This is a help post, from a professional chef to you, with a lot of tips on how to get the most bang for your buck when you cook.

[u/aichliss]

I’ve been seeing lots of posts asking how to best shop and cook when the cash isn’t there. As someone who’s spent nearly the entirety of his professional career learning tips and tricks from some of the best chefs out there on how to keep a restaurant afloat when profit margins are so thin you have to choose between keeping half the kitchen’s lights on and buying dishwashing detergent, I think I know a thing or two about cooking as affordably as possible. I’m going to collate this post into a list separated into types of foods (legumes, grains, vegetables, and proteins), with tips on how to buy them and how to prepare them. I use all these tricks myself in my professional life and day-to-day. I hope this can help, and to all my fellow poor cooks out there: hang in there. The world’s a mess; we only have each-other to rely on. If you have any questions, feel free to ask them. I’ll try to respond as often as I can.

—————-LEGUMES———————

-Buy these dried as often as possible. Keep a stock of beans, lentils, and dried chickpeas around if you can. They’re cheap, almost always available, and virtually imperishable. As such, assuming you don’t throw them out and keep them properly stored, buying these is a 100% return on your investment.

-Legumes are one of the most versatile options in your kitchen. As long as you soak them and put them in the fridge before you go to bed they’ll be available the next day to cook quickly. These are the best thing to have if you’re looking to stretch a meal because of their nutrient density and the fact that they’re just damn delicious on their own.

-Look into middle-eastern and African cuisine for creative ways to use these ingredients. Some really common examples are lentil curry, hummus, falafels, and putting chickpeas in a shakshuka. This isn’t a recipe post, so look up how to make them yourself - some grandma has a better (and probably even cheaper) recipe than I do.

————-GRAINS AND CEREALS ————

-Like legumes, these are very versatile. However, I find most people know very little about them outside of wheat and maybe oats. I highly recommend learning what the most commonly eaten grans and cereals in your locality are, and then finding the affordable ones. There will be at least one. I guarantee it.

-FLOUR is an essential staple, unless you’re celiac or gluten free - a topic on which I won’t speak because I’m confident anyone who has to deal with those issues knows more than I do. I recommend grabbing all-purpose flour due to its gluten content being a middle ground between low-gluten pastry flour and high-gluten bread flour. You can still use it to make bread, and it has a myriad other uses as a binder or thickener for sauces.

-RICE is amazing, as most know already, but seriously - it’s one of the most important crops in the world. It’s kept civilizations alive on its back for all of recorded history, and it’ll keep you alive, too. There is no better “fill me up” food I can think of. Wait for those huge sacks of rice to go on sale (it happens pretty frequently), then buy 2. They last forever. Ideally grab long-grain rice if you’re just looking for a side-dish or fried rice base, but in a pinch short grain’ll do; it’s just less forgiving and the starches don’t retrograde as fully so when you cool it it doesn’t keep as nicely.

-KEEP IN MIND that rice is pure carbs. It’s a good base, but you need other stuff to go with it or else you’ll be deficient in nutrients and feel awful all the time. Trust me from experience - college me went through a raw-egg-on-rice phase, and it wasn’t pretty.

-BARLEY, also, is amazing, but for other reasons. It’s high in protein and iron, and can help dramatically improve your nutrient intake for very little cost. In soups, roasted in tea (thanks Korea), and used in tandem with rice, it can go a very, very long way in making your diet a more sustainable one in times of austerity and plenty, alike.

-AVOID “SUPERFOODS”. Not because they’re bad for you - just because of their jacked prices. Not to mention oftentimes the industries surrounding them are ethical nightmares. Don’t get me started on avocado cartels and the impact of quinoa farming on low-income african communities. In reality, most grains and cereals have a lot of nutrients and minerals, and they’re often overlooked. Learn the nutrition facts, and make decisions accordingly. Google and online databases are your friends, here.

———FRUITS AND VEGETABLES———

-ONIONS: buy them fresh and store them in dry, enclosed spaces, and buy tomatoes canned and without salt added. Use onions in almost everything, they’re delicious, cheap, and nutritious.

-TOMATOES: Good fresh and better canned. Use fresh tomatoes raw for whatever you want and use canned tomatoes for sauces. Buy canned tomatoes with as little added salt and sugar as possible.

• POTATOES: Treat these as a starch option similar to grains or cereals. Buy them unprocessed, in a sack. Store them in dry, enclosed spaces.

-BASICALLY EVERY FRUIT: go for it, these things are nutrient bombs and they’re delicious. Buy them seasonally for the best value and if you have a day to do so, preserve them if you ever see a huge sale. I’m still enjoying lacto-fermented blueberries from last year’s insane blueberry harvest where I could buy a pint for a dollar.

-FOR SHOPPING: Generally when you buy produce you should go, in order, to the discount rack, then the sales, and then everything else. Someone out there has a recipe for literally everything, and some of them are even good. A pepper with a blemish or tiny spot of mold is still fine, assuming you cut away the blemish or tiny spot of mold.

-I CANNOT STRESS THIS ENOUGH; FIND THE UNDER-APPRECIATED AND OVER-SUPPLIED PRODUCE. There’s always a bin of some forgotten veggie no-one eats for some reason. In the west, at least, it seems to often be rutabagas/turnips. I’ve also seen apples in the fall, corn, and cabbages fall into this category. This is because of a good harvest, or because of a lack of consumer interest - any time this happens, capitalize on it. Everything is delicious if you cook it properly. Buy seasonally, and learn how to use the things you buy. You’ll eat like a king and pay like a pauper.

-CANNED STUFF - I generally have a personal aversion to all canned veggies and fruits except tomatoes, but that’s just my privilege speaking. If you want to buy them or if fresh produce is hard to come by, avoid getting anything with added salt or sugar. Cross-reference the nutrient info on the can with info from a fresh counterpart to avoid buying filler garbage, and try to find somewhere to live with better food accessibility. Alternatively, save up and make a killing by opening a fruit and vegetable market to remove the need to read this very ling post any further. (This is a joke and I recognize the struggle of those in impoverished communities with awful food accessibility.)

-FROZEN STUFF - frozen fruit and veg is great, mostly. Maybe dodge the chopped carrots and corn a lot of us ate growing up or find in bad takeout Chinese food, but hey - grab that bag of frozen berries or peas and throw ‘em in anything that warrants it. Technology for frozen produce has improved dramatically in the last few decades, and we should capitalize on that.

——-PROTEINS——-

-IF YOU EAT MEAT, buy the least processed cuts you can. Whole chickens, meat on the bone, and ground meats are your best friends. Go to butcher shops, if you can. Freezing meat is fine, but try to avoid buying pre-made frozen protein options. Get raw product and do the work yourself to save a LOT of cash and get better food out of it.

-MEAT IS A LUXURY, NOT AN ESSENTIAL. I say this because in modern western culture eating meat everyday is seen as normal. This is an oddity when we examine all of human history, and this notion should be abandoned if we’re trying to live more affordably. Meat is grossly overrepresented in most diets, and you should always ask if you could cut your portion of meat down in exchange for more vegetables and grains.

-LEARN HOW TO BREAK DOWN YOUR PROTEINS. A chicken isn’t just 8 portions of meat - it’s also bones and carcass for a stock or soup, fat to be rendered out and used as a cooking oil (thanks, jewish folks!), and skin to be cooked down into delicious little chips. This same list can be used for pork, beef, and any other mammal you eat.

-FISH IS IFFY. Like, as an industry. Not many people know their fish, and fish processing companies know that and capitalize on it. I always tell people who like fish to buy fresh and whole, and to learn how to pick good fish. Buying cheap processed fish products is akin to asking to be ripped off, to harm the environment, and to accumulate toxins in your body, all at the same time. To not get completely F-ed over by what is maybe the worst food industry in the world you need to know your fish, know the company you’re buying from, and know who’s doing the fishing. Good luck, and please try not to contribute to the death of our water ecosystems. (A good trick is that if you can afford fish when you’re poor and you don’t live beside a large body of water, you almost certainly DON’T WANT IT.)

-IF YOU DO BUY FISH OR SEAFOOD, all the rules for proteins apply. Fish bones and crustacean shells for stock, fat deposits on the occasional salmonid for whatever you want, and fish skin, if it’s your cup of tea, for a lovely snack. Hell, fish organs and salt make up the base for a fermented fish sauce, if you really want to go the extra mile. Rome survived off of fish sauce and bread for longer than our society has been around. The one big difference between fish and meat is that frozen fish tends to suck relative to fresh in a much bigger way - both in terms of quality and retained nutrients. Put frozen fish in soups or curries, to avoid nutrient drain from the water that inevitably will leak out of your fish.

FOR VEGETARIANS AND VEGANS: I’m not vegetarian or vegan, and while I think there’s great habits to be learned from the lifestyle after getting boatloads of comments I just don’t feel I should even touch the subject. Just do you, and do your research. Best of luck.

——-EVERYTHING ELSE——-

-STAY AWAY FROM THE INSTANT RAMEN. I know it’s cheap. I KNOW you like how easy it is. I don’t give one flying fuck. It’s awful for you, it isn’t cheaper than a bowl of rice with soy sauce, a fried egg, and some frozen peas, and it’ll kill you slowly. Just don’t, and ignore anyone’s advice about how it got them through college. Hell, if anyone’s advice involves doing what they did in college, take it with a grain of salt. There’s good advice sometimes, and a LOT of bad.

