Tips for a n00b

[guest2013-1]

First off, want to start adding "Shopping tips" somehow. Like, where to go for the best quality/cheapest bulk minced meat you can repack/freeze yourself (my dad does that) etc (let's start in Johannesburg, but add your area too)

As for what I'm planning to buy so far, I've come up with this more or less:

Rice
Noodles
Pasta
Lasagne sheets
Couscous
Polenta
Half decent olive oil
Plain vegetable or sunflower oil
white wine vinegar
Ground cumin, coriander, cinnamon, paprika, chilli powder, mixed herbs.
Salt and pepper
Vegetable stock cubes
Spice blends – Cajun, Chinese 5 spice, garum masala, mixed spice
Tinned fish – tuna/salmon/sardines
Tinned tomatoes (or carton of passata)
Tinned beans
Tinned Fruit
Baking
Sugar (white and/or brown)
Plain flour
Baking powder
Vanilla essence
Butter
Eggs
Milk
Mayonnaise
Potato
Onion
Garlic
Bread
Mustard
Pesto
Horseradish sauce
Worcestershire sauce
Soy sauce
Jam

This will cost me an estimated R730 and stocks my cabinets with some stuff I can use over time that won't necessarily go off.

Like I said in my opening sentence, I'm moving on to meats now, but want to avoid big chain supermarkets and focus on butchery prices (they sometimes cheaper, but post here anyway)

Do you buy whole chicken/cut them up and freeze them for later use?
Do you make your own burgers instead of buying premade ones?
Where do you buy meat in bulk to cook with? (Mince/steak/goulash/whatever)
etc

(BTW, your advice in the other thread didn't go unnoticed, I'll look at premade frozen meals/2minute noodles etc a bit later too)

 

[ChilliGirl]

/can see from your list what meal types you prefer.

Regarding meat... The cheapest is not always best. Shop around a bit. Try different places. Then decide on the place that is best suited to your taste buds/pocket..

 

[cerebus]

I agree, cheap isn't necessarily better with meat. Cheap bits of meat will taste worse. We only buy organic chicken for instance. But bulk buying meat can be good value. We normally get enough for one month's supply in one shop and just freeze everything. Fruit and Veg City often has these meat bulk packs and you can save quite a bit.

Problem with trying to shop in all these different places to save money is 1) the hassle and 2) The driving cost itself is going to eat up any savings.

We do 1 major shop in month beginning, top up with small purchases (snacks, ad-hoc ingredients, milk) and do another minor veg/fruit shop in the middle of month because that stuff has a limited shelf life. But we get enough at the beginning that we'll be 100% ok no matter what else happens.

Don't forget your lentils btw - cheap, delicious and easy. And if possible I always prefer rice over pasta in a dish where they are interchangeable. It has a more subtle flavour. Can you cook rice properly?

Plain flour
Baking powder
Vanilla essence
Butter
Eggs
Milk

You going to start baking? MrsC is great but I'm terrified of baking myself.

 

[blunomore]

Why do you want sunflower oil ?

 

[cerebus]

Olive oil isn't always best for dishes, esp non-Western. It can add too much individual flavour.

 

[guest2013-1]

Why do you want sunflower oil ?

Olive oil isn't always best for dishes, esp non-Western. It can add too much individual flavour.

^This. Plus I don't like to spend R200+ on Olive oil for frying.

I agree, cheap isn't necessarily better with meat.

No, when I said cheap I didn't mean it should be interchangeable with quality. I must have tried to be more clear there. My dad will buy like 10kg of mince meat at the butcher (not chain super store) that usually contains less fat than the "extra lean" crap at supermarkets (they add fat/water to make it weigh more etc Especially in boerewors where they moer in soya or oats that soak up nice amounts of water)

Then he makes little packs of about 500g up and freezes that. It works out cheaper than the supermarket crap and lasts longer than just a month (usually enough for at least 6 months depending on what we eat)

He does the same for goulash and chicken breasts etc. (actually, my dad tends to buy meat in bulk then mince it himself sometimes too)

So the meat is definitely much better quality (even better than those bulk packs), and in the end of the day I don't really mind not saving money with the extra drive I need to take or effort. I know I'll be stocked up for a decent while and have a great quality.

You going to start baking? MrsC is great but I'm terrified of baking myself.

Yup, I enjoy baking, but those are more for sauces and different kinds of stews I might want to make and the odd pudding

 

[blunomore]

Olive oil isn't always best for dishes, esp non-Western. It can add too much individual flavour.

But isn't sunflower oil terribly unhealthy compared to olive oil?

 

[guest2013-1]

But isn't sunflower oil terribly unhealthy compared to olive oil?

How many litres of (very expensive) Olive oil would you use to fry something? It'll also taste awful if you **** it up because the boiling point of Olive oil (where is our science guy?!) is much lower than sunflower oil.

I won't moer sunflower oil on a salad. It's a tool with a different use entirely.

 

[cerebus]

But isn't sunflower oil terribly unhealthy compared to olive oil?

A bit, a bit. But you want to fry chips or make a stir fry in olive oil be my guest.

 

[ponder]

It'll also taste awful if you **** it up because the boiling point of Olive oil (where is our science guy?!) is much lower than sunflower oil.

 

[AvatarS]

But isn't sunflower oil terribly unhealthy compared to olive oil?

There isn't really an oil that's better than another, as they each have their benefits and are better suited to certain methods of cooking. Sunflower oil is higher in polyunsaturated fats than olive oil, but has pretty high monounsaturated fat levels and also has omega-6 acids. (I do stand to be corrected on this, as I'm going on memory rather than checking the facts.)
The key is moderation, regardless of which you use.

@Acid - seems you have a good start there. I would add some other tinned stuff and frozen veggies for when you want low-effort/running low on funds.

 

[blunomore]

A bit, a bit. But you want to fry chips or make a stir fry in olive oil be my guest.

I do not fry foods at home, simply because I very seldom if ever eat fried foods; maybe Nando's wedges once a week.

I always use olive oil for stirfries. You only use a little bit.

 

[web]

I do not fry foods at home, simply because I very seldom if oever eat fried foods; maybe Nando's wedges once a week.

I always use olive oil for stirfries. You only use a little bit.

I always thought for stir fry you are meant to use a nut oil like peanut oil due to its lack of taste and high smoking temperature, come on Blu you not watching enough channel 180. 185 has to many American programs and I saw one where they deep fried a beef roast.

 

[Azbubu]

The type of oil you use for cooking should depend on it's smoke point. Olive oil has no benefit over any other oil if used incorrectly.

 

[blunomore]

I always thought for stir fry you are meant to use a nut oil like peanut oil due to its lack of taste and high smoking temperature, come on Blu you not watching enough channel 180.

Yes, I need to increase my tv watching !

 

[ponder]

I always thought for stir fry you are meant to use a nut oil like peanut oil due to its lack of taste and high smoking temperature, come on Blu you not watching enough channel 180.

Pretty much, olive oil is not suited for very high heat.