How to stretch your pantry/fridge
- Thread starter TOGIE
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just to be sure, i wasn't intending to can the kraut, only make it myself. specifically for the reasons you outlined - to avoid the store bought stuff that is devoid of microbes and nutrients due to pasteurization.
another one of my favorites
got whole milk in the fridge? everyone should, all the time.
got butter in the fridge? everyone should all the time.
how to stretch that into a meal?
reduce that milk with plenty of butter in a sauce pan with garlic powder, salt, black pepper, and a little chile powder. boom! alfredo with a little zing.
put on ramen or cheap box of kroger penne noodels with pieces from a whole cooked chicken or ground beef/venison
got whole milk in the fridge? everyone should, all the time.
got butter in the fridge? everyone should all the time.
how to stretch that into a meal?
reduce that milk with plenty of butter in a sauce pan with garlic powder, salt, black pepper, and a little chile powder. boom! alfredo with a little zing.
put on ramen or cheap box of kroger penne noodels with pieces from a whole cooked chicken or ground beef/venison
WestKyHunt
Well-known member
If a feller wanted to get into canning, what kind of pressure cooker shoulf he get?
I've always wanted to get into it, but have no clue where to begin.
My wife's grandmother cans vegetables, but from what I understand that is a different process
I've always wanted to get into it, but have no clue where to begin.
My wife's grandmother cans vegetables, but from what I understand that is a different process
D
Deleted member 16014
Guest
There's not much cheaper per ounce than potatoes and bananas from the "going bad" pile. We stick slightly past bananas in the freezer for smoothies later. I like to bake a few potatoes to keep in the fridge for the week. Then cube them and fry with a diced green pepper and eggs for a pretty fast/cheap but filling breakfast.
Canning can be cheaper, but the margin isn't as friendly depending on the item and method. Water bath is easy and fairly cheap, but buying a quality pressure canner, keeping stocked on lids/jars, and heating it for several hours (for those of us at high elevation) is certainly an expense. We enjoy the taste and convenience of canned meat a lot, so it's worth it even if the cost was a wash.
Canning can be cheaper, but the margin isn't as friendly depending on the item and method. Water bath is easy and fairly cheap, but buying a quality pressure canner, keeping stocked on lids/jars, and heating it for several hours (for those of us at high elevation) is certainly an expense. We enjoy the taste and convenience of canned meat a lot, so it's worth it even if the cost was a wash.
jryoung
Well-known member
@WestKyHunt
If you want to can meat, meat products, or other low acid foods get an All-American. Buy once, cry once. I've done hundreds of quarts in mine over the last 10 years.
If you want to do high acid foods, tomato sauce, pickles etc. the basic enameled waterbath is fine. If you find yourself processing a bunch of foods, you can upgrade to a larger stainless box that can hold up to 15 quarts at a time. There are some kickass canning books out there now, between the rise of the food movement, hipsters and mommy bloggers there are some fantastic recipes that I would have never considered.
If you want to can meat, meat products, or other low acid foods get an All-American. Buy once, cry once. I've done hundreds of quarts in mine over the last 10 years.
If you want to do high acid foods, tomato sauce, pickles etc. the basic enameled waterbath is fine. If you find yourself processing a bunch of foods, you can upgrade to a larger stainless box that can hold up to 15 quarts at a time. There are some kickass canning books out there now, between the rise of the food movement, hipsters and mommy bloggers there are some fantastic recipes that I would have never considered.
WestKyHunt
Well-known member
Thanks for the information!
that reminds me, the reduced price pile of meat at kroger can be killer deals. i still have a frozen pork butt in my freezer that came out to like 75 cents a pound.
D
Deleted member 16014
Guest
Another thing I like to add to my breakfast to mix it up is pork Chorizo. It's cheap to begin with, and it only takes about two ounces to add a ton of flavor to anything you cook in a skillet.
I throw a couple ounces of chorizo in a pan and cook for @ two minutes until it just starts to brown and releases it's fat. Toss in half a diced green pepper and some cubed (already baked) potato, coating in that lovely orange grease. Cover for a couple minutes untouched. Stir and push to the edge of the pan to let it finish. In the center fry a couple of eggs to your preference. If you're a rich MF and have sour cream and chives toss some on top. haha
I throw a couple ounces of chorizo in a pan and cook for @ two minutes until it just starts to brown and releases it's fat. Toss in half a diced green pepper and some cubed (already baked) potato, coating in that lovely orange grease. Cover for a couple minutes untouched. Stir and push to the edge of the pan to let it finish. In the center fry a couple of eggs to your preference. If you're a rich MF and have sour cream and chives toss some on top. haha
CycleFishHunt
Well-known member
Fried rice is one of the main clean-out-the-fridge meals in our house. Gather up all the little bits of leftover and sad looking veggies, scraps of meat, herbs, etc, fry it up with some rice. It does not have to be Asian inspired.
Same with frittatas, but instead of rice use about 8 eggs and some grated cheese. Saute everything, add the eggs and cheese, put it in a 10" ovenproof skillet and bake at 350º until set.
Bonus: slice the leftover frittata put it on crusty bread with some greens, some dressing, or sriracha mayo for lunch the next day.
