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The Lord Bude
May 23, 2007

ASK ME ABOUT MY SHITTY, BOUGIE INTERIOR DECORATING ADVICE
I want to make grilled pork chops; and I want to coat them in some sort of marinade that includes marmalade. What else should I put on them?

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The Midniter
Jul 9, 2001

The Lord Bude posted:

I want to make grilled pork chops; and I want to coat them in some sort of marinade that includes marmalade. What else should I put on them?

Thinly slice red chili peppers and affix to the chops with caul fat. While grilling, baste with marmalade. Sweet, spicy, fatty!

The Lord Bude
May 23, 2007

ASK ME ABOUT MY SHITTY, BOUGIE INTERIOR DECORATING ADVICE

The Midniter posted:

Thinly slice red chili peppers and affix to the chops with caul fat. While grilling, baste with marmalade. Sweet, spicy, fatty!

what is caul fat?

TheNothingNew
Nov 10, 2008

The Lord Bude posted:

what is caul fat?

Wikipedia says it's the fat "netting" that sits around an animal's internal organs.

No idea where you'd get that in the US. Maybe substitute meat netting with some extra fat tucked inside.

MAKE NO BABBYS
Jan 28, 2010
Brine them for at least 24hrs first, then glaze with a sauce made of the marmalade, chilies, garlic, etc.

CommonShore
Jun 6, 2014

A true renaissance man


TheNothingNew posted:

Wikipedia says it's the fat "netting" that sits around an animal's internal organs.

No idea where you'd get that in the US. Maybe substitute meat netting with some extra fat tucked inside.

Suet?

TheNothingNew
Nov 10, 2008

Tucked under the netting? Yeah, perfect for that.

The Lord Bude
May 23, 2007

ASK ME ABOUT MY SHITTY, BOUGIE INTERIOR DECORATING ADVICE

MAKE NO BABBYS posted:

Brine them for at least 24hrs first, then glaze with a sauce made of the marmalade, chilies, garlic, etc.

Going to do this I think. Do you think adding sriracha to the sauce rather than fresh chillies would work?

neogeo0823
Jul 4, 2007

NO THAT'S NOT ME!!

Personally, I'd do a mix of plum sauce and marmalade, maybe with some extra garlic, sage leaves, crushed red pepper, and/or crushed Chipotle peppers for a bit of smoke. Give it that sweet, spicy, smokey sorta flavor. Then boil down the marinade till thicken and glaze as you cook.

The Lord Bude
May 23, 2007

ASK ME ABOUT MY SHITTY, BOUGIE INTERIOR DECORATING ADVICE
Thanks for the advice guys

Thrasophius
Oct 27, 2013

The Lord Bude posted:

I want to make grilled pork chops; and I want to coat them in some sort of marinade that includes marmalade. What else should I put on them?

You want to brine for 24h beforehand, like mentioned, for that super juicy tender chop. For marmalade my personal favourite is some marmalade mixed with hoisin sauce and glazed on the chop, grill that bad boy to get it nice and crispy and you have one delicious chop. Nice and crispy on the outside from the grilling but tender and juicy on the inside from the brine. Bonus if it's done on the BBQ and you have it as a burger.

C-Euro
Mar 20, 2010

:science:
Soiled Meat
Posted this in the general thread, but what are they ways that you all save money on cooking while leaving room to be creative? My wife got laid off this week so our food budget is shrinking, and while she's accepted that she's going to have to learn to love leftovers at my level, I'd like to keep things varied in the kitchen as best I can. My first thought was to get a bunch of meat at a bulk discount, slow cook and shred it on the weekend, and then mix that into whatever I cook during the week. Another idea would just be spend all day Sunday cooking two or three big pots of something, portioning them out into the freezer, and then telling her to just grab what she wants during the week.

Suspect Bucket
Jan 15, 2012

SHRIMPDOR WAS A MAN
I mean, HE WAS A SHRIMP MAN
er, maybe also A DRAGON
or possibly
A MINOR LEAGUE BASEBALL TEAM
BUT HE WAS STILL
SHRIMPDOR

C-Euro posted:

Posted this in the general thread, but what are they ways that you all save money on cooking while leaving room to be creative? My wife got laid off this week so our food budget is shrinking, and while she's accepted that she's going to have to learn to love leftovers at my level, I'd like to keep things varied in the kitchen as best I can. My first thought was to get a bunch of meat at a bulk discount, slow cook and shred it on the weekend, and then mix that into whatever I cook during the week. Another idea would just be spend all day Sunday cooking two or three big pots of something, portioning them out into the freezer, and then telling her to just grab what she wants during the week.

You got the gist of it! Basic cheapo pork shoulder is a must buy when on sale. You can slow cook and shread a whole shoulder, and freeze it in portions. You can have it over rice and vegetables, or beans. You can have it in a sandwich. You can make tacos. You can put some in a soup or beef up (lol) instant ramen noodles. You can top a green salad with it. You can sauce or season it as needed with teriyaki, orange sauce, sweet and sour, chineese 5 spice, any variety of sweet, Mustard, creamy, or vinegar BBQ sauce. Probably a dozen more good sauces I'm not thinking about because I haven't had my coffee.

Pasta sauces are also great to do in bulk and freeze in single or double portions. Nice bulky meat bologneses are great to just throw over some dollar a box pasta and some fresh spinach.

TychoCelchuuu
Jan 2, 2012

This space for Rent.