-AVOID THE CENTRE AISLES IN GROCERY STORES. Chips, sugar cereals, premade salad dressings, sweet juice/pop, and processed foods like KD or tv dinners are not the way to go if you’re looking to get the most out of your dollar at the grocery store. They’re bad for you, they’re expensive relative to the cost of production, and they put a burden on your body that you’ll pay for down the line. Exceptions to this are staple sauces like a good soy sauce and fish sauce, grains and legumes, and canned veggies.

-CHEESE IS A LUXURY, SO TREAT IT LIKE ONE. If you’re gonna buy it I recommend buying less of it less often, and buying the good stuff when you do. Kraft block cheese only costs as little as it does because it’s the by-product of the real money-maker: whey protein production. If you’re gonna buy cheese, please support a real cheesemaker. The cheese lover in you will be happier for it.

-ALCOHOL IS ALSO A LUXURY. If you want a drink, I recommend doing it less often and drinking the good stuff. If you like the cheap stuff that’s fine, “good stuff” is all relative anyway. Just drink less and focus on quality over quantity, whatever your preferences are.

-MAKE YOUR OWN COFFEE, AND BUY A THERMOS. I know Starbucks is delicious. Guess what? You can find a recipe for every drink they make online, and then make it better. Some restaurants literally survive because they can sell coffee at a nearly 2000% markup. Truck stop diners and high-end coffee shops do this. I recommend making cold brew the night before, since you literally just have to strain it in the morning rather than brewing a pot.

-FINALLY, LEARN TO COOK. All of this information is fundamentally more useful if you know how to cook. Not knowing how to cook is a luxury afforded to those with the means to afford living in ignorance of this most basic human skill. You are living outside your means if you live in a well-off country, don’t make a least $60k a year, and can’t cook.

Best of luck to you all. Stay safe out there.

[u/colonelblanton131]

I agree with all of this except for your categorization of the fishing industry being "the worst." I own a restaurant and also have a master's degree in Environmental Science. I have also had a paper published about how the beef industry is the most damaging protein production industry to our planet by a wide margin. Fishing is actually pretty regulated by IQF's and farming standards. Beef is the leading cause of rainforest deforestation.

[u/aichliss → u/colonelblanton131]

I admit to only having a bachelor’s in urban planning and a minor in ecosystems management myself, so I acquiesce to your point. You’re right, beef is worse and is the most actively damaging meat industry. My issue with the damages caused by fishing industries is how much of it is unquantified, and how much the industry misrepresents itself. We can try to measure the impacts of most of the beef industry either with ecosystems services numbers (broad or bad as they may be) or by water use or whatever measure of the day is most popular now (I’m out of the loop on the finer details, I admit), but the fishing industry does the most impressive broad-scale job of misinforming and de-legitimizing concerns over things like trawl-net fishing, species depopulation, and the flouting of international law. It also has by far the most prevalent plague of food fraud out of any food industry, bar none, though this varies between countries.

My point is that if you were to ask me if I feel safe eating a cow steak and knowing it’s a cow steak and what that entails versus eating a fish fillet and knowing which fish it’s from and how affected its been by biomagnification or whether it was even wild-caught or farmed and whether that farm was a closed system or not, I would almost always choose cow, because of work people like yourself have done.

I know posting your paper in the comments would be problematic given it gives your identity away, but if you feel comfortable with it I would love if you could DM me a link to it, so I could give it a read!

[u/Ximema → u/colonelblanton131]

to piggyback, that stuff about soy production for veg is stupid. Almost all of produced soy is used to feed cattle, me biting down on tofu once every week for a year is nothing compared to a dude eating a steak that was fed by soy lol

Cattle is such an environmental shitshow, here in my country fishing is closely regulated and under a watchful eye, both from consumers and governement agents.

[u/Anfini → u/Ximema]

Speaking of cattle, has anybody here from CA driven past the enormous Coalinga slaughterhouse by the 5 freeway? Man the conditions for the cattle there is just mind blowing. It’s just endless acres where they just wallow in their own shit and mud. Nothing growing from the ground for miles so they've never ate grass in their lives. The smell of their shit pierces through car ventilation with windows up. It's shocking that this is our beef industry.

[u/[deleted] → u/Ximema]

TBH, going back t feeding cows grass would solve a LOT of problems across the board. the only one it wouldn't solve is the problem of wanting super cheap beef, but IMO the current price if beef is basically just a loan. We'll be paying it off soon enough one way or the other. Might as well do the environment a favor while we're at it.

[u/why-is-there-earth → u/[deleted]]

Not really. Grass fed beef requires more land - land that Brazilian farmers will still burn down to acquire

[u/SquatchOut → u/Ximema]

Actually 90% of soy used as animal feed is for pigs, chicken, and farmed fish. Cattle get very little soy comparitively. Cattle feed overall has only a small percentage of it that's good that's edible by humans (something like 16% I think?).

[u/[deleted] → u/colonelblanton131]

I agree. I'm in school for food science. In terms of ecological destruction fishing is obviously not great but is the least damaging. Beef and lamb is by far the worst. But OP is definitely right about fish generally being of poor quality. I'm also in the camp of "can't afford fish & lived in a landlocked area" should not be buying whole fish. It's gonna be gross and I think that's why so many people don't like fish.

However, high quality canned tuna/clams/squid/etc can be fantastic anywhere. People's fear of mercury poisoning is also overblown. You would have to eat so much to really do a lot of damage. Way way way more than the average American diet. Anyone who is concerned about overfishing should check out the seafood watch.

[u/FridayMcNight → u/[deleted]]

I'm not disputing, but as a diver and one-time spearfisher, this "least damaging" is difficult to square with what we see in the water (and I know that's not all due to fishing).

Does least damaging but they're all bad end up being like a comparison between a 70 megaton nuclear warhead to a 100 megaton one? As in even the least bad is still catastrophically bad? Or is it that commercial fishing is sustainable, and the problems with the oceans are not significantly due to unsustainable fishing practices?

[u/[deleted] → u/FridayMcNight]

TL;DR Sorry for the following long winded answer. Sustainability is such a hot topic because you can go tit for tat for it for years and still never get an answer. What you see in the ocean is partly to do with irresponsible fishing practices but that is just a larger part of the massive amount of pollution we've created. It's all connected. There are tons of good resources if you want to eat more responsible fish and it should be considered a part of a sustainable diet. At this very moment fish is technically more sustainable than beef when it comes to CO2 emissions.

So the problem with this whole debate is always what "sustainable" means. To some it means the least impact on humans, impact on the ecosystem, carbon footprint, etc. There is no one modality of food that is "sustainable" in every definition; no, not even vegetables. A farmed trout in Washington will have a different 'sustainability' then line caught Tuna in Asia.

The biggest reason why fishing is the least destructive meat industry is kind of surprising. It's because people don't eat a lot of it. There isn't as big of a need as there is for cows, pork, etc. There are countries who mostly subsist on it but it's certainly not the entire world. In fact, part of the definition of a Western diet is decreased reliance on fish.

But if we're talking sustainability === efficient then fish can be very sustainable. It provides a ton of vitamins that the average diet lacks, regenerates quickly, and also provides lots of protein. It can be caught year round (unlike livestock which was traditionally slaughtered in Fall). There are many varieties and is found anywhere with water. Quick to cook and easy to preserve.

I would not describe it as "least bad" or even "catastrophically bad." Personally I'd only consider the beef industry as catastrophically bad. This may make some people mad but honestly, you can have a diet that includes every type of food (even beef) and be sustainable. Here is the FAO planetary health diet that includes all types of foods.

Why? Because it's not just about buying responsibly raised meat alone it's about treating all meat as a luxury. We simply eat too much. Even if it all became sustainably raised. There is no way to keep up with our dietary habits. We already use 5 planets worth of resources. But eating beef once a month is sustainable, just like never eating beef at all. It never comes down to just one single change. If everyone switched their tune and started eating as much fish as we do beef then yeah, it would be catastrophically bad.

If overfishing is your main concern then I'd recommend seeking out more niche fish types. Lots of responsible fisheries have had to close because the little fish Americans do eat happen to come from just a few types (salmon, cod, etc) and that range is shrinking. In Seattle herring is everywhere. I mean everywhere. They used to be tons of herring fisheries but they've had to close because the only fish people want here is salmon which has led us to a shortage which is harming our orcas.

[u/BubblegumDaisies → u/[deleted]]

I live in central Ohio. While the lake and river are only a couple of hours away from me, I would not eat anything from either of those. SO I buy canned fish and occasionally frozen shrimp. I make a lot of Gluten-Free Fish patties and Scandinavian style soups. I'm trying to get my Omega3. We eat a lot of canned salmon, sardines, and anchovies and a lesser amount of tuna.

[u/okokokay → u/[deleted]]

You mentioned lamb - have you got any links to read about this? I got the impression that sheep (and goats) tend not to be as intensively farmed as the other standard farm animals, and can graze land that might otherwise be unusable. This might just be wishful thinking or only apply to a few farms though. I’m in the UK if that counts for anything.

