The Joy of Home Cooked Meals

[KingM34]

Americans spend forty-six percent of their food budget on meals prepared outside the home. It’s a shocking statistic, but at one time I probably approached sixty to seventy percent of my food budget on meals prepared by other people. Some of this, ironically, came from attempts to rein in my grocery spending.

My strategy when I went to the grocery store used to be to minimize how much money I spent while still getting enough food to survive for the week. I would buy the cheapest loaf of bread, the cheapest cheese, the cheapest kind of apple, milk, etc. Of course, all these foods tasted pretty bad, but when buying for the whole family it felt like I was saving a good deal of money with every trip.

The ironic thing is that at the time we were eating out three or four times a week and at least half the days I would eat out for lunch as well, taking a break with some coworkers to hit up the local Thai or Mexican place. Not only was all of this eating out costing me a lot of money, but restaurant portions are huge and I gained a fair amount of weight. So much of my meals came from either highly processed foods or oversized portions that I frequently felt lethargic and in need of a nap.

Read the rest: http://theopinionator.com/selfsufficiency/homecooked1.html

[Ilsa]

1. Yeah, and if you can't take a dragon bag out of the restaurant,

you feel bad about leaving all that food behind. We still eat out a little, but most of our eating is at home.

What you spend on a meal at a restaurant could be spent on higher quality produce and food at home, such as organic milk. Organic cheese is pretty pricey and I don't get that since I have to occasionally trim mold off cheese. But the milk is worth it because it lasts so much longer.

[JHB]

2. Aaaaaand how!

Quick note for KingM34: If you're the author of the original article, say so. If you're not, just add a note at top ("Found something interesting I'd like to share" or some such) and hopefully add your own comments to the quoted text as well. End of formatting lecture ;)

One of the most useful things in the world these days are just "cooking basics" classes, for those of us who never really learned and could use a little structure on where to start.

[Mind_your_head]

3. This is the BEST Cook Book ever (for novice and experienced) cooks/chefs

Easy Basics for Good Cooking

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0376020881/ref=ed_oe_h/103-8743703-5518258?%5Fencoding=UTF8

It's out of print, but still available used. Read the reviews, they all say the same thing. It explains cooking terms and has great pictures to illustrate techniques very simply. You'll be "up and cooking" great homemade meals in no time at all!

Good Luck and Have Fun!

[fasttense]

4. Interesting article. Thanks for posting it.

I have always loved to cook. So there really has never been any question about eating out or eating a home cooked meal. My food always tastes better than restaurant food. Especially in the summer and spring when I grow my own tomatoes, cucumbers, lettuce, peas, beans, squash and herbs. My husband maintains about six different fruit trees so we get a fair amount of good fruit too. But the trap of buying low quality ingredients then avoiding them by eating out is one I've seen in many homes.

I buy low quality for things I will be mixing into better items. For example cheap canned tomatoes can be fixed up with spices and sugar. Processed sugar is all the same but if I'm going to decorate cookies with the sugar, I buy the fancy kind. I'll use cheap butter in the cookie recipe but what goes on my homemade bread is only the best.

But I have to say it is a lot more work. On average, it takes me two hours to put dinner on the table. But that includes picking, washing, trimming, peeling, chopping and cooking.

It's worth it though because my teenagers, husband and myself are slim and healthy. Which is kind of strange because I make tons of food when I cook and include a dessert.

[itzamirakul]

7. EVERYONE! Invest in a cast iron skillet or grill pan to use on your

stovetop. I have used cast iron skillets for the past 50+ years, but last month I finally broke down and bought one of the (square)cast iron skillets that has the grill ridges in the bottom.

I cannot even BEGIN to tell you how delicious food is cooked in this skillet. I sometimes use a spray oil or else rub the meat/vegetables with a little olive oil just before cooking. The taste is fabulous!

I still enjoy foods cooked in the traditional cast iron skillets with vegetable oil, but this grill skillet sort of keeps the meat raised enough to allow heat to circulate or something...whatever it is...WOW! I should be SELLING these skillets the way I keep encouraging everyone to buy one.

My neighbor just bought his last week after I talked with him. He hasn't cooked for himself for years but after cooking steak, then chicken breasts and veggies in his new pan, he has been reborn as a home cook and we are sharing recipes like crazy!

And I am jealous! I paid $19 for mine which I thought was a huge bargain, but he went to Macy's and caught his on sale for only $9. :)

Anyway...go buy one even if you have a grill in the yard, because you can use it on rainy days or in the winter. (We live in apartments and don't have the luxury of backyard grilling.)

As Rachel Ray says: "DEE-LISH!" :)

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

9. They're great for doing grilled veggies indoor too!

[MindPilot]

5. My (former) in-laws saw cooking at home as a sign of poverty

I had never encountered that attitude before and it was the weirdest thing. We all went on vacation together (BIG effin' mistake!) and were staying at a timeshare condo so we had a full kitchen. The wife and I--overjoyed at finally having the time to fix our own meals and sit down and eat together--set up a menu for the week, went out and bought groceries.

Her mom went went nuts. She thought we bought groceries because we couldn't afford to go out to eat and we had been hiding our financial problems; there was no way we should be on vacation etc etc. There was no telling them any different.

[chaska]

12. That is truly fupduck. There's something wrong with people that don't cook

They need some therapy or something. Cooking one of life's great joys.

[RumpusCat]

6. Learning to cook is one of the best things you can do for yourself

I'm lucky that my parents believed in always cooking dinner and eating it together and saving going to restaurants only occassionally. It helps that my mom is one of the best cooks in the world. :9

I always bring my lunch to work too, be it leftovers or a sandwich or what. My coworkers think I'm strange--apparently lunch-bringing is only for poor people or people on a diet. What gives? Yeah, it helps me save money and eat healthier food, but the truth of it is that I get so tired of eating the greasy lunch junk around my office.

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

8. I love to cook and am good at it

I could go into anyone's cubpoard and as long as they have the basics (salt, pepper, a handful of spices) I can take what is in their fridge and make a decent meal

[Gormy Cuss]

10. I can't imagine not cooking.

I've had spells where I didn't have the time to cook during the week and if I didn't get in a cooking session on the weekend I was a very cranky person.

[LaraMN]

11. When I was growing up, we didn't didn't even dine out on a monthly basis.

We still don't eat at restaurants frequently. I prefer it that way. It saves alot of money and makes it more of an event when we do.