C-Euro posted:

Posted this in the general thread, but what are they ways that you all save money on cooking while leaving room to be creative? My wife got laid off this week so our food budget is shrinking, and while she's accepted that she's going to have to learn to love leftovers at my level, I'd like to keep things varied in the kitchen as best I can. My first thought was to get a bunch of meat at a bulk discount, slow cook and shred it on the weekend, and then mix that into whatever I cook during the week. Another idea would just be spend all day Sunday cooking two or three big pots of something, portioning them out into the freezer, and then telling her to just grab what she wants during the week.
This cookbook is a good place to start.

Weltlich
Feb 13, 2006
Grimey Drawer
So my local supermarket is running a special for the month. Whole Turkeys at $0.37 a pound.

I'm going to do a thread on it next week, how to butcher a turkey for parts (as opposed to just roasting one whole, as people are used to during the holidays), but I wanted to post this here to let people know to be on the look out for really good deals on whole turkey between now and the end of the month.

effika
Jun 19, 2005
Birds do not want you to know any more than you already do.

Weltlich posted:

So my local supermarket is running a special for the month. Whole Turkeys at $0.37 a pound.

I'm going to do a thread on it next week, how to butcher a turkey for parts (as opposed to just roasting one whole, as people are used to during the holidays), but I wanted to post this here to let people know to be on the look out for really good deals on whole turkey between now and the end of the month.

Post when you make the thread, please, I pretty much live in bookmarks these days.

I saw some giant birds at the supermarket today-- ones that definitely would not fit in my tiny oven. I am looking forward to delicious turkey stock this winter.

Suspect Bucket
Jan 15, 2012

SHRIMPDOR WAS A MAN
I mean, HE WAS A SHRIMP MAN
er, maybe also A DRAGON
or possibly
A MINOR LEAGUE BASEBALL TEAM
BUT HE WAS STILL
SHRIMPDOR

Weltlich posted:

So my local supermarket is running a special for the month. Whole Turkeys at $0.37 a pound.

I'm going to do a thread on it next week, how to butcher a turkey for parts (as opposed to just roasting one whole, as people are used to during the holidays), but I wanted to post this here to let people know to be on the look out for really good deals on whole turkey between now and the end of the month.

Everyone should know how to break down poultry. You are on a divine mission from the cooking gods my friend.

effika posted:

Post when you make the thread, please, I pretty much live in bookmarks these days.

I saw some giant birds at the supermarket today-- ones that definitely would not fit in my tiny oven. I am looking forward to delicious turkey stock this winter.

Buy a turkey, break it down into 2 leg quarters for roasting or stewing, 2 breasts for baking, 2 wings for baking or frying, and a carcass for stock. That's my plan at least.

Suspect Bucket fucked around with this message at 01:13 on Nov 11, 2018

Anne Whateley
Feb 11, 2007
:unsmith: i like nice words
Turkeys are hella cheap this year. I've only seen them as low as $0.70 after Thanksgiving before, and this year Key Food is doing I think $0.39/lb with an additional $50 purchase. I'm gonna break it down too, but since it's so cheap now I'm gonna do it before Thanksgiving instead of after as usual.

Weltlich
Feb 13, 2006
Grimey Drawer
Yeah, Price chopper was doing 37 cents a pound for all trips over a certain amount. I normally try not to spend much at the grocery, but I'm sure I can knock out some dry-goods and non-perishables that I can put up in the pantry to hit the magic number. I don't mind spending the cash as long as it's stuff I'll use over the course of a few months and not have to buy them down the road.


Suspect Bucket posted:

Everyone should know how to break down poultry. You are on a divine mission from the cooking gods my friend.


Buy a turkey, break it down into 2 leg quarters for roasting or stewing, 2 breasts for baking, 2 wings for baking or frying, and a carcass for stock. That's my plan at least.

That's pretty much the plan, exactly. I'm going to take the breasts as boneless cuts to brine, roast, and then thin-slice for lunch meat. The thighs will probably be de-boned for stew meat, and I'll roast or smoke the legs. The wings I'll probably put for stew/soup meat depending on how big they are. Then, make stock with whatever is left.

duckmaster
Sep 13, 2004
Mr and Mrs Duck go and stay in a nice hotel.

One night they call room service for some condoms as things are heating up.

The guy arrives and says "do you want me to put it on your bill"

Mr Duck says "what kind of pervert do you think I am?!

QUACK QUACK

C-Euro posted:

Posted this in the general thread, but what are they ways that you all save money on cooking while leaving room to be creative? My wife got laid off this week so our food budget is shrinking, and while she's accepted that she's going to have to learn to love leftovers at my level, I'd like to keep things varied in the kitchen as best I can. My first thought was to get a bunch of meat at a bulk discount, slow cook and shred it on the weekend, and then mix that into whatever I cook during the week. Another idea would just be spend all day Sunday cooking two or three big pots of something, portioning them out into the freezer, and then telling her to just grab what she wants during the week.

I posted a while ago where I made my own frozen and microwavable currys. Here.

This weekend I decided to make my own beef burritos. I got... slightly carried away!

First, get your ingredients...



Then portion them out like so...



Then fry the mince, fry the veg, cook the sauce, add everything into a big pot, cook the rice, add that and portion it out onto tortillas.

I made 53. So like I said, slightly carried away!




They're ok for a lunch or I reheat two with some melted cheese, guacamole and sour cream and that's a fairly tasty dinner.

I worked out that I used £18.54 (US$24) so thats 35p (45c) each.

I'm going to be sick of them soon though!