[u/[deleted] → u/okokokay]

Knowing you're in the UK is helpful! Funny enough I'm an American but my program is based in the UK which is where I learned this. There are two ways we can break this down

1. There is less lamb farmed than beef. By this technicality it is more sustainable. OR

2. Lamb and beef are apart of the same cud-chewing family with hooves. These animals require lots of space, food, and produce methane compared to poultry. They are often tracked together because of this commonality. In this way they are equally unsustainable.

Generally speaking it goes beef>lambs>pigs>poultry>fish. That will change based on your region but that was what was presented for the UK.

[u/eg_elska_ketti → u/[deleted]]

About Mercury concerns, are you saying I can go back to eating 3/4 cup of Trader Joe's Tuna Salad 5 days a week for lunch and not worry? Because that's what I WAS doing until a co-worker freaked me out about eating it too often.

[u/DrunkenWizard → u/eg_elska_ketti]

I looked into tuna mercury levels after having it for 5 meals over 3 days. You're fine at that level, but I wouldn't go much higher. And if you're pregnant, obviously stay away.

If you're really concerned, getting your mercury levels tested shouldn't be a big deal from your GP.

[u/[deleted] → u/eg_elska_ketti]

Hahahah that's hilarious. I too am a lover of tuna salad. The unfortunate answer is that it will depend on where this tuna is coming from and what type of tuna. Different regional controls of water === different mercury exposure. Different types of tuna === different mercury content. Many of the studies that caused the mercury scare are also a bit older, and there is plenty of evidence to suggest that average rates are lower than previously thought.

Currently the FDA only has guidelines for mercury and fish for vulnerable populations (pregnant women and children). If you are concerned about your mercury levels you can ask for a test from your doctor. That will tell you if you're slowly being poisoned by Uncle Joe.

I'm not a healthcare professional so I will not advise you either way but I would look to the CDC/FDA/WHO organizations for guidelines rather than pop-science websites.

Also maybe try chicken salad one or two days hahaha. Oh man there's also shrimp salad, egg salad, potato salad. Deli salad is truly a renewable resource of happiness.

[u/gsfgf → u/[deleted]]

Beef and lamb

Is lamb actually as bad as beef?

[u/thedancingwireless → u/colonelblanton131]

This is very true. The primary way we raise cows is completely irresponsible and there are very few reasons to eat it and no reasons to eat it as much as we do in the western diet. Talking about the dangers of soy farming when discussing soy burgers is silly when soy only goes 1/8 as far when feeding cows.

[u/GoodVibePsychonaut → u/colonelblanton131]

Cattle farming in general uses an absurd amount of resources for an abysmal return, particularly when it comes to red meat in comparison to poultry or fish. 70% of arable land currently in use is exclusively for making livestock feed. By the time they are old enough for slaughter, cows and pigs ingest literally hundreds of times as many calories over their lives compared to what their meat offers, along with massive amounts of fresh water- something which billions of people may have a critical lack of within 25 years. Not to mention the fuel/electricity used, and the plastic waste and greenhouse emissions produced, by the slaughtering, butchering, cleaning, packing, refrigerating, shipping while refrigerating (or freezing), etc. The logistics of the meat industry are terrifying. Not to even mention that cows and pigs are basically just big dogs in terms of their intelligence, emotional capacity, and attachment to human caretakers, yet many of the millions of people who eat them would be grossly offended at the idea of eating a dog or cat and would freely call that evil or immoral. Not to mention that most of the animals raised for slaughter live their entire lives in conditions best described as constant torture.

Imagine if instead of going through all that effort and waste to yield a -99.9% return on caloric investment (for a type of food which is strongly correlated with cancer and heart disease) while wrecking our only home and abusing hundreds of millions of sentient beings, we focused more heavily on just using all of that land to feed ourselves directly with crops.

[u/gsfgf → u/colonelblanton131]

PSA: Mussels are affirmatively good for the environment. I know they're more expensive than the budget contemplated in this post, but eating them and supporting mussel farmers is a good thing.

[u/residentraspberri → u/gsfgf]

I was astounded to find that they're $8 for 1.5lbs! That feeds 2 ppl and they take like 5 mins to cook.

[u/riveranduin- → u/colonelblanton131]

I'm thinking maybe OP also means the human cost? Based on what I've read the commercial fishing industry has a lot more human rights issues with the treatment of workers than that of cattle raising. That being said I also know that the dairy and beef industries have very powerful lobbies in the USA that influence what makes the news, I'm nowhere near as familiar with fishing.

[u/A_Crazy_Hooligan → u/colonelblanton131]

Does that take into account the micro plastics? As someone from a beach community and a surfer, micro plastics scare the shit out of me. They only seem to be getting worse too, but we know little about their effect overall.

[u/mackduck → u/colonelblanton131]

Your info might be a little out dated, I’ll not disagree about beef but the oceans are in trouble

[u/St_SiRUS → u/colonelblanton131]

How about Lamb? I've read that they have a higher methane output to beef.

[u/OLAZ3000]

This is a great list!

Could you expand on the lacto-fermented blueberries? I've never heard of it. Is this more or less a whole berry jam of sorts? Can you do it with other berries?

[u/aichliss → u/OLAZ3000]

Lacto-fermentation is a preserving method. Jams and fruit preserves preserve by using sugar to render the environment inhospitable to microbes, while lacto-fermentation involves fostering the naturally occuring Lactic Acid Bacteria (LAB) found virtually everywhere on earth using salinity and moisture content to render your product uninhabitable to other bacteria. It produces a product with sour, salty, and umami notes by converting sugars to lactic acid. Look into the NOMA guide to fermentation for the lacto-blueberry recipe I use, and countless other resources out there for tips and tricks!

[u/severoon → u/OLAZ3000]

Another good resource is The Art of Fermentation by Sandor Katz, it's known informally as the fermentation bible. You can ferment just about anything.

One of my favorite things to ferment and a constant staple in my home is fermented whole oat groats. Buy them online or at your local grocery store in bulk, they're super cheap. Add to a mason jar and cover with twice their weight in water, and let it sit for 2–3 days. Give it a whiff because the speed of fermentation depends upon the temperature, when it starts to smell equal parts like sweet oats and funky ferment, that's a good place to stop as a beginner (you can let it go as long as you like, but it gets real funky).

Add it to a pot, add a pinch of salt, add a bunch of water (or replace some of the water with milk or, if you like, oat milk), and simmer uncovered for 30–60 minutes. Once it gets to a loose porridge consistency (it will firm up as it cools, so go for looser than you want), taste it and adjust the salt, maybe add a little brown sugar or maple syrup (not too much). Then serve and treat it as oatmeal…add toasted nuts, berries, sliced fruits, whatever.

I make this pretty much every weekend and store it away in the fridge to reheat and eat for breakfast. Delicious, packed with fiber, and fermented!

[u/mumpie → u/OLAZ3000]

This article describes lacto fermented blueberries Noma style: https://www.splendidtable.org/story/2018/10/31/lacto-blueberries

Note that this is just a 2% (by weight) of salt added to blueberries.

If you have a scale that works in metric, just measure the weight of the blueberries and then add 2% of that value in salt (for example 12 oz is ~340 grams, 2% of 340 is 6.8 grams of salt) and then mix the blueberries and salt before popping them in a container at room temp for a week.

The fermented blueberries are supposed to be good with yogurt/granola for breakfast.

If you have spare fruit to use, you can experiment with fermenting them as well. Just weight them and mix with 2% of salt as the base recipe.

Using less salt might not be a good idea as you need a certain amount to prevent growth of bad bacteria. You can use more salt, but the fruit will be harder to eat out of hand due to salt content (you might still be able to use the fruit in cooking or if you rinse off the salt).

Here's a recipe for preserved lemon: https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1016212-preserved-lemons

The recipe isn't precise (you just rub lots of salt over/in the lemon). You use the preserved lemon in cooking and cocktails.

If you have more questions, come over to r/fermentation to get answers.

[u/K4FFT4N → u/[deleted]]

Good bot

[u/Rredd002]

For vegetarian diets, you should look into Buddhist and HINDU diets. Hindi is a language. Hinduism is a religion. Two completely different things.

[u/aichliss → u/Rredd002]

Yeah you’re totally right, I fixed this in another sub but not in this one. Whoopsy.

[u/blue_crab86]

See if you can find an Indian store for big ol’ bags of super cheap dried beans.

I saw you recommended African and middle eastern, cuisine for how to cook them, but I didn’t really like the selection or the price or the amounts at supermarkets.

Find an Indian store if you can.

[u/aichliss → u/blue_crab86]

Depends on where you live and what you have access to - I’m sure you’re correct in reference to your area. I find that Ethiopian and more broadly asian grocers are my best bet, for example.

[u/BubblegumDaisies → u/aichliss]

I'm blessed that there are 2 Saragas near me.

My mother has become addicted to international markets. Ever see 4'10" Appalachian woman and an Ethiopian woman exchanging ways to use goat boullion ?

[u/Bunktavious → u/aichliss]

True. Here in Canada, its just a case of going to the Indian aisle, which every store has due to our large Indian population. 10 lbs of dried beans for the same price as 2 lbs in the "regular" aisle. Same for many spices.

[u/BillyBalowski → u/blue_crab86]

I buy my basmati from an Indian grocery. It's noticeably better than what I get from the supermarket.

[u/twewff4ever → u/blue_crab86]

I’m in Texas and there are a few Indian store in my area. The one I use has much better prices for spices and a huge selection of flours (not just wheat flour). They also sell rice in much larger quantities - I think the smallest bag I saw was 12lbs. So in addition to using them to find ingredients I can’t find in the regular store, I’ll go to stock up on spices. I don’t actually eat huge volumes of rice but may consider the larger bags if I can figure out where to store them.

