Cooking: Time savers/waste reducing ideas?!
Cooking: Time savers/waste reducing ideas?
What are your best ideas when it comes to reducing waste and saving money/time?
I don't always eat dinner with my husband, I usually eat something healthier than he does. So, when I make something like Hamburger Helper, I only use half the mix and noodles and put the other half in storage bags for later. This way, I only have to cook it once, and he doesn't have to eat leftovers which are never as good.
I only use half a banana in my cereal, so I cut it in half and put the rest in a ziploc bag, and suck the air out. It doesn't brown this way.
(this is particularly thrifty! lol) But, when I was pregnant, I would go through an entire gallon of milk a DAY! Yes, seriously. SO, I started buying whole milk instead of 2%, and I would put half of the milk in an empty carton and then fill them both up the rest of the way with water. lol I know, really thrifty, but it was actully good, and saved us a lot of money. haha
Okay, so what are your ideas?
Answers:
My husband and I wake up at different times. Instead of using a basket coffee liner for each of our pots of coffee, I just dump new rinds in on top of mine when I make his.
I save ham scraps to use as seasoning in my beans, quiche, or whatever else I cook that is good with smoked ham flavor (almost anything is).
When I boil a whole raw chicken to use in dumplings or white chili, I double the amount of water to boil it in and save the extra in the fridge instead of having to buy chicken broth by the can. This is also healthier since most canned broths contain MSG.
I use steel cut oatmeal, which cost more and takes a while to cook. Somedays I make double what we need, then put the lid on the oatmeal pan to save the next the rest day. THe next day I just add a little water to the hardened leftover oats and heat til simmering. It softens up pretty easily and takes much less time than another new batch would.
I have always thought peeling most vegetables was a waste of time, though most recipes require it. Instead of peeling and seeding tomatoes (as if!), I just cut them in 2 and sqeeze out the extra juice. That way the tomatoes are the right consistency for my dish and I don't drive myself crazy trying to peel them.
When we do a shrimp boil, I save leftover shrimp to reuse in stir fry the next night....
I have about a million more...I'm a penny pincher cook myself!
I am sorry and I am not trying to be rude so please don't take offense.
What you are doing is not a time saver at all.
You take more time re-bagging stuff when all you have too do is make all of the Hamburger Helper, it will not hurt your husband to eat leftovers and the next night you don't have to cook. That is a time saver...
Oh and if he refuses to eat leftover I would:
1. tell him to get over himself
2. Freeze the leftover hamburger helper and heat it up sometime for his dinner and he will never know.
Eat the whole banana, what, maybe three bites, it's good for you, please don't be such a miser. Plus that is not reducing waste, look at all the baggies you are using.
Sorry if I came on strong but me and my boyfriend love leftovers. It sits in the fridge all night and just marinates in all the flavors and is better leftover.