Pookah
Aug 21, 2008

🪶Caw🪶





Suspect Bucket posted:

Everyone should know how to break down poultry. You are on a divine mission from the cooking gods my friend.


Buy a turkey, break it down into 2 leg quarters for roasting or stewing, 2 breasts for baking, 2 wings for baking or frying, and a carcass for stock. That's my plan at least.

Turkey makes wonderful stock, everyone should make turkey stock, it's so rich and tasty!

Bollock Monkey
Jan 21, 2007

The Almighty

duckmaster posted:


They're ok for a lunch or I reheat two with some melted cheese, guacamole and sour cream and that's a fairly tasty dinner.
How do you reheat them so they stay nice?

duckmaster
Sep 13, 2004
Mr and Mrs Duck go and stay in a nice hotel.

One night they call room service for some condoms as things are heating up.

The guy arrives and says "do you want me to put it on your bill"

Mr Duck says "what kind of pervert do you think I am?!

QUACK QUACK

Bollock Monkey posted:

How do you reheat them so they stay nice?

I'm... experimenting with that one :)

Heating in the oven still in the foil seems to keep the wrap moister but it's hard to tell when it's cooked. Microwaving for about 4 minutes, turning over and giving it another 4 minutes seems to keep the wrap moist as well. Just blasting it for 9 minutes hardens the wrap up but the filling stays soft.

It's definitely bachelor food - I wouldn't serve one to guests. I work in hospitality so I really just need something I can come home, flick the oven on, put one in and I've got hot food 20 minutes later.


edit: I'm not entirely convinced that microwaving them is safe, but I have guts made of galvanised steel so....

18 Character Limit
Apr 6, 2007

Screw you, Abed;
I can fix this!
Nap Ghost

Weltlich posted:

So my local supermarket is running a special for the month. Whole Turkeys at $0.37 a pound.

This is the kind of thing that makes me want to run small scale logistics for a bunch of friends using a massive chest freezer.

Veritek83
Jul 7, 2008

The Irish can't drink. What you always have to remember with the Irish is they get mean. Virtually every Irish I've known gets mean when he drinks.
Food Lions near me (Richmond, VA) have frozen turkeys at $0.27/lb. Just got one to smoke for a friends-giving, but might get another to part out.

neogeo0823
Jul 4, 2007

NO THAT'S NOT ME!!

Bollock Monkey posted:

How do you reheat them so they stay nice?


duckmaster posted:

I'm... experimenting with that one :)

Heating in the oven still in the foil seems to keep the wrap moister but it's hard to tell when it's cooked. Microwaving for about 4 minutes, turning over and giving it another 4 minutes seems to keep the wrap moist as well. Just blasting it for 9 minutes hardens the wrap up but the filling stays soft.

It's definitely bachelor food - I wouldn't serve one to guests. I work in hospitality so I really just need something I can come home, flick the oven on, put one in and I've got hot food 20 minutes later.


edit: I'm not entirely convinced that microwaving them is safe, but I have guts made of galvanised steel so....

Having some decent experience with bringing burritos to work for lunches, here's my advice: firstly, if you can, toss the burrito in the fridge for at least 12 hours before you wanna eat it. That's not always feasible, but if you can do it, go for it. starting off with a cold burrito instead of an ice cube makes things easier. If you can't thaw ahead of time, you'll have to change some things up, and I'll get into that in a minute.

Now, for actually heating, there's a couple ways to go about it. If you have both a toaster oven and a microwave available, then my preferred method is to preheat the toaster oven to around 375-400F. As it's heating up take your thawed burrito and wrap in a couple layers of paper towel, and microwave on high for 30 seconds. Flip and repeat 1-2 times. You're looking for the filling to be not-ice-cold, but not hot either, maybe slightly cooler-than-room-temp. Test that by just pressing lightly on the middle of the burrito and holding for a few seconds. Not enough to punch through, just enough to compress the shell a bit and let the temp transfer to the outside. Once you've got the burrito filling to mid-temp, place it on a plate made from the foil you had it wrapped in and toss it in the toaster oven for 2-3 minutes per side. Flip once, checking to make sure the shell is slightly crisp and maybe slightly browned. After you get both sides, take it out and test the filling again. If it's still kinda cool, throw it in for another 2 minutes and check again. The result should be a warm-to-hot inside all the way through, with a slightly crisp, but not cracker-dry shell.

If you have a microwave, but no toaster oven, then your best bet is to wrap in paper towels as before, and microwave on 50% power for 1-2 minutes per side till the filling is warm. If you microwave at full power, you'll get the classic frozen-in-the-middle-fire-and-brimstone-on-the-ends result, and no one wants that. Going at 50% power for twice as long as counter intuitive to the idea of a microwave, but necessary for a meal as dense as a burrito if you want even cooking.

If you only have a toaster oven, then preheat the oven to 375-400F, keep the burrito wrapped in foil, and toss it right in as soon as you turn on the oven. Let it sit for 15 minutes, then flip it. 15-20 more minutes, then unwrap and test. You might have to let it sit another 5 minutes with the foil off if it's not hot yet. Keep in mind, this method can be tricky to get down due to differences in toaster ovens, and it takes the longest. You have to be careful not to dry out the shell so much that it turns into a cracker. But once you get it down you can set your watch by it.