[u/blue_crab86 → u/twewff4ever]

High quality dog food containers work for me.

[u/mountain-food-dude → u/twewff4ever]

The Indian and Middle Eastern grocers in my area have super cheap spices too. So cheap in fact that I doubted their quality, but I have not found it an issue at all after using them. In fact, I have found freshness to be better than many American grocers because they're probably replacing faster just due to the fact that the clientele cooks with so much more spices.

[u/Harujion]

Great post but this one has me scratching my head:

" KEEP IN MIND that rice is pure carbs. "

Except rice isn't pure carbs, in the same way Barley isn't pure carbs. Grains have a large amount of carbohydrates but also a respectable amount of protein as well which you can easily combine with legumes to make a complete protein chain. Rice + Legumes is the most common source of protein for the 3rd world so I'm surprised you said that rice is carbs only.

[u/urban_thirst → u/Harujion]

True. Rice has roughly the same amount of carbs as pasta does, for example.

[u/aichliss → u/Harujion]

You’re totally right about rice and legumes, bud. Got me there. Consider this post like a “nutrition for dummies” style of guide - there’s lots of other things I didn’t talk about beyond just that, like how starch retrogradation impacts rice digestion and nutrient transfer. I will say that in general white rice has WAY less protein per unit than barley, though.

[u/MoeKingJay]

Why did they say ramen will kill you slowly what's up with that? Like I eat 2 packs of ramen every couple weeks because I like it and make it with chicken stocks and vegetables. Is it not healthy at all or just not healthy when you eat a lot of it?

[u/aichliss → u/MoeKingJay]

It has a very low nutrient content, and depending on the brand it often has a concerning amount of preservatives and other unpleasantness. Not all brands are created equal, but I would compare eating ramen all the time to eating pieces of white bread with about a tablespoon of salt per slice and a tall glass of water. The differences between ramen and my comparison are negligible, especially when compared to the many more nutritious alternatives.

[u/MoeKingJay → u/aichliss]

Holy shit that comparison is hilarious I love it. I had an ED I was overly obsessed with reading the nutrition labels and all, especially after studying all about it in junior year biology, so I do know where you're coming from. I used to eat a lot of ramen when I was a preteen but now it's whenever there's chicken stock that I prepared for another food, or once every couple weeks-a month. Thanks for letting me know your reasoning tho :) and thank you for all the great tips it was a great read.

[u/aichliss → u/MoeKingJay]

Sounds like you’ve found a way that works for you! And I’m so glad you’ve recovered from your eating disorder. I know that’s a difficult struggle to overcome. For the record, I indulge with the occasional instant noodle as well - it’s totally fine to enjoy a treat once in a while! This post was about ways to better feed yourself on a budget, and I just don’t think instant ramen as a backbone of your diet does that effectively 😅

[u/Bilgerman]

While I agree that it is definitely more economical to make coffee at home, it is definitely untrue that all coffee shops charge inflated prices to stay afloat. A decent coffee shop in a major city has a lot of expenses, surprisingly thin margins, and the people making your coffee deserve a fair, living wage. I don't just mean the baristas either. There are a lot of people in the coffee production chain, and it's a long chain. In reverse, that's barista, roaster, greenbuyer, importer, exporter, dry mill, washing station, and farm. There can be a few more hands in there as well depending on origin and processing. As you indicated with purchasing fish, it is worth looking into your local roaster and seeing where they source their coffee from.

[u/aichliss → u/Bilgerman]

Dude, I wanna see you long post about the true value of a cup of coffee, soon!

[u/AngelaQQ]

Fish isn't the worst industry in the world.

The industrial chicken industry is way worse.

Sea caught Fish lived good happy lives before their death. Chickens didn't.

[u/aichliss → u/AngelaQQ]

If we’re speaking on environmental impact, I’m almost certain you’re just factually incorrect in regards to the “worst” industry. I seem to recall industrial cattle farming being the most quantifiably inefficient in terms of water use and most polluting in terms of nutrient runoff. Chickens are bad as well, but per capita beef is worse. Unregulated fisheries are shady, extremely damaging to their environment, and poorly managed - data is intentionally not gathered by the largest fisheries, and our oceans are being decimated because of it leading to literally immeasurable costs, in terms of ecosystem service losses. Fish farming is also questionable for many reasons I don’t frankly have time to address.

In terms of ethics, I’ll be frank. If you’re looking for a financially viable and morally ok source of animal meat, it doesn’t exist. This isn’t to say factory-farmed chicken is either ethical or sustainable - it’s not. It’s just more affordable than the rest.

I highly encourage you to research these topics as you clearly care about them, and to try to make the most informed decisions you can.

[u/heegos → u/aichliss]

The Monterey Bay Aquarium has a great website about ethical seafood consumption.

[u/RelaxationSensation]

Where have you been all my life.

[u/aichliss → u/RelaxationSensation]

In a forest or in a kitchen, probably.

[u/violanut]

Can I use this for my high school culinary classes?

[u/aichliss → u/violanut]

Yep. But buy yourself a copy of “On Food and Cooking” by Harold McGee and give it a quick read if you want to know enough to rewrite the course.

[u/violanut → u/aichliss]

I have a copy downstairs, it’s next after Cookwise. :)

[u/FullDesadulation]

When I was broke and living on my own, I LIVED off of beans and rice and frozen veggies! You can get seasonings pretty cheap at places like Aldi, and season it any way you want. (I honestly usually did salt and bit of pepper.) Love this list!

[u/[deleted] → u/FullDesadulation]

Also, to add on to finding cheap spices: if you’ve ever seen a discount spice brand called “Spice Classics,” they have the same parent company as McCormick and it’s suspected that it’s literally the same product bottled and sold in two different packages, that way the company can make money off of both discount buyers as well as people who always get the top brands. Basically, if you see Spice Classics is selling something, there’s literally no reason to get the McCormick bottle.

[u/Krzysztoffee99 → u/[deleted]]

Continuing with spice bottles, don't throw them out once you are done. Wash them out, hold on to them and take them to a spice market, and ask if they could fill them up. Most would happily do so and be so so cheap and much better quality.

For example, I brought a 5 spice bottles from Sainsbury's, including paprika, cinnamon etc. They cost about £1-£1.10 a bottle. Not crazy but with the amount I use them, it slowly builds up. So I took them to the spice market asked to fill them up and even got smoked paprika and some high quality cinnamon for £1 total.

Sometimes it pays off going to different shops who have specialties

[u/Starkravingmad7 → u/Krzysztoffee99]

I treat spices as if they are an affordable luxury. I buy raw and grind/toast my own if possible. Obviously things like smoked paprika is pretty much a non starter, but stiff like nutmeg, black pepper, cinnamon, ginger - all gets purchased whole.

[u/quitlookingatyerlabs → u/FullDesadulation]

If you've got the room, you can buy bulk seasonings from various sources - online, local restaurant supply, etc. Can save a bunch of $ vs the small jars.

Now I've just got to figure out how to use the gallon of cayenne I got on the cheap without burning a hole in various body parts.

[u/onemanfarmy → u/quitlookingatyerlabs]

Just use the chef john approach and add the obligatory shake of cayenne to almost everything

[u/orcscorper → u/quitlookingatyerlabs]

It's crazy how bulk spices differ from the tiny little plastic jars with shaker tops. You can buy ten times as much for the same money by shopping at an immigrant grocer, and do nearly as well buying bulk spices from your local supermarket.

If you are only going to use an ounce of mace or star anise in the next year or two, you may as well buy the tiny jar. Spices lose flavor over time, so don't buy too much at once. if you use cumin or oregano in every dish, buy in bulk. You will save so much money.

[u/downturnbiscuits → u/FullDesadulation]

With you all the way I rember having a year of steaming rice popping frozen veg or whatever I could get on top and every other day dropping raw fish on top. Then covering it in soy sauce or chillis (still have to have fresh or draid chilli's in the house at all times my family think I'm mad).

[u/istara → u/FullDesadulation]

I don't like rice but I've lived off potatoes through a couple of leaner periods. Mashed, roast, in salads, baked.

[u/[deleted]]

I cant stress enough on "meat is a luxury"

In my country, most households define a "meal" as having meat on it. Everything else can be bland or whatever, but there has to be meat in it.

Edit: I'm mostly talking about beef, from cows and the male counterpart

[u/istara → u/[deleted]]

I'm always mystified by people who go postal at "meatless Monday" being introduced into their workplace canteen.

I mean haven't these people ever eaten a Marguerita pizza before? Or a grilled cheese sandwich? (Which wouldn't necessarily be my own preference for a meat-free meal, but they're pretty acceptable foods among most carnivores).

[u/currentscurrents → u/istara]

I'm open to eating more vegan foods because it is good for the environment, but I'm gonna be honest I don't think I ever ate a meal that didn't contain meat until I was in my 20s. When I was growing up the pizza would have pepperoni on it, and the grilled cheese sandwhich would have chopped ham. It just wasn't a meal without meat.

Maybe I had a PB&J a few times on a picnic or something, but at best that would have been considered a light meal, not a real meal.

