COST OF LIVING COOKING HABITS
There’s two ways about it, the rise in cost of living is a huge worry for so many of us. What can we do in the heart of the home, the kitchen, to help? Perhaps it’s a time to reflect on our cooking behaviours and work on shifting into a new way of gathering and cooking. Shopping and cooking smarter alongside being mindful of how we use the kitchen, will make a big difference to the bills and maybe help you find more adventure in the kitchen too.
Here are 9 things to consider in the kitchen to cook and consume smarter…
1/ USING A SLOW COOKER/ AIR FRYER
Slow cookers use considerably less energy than hobs or ovens. They are also sort of, in my eyes, a magic cauldron.. You chuck everything in with minimal effort then 6 hours later wham bam you have a warming, nourishing potion which is reward for bugger all! So much greater than the sum of its effort or care. You can also be adventurous and great to do with kids too. Trial and error and playful approach works best. I’ll work on getting some slow cooker recipes down for you but in short, spices, chopped garlic, onions, veg, legumes or meat then broth or stock, sometimes tomato puree or passata, sometimes coconut milk, and time, and you can’t go too far wrong. Remember you can always add flavour later too to ramp up or balance out. I do brown my meat before popping it in, to ramp up the flavour, but it’s not a must. Air fryers are so versatile and use up less electric than the hob/ oven. Mine does oven, grill, air crisp, dehydration, slow cooker, yoghurt making (!), endless possibilities.
2/ SHOP AT YOUR LOCAL MARKET FOR FRUIT AND VEG
You get more for your money, always! Or consider a local veg/ box company near you, some farms do this directly, This is also a way to lean into eating more seasonally which is cheaper, better for flavour and generally a more sustainable way of eating. Make sure to wash your veg always then pat dry and pop in fridge.
3/ REFLECT ON YOUR CURRENT FOOD WASTE
Begin to notice what you get left with or don’t use in time, what looks sad and winds up in la poubelle. Are you very quick to throw something away that actually is still okay to eat? Veg that might need a layer peeling off it but is ACTUALLY OKAY. Keep opened cheese in little tuppawears so it lasts, rather than a corner of the packet being exposed, cue hard cracked cheese. Most things can be frozen, plus making a huge soup with odds and ends on the way out is always satisfying, see here for my go to recipe for anything and everything soup!
4/ COOK THINGS UP ALL AT THE SAME TIME
Veg- Boil/steam al dente, saute in a pan or roast. Keep in fridge and use across meals OR put some in the freezer once cooked, in freezer bags. Add to salads, sauces, curries, stews when needed, rather than using half of these things then forgetting about the rest at back of fridge. Or prep some meat and fish then use in different ways (cooking whole chicken then using multiple times as an example and use same approach with other meat/fish/veg. This saves hob or oven energy and time! I often saute up courgettes for salads, roast hassleback aubergine for parmigiana, boil new potatoes then use in various things, rather than cook half a packet for what I need at the time.
5/ DON’T TURN THAT OVEN ON… UNLESS YOU’RE ROASTING MULTIPLE THINGS
Make it work hard for you when you do turn that baby on! Alongside whatever you are using the oven for… pop some jacket potatoes in for the day after roast veg for salads, roast some make a tray bake of some sort then make an incredible dressing to go with it and eat cold or hot (reheat in microwave) in following days. Roast/bake bloody anything that you have that you can. I have stopped oven use for one thing entirely, putting small rules in place in this case will work in our favour for the energy purse strings. Normally I never advocate for rules in the kitchen, it should be a place free of boundaries and a place of play, but these sorts of rules are worth considering in this climate.
6/ DO A STORE CUPBOARD INVENTORY
Do you do the supermarket shop and buy the same things, things you already have to ‘stock up’. Stocking up is good… if you are buying in bulk and it’s cheaper in the long run, for instance if things are on offer you use regularly. But, do you buy the same store cupboard staples, then never actually get to using the ones right at the back of the cupboard, then you move house and realise theres a vintage tin of chickpeas in there which went out of date 5 years ago? I do this sometimes, on autopilot when shopping. An inventory is a great way to use all the things you have, building meals around those cupboard staples. Almost set yourself that challenge, it may even shake up your meal times as you HAVE to use everything you’ve got before buying more store cupboard staples! Can you do it? I’m going to in the next few weeks. You could do the same with your spice collection, pull it out see what you have,
7/ BOILING THE GAD DAMN KETTLE.
…Is expensive. How many times a day do you do it? Time for teapots. Or invest in a huge flask and fill with hot water in the morning, then use across the day. I personally don’t boil the kettle much, I make home blended herbal infusions in the morning in a tea pot and drink across the day, when the tea in pot is cold, thats how I enjoy it, but a flask is key if wanting hot tea all day! Experiment with what works and tastes up to par!
8/ BULK ORDER STORE CUPBOARD MALARKEY
During and post store cupboard inventory, and using up- if you get round to doing this… Write a list of all the store cupboard things you/ the people in your house love and bulk buy…Whether thats grains, nuts, seeds, pulses, sauces like soy…and rather than buy small bottles or packets of these at the supermarkets, consider buying in larger bulk, wither from Mediterranean or asian supermarkets or online. You may not have a large kitchen to store things, but do you have a gap under you bed that will snuggly fit a shallow box you can squirrel away larger quantities of food? The space you need to shop in this way does not need to be limited to the kitchen cupboards. Just be sure that box you store stuff in has a lid. Asian sauces such as soy, oyster, sesame, vinegar etc are a huge amount cheaper in larger bottles, as opposed to the small ones you get in big shops. As well as the things you know and love have a think about adding in store cupboard staples to bulk out soups and salads which are bonza for the body- quinoa, buckwheat, wholewheat vermicelli, pulses. Perhaps not things you would usually go for but that are great slow release complex carbs to include into your ingredients rotation.
9/ BEFRIEND YOUR FREEZER