Now, all that was for thawed burritos. If you have frozen, the principles are the same, but you're gonna mostly tweak times. For micro-bake, nuke it at 50% power for 1 minute per side till you get the luke warm filling, then bake as normal. The shell will likely get soggy from the sudden melting of all the ice in the burrito filling, so just be aware of that. For microwave only, do 2-3 minutes at 50% power for the first two sides, then 1 minute at 50% per side after that. Be careful of the paper towel sticking to the moist shell as you get towards done. For toaster ovens, add 10 minutes to the first side, and 5 to the second side.

duckmaster
Sep 13, 2004
Mr and Mrs Duck go and stay in a nice hotel.

One night they call room service for some condoms as things are heating up.

The guy arrives and says "do you want me to put it on your bill"

Mr Duck says "what kind of pervert do you think I am?!

QUACK QUACK

neogeo0823 posted:

Having some decent experience with bringing burritos to work for lunches, here's my advice: firstly, if you can, toss the burrito in the fridge for at least 12 hours before you wanna eat it. That's not always feasible, but if you can do it, go for it. starting off with a cold burrito instead of an ice cube makes things easier. If you can't thaw ahead of time, you'll have to change some things up, and I'll get into that in a minute.

Now, for actually heating, there's a couple ways to go about it. If you have both a toaster oven and a microwave available, then my preferred method is to preheat the toaster oven to around 375-400F. As it's heating up take your thawed burrito and wrap in a couple layers of paper towel, and microwave on high for 30 seconds. Flip and repeat 1-2 times. You're looking for the filling to be not-ice-cold, but not hot either, maybe slightly cooler-than-room-temp. Test that by just pressing lightly on the middle of the burrito and holding for a few seconds. Not enough to punch through, just enough to compress the shell a bit and let the temp transfer to the outside. Once you've got the burrito filling to mid-temp, place it on a plate made from the foil you had it wrapped in and toss it in the toaster oven for 2-3 minutes per side. Flip once, checking to make sure the shell is slightly crisp and maybe slightly browned. After you get both sides, take it out and test the filling again. If it's still kinda cool, throw it in for another 2 minutes and check again. The result should be a warm-to-hot inside all the way through, with a slightly crisp, but not cracker-dry shell.

If you have a microwave, but no toaster oven, then your best bet is to wrap in paper towels as before, and microwave on 50% power for 1-2 minutes per side till the filling is warm. If you microwave at full power, you'll get the classic frozen-in-the-middle-fire-and-brimstone-on-the-ends result, and no one wants that. Going at 50% power for twice as long as counter intuitive to the idea of a microwave, but necessary for a meal as dense as a burrito if you want even cooking.

If you only have a toaster oven, then preheat the oven to 375-400F, keep the burrito wrapped in foil, and toss it right in as soon as you turn on the oven. Let it sit for 15 minutes, then flip it. 15-20 more minutes, then unwrap and test. You might have to let it sit another 5 minutes with the foil off if it's not hot yet. Keep in mind, this method can be tricky to get down due to differences in toaster ovens, and it takes the longest. You have to be careful not to dry out the shell so much that it turns into a cracker. But once you get it down you can set your watch by it.

Now, all that was for thawed burritos. If you have frozen, the principles are the same, but you're gonna mostly tweak times. For micro-bake, nuke it at 50% power for 1 minute per side till you get the luke warm filling, then bake as normal. The shell will likely get soggy from the sudden melting of all the ice in the burrito filling, so just be aware of that. For microwave only, do 2-3 minutes at 50% power for the first two sides, then 1 minute at 50% per side after that. Be careful of the paper towel sticking to the moist shell as you get towards done. For toaster ovens, add 10 minutes to the first side, and 5 to the second side.

That's incredibly helpful, thanks!

neogeo0823
Jul 4, 2007

NO THAT'S NOT ME!!

duckmaster posted:

That's incredibly helpful, thanks!

Oh! I forgot to mention, if you micro-bake, make sure you take it out of the paper towel before you bake! That is common sense in retrospect, but I forgot to point it out and don't wanna be the indirect cause of a fire at your workplace.

Mr. Prokosch
Feb 14, 2012

Behold My Magnificence!
Any tips to reduce my food budget? I have some unusual parameters.

A. I am living in a small island nation. All food is expensive. Some general info on prices:
1. Dry goods that last forever: slightly more expensive than the US
2. Frozen goods: about 1.5 the price in the US. Cheaper for things that will freeze forever or can come from New Zealand & China. More expensive for delicate things from farther away.
3. Fresh goods like milk, fruits & vegetables: ungodly expensive. Anything from 4x to 20x the price in the US, if you can find it at all. This includes cream, butter, and cheese. Eggs are an OK price since there are local sources.
4. For meat there is only frozen or canned. Canned meats are the same as you’d find anywhere. Frozen meats favor undesirable cuts. For example, chicken breasts are 3.99 a pound, quarter legs are .99 a pound, there are plenty of turkey tails, gizzards, and offal for an ok price. Protein prices go Chicken < Fish < Pig < Cow.
5. Buying in bulk does not usually help. There is no price reduction for buying 20 pounds of chicken vs. 1 pound. If you go to a wholesale place there is a slight price break at obscene amounts in case you are stocking a store or restaurant but I don’t have freezer space for 200 pounds of chicken.
6. A few things are much cheaper than usual. Ocean Fish and Reef Fish range from $1 - $4 a pound. Some of these fish cost a fortune in the US. Bananas come in many varieties and are very cheap, same deal with coconuts and breadfruit. Crab and lobster are delicious and cheap but hard to find. This food is not always available here in the capital, it’s purchased fast and early from local markets and there just isn’t enough to legitimately sustain the population.
7. I can get most spices for a reasonable price, since they’re dried goods that keep well.
8. Energy costs are a legitimate concern, as is household heat. If a recipe calls for 8 hours at 350 degrees it’s adding like $10 to the meal price and making my family miserable.