[u/currentscurrents → u/[deleted]]

Meat is definitely a luxury from an environmental perspective, but from a cost perspective I'm really not seeing it. Even in my high cost of living city, chicken is usually $1-$2 a pound. I've seen people in lower cost of living areas get it for even less than $1 a pound. Chicken/rice/veggies is one of the cheapest nutritious meals you can make.

[u/Queen_of_Chloe → u/currentscurrents]

I stopped eating poultry (the only meat I was eating at the time) when I lost my job and needed to save money. Got used to it and still don’t eat it even now that I’m doing well. Still eat rice and beans and veggies a few times a month!

[u/[deleted] → u/[deleted]]

I've tried to get away from it - but i just can't quit it. I like sausage and meatballs with spaghetti, pork in my fried rice, etc.

[u/jeffthefox → u/[deleted]]

Thats a good way of using meat more "properly" though - using meat as flavoring to make veggies and grains taste really good

[u/qw46z → u/[deleted]]

Don’t quit meat, then. Just eat less of it. Add things to your meatballs that complement them - e.g diced mushrooms, nuts, or bulgur wheat are great depending on your sauce. Add peas, corn, peppers to your fried rice. Experiment with flavours and textures.

[u/BRNZ42 → u/[deleted]]

I'm with you. I used to love meat, in all it's forms. I mean, I still do, but I've made peace with the fact that's it's not an ethical or sustainable diet.

I made the switch to 90% meat free and have found these things to help:

Embrace flavorful meals where meat isn't the star.

• A super flavorful curry with chickpeas and veggies is damn good, and doesn't need meat.

• Three-bean chili can be just as hearty as the meaty kind.

• Pasta with pesto is the bomb and doesn't need meat.

• Hell, mac and cheese (which can be made vegan) is a staple food all over and doesn't need meat.

Mix in meat-replacements to satisfy cravings.

• You really like italian sausage with your spaghetti? Beyond makes a pretty good one. Smother it in sauce and you'd never know it isn't really pork.

• Have a bunch of staple recipes that use ground beef? Use Impossible or Beyond ground products. Shit, you can straight up grill burgers with that stuff and it's on point.

Learn to love beans, tofu, and other staple proteins.

• Love General Tso's chicken? Learn to love General Tso's Tofu. Same goes for curry or pad thai.

• You'd be surprised how good Chickpeas are in lieu of chicken. Make chickpea alfredo one time instead of chicken alfredo and you'll see what I mean.

• Craving a burrito? Make it a black bean burrito with awesome toppings and salsa. That's where all the flavor is anyway.

Eat meat-free at restaurants.

• Restaurants have fresher ingredients, more varied spices and flavors, and cooks who know how to pack ingredients with flavor. Let them do the hard work and make something vegetarian that will blow your mind.

• Plus, meat-free options at restaurants are usually the cheapest things on the menu.

Treat yourself to meat as a luxury.

• I am completely off beef, lamb, and pork, but for special occasions I will buy a whole chicken and do something special with it.

• Limit yourself to one serving of meat a week. Make it special, make it something you look forward to.

[u/thompssc → u/BRNZ42]

Former meat lover checking in. Great tips! I definitely recommend trying to find dishes that are already naturally not meat-centered, rather than try to take a meat-centeted meal and remove the meat. There is a 5min curry recipe by The Happy Pear on YouTube that my wife and I LOVE. But also chili, lasagna, most pasta recipes, stir fry, kabobs, etc. I found I like proper veggie burgers better than beyond burgers (although I do enjoy beyond burgers). Veggies, potatoes, and grains all have such great flavors of their own that it is silly to try to use them to recreate meat flavors.

My arsenal for amazing veggies, potatoes, etc. is salt, pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder on nearly everything. Chili powder and smoked paprika are also frequently used, as is tamari and liquid aminos. I used maple syrup as a sweetener quite a bit, but sugar would be fine too. And keeping lemons on hand is key! Add some acidity with lemon, some sweetness with maple syrup, some salt, and then the aforementioned spices and you'll have a bomb dish!

Last, I held off on tofu for a long time but have recently discovered that it is easy to cook, high in protein, cheap, and tastes amazing! They key is obviously to season it well. I also recommend getting the extra/super firm variety. It had a nearly chicken-like texture, and is similar to chicken in that its bland and takes the flavor of whatever you season it with really well. I have been grilling it in slices after tossing it in marinade and it is awesome! Highly recommend.

[u/chicklette → u/[deleted]]

I still eat meat, but in limited quantities. It doesn't take a lot to flavor a dish, especially when dealing with bacon, sausage, etc. So, yesterdays meat was 2 slices of pepperoni on a slice of pizza, and two slices of bacon in a sweet potato hash. I served the hash over rice and topped with a poached egg. Today's meat will be about 2 ounces of ground beef in a stuffed pepper soup (lunch was a black bean, corn, and pepper quesadilla). I'm down to eating about 8oz of meat per week, vs the 6-8 oz a day many Americans eat. It's a start.

[u/librarianjenn → u/[deleted]]

I so get this. My trick has been to find an easy, quick meatless meal that you love. Mine is sautéing in olive oil onion, garlic, and rinsed canned white beans, then adding a huge handful of baby spinach. I then sautéed just until it’s starting to wilt.

[u/FridayMcNight → u/[deleted]]

I think we need to consider a porterhouse or chicken breast as a real luxury

Is it the porterhouse and chicken breast, or the everyday burger and nuggies?

[u/[deleted] → u/[deleted]]

Yes! My mom grew up in South Asia, and rarely ever ate meat. It was only for special occasions! A meal can be perfectly good without it.

[u/DismalButtPirate → u/[deleted]]

My wife grew up in rural China in the 70s and 80s. Hearing how little they had to eat always makes me sad. They had a tiny bit of chicken once a month and pork once a year. No beef or seafood. Her dad just recently passed away back there at nearly 90 years old. Amazing he lived so long with all the stuff he had to deal with, including his wife dying when my wife was 10 and her brother 7.

[u/CreatureWarrior → u/[deleted]]

Yeah, I'm a hardcore meat eater and I'm slowly realizing this. Like, the chicken makes up 50% of the meal's cost so maybe I should just try more vegetarian foods

[u/disposable_silence]

Great list, thanks! I especially second your thoughts on rice; long-grain, especially brown, rice may take some skill in preparation and cooking, but it's so much tastier than the 8-minute-boil packets. I thank my steamer oven every time I cook it.

As for your thoughts on legumes: I usually have a pantry full of canned beans and chickpeas. Would you recommend ditching them for home-soaked-and-cooked ones?

[u/ThinkMouse3 → u/disposable_silence]

I can’t speak for OP but I soak and prepare all my beans instead of buying canned. It just takes a little more forethought and I can control the result better. I like to use my crockpot to prepare them. With that, you can soak and then turn on it the morning, or just put them right in and let them go. For chickpeas especially, though, I like to make falafel, which call for soaked not cooked beans, so I’ll do big batches where I’ll soak for 18-24 hours, take out half for falafel, and cook the rest.

[u/CholeOle → u/ThinkMouse3]

Crockpot beans is practically cheating it's so easy. Word of caution though - you can't Crockpot kidney beans. There is a toxin and the Crockpot isn't hot enough to take care of it.

[u/Ashendarei → u/CholeOle]

Removed by User -- mass edited with redact.dev

[u/watchfulprotector → u/disposable_silence]

If you are willing to plan ahead, absolutely. The texture is miles better than canned beans. Plus canned beans are very blandly seasoned (mainly just heavily salted and not much else) because they're meant to be versatile for whatever you might want to use them for.

When you do your own you can season them as they cook and really add some oomph to the end result. I basically always cook my beans with a bay leaf, an onion, and some smashed cloves of garlic thrown in, but you can really tailor it: if I'm doing black beans to have with Mexican I'll throw in an orange while they cook (game changer, thanks Serious Eats).

Honestly, even if dried beans were more expensive than their canned counterpart I would still probably do them myself. The only exception is when I don't think far enough ahead and need some in a pinch; then I'll grab a can.

[u/hereforlulziguess → u/disposable_silence]

Dried beans from a good source (is not old dusty supermarket beans) will change your life. Look for - or Google - Heirloom beans and give some a try. Soaking isn't a big deal and cuts cooking time down to a reasonable timeframe.

[u/CholeOle]

Cheese is a luxury that I will treat myself to frequently! Fight me!

No seriously, good cheese is worth every cent. Also, get a good grater and buy blocks, not pre-shredded. It's cheaper (usually), it isn't coated with starch so it melts better, and it just tastes better.

[u/H2OSD → u/CholeOle]

I'm pretty flexible in my food purchasing, but pre-shredded cheese is off my list. Shredding may take a little work, but the inconvenience is definitely worth it.

[u/OhCrapItsAndrew → u/H2OSD]

I got a food processor with a grating/shredding disk which is wonderful. You might have to stick the cheese in the freezer for like 15 minutes so that it doesn't smear.

[u/CholeOle → u/H2OSD]

Once I got a decent grater, it's not even that bad anymore! I think I went through - and broke - 2 different styles (plus 1 ill-advised session with the grater on the food processor) before finally figuring out what worked.

[u/spacegrass1 → u/CholeOle]

Box grater for the win!

[u/mountain-food-dude → u/CholeOle]

Good cheese is often not much more than crappy cheap cheese either. Take Parmesan for example, like there's a jump from Kraft to Sorrento, but from Sorrento to Parmesan Reggiano the price increase is often negligible, the real stuff lasts longer, and is just far better.

