Preparing for Higher Food Prices: Cooking Skills

My mom started to teach me food preparation when I was about eight years old. In the last forty years, I’ve continued that education. That’s mostly because I enjoy it, but it has also saved us a lot of money. I think, in the near future, it’s going to save us even more.

Cookbooks: I have actually read several cookbooks. There’s a lot more information in them than just recipes. There are explanations of techniques, substitution tables and so on which help you understand recipe instructions. My favorite is The Joy of Cooking, and I’ve read the covers off two of them.

Baking: Whether it’s bread or a birthday cake, baking is an important skill. Most of the information you’ll need on the various applications will be found in a good cook book. Here are a few tips that I’ve learned via experience:

Know the formula: Baking is very much formula driven. As a example, the yeast to flour/water ratio is important for bread making. In cake baking, if the recipe doesn’t call for eggs, forgetting the salt may mean your cake won’t rise.

Falling Cakes: Yes, jarring your cake (or soufflé) can make it fall. Loud noises are less likely to do so. I’d say unlikely, but our surround sound system can rattle dishes off a shelf and onto the floor. I won’t even try to bake something like that when it’s on.

Clean vs. Dirty: An oven works better when it’s clean. It loses its ability to evenly distribute heat if it’s dirty.

Toothpick vs. Finger: Unless you want a permanent dimple in your cake, use the toothpick method of doneness testing. It’s also better in checking custard based pies.

Canning: If you have access to bulk quantities of fruits and/or vegetables, this is an important thing to learn. Canning can preserve the food for months to years, depending on the type of food and the canning method.

The process is fairly simple, and if you have a pressure canner, it’s fairly fast. The food is prepared in the way you prefer, put into a sterile glass jar, liquid is added to the neck of the jar, leaving the neck free, then a sterilized lid and ring are put on.

The instructions will tell you how long and at what pressure to use. When the jars come out of the canner, those that sealed can be marked and put on the shelf. If they didn’t seal, they should be put in the fridge and used soon.

Freezing: This is an even simpler method of food storage, though it does require a freezer. Food is processed appropriately, placed in labeled freezer bags and when cool enough, put in the freezer. This can last from three to six months.

Drying: This is not always the best method of food preserving. A lot depends on the food, the weather and the season. I use a dehydrator, which makes it a lot faster and safer to dry things. I’ve known people who use an oven on about 150 degrees.

Gardening: No matter where you live, you may be able to augment your food supplies by growing your own. Container gardening is one method, and even a sunny windowsill might be useful.

There is an art to gardening, but there are also a few things that you’ll want to know before planting your first field.

Zones: I live in Southern California, and I can usually grow anything all year round. However, that’s not the only zone. I grew up in a temperate zone. What you plant when is dictated in part by the calendar, partly by the local weatherman and sometimes blind luck. Many folks depend on the Old Farmer’s Almanac as well. Knowing your zone will help you succeed with your garden.

Spacing: This is not an area to ignore. Plants like corn can be sown closer together, but broccoli and tomatoes require space. Make sure that what you plant has room to grow or your crops will be very small.

Bugs: They’re everywhere and they will share your crops. You can defend them two ways. Chemical products can be used, but there are rules. If you’re about ready to harvest, chemicals are out.

The second is organic. You can use companion planting to prevent some problems. A few things, such as marigolds, can be crushed and made into a liquid and sprayed on the plants.

While it’s disgusting, one of my mom’s methods seemed to work the best. She had an old blender saved just for this purpose. She’d go out and pluck the offending bugs (usually potato bugs) and put them in the blender. Add water, pulse and voila! bug repellent.

There will always be more to learn. I’ve been cooking for four decades and I still learn new things. With the coming rise in food prices, I am looking for every method I can find to help make sure my family will be safe and well fed. I recommend you do the same.


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