B. My family is local, and have particular tastes
1. They love rice but they hate beans
2. All meals should come with a meat-protein (sometimes eggs can count)
3. Spiciness is controversial. I like it, sometimes I can sell it to the family, but too much fire or exotic taste and it becomes Dad-Only Food.
4. Our staples are stir-fry or fried rice with canned or frozen vegetables, fried/oven cooked / boiled fish or chicken with rice. Sometimes BBQ. I bake a bunch, baking recipes that avoid butter are much more affordable.

C. Normally I’d just “do as the Romans do.” People here know how to eat dirt cheap. But they do it by eating a mountain of rice (sometimes sweetened) with a tiny piece of protein. Dinner is a single fried drumstick and two pounds of rice. This is a one-way ticket to diabetes town, which is an absolute epidemic. It’s also really boring and unsatisfying when you aren’t born to the diet. I end up over-spending on proteins to at least get a balance that feels right.

I’d especially appreciate new recipes that use cheap-for-me ingredients. Some of the recipes and common wisdom in the thread end up really expensive in these circumstances. I have basic tools and alright skills at cooking. Bonus points if it’s healthy, produces good leftovers, and is fast enough that I can make it after work or simple enough for my wife (who doesn’t know much American style cooking) to make it.

Suspect Bucket
Jan 15, 2012

SHRIMPDOR WAS A MAN
I mean, HE WAS A SHRIMP MAN
er, maybe also A DRAGON
or possibly
A MINOR LEAGUE BASEBALL TEAM
BUT HE WAS STILL
SHRIMPDOR

Mr. Prokosch posted:


I’d especially appreciate new recipes that use cheap-for-me ingredients. Some of the recipes and common wisdom in the thread end up really expensive in these circumstances. I have basic tools and alright skills at cooking. Bonus points if it’s healthy, produces good leftovers, and is fast enough that I can make it after work or simple enough for my wife (who doesn’t know much American style cooking) to make it.

How expensive and available are Indian spices? Curry Leaf, masalas, mustard seed, stuff like that. Because this all sounds like it's adding up to fish curry.

Recipes are Simple Kerala Style Fish Curry. You can leave out the chillis, and replace them with bell pepper, or just leave out completely.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TCHkvlEfeEI

For somewhat more involved recipies, Check out some favorites of mine.

Food Money Food Tomato Onion Mango Steamed Fish
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s-WVu-ZCmh0

My Village Food Fish Curry
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TIvcfEq7z6U

My Money My Food Fish BBQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qSYh57c9gGw

Indian village cooking is a whole weird corner of Youtube. But lots of great ideas.

edit: Or just make Buzzfeed India Fry
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U4zVQxPJmnY

Suspect Bucket fucked around with this message at 03:36 on Nov 13, 2018

Weltlich
Feb 13, 2006
Grimey Drawer

Mr. Prokosch posted:

Any tips to reduce my food budget? I have some unusual parameters.

A. I am living in a small island nation. All food is expensive. Some general info on prices:
1. Dry goods that last forever: slightly more expensive than the US
2. Frozen goods: about 1.5 the price in the US. Cheaper for things that will freeze forever or can come from New Zealand & China. More expensive for delicate things from farther away.
3. Fresh goods like milk, fruits & vegetables: ungodly expensive. Anything from 4x to 20x the price in the US, if you can find it at all. This includes cream, butter, and cheese. Eggs are an OK price since there are local sources.
4. For meat there is only frozen or canned. Canned meats are the same as you’d find anywhere. Frozen meats favor undesirable cuts. For example, chicken breasts are 3.99 a pound, quarter legs are .99 a pound, there are plenty of turkey tails, gizzards, and offal for an ok price. Protein prices go Chicken < Fish < Pig < Cow.
5. Buying in bulk does not usually help. There is no price reduction for buying 20 pounds of chicken vs. 1 pound. If you go to a wholesale place there is a slight price break at obscene amounts in case you are stocking a store or restaurant but I don’t have freezer space for 200 pounds of chicken.
6. A few things are much cheaper than usual. Ocean Fish and Reef Fish range from $1 - $4 a pound. Some of these fish cost a fortune in the US. Bananas come in many varieties and are very cheap, same deal with coconuts and breadfruit. Crab and lobster are delicious and cheap but hard to find. This food is not always available here in the capital, it’s purchased fast and early from local markets and there just isn’t enough to legitimately sustain the population.
7. I can get most spices for a reasonable price, since they’re dried goods that keep well.
8. Energy costs are a legitimate concern, as is household heat. If a recipe calls for 8 hours at 350 degrees it’s adding like $10 to the meal price and making my family miserable.

B. My family is local, and have particular tastes
1. They love rice but they hate beans
2. All meals should come with a meat-protein (sometimes eggs can count)
3. Spiciness is controversial. I like it, sometimes I can sell it to the family, but too much fire or exotic taste and it becomes Dad-Only Food.
4. Our staples are stir-fry or fried rice with canned or frozen vegetables, fried/oven cooked / boiled fish or chicken with rice. Sometimes BBQ. I bake a bunch, baking recipes that avoid butter are much more affordable.