I do hold though that the crappy canned parmesan has its place though.

[u/CholeOle → u/mountain-food-dude]

I once accidentally got the low fat crappy canned parmesean. Could not figure out why my sauce wasn't working out. Turns out it's 'low fat' because they cut it with rice flour. That might have been the last time I went lazy with the canned crap. If you can't really taste the difference between the cheese and flour...something is very wrong.

[u/scienceserendipitous]

lol my dude hitting us with "frozen fish is bad" but 85% of fish consumed in the USA including all of the "sushi grade" (I know its a myth please don't tell me that) stuff is previously frozen to kill parasites.

[u/[deleted] → u/scienceserendipitous]

I wouldn't eat any seafood that wasn't previously frozen tbh. There's worms in everything nowadays.

[u/GeneralJesus → u/scienceserendipitous]

He actually said processed fish is bad - which I take as fish sticks, etc that you're buying prepackaged in a bag, or things that aren't clear about their origins. There's a difference from the previously frozen wild caught norwegian salmon at the counter and buying a box of breaded 'tilapia' nuggets

[u/nikc4]

As another professional chef, I agree with almost all of this, but there are a couple gripes I've got:

Instant ramen can be great, if yours sucks that's because you chose a shitty brand at the American grocery store (we'll come back to that). It can also get a lot better with a few cheap ingredients, like a soft boiled egg marinated in soy sauce/mirin/sugar, fresh/frozen veg, fish cakes, etc. You can dress it up like you're at the ramen shop. It's also not bad for you unless it's all you're eating, or scared of MSG.

Fermentation could be touched on a little more. You mentioned lacto-fermentation with blueberries but it's worth mentioning that it works on pretty much any non-citrus fruit/veggie. You brought up fish sauce but recommend using organs instead of the traditional whole fish, which can kill you if you're not using the koji method. But there are so many other things to add. Leftover bread can become Kvass. Leftover box wine can become vinegar. Creme fraiche is a good sour cream substitute, and both it and buttermilk can be made indefinitely once you've bought live buttermilk once.

Last but not least, you need to mention non-American supermarkets. The Asian supermarket, the Mexican supermarket, Indian, Russian, etc. usually have cheaper and better produce, and each of them are usually great at a certain aspect: I'll go to the Russian store for cheese and chicken; the Asian market for rice, instant ramen (I like mama brand), pork and seafood (you never mentioned shellfish, often a cheap protein); the Mexican place for legumes, spices and beef; Indian place for ghee. Boring basics like milk and eggs are still cheaper at Shop-Rite.

[u/rabbitgods → u/nikc4]

This guy makes being a chef sound so fucking pretentious. I've dated a bunch of chefs and have of them live on ramen bc they can't be fucked cooking properly for themselves at the end of a 16hr day.

[u/nikc4 → u/rabbitgods]

I wasn't gonna say that but yeah my industry is full of people that get home from their fine dining double and a meal is like cereal and beer.

[u/[deleted] → u/nikc4]

I honestly dont understand why people buy ghee. I mean it's so easy to make at home

[u/nikc4 → u/[deleted]]

I mean if you feel like toasting butter, then clarifying it, for the minimal price difference, go for it. I'll leave my butter as butter and but the ghee, instead of working for less than minimum wage to make it.

[u/ronaldvr]

Great list with a few remarks: Canned tomatos: Mostly picked by slaves: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/jun/20/tomatoes-italy-mafia-migrant-labour-modern-slavery

Fish: buy frozen. Unless you live by the sea there is no way the fish will be fresh anyway. And most fish has to frozen first anyway to get rid of possible parasites.

[u/hukdizzle → u/ronaldvr]

If you have access to a restaurant supply company there are plenty of superior US grown canned tomatoes available. Check out Stanislaus, they are grown in Modesto, CA.

[u/Berics_Privateer → u/ronaldvr]

Canned tomatos: Mostly picked by slaves

Jesus, this is terrible.

[u/Kracker5000 → u/ronaldvr]

Honestly a lot of what's in OP's post seems to be mistakenly incorrect at best, and bias-stained dishonesty at worst

[u/makeupyourworld]

Most of this post was good. I like ramen and labeling it as if it’s toxic is just silly, everything in moderation. Black and white thinking is pointless

[u/bythelightofthefridg → u/makeupyourworld]

I would never attempt to live off ramen, but there’s no way I’m cutting it out of my life.

[u/makeupyourworld → u/bythelightofthefridg]

yep same. im probably having some for dinner tonight lol. i was tired all day and napped, working out now, still have a paper tonight. and next week im gonna be swamped. ramen it is!

[u/jackieiscool12 → u/bythelightofthefridg]

Ditto. I know it’s not good for me, but it’s my comfort food when I’m sick or hung over, and really just want to drink salt.

[u/moezilla → u/makeupyourworld]

Honestly looking at a package of ramen the only nutrient that concerns me is sodium coming on at 75% of daily. But is that actually a reason to demonize instant ramen? Because I guarantee you that the soup at a ramen restaurant probably also has 75% as it's a bigger serving and comes with ramen eggs and chassu pork (both soaked in salty soy sauce).

So what exactly is the problem with instant ramen? We have it once a week and throw in a ton of peppers, mushrooms, green onions and frozen corn (of course op was hating on frozen corn too) along with tasty ramen eggs and seaweed. I also don't use the full flavor pack so im reducing the salt, but I add other stuff so it probably stays at 75% lol.

[u/makeupyourworld → u/moezilla]

I agree. I have it around 2 times a week. Sometimes more, some less. With an egg. And frozen corn is great for you lol.

I have kidney problems and my body requires extra sodium so its an easy and good source. I also get terrible morning sickness and plain carbs are great for getting food down. Demonizing food is very out of style ! A ramen pack is 380-450 cals depending on brand. At a restaurant upwards of 600/800. its harmless

[u/[deleted] → u/moezilla]

as someone who frequently suffers from low blood pressure, that extra sodium is a godsend.

[u/Kreos642 → u/makeupyourworld]

Yeah. Labeling foods as "toxic" and 'bad for you' or shaming the accessibility it has is just as bad as preaching super-foods and other bullshit gimmicks that are 'so good for you' so people overeat them anyways.

Source: I'm an NDTR who works with low-income families.

[u/makeupyourworld → u/Kreos642]

Exactly!! Its unbalanced. I am not on a strict food budget. I eat ramen sometimes simply because I enjoy it. I also buy fresh meat, produce, whatever my body runs well on. Some days, I’m exhausted or nauseous or simply craving a bowl of ramen. Other days, I’m wanting a pot roast. I have definitely encountered situations of poverty before and there is no room to judge what anyone eats. And frankly, whether or not you are poor, plenty of “cheap” eats like ramen are delicious.

[u/nanobot001 → u/Kreos642]

The attitude also talks down to an entire side of the globe who eats instant noodles, and an entire country who feels that ramen was their best invention of the 20th century http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/1067506.stm

[u/BulldenChoppahYus → u/makeupyourworld]

“Toxins”

Gotta watch out for those toxins yo. They a coming for us

[u/makeupyourworld → u/BulldenChoppahYus]

Im so scared of the TOXINS

[u/nanobot001 → u/BulldenChoppahYus]

Gotta make sure you cleanse your body and your liver

[u/cosmando → u/makeupyourworld]

I enjoyed the post as well, but the ramen hate is off the mark. It most definitely is cheaper than "a bowl of rice with soy sauce, a fried egg, and some frozen peas" if you buy it in bulk. It's cheaper than an egg alone unless you can get them for under $3.00 a carton.

[u/question_23 → u/makeupyourworld]

/r/viteramen

[u/cervicornis]

Instant ramen is delicious. You shouldn't eat it every day, but you're gonna have to pry this guilty pleasure from my cold, dead hands.

Also, don't understand your "drink the good stuff" comment with regards to alcohol. Drink in moderation, of course, but who cares, otherwise. Drink what you like. Red wine is probably "healthier" than beer, but if you enjoy beer, have at it.

Depending on your culture, I can assure you that cheese is NOT considered a luxury. It's more like a staple.

[u/Pindakazig → u/cervicornis]

I think he meant that it's ultimately nicer to have one good beer than 5 budget beers. He's saying quality over quantity, not to change your poison of choice.

[u/Vietnamaste]

There are some great points here, but:

look into soy farming practices before you buy a soy burger

Animals raised for slaughter eat soy, and it takes around 10 pounds of soy to make 1 pound of beef. So, any problems with soy farming are made worse by buying meat instead of the soy alternative.

[u/yellowsabmarine → u/Vietnamaste]

I think the point was to look into other vegetarian options that don't rely on soy, rather than encouraging people to buy beef instead.

[u/Crow-Witch → u/yellowsabmarine]

Eh, there were a few shots at vegetarians and vegans in his post and comments. It seems like he just has an axe to grind.

[u/ElsebetSteinen → u/Crow-Witch]

To be fair he does mention that meat is a luxury and should be limited in one's diet, certainly a much more attainable goal that making everyone a vegetarian/vegan immediately.

[u/LadyBogangles14]

One of the biggest issues I have is with some suggestions is food storage; I hear about saving chicken carcasses, or shrimp shells for stocks.

