Let’s be real, times are tough, money is tight, and not all is right. But that doesn’t need to stop us from pursuing our passions in life, and if food is your passion then you are reading the right article. This article was created to teach current foodies as well as potential foodies how they can pursue their appetite for top quality and interesting delicacies without breaking the bank.
food⋅ie [foo-dee]-
noun Slang. a person keenly interested in food, esp. in eating or cooking.
“Eating or cooking”, that is the most important part of defining a foodie. That is because there are two different types of foodies, those who love to eat and experience food as an art and those who cook themselves to experience the same fine dining experience. Being a foodie can only be enjoyed at its heightened level, which costs a great deal of money. Who would want to be a “fast food” foodie or a “free lunch” foodie? The highest of feelings and experience can only be enjoyed when dining upon top quality food, which in populated areas such as Atlanta, will be expensive. However there is a solution…
Cooking. Meals can be prepared for fractions of the cost when you prepare them yourself. A bowl of wild mushroom risotto can cost over twenty five dollars at a high end restaurant but if you can prepare it yourself, a mere two to three dollars. The only thing standing in people’s way is the skills needed to cook fine cuisine. Once learned though, you can be a top level foodie on minimum wage.
The main issue stopping people from becoming foodies is the thought that healthy food is expensive and unhealthy food is cheap. That is wrong. In the article 10 Tips To Save Money While Eating Healthy written on May 20, 2009. The popular myth is disproved and testified too against fast food.
It is a sad reflection on our culture that so many people rely on fast food for their daily sustenance, and my heart goes out to those who truly cannot afford better. But I contend that many of the bad decisions we make about food each day are more an issue of (perceived) convenience than price.
Last I checked burritos in San Francisco averaged over $5. And if you have properly set up your kitchen you will find it actually takes less time to cook a healthy meal than it does to place and fill your order at Papalote.
The cost of preparing a burrito is under one dollar. Rice, Lettuce, Tomato, beans, and some type of meat. All of this can be easily found at home, so convenience should not be an issue either. You can even use the leftovers for a later meal, for example:
Take leftover hamburgers from yesterday’s dinner and chop them up. The meat can now be combined with a jar of spaghetti sauce to make a quick pasta dinner. Since the meat is already cooked you just saved a lot of time. If you use your imagination you can come up with lots of meal ideas that will give your leftovers a whole new twist.
So why do people still eat out? Because they are too lazy to cook, have a need to eat out, or have the finances available. No matter the excuse, or lack of excuse, there are ways to improve the quality and quantity of your fridge with the lovely stuff we call food. Here are some tips for the hard working home cooks to save money and time.
- Shop on weekends: If you already have fresh food in the fridge you will be more motivated to cook for yourself instead of going out and spending money.
- Shop seasonally: When choosing what to eat, taste trumps health 90% of the time. If you really want to start eating healthy you must want to eat vegetables, and that will only happen if the ones you buy taste delicious. Seasonal, farm fresh produce can completely change how you feel about vegetables and fruits–it also tends to be the best deal in the produce section.
- Shop at the farmers market: There is no denying that the best tasting grocery store produce is at Whole Foods. But if you have ever been shopping there you know what a dent it can put in your wallet (this does not apply to their non-fresh items, which are competitively priced and often cheaper than anywhere I have seen). Rather than handing over your Whole Paycheck or settling for less than inspiring options at Safeway, do your weekly produce shopping at your local farmers market.
- Buy in bulk: Canned beans are fine, but dried beans taste better and are way cheaper. Grains from the bulk bins at your local health food store are only pennies per serving. Cook these staples in large batches and save them in your freezer for cheap, quick and nutritious food anytime. Just add some greens and you’re good to go.
Learning when to shop, how to shop, and where to shop is critical in saving money. Discounts, price cuts, and buying in bulk are great ways to stockpile highly used foods. You can even find great deals in what you call “junk” in the Sunday paper, just skim through and cut out coupons, this will save you a lot of money. The only thing left to do after purchasing food, hopefully your saving money with discounts, deals, and coupons, is learn how to cook.
Cooking is a learned art form and if mastered, you can cook the finest of meals for the most meticulous of foodies. If you need help cooking there are TV shows dedicated to showing you how to prepare meals, in fact, there is an entire channel. The Food Network! Apart from learning the basics and even the true art of cooking, there are some simple tips and tricks that will enhance your day to day meals.
Bacon: Reduce shrinkage by running cold water over it before frying.
Beans: Stop gas attacks by adding a tablespoon of bicarbonate of soda in a big pot of beans while they are soaking.
Boiled Eggs: Add some vinegar or a little salt to the boiling water when boiling eggs. This basic cooking tips will keep the egg in the shell if it cracks.
Ripening Fruits and Vegetables: Put your unripe fruit and vegetables in a brown paper bag and place the bag in a dark cupboard for few day. Using this basic cooking tips is an excellent way to save money on fruits and vegetables that has to be ripened.
Salads: Cut your iceberg lettuce into wedges instead of tearing salad greens to save some time making a salad.
Spaghetti Sauce: Add a small pinch of bicarbonate of soda to your spaghetti sauce to lower the acid taste from the tomatoes.
Corn: Place the corn directly into boiling water, and do not add salt. Do not boil corn for more than three minutes. Overcooking reduces the taste level.
Knowing these simple tips will help you prepare a tasty, healthy, and hardy meal. But the most important tip is to think of cooking like writing, “Only if one is inspired, can one get to cooking with any medium.” This means that you need to embrace cooking as a new found passion, experiment with different food items and try mixing and matching flavors. Another major concern when cooking is the price of food. But this can be avoided by a smart shopper and a knowledgeable chef who can substitute low quality comparables to make a top quality dish.
We already know when, where, and how to purchase discount food, but now we need to learn how to take lower quality food and bump the taste and flavor to that of the high quality dish we all desire. You can mimic high priced flavors with low cost comparables. For instance, instead of purchasing New York strip steak you can purchase steak shoulder cuts and tenderize the meat with a mallet, tenderizing salt, and some flavorful spices and herbs. This can take time and may not taste as good as the real thing, but if done properly it can be very similar!
A foodie on a budget can experience the same pleasures as those who don’t need to budget. The work required to dine upon top quality food and experience a comparable atmosphere is exponential to that required of someone with money to spend. Yet, a true foodie will work for what they desire. Arming yourself with this knowledge combined with the skills of a mediocre chef and you can be a very successful foodie on a budget.
Credits:
"Be Creative With Planned Leftovers." Eating On a Budget. 2006. Web. 25 Oct. 2009.
"15 Simple Cooking Tips To Make Your Life Easier!" ABC Article Directory. Web. 25 Oct. 2009.
"10 Tips To Save Money While Eating Healthy." Summer Tomato. 20 May 2009. Web. 25 Oct. 2009.
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