicken, keeping aside what you need and then bag and freeze the remainder.
One thing is for sure, slow cooking a whole chicken means you get the best value and you'll use every morsel – it's the perfect emergency food!
Here's how far it stretches :
an “instant” mid week roast and leftovers too
If you're serving four as a main then you'll get sufficient
chicken left to use for a soup
If you're serving two as a main then you'll get sufficient
chicken left to make a pie filling or shredded chicken
in pasta and a sauce using the stock
If you'd like another chicken idea check out the “takeaway” options for the weekend.
Slow cooking a whole chicken, I had a “takeaway” chicken idea for the weekend. If there are four in your household then you might want to consider slow cooking a whole chicken just for this purpose, lets be honest, it doesn't take a great deal of effort, nor break the bank either. I'd recommend too that you use the star anise option in the cavity, the flavour of the stock is divine. You'll also produce lots of moist chicken which shreds very easily, it almost melts before your eyes.
A chicken sandwich for the soul if you will - some delicious bread and when I say delicious bread I mean a loaf (or may be two) that can be sliced into doorsteps. Interested?
Who likes what?
It wouldn't be a sandwich without the extras, here are my
suggestions and it is not an exhaustive list!
Avocado, sliced or mashed to suit, with lemon
juice
Crispy bacon – and bits are better!
Good quality mayo
Beef tomatoes, sliced thinly
Beetroot relish or slices if you prefer
Any salad item you love – spring onions, shredded
iceberg lettuce
capers, cornichons
A slaw of your choice – here's an Asian
recipe that will compliment your anise infused
shredded chicken
Asian Coleslaw
110g white cabbage, finely sliced – approximately
one third of a medium size cabbage
1 carrot – peeled and sliced with a
julienne peeler
1 spring onion – 15g finely sliced
if you want to create a basic slaw stash then
double the amounts given above
3-4 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp caster sugar
Half tbsp rice wine
2 tbsp lime juice
1 tbsp peanut butter
Half tsp chilli powder
4 tbsp fresh coriander
Combine all the above ingredients except the fresh coriander.
Marinade for at least an hour – 2-3 is better still!
Just before serving strain off the excess liquid, stir in the coriander and serve!
A happy afterthought transforms a good meal into a great meal!
More ideas to follow, stay tuned.
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