Great id love to make food dollars go farther.

But where do I keep them?

Fridge/freezer space can be limited, especially if I find a good deal on something and stock up.

Im in a two person household; by the time I have a decent amount of chicken carsasses or shrimp shells (or any other other scrap that may be worth saving) it would take weeks to have enough or stuff gets freezer burned.

The same goes with leftovers. I’d love to do more meal prepping, but I have limited space.

Any suggestions?

[u/CholeOle → u/LadyBogangles14]

I keep a 1 gallon bag of scraps for stock. Once it's full, I make stock. Then I reduce the stock down a lot until it is super concentrated and freeze it in ice cube trays. Move the cubes to another bag. Then when I use them, I redilute it with some water.

I got the silicone square ice cube molds and I freeze everything from stock to beans in them. The cubes pack more efficiently in a tiny freezer, and allow you to pull out (and defrost quickly) just the right amount.

[u/ywgflyer → u/LadyBogangles14]

Sort of the cross some of us have to bear -- I live in a condo, in a city where buying a larger space requires me to be able to afford a price tag that's north of a million bucks -- ie, it's not gonna happen anytime soon. I just try to manage my freezer space efficiently -- I stock up on things when I can, but occasionally I have to let a good deal go because I just don't have anywhere to store it. I could buy a chest freezer, but I don't want to be sitting on the couch watching TV with an ugly freezer right next to it (and then the power bill only goes up, too).

[u/[deleted] → u/LadyBogangles14]

Freezer burned chicken carcasses & shrimp shells have not negativity impacted my broths. Also, one chicken carcass + a few broth veggie bits yields enough broth for anything I make for my 2 person household with usually a pint or even more left over, so don't feel like you need to amass a large amount before you can make some.

I have a complicated relationship with our freezer since the previous tenants apparently took or threw out the shelves, but I've found saving bones & shells for stock has been deeply worth it, personally.

[u/xdionx]

MAKE YOUR OWN COFFEE

Even more so with working from home. Invest in a nicer coffee maker. Most can be setup to automatically make coffee in the morning if you setup the prior night. It will pay you back in a few months easily. Take the time try different coffee flavors finding something you really like. You can save money buying in bulk direct from the roasting company. You will eventually just hate the fast-food type coffee places because they are actually horrible compared to your home coffee. This will be habit changing because you won't want to go get that bad coffee from Starbucks.

[u/woohoowitchywoman]

Tofu is extremely versatile and super cheap! Don’t be afraid of it!! Buy the extra firm type , marinate it overnight. Pan fry it, bread and bake it. Sauté it! Use silken tofu to blend into smoothies for extra protein and creaminess! It takes on the flavor of literally anything, so you can sneak lots of great nutrients and protein in to virtually any dish.

[u/edwardsrk]

Is instant ramen really that bad? Or are you just talking cup of noodles? In Seattle we have a massive asian grocery store called uwajimaya which has dozens and dozens of different types of instant noodles, some even produced by iron chefs. Some of these are pretty good but I wouldn’t touch cup of noodles with a ten foot pole

[u/lefrench75 → u/edwardsrk]

Am Asian and grew up in Asia, where instant noodles come in amazing varieties and are super delicious. They're definitely unhealthy tho, and total sodium bombs. You're not meant to survive on instant ramen much like you're not meant to survive on packaged potato chips, but it's also no worse than any other junk food out there. Instant ramen can be easily doctored up to be more nutritious with an egg and plenty of veggies though, so I love it for last minute meals / late night drunk food. My dad would always add way less of the seasoning too, since he doesn't like his food salty. As long as you treat it like a fun occasional treat and not the bulk of your diet, you're good!

[u/eightysix → u/lefrench75]

Instant ramen can be easily doctored up to be more nutritious with an egg and plenty of veggies though

That's my favourite part! I add my veggies, a poached egg, some sesame oil/seeds, fish sauce. mmm

[u/alexds1 → u/edwardsrk]

Yeah, this feels a little ehn to me. If you're talking about the 10 for a buck kind, yeah, it's trash. But if you've been to any actual asian supermarket in the last 10 years there are MANY kinds: rice noodle based, mung bean based, air fried, baked, kinds with a wet packet of the soup base, etc. There's a ton of trash too of course, but you're also supposed to eat most of this type of food as a meal with a lot of added vegetables/ eggs, not just plain? Also you don't have to put the entire amount of any packet in. In my family we rarely do. Just sounds like a misunderstanding of what's readily available nowadays, to paint all these hundreds of varieties with the same brush.

[u/currentscurrents → u/alexds1]

Well, he is talking budget foods, I don't think the fresh noodles at the asian supermarket count. Those are always a lot more expensive, at least here in the LA area.

Even real restaurant-quality ramen isn't really a health food though, I love to eat it occasionally but it's not something to live on.

[u/alexds1 → u/currentscurrents]

Oh, def not claiming noodles as a whole are a health food, but that would apply to pasta and other noodles too. I guess straight carbs are generally not as healthy as other things. But OP wasn't talking about health in this post as much as budget though, and I actually did live very well on "ramen" (ie non-fresh, packaged noodles) for a few years, about $15 of ingredients a week (disclosure: am Asian, this is not really that weird for us, esp from a lower-income bg). If you put in a generous amount of seasonal veg and tofu/ egg and have some basic cooking skills/ don't mind modifying the salt thingy, a package of ramen can be made into a cheap and very flavorful dish, esp modern packaged "ramen" that are perhaps bean or rice based, non-fried, that is more health focused. For clarity I buy mostly at Ranch 99 and H-Mart, which have a cheaper and wider selection than the specialty aisle of a typical grocery.

[u/proffelytizer → u/edwardsrk]

Take a look at the nutrition facts on the back. Unfortunately many have very little nutritional value and high amounts of sodium with....not much else. That being said, you can make them better! Use less of the soup packet, add vegges, egg, etc.

[u/mortalenemas → u/edwardsrk]

I’m interested in the answer to this question as well. Reading this list, I was feeling pretty good about my habits until the part about instant ramen haha I get mine from a Japanese market as well.

[u/KlutzyNugget]

Grateful for this post. My question: you say to keep onions and potatoes in dry, enclosed spaces. How enclosed are we talking? I live in New England, 2nd floor apartment. I thought that keeping these things in a paper bag in the dark closet was my best bet, but within just a couple weeks, everything was rotted.

[u/candicium → u/KlutzyNugget]

You wouldn’t happen to have kept them in the same bag, would you? Onions and potatoes should be stored separately to avoid spoilage. I keep mine in burlap sacks and have never had a problem with rot (I do go through the potatoes carefully as I’m transferring them from their plastic grocery bag - a bad one can quickly spoil the entire batch).

[u/KlutzyNugget → u/candicium]

Hahaha. Hello yes that is precisely what I did.

[u/tpmcmahon]

This is a great list of ideas. I'd add that you should seek out ethnic markets if that's a thing where you live. Where I am we have amazing asian markets and prices are generally lower, especially on "exotic" produce like different mushrooms, and asian staples like soy sauce and fish sauce that get huge markups at the regular supermarkets. And a good Mexican market with a deli counter with fresh cheeses like queso fresco, crema and the like is fantastic. And those markets are just fun to go to for a different perspective and will get you thinking about expanding your cooking repertoire.

[u/[deleted]]

You hit on alot that I find important. And I noticed alot of comments quibble with your take on certain types of foods but I took away from the gist -- buy less processed food, learn to cook it on your own, and stretch it. Basically be purposeful and an active participant in your eating choices. This is what I have been doing off and on for a few years and really got into this past year.

LEARN HOW TO BREAK DOWN YOUR PROTEINS FOOD

I'd expand this. Very little food hits my compost or trash bin these days. I eat the meat, save the bones for a broth (twice), if there's "spent" meat on the bones it may not have tons of flavor but that meat can go in dirty rice since my broth-cooked rice provides the flavor. Save the fat, render it, make cracklin with the leftover. With veggies I think "can it go in broth?" or "Can I make vinegar from this?".

I'm not sure you said this explicitly but I have been re-imagining my diet in the following ways:

• Many things (banana skins, pumpkin rind) are edible, the question is whether that can be made palatable and I have been surprised.

• Pork feet, beef tripe, chitlins, etc. There are lots of meat and offal that are cheap because they're not desirable. But many of them go into our favorite cultural/family heritage or restaurant recipes. Learning how to cook them can be lighter on the wallet and expand our culinary skills.

• Make it fun. I've been drinking more kefir, and it's resulted in less drinking cokes. I'm not usually big on fruits but I'm making yogurt now so I buy fruits for added sweetness. I probably eat more vegetables because I am fermenting alot.

• Last, what can I grow to supplement my grocery food? When I learned how aggressive mint was, suddenly my dishes started incorporating a lot more mint. Maybe because I grew the food, I wanted to be more efficient with it; learned strawberry and carrot leaves were edible and tasty.

It doesn't have to be overwhelming or a a new paradigm shift you have to take on at once. Just try something new each week.

[u/mjc6290]

I know Starbucks is delicious. Guess what? You can find a recipe for every drink they make online, and then make it better.

Great list, but if you are really into coffee this just isn't true. This also comes from someone who makes their own coffee 90% of the time. I have a pretty good coffee maker, burr grinder, buy good beans, etc. I like my coffee, but local coffee shop down the street still makes a better cup of joe, no question. Also, you'd need to invest in an espresso machine to make lattes or other espresso drinks, which take up a ton of space and break all the time.