C. Normally I’d just “do as the Romans do.” People here know how to eat dirt cheap. But they do it by eating a mountain of rice (sometimes sweetened) with a tiny piece of protein. Dinner is a single fried drumstick and two pounds of rice. This is a one-way ticket to diabetes town, which is an absolute epidemic. It’s also really boring and unsatisfying when you aren’t born to the diet. I end up over-spending on proteins to at least get a balance that feels right.

I’d especially appreciate new recipes that use cheap-for-me ingredients. Some of the recipes and common wisdom in the thread end up really expensive in these circumstances. I have basic tools and alright skills at cooking. Bonus points if it’s healthy, produces good leftovers, and is fast enough that I can make it after work or simple enough for my wife (who doesn’t know much American style cooking) to make it.

So first thing first, in your situation, your protein of choice is going to be fish and eggs. Both of these are cheap for you, and they also cook quickly. Nearly all the fish based recipes I know of are less than 20 minutes in terms of heating time, and egg recipes tend to be done very quickly as well.

The chicken is a good cheap option as well, as long as you're going for leg quarters. Honestly .99/lb is about as good as it gets even in the US. The kicker here is that chicken needs longer cook times, in general. Those turkey tails can be useful in a stock, but the kicker there is that stock is an all-day heating project.

Use things like bacon and spam as seasoning, not as a primary protein source. If you're worried about diabetes, then let me also make you worried about sodium. Cured meats are salt-bombs, and a little once-in-a-while is great, but eating spam-spam-egg-sausage-bacon-and-spam every day is just as bad for you as throwing down sugared rice. But a little now and then to add some flavor to things is just fine.

If you've got lots of banana varieties, then I would start looking into them as substitutes for rice. Rice is great every now and then, but if you're cooking healthy, then it's sort of an empty carb. Bananas have better nutrient density, and if you have access to multiple varieties, then you can pick and choose based on the dishes you're cooking. If you have a plantain-like cultivar, you can shred with a grater and steam it to get a rice-like substitute. Let us know what sorts you have access to, and I can give you more recipes for them.

Frozen/canned veggies are going to be your friend here, if fresh are ungodly expensive. Look for things like "stir-fry blend" which will have onions, peppers, snap peas, bok-choi, and other veggies in the same freezer bag. Otherwise, things like broccoli florets, snap/snow peas, carrots, cauliflower and greens like spinach are going to be your go-tos.

I'm not familiar with breadfruit, but it looks like a winner compared to rice when you're talking about nutritional content. About the same carb level, but much higher protien, and lots of minerals and vitamins.


Recipe Ideas:
Fishcakes made with grated banana or coconut - You can even use canned fish like salmon or mackerel with this. If you've got fresh fish, then mince a fillet, mix with grated banana or coconut, seasoning to taste (chopped onion and garlic, curry powder, pinch of salt, whatever you want), and an egg. You're looking for a dough-like consistency. Then pat it into cakes about 40 to 50mm across, and 10mm thick. Then fry in an oiled skillet until golden brown on each side.

Pickled Eggs - This is a great way to make a high-protein snack. All you need is some hard boiled eggs that have been peeled, some vinegar, water, and spices. I can give you a more detailed recipe if you want.

Riced Banana - If you have a starchier banana like a plantain available, grate it and then steam it. The result will be a "banana rice" with better nutritional content than regular rice. It'll still be starchy, but at least it'll have better vitamins and more fiber than white rice.

Fish and Coconut curry - This may take an hour to cook, but it's super good and if you make a bunch at once it is a great left-over meal. It keeps well, and the flavor generally improves with time as the spices meld into the dish.

Fried rice (you can use the plaintain rice in this) - you've got cheap chicken and fish, inexpensive eggs. Use frozen vegetables. You can decide how much rice goes into it. When I make fried rice at home, I'll often cut the rice in half, or only a third of what is normally used.

Breadfruit Tamales So apparently if you cook a breadfruit until it is soft, then grind it in a food processor with a little oil, you get a dough that is similar in texture to masa. That means you can make some tamales with it. These freeze really well, and all you need to do to cook them is steam them or toss them in a microwave. Also a fun kid-activity since making tamales is sort of like setting up an assembly line in your kitchen. Everyone gets a job, and passes it down the line to the next person.

Questions:
1) Do you have access to outdoor cooking facilities like a grill?
2) Do you know how to clean and fillet a whole fish?
3) Do you have space for a garden, even if it is a container garden?
4) Would you consider fishing or crabbing as a hobby or pass-time for the family? (Do you have access to a small boat or a long pier, or like to snorkel/scuba?)
5) Do you know how to de-bone chicken thighs?
6) What sort of frozen vegetables do you have access to? If we know that, then recommending specific recipes will be easier.
7) What does the family have against beans? There may be work arounds if we know why they hate them.

Weltlich fucked around with this message at 04:21 on Nov 13, 2018

DasNeonLicht
Dec 25, 2005

"...and the light is on and burning brightly for the masses."
Fallen Rib

Mr. Prokosch posted:

Any tips to reduce my food budget? I have some unusual parameters.

A. I am living in a small island nation. All food is expensive. Some general info on prices. . . .

Nothing to contribute, just dying to know what country this is

Mr. Prokosch
Feb 14, 2012

Behold My Magnificence!

Suspect Bucket posted:

How expensive and available are Indian spices? Curry Leaf, masalas, mustard seed, stuff like that. Because this all sounds like it's adding up to fish curry.

