comments:
Good. Meat is very expensive now. Also, I'm not good at math either, but most of this is pattern recognition and eyeballing amounts. The math was just to illustrate how to think in/see portions. In general, the more you use something, such as seasoning and spices, the bigger the container. Example, I use garlic powder a lot, so I buy the big containers. Are they more expensive, yes, but they last me, oh, a good four to six months. If I felt like marking a spread sheet, it would probably average out to buying a container every May/June and December/January. This means I can plan my budget. A few other tricks: - My grandfather would label every can and container with the date he bought it. This let him know how long something had been in the cupboard or pantry. - If you're like me and used to forget which was bigger, a teaspoon or tablespoon; A table is bigger than a teacup. -Generic or Store brand are your friends. Consider brands mentioned in recipes as recommendations, not rules. -Functionally, lowfat is the same as regular in 99% of recipes. Ranch, Cottage Cheese, Sour Cream, low or non fat will serve you well. The same for low/no sodium. - Most creams, vegetables, fruits, and so on can be substituted with something else. - Dice and freeze your vegetables like bell peppers and celery. Check online for other vegetables and how to guides. - Dried Onion Flakes can replace onion in most recipes. - Chives are the same as green onion. - You can usually skip putting salt in a recipe. - Seasonings and sauce can go a long way towards combating texture. I can't stand most raw vegetables plain, but I can chow down on 'em if they're dipped in ranch salad dressing. Steamed or cooked vegetables, same, but if I toss (shake) 'em in a big mixing bowl with garlic salt (Not the same as salt) and black pepper first, then steam or cook and then serve with margarine or butter, they're delicious. Raw Tomatoes, yuck, but I can eat them if they're on a cheeseburger or they're an ingredient in stuff like ketchup. - When you're done with a spice or seasoning, save the bottle and wash it thoroughly, inside and out. If you find yourself using certain specific combinations of spices or seasonings, take one of those, and fill it with the spices. For me, that's 1tsp per ingredient until the bottle is full. A spice funnel will make it easier and create less mess. I use something like these, but I took them off the keyring. Then you can relabel the bottle with a post it note or scrap of paper and some scotch tape. As an example, when making scrambled eggs I like to put in Rosemary, Dried Onion and Parsley, so I filled an empty bottle with those and just make use of that whenever I make eggs. A bit of black pepper too, Should probably just add that to the mix. Chef's Resource and Spruce Eats are my go to websites. Keep in mind, Spruce is kinda gourmet orientated. Anyways, lots of little tricks out there, employ critical thinking, do not be afraid to experiment and try new ideas and variations and enjoy.