Buy seasonal produce.
Cooking for just two people can actually be harder than preparing a meal for a crowd. You either end up with too much food or spend too much buying smaller portions of meats or expensive takeout. Fret not, once you know a few simple tips to frugal cooking for two you can dine cheaply and well. Add this to my Recipe Box.
Buying Strategies
Frugality in the kitchen starts with a solid buying strategy. Check your store circular for sale meats and plan your week's meals around those items. Most sale meats are sold in large family packs, but you can bring them home, divide into two-serving portions and freeze.
To get the best price, buy larger quantities of rice, beans, grains and pasta. These dry staples last a very long time with proper storage. Tip: Don't buy spices in bulk, they lose their potency after a year. Grow your own fresh herbs on a sunny windowsill or buy fresh or dried in small quantities.
Cooking Strategies
Broadening your cooking strategy follows logically if you are cooking frugally for two. Pasta, beans and grains like rice, bulgur wheat, quinoa and barley are both cheap and satisfying. Many people think they don't like whole grains because they don't know cook them properly. Try cooking rice, bulgur and barley in chicken or vegetable stock instead of water and sprinkle herbs into the cooking water as well: This adds tons of flavor.
Combine two of these ingredients and you'll have a meal with complete protein. These ingredients work great with soups or Indian, Mediterranean and Middle Eastern cuisine. Try having a vegetarian meal at least twice a week, you'll cut your grocery costs and improve your health at the same time.
When you buy cheaper cuts of meat, the way you cook it makes all the difference. Whether its chicken, beef or pork, brown the meat first to add color, flavor and seal in the juices. Then cook it slowly in a covered pot, either in the oven or a crockpot. For recipe ideas, try crockpot.cdkitchen.com.
Timing Strategy
Save money by buying fruits, vegetables and herbs in season. Get apples, pears and squash in the fall, strawberries in June and July, tomatoes and blueberries in August and citrus in the winter months. Asparagus, broccoli and fresh peas are cheapest when bought in the spring, string beans in the summer and root vegetables in the fall and winter. Remember, frozen vegetables are almost as nutritious as fresh, so compare prices on your favorites.
Food Storage Approaches
Buy good quality, freezer-safe plasticware so you can make normal-sized recipes and freeze half for another meal. You'll cut down on wasted food and won't have to eat leftovers of the same dish for days.
If you want to cook and buy larger portions and freeze them, you may want to consider buying a second freezer to keep in the garage or basement. You can find them second hand from the want ads for half the price of new, sometimes for free.
Grow Your Own
If you really want to save on produce, try making a small garden. You don't have to be a gardener. It is easy to grow tomatoes, peppers and herbs on a sunny deck, roof or fire escape. Simply buy potted seedlings in the spring, put three or four to a large pot and place in full sun, watering when the soil gets dry. Once you get the hang of it, you can branch out to lettuces, peas and beans.
Tags: beans grains, herbs sunny, portions freeze, rice bulgur, sale meats