Recipes are Simple Kerala Style Fish Curry. You can leave out the chillis, and replace them with bell pepper, or just leave out completely.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TCHkvlEfeEI

For somewhat more involved recipies, Check out some favorites of mine.

Food Money Food Tomato Onion Mango Steamed Fish
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s-WVu-ZCmh0

My Village Food Fish Curry
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TIvcfEq7z6U

My Money My Food Fish BBQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qSYh57c9gGw

Indian village cooking is a whole weird corner of Youtube. But lots of great ideas.

edit: Or just make Buzzfeed India Fry
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U4zVQxPJmnY

Thanks! I've thought about trying some Indian recipes and I've made a simple curry with frozen veggies and chicken. I'd like to branch out a bit more from that so I'll check out these videos. I might be able to track down masalas and mustard seed. I can get pre-mixed "curry powder" but not straight curry leaf even in a powdered form. Spices in general here are more Chinese than Indian but I'm optimistic about finding most of what would go in an Indian dish. Most spices are affordable if I can find it, maybe a small markup from what you would find in an upscale US grocery.


Weltlich posted:


Questions:
1) Do you have access to outdoor cooking facilities like a grill?
2) Do you know how to clean and fillet a whole fish?
3) Do you have space for a garden, even if it is a container garden?
4) Would you consider fishing or crabbing as a hobby or pass-time for the family? (Do you have access to a small boat or a long pier, or like to snorkel/scuba?)
5) Do you know how to de-bone chicken thighs?
6) What sort of frozen vegetables do you have access to? If we know that, then recommending specific recipes will be easier.
7) What does the family have against beans? There may be work arounds if we know why they hate them.

Thanks for the recipes! There are starchy plantain-like bananas that you usually boil (I don't know the name in English), and small extra-sweet bananas, among other varieties. Breadfruit can be cooked so it tastes good, but its default taste is a bit unpleasant. They're huge and starchy though. Traditionally people here would eat them as the starch in a meal instead of rice, but in the capital it's way more rice. You need a hookup to get the breadfruit reliably, just too many people here for the number of trees. I'll look over these and experiment with the bananas and breadfruits as replacement starches when I get ahold of a bunch.

1. We do have access to an outdoor grill, but charcoal is expensive. Coconut husks aren't, but they're trickier to use.

2. We can clean fish easy enough and I've filet them before, but I'm not very practiced with it and haven't done it yet here. I usually just buy big chunks of tuna or we eat the fish whole. Local style, which my family likes, is to just remove the dirtiest organs from the fish, cook it, and eat everything but the bones head to tail. Not good for something like fish curry though, so I could work on that skill.

3. I have a small container garden (just one "earthbox" style thing). The soil here is aggressively poor for most plants, even with containers salt spray is a danger. I'm trying to grow some fresh tomatoes, spinach, and green beans.

4. I don't have the time for it and the area where we live is a bit polluted (heart of the capital). Most of the local fish/crabs are caught further out and we don't have a boat. Could try fishing from our spot on the lagoon anyway, I've talked about it with my wife we just haven't bought anything to do it yet or committed to it. Would still be nice to do if I get the time, the lagoon is breathtaking and an excuse to swim in it is nice. We'd want to travel first if I'm spear-fishing, people don't swim in it anymore around our house because it leads to rashes.

5. I've never tried de-boning thighs. In the US I would always buy breasts or already deboned thighs. Here we cook mostly quarter legs in ways that don't involve removing the bones. That's a good tip, I could try to learn how to do that right for more flexibility in recipes.

6. We have an alright variety of frozen veggie packages. Sometimes there is a shortage, but when they're available I buy exactly the "stir-fry" packages you're talking about. Price isn't bad either, $2-3 a pound. Also brocolli, cauliflower, and carrots. I put them in stir-fry and fried rice.

7. Mostly it's just unfamiliarity. Bean textures are "gross" and their flavor/aroma is "stinky" and every member of the family will complain about my white-man ways and pick around them after eating one. If I was really sneaky about it I could probably sneak bean proteins into things (smash and flavor them) but it doesn't count as real food without at least a bit of meat.

DasNeonLicht posted:

Nothing to contribute, just dying to know what country this is

Don't dox me!

Nah, I'm just kidding. I live in Majuro, Marshall Islands.

Suspect Bucket
Jan 15, 2012

SHRIMPDOR WAS A MAN
I mean, HE WAS A SHRIMP MAN
er, maybe also A DRAGON
or possibly
A MINOR LEAGUE BASEBALL TEAM
BUT HE WAS STILL
SHRIMPDOR
Do you have access to chickpeas? Those are the least beany bean I know of. Chana Masala is delicious and cheap to make.

Or your family is just like my sister and recoils in horror at any mushy texture. She hates beans, lentils, and avocado.

Weltlich
Feb 13, 2006
Grimey Drawer

Mr. Prokosch posted:


1. We do have access to an outdoor grill, but charcoal is expensive. Coconut husks aren't, but they're trickier to use.

2. We can clean fish easy enough and I've filet them before, but I'm not very practiced with it and haven't done it yet here. I usually just buy big chunks of tuna or we eat the fish whole. Local style, which my family likes, is to just remove the dirtiest organs from the fish, cook it, and eat everything but the bones head to tail. Not good for something like fish curry though, so I could work on that skill.

3. I have a small container garden (just one "earthbox" style thing). The soil here is aggressively poor for most plants, even with containers salt spray is a danger. I'm trying to grow some fresh tomatoes, spinach, and green beans.

