Winter is coming and as such, the need to cook hot and warming meals is ramping up. The problem is that we have the looming energy bill increase and the cost of running things like our ovens looming over our heads. We thought we would share with you some ideas on ways to save money when you cook this winter.
Make The Most of Everything
One of the biggest ways to save money in the kitchen is to avoid food waste as much as possible. There are loads of interesting ideas of things you can do with leftovers, so eating food rather than throwing it away doesn’t need to be a chore. If you’re going to splash out on something like a roast chicken then making the most of this is a must – not only do you want to make the most of the meat, but you want to pick at the bits you would usually just leave too. Boiling bones to make chicken stock is a great way to make the most of our your chicken and give everyone a healthy, delicious and piping hot meal too!
Be Savvy
Making the most out of everything isn’t just about using up leftover food but about learning to be savvy in the kitchen too. For example, if you have boiled some water that isn’t dirty (you’ve used it to boil eggs for example) then pouring this hot water into your sink with some soap gives you hot water to do the dishes with for free. If you have had the oven on then leaving the door open to allow this heat to eat up the kitchen and other rooms can help too. The equipment you use to cook can make all of the difference too – for example, a slow cooker or an air fryer are often most cost-effective than turning on the oven. Head to a decent butcher (Swaledale Butchers for example), stock up on their affordable meat and then you always have something that you can throw in the slow cooker and make that is easy to cook and hasn’t cost the Earth.
Batch Cook
Batch cooking is a great idea because usually cooking two of something in an air fryer or oven takes no more time than cooking one. So if you’re making a pasta bake or similar then why not make and cook two at the same time? It will freeze once it’s cooled and you have an easy-to-reach-for dinner for the future that you won’t even need to switch on the oven for to enjoy! If you cant batch cook then even just making a couple of extra portions of something for you to enjoy for lunch for a day or two can help bring down the cost of using your kitchen this winter.
Freeze Everything
Your freeze is a godsend when it comes to looking at ways to save money when you cook this winter because there is so much you can freeze. For example, did you know you can freeze sandwiches? We didn’t until a few weeks ago! Cook up vegetables that would otherwise be going out of date and freeze them ready to use at later date – no more waste!
Shop Sensibly
It goes without saying that in order to save money being a sensible shopper is a must. Make use of apps such as Too Good To Go, meal plan so you only buy what you need and make use of discount codes and loyalty points to save as much money on your grocery shopping as possible.
If you have any ideas on ways to save money when you cook this winter we’d love you to share them.