How are you saving money and time in the kitchen?

[landofoz]

I am so sorry that I've missed this.  I scanned through it and will read it when I get a little more free time on my hands.  I have a tip.  I make casseroles and freeze them in a 13x9 inch pan that I've lined with parchment.  I used cling wrap to line the pan, and it's all stuck to the pan now!  So: don't use cling wrap it line a pan that is going to be frozen.  Bad idea.

I cooked a pork loin for dinner, it was so good!  Chopped the thing into 5 sections and enjoyed one for dinner.  The other sections were chopped and individually frozen - each section weighing in right around a pound.  Perfect for throwing dinners together later. 

[duh]

I love this string.  

[Tina]

I haven't done any large cooking lately. I did some pork last week that ended up as dog food because of life interfering. We have eaten a couple of my home made TV dinners already. Good stuff. I keep planning on cooking and even clean up the kitchen in preparation. Then I start worrying that I won't get things completed before the next hospital run. It has been an odd time for us. I think I will put together a couple of beef dishes though. It is looking like I will have the time.

[Triss]

None for me either this week, just not in the mood to do it.  I did pull out the turkey and gravy I saved and will be making turkey pot pies for dinner tonight and Dan is working on a beef  and barley soup that I know I will be able to freeze at least an extra lunch out of.

[duh]

I did a turkey roast yesterday with pan gravy.  I'm definitely looking forward to leftovers today with some fresh mashed potatoes.  Yummy.  What's left I may just do a pot pie with that sounds really good. 

[Tina]

That turkey sounds good. I don't buy turkey very often. Seasonally when the prices come way down. I'll have to add it to my mental list.

[Tina]

Ok, I've got a deep craving for what I call goulash. It is basically pasta with a fairly light tomato sauce with ground beef, bacon, peppers and onions. So I've got bacon ends and pieces going now for a large batch. I will freeze batches of everything but the pasta for tossing together at future dates. (after I save some for my instant gratification)
Then I also have last night's roast beef to deal with. Decisions, decisions.
I'm cooking again.

[patches]

Well, I'm saving time and money in the kitchen because I bought some flat containers that are similar to what T.V. dinners come in, but they have five sections.  They are plastic, have lids and can go in the freezer.  After I fill them I put freezer cling wrap over the food so I don't get any freezer burn  and then use the lids.  The piece of cling wrap even sticks to the top of each section.    This really works great, and I get some awesome home-made dinners in just a few minutes.  

[Tina]

I love those containers, Patti. I've bought a bunch but they've disappeared into other's fridges. They are really great for some foods. But if you have a stew or some conglomeration meal like that, they do not hold enough for a meal.
A friend gets a turkey every year from his job. He doesn't want to mess with a whole bird so he gives it to me. I make him several meals in those type 'plates' and send them off with little containers of gravy on the side. Everyone wins.
I am really happy to see the prices of good containers coming down. They used to be so prohibitive. And If you bought the cheap ones, you knew it very quickly.

[patches]

Tina, the ones I have are quite large and what they hold would certianly fill a dinner plate.    Actually, I would like to get some more of them because some of mine have gotten away from me too,  but I haven't been able to find them.  The store I got these at was a specialty shop for kitchen goods and it closed two years ago. 

[landofoz]

I use a lot of freezer paper for things like calzones.  I just toss muffins into a ziplock freezer bag -- they're only around for a few weeks anyway and the kids couldn't care less if they taste a little "off". 

Triss suggested in a SL a while back to freeze stuff for a crockpot meal in bread pans and then put in the crockpot whenever you are ready to cook.  That works well for oval crockpots but if you've got a round one - try freezing in a 1 gallon ice cream bucket.

[christy]

wow sarah thats an awesome idea!!! i have one gal icecrean containers 
my familys like the bottomless pit of carnivore's, i barly cook enough never realy any left overs to freeze.
i would like to start taking a day, maybe sundays n can things like cabage soups n vegie soups.  my outside deep freezer died n my frig has a little freezer. so canning would be best. n meats in maranades, yum! 
me n my mom caned deermeat a few years ago, we just hot bathed it,  cant remember what all we put in it but it turned out good, least no one got sick 
i still have my old canning jars. n we also used mayonnaise jars for canning.  i miss canning. 
i wonder if canning is cheaper than freezing in the long run, for like stocking up. cause ya dont haveta run a freezer 24/7 ? ya buy lids now n then.  but then with freezin you dont gotta run the stove as much. but buy bags now n then... 

[Tina]

I am cooking today.
I went grocery shopping. We are eating differently lately. So I am really into quick stuff. I have a lot of convenience foods that I don't normally have. And today I am cooking up a bunch of my own convenience food. I am cooking up four pounds of bacon to freeze and pull out a slice or two at a time to add to sandwiches or soup or something. 15 seconds in the micro and it is just like fresh cooked. That is finished now.
I also have a fire pot on. That is a lot of meats tossed into a stockpot with some savory veggies and basically stewed. I am doing a smaller modified version in my crockpot. I have beef bones on the bottom. Those will have a second life/death with my canine friends. A beef  pot roast and a chicken over. I tucked in onions, carrots and celery. Add water. In the end I will have pulled chicken and beef to fix into whatever sounds good that night.
The chicken bones and skin can go for a second batch of broth along with fresh onions and things. More than likely I will just treat my dog to the skins though because I tend to peter out by then.
I end up with some awesome stock from this. It will add great flavor to rice and French dip type sandwiches or just to soups and stews.
I am really looking to keep some quick, nutritious things on hand in the smaller amounts we seem to be needing these  hard days. I don't have as many free days for cooking right now. So I am trying to take advantage of this one.

[Triss]

That is a whopping batch of cooking you are doing Tina.  Lots of good stuff there as well.

Next week I will be making up more stuff for us and the in-laws though mostly for them.  It is still nice cooking a lot of stuff for them and then having an extra meal or two in the freezer for us.  I need to so the bacon thing cuz the kids ask for it all of the time and sometimes I cannot spend the time to cook it, like 5 minutes before the bus gets here.

[Tina]

Well, they sell frozen cooked bacon, Triss. But those prices are outrageous. I've been doing the bacon like this since John got ill and it has worked out well for us. I use thick sliced and get it when it is on sale (like today it was $1.99 lb.). I tuck it into a couple of large ziplocs. Some of it will stick together and some will crumble itself. Some will remain whole slices. But it all gets used.

[patches]

I've seen that bacon too, Tina, but the price makes it untouchable!!!     I do exactly what you do because it makes it so handy for me.  Most of time, I may only want one or two pieces which wouldn't be enough to fool with making each time that I wanted some,    plus I can buy an extra package ot two when it's on sale.     The only thing I do different is put the zippy bag in a plastic freezer container to keep it from getting all crumbled up.    I use the crumbles on salad and pizza, but I want some whole slices for sandwiches, sunny-side-up eggs, etc.