4. I don't have the time for it and the area where we live is a bit polluted (heart of the capital). Most of the local fish/crabs are caught further out and we don't have a boat. Could try fishing from our spot on the lagoon anyway, I've talked about it with my wife we just haven't bought anything to do it yet or committed to it. Would still be nice to do if I get the time, the lagoon is breathtaking and an excuse to swim in it is nice. We'd want to travel first if I'm spear-fishing, people don't swim in it anymore around our house because it leads to rashes.

5. I've never tried de-boning thighs. In the US I would always buy breasts or already deboned thighs. Here we cook mostly quarter legs in ways that don't involve removing the bones. That's a good tip, I could try to learn how to do that right for more flexibility in recipes.

6. We have an alright variety of frozen veggie packages. Sometimes there is a shortage, but when they're available I buy exactly the "stir-fry" packages you're talking about. Price isn't bad either, $2-3 a pound. Also brocolli, cauliflower, and carrots. I put them in stir-fry and fried rice.

7. Mostly it's just unfamiliarity. Bean textures are "gross" and their flavor/aroma is "stinky" and every member of the family will complain about my white-man ways and pick around them after eating one. If I was really sneaky about it I could probably sneak bean proteins into things (smash and flavor them) but it doesn't count as real food without at least a bit of meat.

Gotcha!

So, my first tip is, "If you won't swim in it, don't eat from it." Originally I was going to suggest that since you had a line on cheap turkey tail, that you could get a few crab pots like these: https://www.amazon.com/Eagle-Claw-10161-009-Two-Ring-Crab/dp/B0084EFRVQ?ref_=fsclp_pl_dp_1

When I was a kid, we used to hit a pier and go crabbing, baiting the nets with turkey tail and chicken necks. One tail/neck could easily catch three or four dozen crabs over the course of an afternoon. I won't suggest that it's a way to supply all protein, but it's something fun and relaxing to do once a week, and you get a crab dinner out of it in the end. But, if you're living in a place where pollution is an issue, then DO NOT do this. Just grab them at the market when they're available.

De-boning thighs is easy, mostly you're just making a single cut along the underside of the thigh, along the length of the bone. Then it unrolls to free the bone, and there you have a boneless thigh.

Looks like you're ahead of me on the vegetable front. Keep on keeping on.

Def. pursue getting varied fish from the market, though (whatever is cheap) and practice those fillet skills. If you've got access to reef fish, then a triggerfish curry is in your future.

And I'll ponder on the beans. Often people make up their minds they don't like something, and that's that. I fear that if you try to sneak them in, you're just going to get more push back.

VictualSquid
Feb 29, 2012

Gently enveloping the target with indiscriminate love.
Peas are a often underestimated legume.
I eat a lot of them in part because until around a year ago they cost around a third of even the cheapest beans, for some reason.

My default meal is a chicken thigh and pea plov. For variety I use frozen/fresh veggies and fish and other meats when they are on sale.
With your price-list I would eat a lot of fish based variants. For example something like Kamameshi works great with seafood.

Alternating your rice between white rice, plov style(steamed in flavoured liquid) and paella style (cooked in flavored liquid) gives you a lot of variety even before you start frying precooked rice. Plov also a very fuel efficient way to cook.

Suspect Bucket
Jan 15, 2012

SHRIMPDOR WAS A MAN
I mean, HE WAS A SHRIMP MAN
er, maybe also A DRAGON
or possibly
A MINOR LEAGUE BASEBALL TEAM
BUT HE WAS STILL
SHRIMPDOR
I made naan





Cheap and delicious. Hits that "I want to make bread" itch without too much effort. Makes soup a meal!

HydeLyde
Apr 25, 2008

Suspect Bucket posted:

You got the gist of it! Basic cheapo pork shoulder is a must buy when on sale. You can slow cook and shread a whole shoulder, and freeze it in portions. You can have it over rice and vegetables, or beans. You can have it in a sandwich. You can make tacos. You can put some in a soup or beef up (lol) instant ramen noodles. You can top a green salad with it. You can sauce or season it as needed with teriyaki, orange sauce, sweet and sour, chineese 5 spice, any variety of sweet, Mustard, creamy, or vinegar BBQ sauce. Probably a dozen more good sauces I'm not thinking about because I haven't had my coffee.

Pasta sauces are also great to do in bulk and freeze in single or double portions. Nice bulky meat bologneses are great to just throw over some dollar a box pasta and some fresh spinach.

Do you season shoulder at all when you're slow cooking it to bulk freeze for a dozen different recipes later?

Suspect Bucket
Jan 15, 2012

SHRIMPDOR WAS A MAN
I mean, HE WAS A SHRIMP MAN
er, maybe also A DRAGON
or possibly
A MINOR LEAGUE BASEBALL TEAM
BUT HE WAS STILL
SHRIMPDOR

HydeLyde posted:

Do you season shoulder at all when you're slow cooking it to bulk freeze for a dozen different recipes later?

Only mildly so. A bit of salt, a few bay leaves. Most of the seasoning is going to come from whatever sauce you end up using.

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jobson groeth
May 17, 2018

by FactsAreUseless

Ika Mata is a tasty as all getup Cook Islands dish that should be reasonably cheap to make. You can swap the vegetables out for something a bit more accessible and the fresh herbs could be grown yourself to add to it.

Mostly it's a nice way of cooking a fish without using heat as the lemon juice does it for you. From there you can play with it as suits your needs / tastes.

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