4 Cooking Techniques that Will Save You Money

We’re always looking to save money in every aspect of our lives. When most people think of saving money in the kitchen they think of coupons, bulk buying, and menu planning. But, these are all ways of saving money on the shopping side of things. There are also countless ways to save money in the practice of cooking and actually maintaining your kitchen. You don’t have to be a gourmet cook or have tons of time everyday to put some of these money saving concepts into practice. Here are 4 ideas that the average cook can put into practice with only a little planning and patience.

1. Make at least some of your own breads. Some breads, such as everyday sandwich breads, are pretty inexpensive yet time consuming to make at home. But, if you like heartier breads, rolls, or biscuits it pays to make them yourself from scratch. A package of ‘you-bake’ dinner rolls costs an average of $3 per dozen. Using this master bread recipe you can make tastier diner rolls for an average of 35-cents per 15. Hearty breads, like oat nut, average $4 per loaf, but can be made in your own kitchen for an average of 70-cents for 2 loafs. You don’t have to make them on demand either, which would cut into your day. Bake or set dough ahead of time and store it in the freezer until you need it.

2. Eliminate mixes like Bisquick. Quick mixes can save time, but not as much as you think. It takes only two extra minutes to make biscuits and dumplings completely from scratch, using this master biscuit recipe, and it only costs 10-15 cents per batch. The same concept is applied to spice mixes that we can mix up in bulk ahead of time and grab when we need them. I make my own grilling salt instead of buying a name brand salt, and save about $30 per summer on just the one spice mix.

3. Cut your own meats when you can. Most supermarket butchers will custom cut meat for us for free, but then we’re faced with having to wait for them to do it. Most of the time we just opt for the prepared steaks and cuts just to get out of the store that much faster. Unfortunately, this is a more expensive way to buy meat. But, if you take the time to learn how to cut your own meats at home you can buy the roasts and cut them into whatever form you want for free, without having to wait amongst jostling elbows in the store.

4. Make your own marinades and rubs. Like the spice mixes and quick mixes this can save quite bit of money when added up over the month and year. A good marinade or rub bumps up the flavor of any given meat or vegetable, but they can be very expensive. A sweet teriyaki marinade can cost upwards of $6 for a small bottle, or you can make it yourself for $1 or less per bottle. Investing a few key ingredients, like balsamic vinegar and extra virgin olive oil, can not only save you up to $200 per year, but can allow you to enjoy wonderfully favored foods more often.

More from Candes:
How to Roast and Prepare Pecans
Pie Crust Dough Variations
5 Reasons to Steam Instead of Boil


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