Double bonus: fried rice and frittatas are generally a hit with kids.
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BackofBeyond
Well-known member
I started with a Presto, but echo @jryoung with a recommendation for an All American. I managed to find one at an estate sale recently, but haven't gotten to use it yet. It seems like a very nice bit of kit. Won't be long and I'll use the two side by side for a true comparison.
If you keep your eyes open, and have the cash in hand, you can get into it for a deal. I ended up buying the All American, three more water bath pots, and 6 boxes of jars, rings, and new-in-the-box lids for $350.
rideold
Well-known member
I don't think I can stretch my pantry any more than I have. Learned early on when my wife started her first graduate degree that we either learn some tricks or starve. I have always bought whole chickens, watched the meat counter for sales and stocked the freezer when the price came down enough, save every garlic/onion/carrot/celery/parsley etc. trimming along with the backs from the whole chickens to make broth. We went so far as to buy a whole cow and butchered it to fill an empty freezer one time.
Bam Bam
Active member
We started raising a couple rabbits this year (because we can keep rabbits in the city). We also bought a small chest freezer, started a garden this Spring, and applied for several doe tags that we normally wouldn't bother with. We may not need all that, but I would rather be one step ahead, if prices keep going up.
2rocky
Well-known member
- Joined
- Jul 23, 2010
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1) Meal planning before shopping makes sure you are not buying things you never use in your pantry.
2) have crockpot/instant pot staples in bulk (Rice, potatoes, onions, carrots, Canned tomatoes.)
3) Read the Wednesday Grocery specials that come in the paper to look for deals on perishable items.
3b) have a list of "Trigger prices" on things you can stock up on. https://www.thedailymeal.com/entertain/groceries-to-buy-on-sale-with-coupons-gallery
3b1) https://mygrocerydeals.com/quick_shop
2) have crockpot/instant pot staples in bulk (Rice, potatoes, onions, carrots, Canned tomatoes.)
3) Read the Wednesday Grocery specials that come in the paper to look for deals on perishable items.
3b) have a list of "Trigger prices" on things you can stock up on. https://www.thedailymeal.com/entertain/groceries-to-buy-on-sale-with-coupons-gallery
3b1) https://mygrocerydeals.com/quick_shop
We can pasta sauces and make jelly from fruits. But depending on how you allocate the costs, the meat get get from hunting is our biggest savings. I am going hunting regardless, so I tell the wife the meat is free! We haven't bought red meat in over 10 years. We buy our whole chickens from a farmer friend. We buy a few chicken breasts from Costco and a little bit of seafood, but that is it for meat.
Funny story: My 14 year old son buys a ticket at our Pheasants Forever banquet on the meat/freezer raffle. Why a 14 year old boy would do this over a gun ticket is beyond me, but he does. then he wins it. As we are taking the meat out to load the freezer someone mentions a ribeye and Tbone. My boys go, "what is a Tbone and Ribeye?" Everyone looks at me (knowing we are big meat eaters) with bewilderment. I said, "Yeah, they have never had a ribeye or Tbone, all we eat is wild game and never call it that". Side note: when we cooked them side by side, wild game came out on top!
Funny story: My 14 year old son buys a ticket at our Pheasants Forever banquet on the meat/freezer raffle. Why a 14 year old boy would do this over a gun ticket is beyond me, but he does. then he wins it. As we are taking the meat out to load the freezer someone mentions a ribeye and Tbone. My boys go, "what is a Tbone and Ribeye?" Everyone looks at me (knowing we are big meat eaters) with bewilderment. I said, "Yeah, they have never had a ribeye or Tbone, all we eat is wild game and never call it that". Side note: when we cooked them side by side, wild game came out on top!
DouglasR
Well-known member
Sorry if this is a derailment from the thread, but does anyone have any coupon apps they use?
DouglasR
Well-known member
Again, sorry if this is a d-rail or we’ve already discussed this, but I always use a 6% cash back credit card and the coupon/savings app for the grocery store I’m shopping at.
Adds up pretty quick.
Adds up pretty quick.
Bam Bam
Active member
Just make sure that your credit card balance is 0 by the end of each month. If you start paying credit card interest, your 6% will disappear quickly!
with kroger at least, paying attention to the digital coupons can be a big saver on some items.
i'm always focused on protein items when it comes to savings, i don't care if rice is on sale or not, it's cheap regardless, and i buy it at costco.
for example, i found t bones at kroger that were already marked down to like 8 bucks a pound, if you pay attention and find the digital coupon they were offering you could get em for about 5 bucks a pound, limit two packages though. every week or two there is almost always some steak or meat item on that digital coupon list. if you only buy your grocery store meat that way meat's not too expensive.
but really we gotta just put in the small amount of effort it takes to pick up half a cow every year to supplement our wild game.
yes we have on average what comes to 60-90 lbs of wild game in the fridge every year. but that's really not much as a couple that cooks up meat for at least dinner every single day. and especially because i like to save a lot of wild game for when we have family and friends over, and then it's really not much meat. i gotta really figure out how to fill a bull and cow tag every single year.
Bam Bam
Active member
Don't we all?