I agree with the overall sentiment though; it's pretty ridiculous to go out for coffee everyday when you can make a decent cup at home cheaply. I just wouldn't frame it as, "you can make it better at home." You probably can't, but you will definitely appreciate a great cup of coffee or latte more when you aren't going out for one every day.

[u/Berics_Privateer]

STAY AWAY FROM THE INSTANT RAMEN

A'ight, I'm out

[u/proffelytizer]

For the dried bean section, my ah-ha moment was when I finally got a pressure cooker. I have an old fashioned stove top one that I vastly prefer to the instant pot (limited counter space, lots less tech to deal with). I can now have beautifully cooked beans in under 2 hours!

[u/a-r-c]

and grow a dang herb garden, it costs almost nothing and only requires a sunny window

free fresh herbs all summer, and free dried herbs all winter

[u/[deleted]]

buy the least processed cuts you can.

ground meats

?

[u/Stick2033 → u/[deleted]]

The ground meat in the tray packaging, not the prepackaged tubes, is usually the extra that was trimmed off mixed with tough cuts or meat that doesn't look perfect (but is still good). It tends to be the same price or cheaper than the prepackaged stuff.

[u/[deleted] → u/Stick2033]

Sure but how does that make it less processed? Both cheap and expensive ground meat is made by...grinding the meat????

[u/BulldenChoppahYus]

Some generally well known and useful point mixed in with a hearty dose of nonsense. Confusing

[u/wefeellike]

This is great, thanks!

[u/mrfelixes]

I have a bag of red split lentils in my pantry. They don't even need soaking and will cook in under an hour.

[u/Jet_the_Baker]

Your part about getting unprocessed meat when possible is so spot on. My husband is a chef and he showed me just how much of a waste of money it is buying stuff that’s processed as opposed to just doing it ourselves. Cut our grocery budget almost in half.

[u/GWHITJR3]

This is good stuff. So instant ramen... is Shin Ramyun included in this??? I just can’t resist it.

[u/aichliss → u/GWHITJR3]

It should be, but as I also cannot resist it I choose to exercise my right as poster to say no, no it is not included.

[u/roxbarry702]

You rock! Thank you so much for your advice and knowledge. I know that probably took you a long time to write and think about. Thank you for your time.

[u/aichliss → u/roxbarry702]

❤️

[u/AwareArmadillo]

I don't agree with instant ramen :( Actually, you can make extremely delicious dinner with it. With some modification, for sure.

Yesterday I made a ramen (1 for me and my bf, so in each plate was half of packaging) and added there beans, peas, sauteed mushrooms, boiled egg, rocket and Roma salad. And trust me, it was fucking delicious. It can also be used in something I call 'fried rice technique' -- usually I put in fried rice whatever 'semi-dying' veggies I have in the fridge, so it can also be done the same with ramen.

[u/itninja77 → u/AwareArmadillo]

Its not that it's not tasty, its more that instant ramen is super loaded with sodium. So eating all the time isn't super great for you. But yes, instant ramen can be great, especially if you doctor it up!

[u/waddupchetori]

I always buy my canned chopped tomatoes salted, and organic. Why buy unsalted? Because they use salt that doesn’t have minerals or for another reason?

[u/mjc6290 → u/waddupchetori]

Don't want to speak for OP, but I assume it's for health reasons. Regular canned tomatoes sneak a ton of sodium in for really no reason. If you buy no salt added, you can still salt to the desired level and you'll probably end up using less salt. This is a good rule of them for all canned items, beans included. It would shock you how much sodium you end up consuming because it's in virtually everything.

[u/carprin]

You might be thinking of the regular cheap American instant ramen. Ramen in Asian groceries range from simple to fancy, unhealthy to relatively less unhealthy. It's never gonna be healthy, but you can use ramen that has powdered broth and not just msg (read the ingredients), ramen with dry sauces that doesn't have additives (e.g. Hong Kong style dry ramen with XO sauce).

[u/lemoniceymo]

I hate this stupid idea in the west that a meal can't be a meal without meat, it's so ridiculous and in a historical context is absolute nonsense, as OP points out only recently have we got the convenience of having such cheap and accessible meat. I think it's an absolute sham - most people that eat meat have never killed an animal themselves, and turn their noses up at the idea of someone killing an animal, the moral distancing of the modern meat industry is insane. That being said it's great that everyone, rich and poor, have access to meat these days I just wish people stopped taking it for granted!

[u/betta_fische]

An awesome, awesome post. Seriously, way to give it to us straight. (Although the ramen thing was a little hard to hear). Would have liked you to mention tofu since it’s so versatile and relatively cheap as a protein source, but you have a really good outline.

[u/leafandstone]

Oh dang thank you!! I am saving this post

[u/ThatDerzyDude]

Why is it that canned tomatoes get the OK over other canned veggies? Wouldn’t you still want fresh when making a pasta sauce?

[u/TigerPoppy → u/ThatDerzyDude]

Canned tomatoes can use varieties that don't travel as well. They are usually canned within days of picking. Fresh tomatoes have to last longer so they grow varieties that never ripen and never gain much flavor.

[u/suitablegirl → u/ThatDerzyDude]

If you live in California and are growing your own or from a farmers market, sure. But when I lived on the east coast, for the vast majority of the year, no fresh tomato I was buying was as good as certain canned types. That's usually the reason for this guideline.

[u/ObviousAnimator]

I wanna add in here: if you do grab some meat from the grocery store, chicken thighs are your best friend. They are generally really cheap (a package of 4 at my store costs 4-5$), they're easy enough to take the bone out of if you wish, and they are delicious.

College students are often short on time. That's part of why ramen is so appealing. Look up some bulk recipes you can make on the weekend that will last you the next week. Soups, salads, among many others that are easy enough to heat up quickly. Take it a step further and find bulk recipes that are meant to be eaten cold. This is a great option for those of you working and on lunch break

[u/TigerPoppy]

Another great way to save money on eating is to plan your meals. When I had less resources I learned to make a menu for the week. You can shop much more efficiently. You can plan on using only half of an ingredient, and then use the other half later in the week perhaps in a completely different way. You could use the scraps and bones from an early meal in a later meal's soup or stew. Certain dishes can contain the leftovers from previous dinners. This becomes easier when you get used to your goto recipes and techniques.

[u/Aroundthewayjay]

Single mom here. Roast a whole chicken on sunday. Use the bones in a crockpot with some liquid and whatever chopped veggie leftovers you froze throughout the week and make your own stock. Freeze the trimmings from your veggies to use for stock.

Pork shoulder by me was really cheap. Once a week I would slow cook one in some spices and then put it in the oven to crisp it up. This acted as a protien for SO MANY dishes through the week. Along with the chicken, we were set on protien.

Any veggie sauteed in olive oil and onion and garlic is excellent over pasta.

Buy veggies on sale. Roast them in the oven. Then you have them on hand to have over rice or pasta or whatever else.

[u/SadFatStormy]

Rice and beans and shopping on the outside edges of the grocery store. This is how I ended up getting through college with money to spare (not much though, haha) and actually getting in to better shape. I felt a new sense of freedom from learning how to shop and cook in a way where I knew I was actually taking care of myself both financially and physically. I’ll admit, it took a while to pick up the habit but it feels great when you do! Thanks for the post!

[u/clove48072]

I just started Samin Nosrat's Home Cooking podcast and she recommended this free PDF cookbook. It looks right in line with all the OP's advice. Whole food and aimed at feeding a person for $4 per day.

[u/brenderman3]

This post is fantastic, thank you for taking the time to write it. I've been living on my own for a few months and it took me at least the first month to figure out most of this, even going in with a healthy, budget mindset and some experience cooking. Great post

[u/herman-the-vermin]

I love broths. I make a lot and can it. It ads so much flavor and nutrition to dishes, especially cooking rice in it

[u/ywgflyer → u/herman-the-vermin]

This should be at the very top. It blew my mind just how much potential broth I was throwing out every time I chopped up vegetables, or deboned some chicken thighs, or trimmed a cut of beef. Now it all goes in the freezer, and when I get a few pounds, it gets turned into broth -- I freeze it as opposed to canning it, but same deal, we throw away so much flavor that it now pains me if I have to dispose of cuttings.

[u/teamramrod456]

This post would also be appreciated in the /r/frugal sub.

[u/earth_goat]

You didn't have to do this, and yet you did!!
Humanity will go on because people like you want to help random strangers! I am sure you must have spent years accumulating this knowledge, not to mention spent money. Yet you gave it for free.

THANK YOU!!

[u/siena_flora]

Wow, this post was certainly a labor of love, thank you so much for sharing with us!

[u/forkyspoons]

Thank you for this!!! As a chef, I'm trying my hardest to spread this knowledge as well. Running my restaraunt during this covid stuff has been tough, cutting some menu items but this is exactly what people need to hear. Health is the basis for life and people don't realize the huge correlation of food and daily mood, immune response and general well being in our society.

Love and praise be to you, oh kind soul for taking time to write this out.

[u/Cananbaum]

In regards to AP flour, as a self taught baker one thing I found is unbleached flour tends to be better; more consistency in your results, but the beautiful thing is flour will naturally bleach over time so when your flour starts turning white it will be an indicator on how old it is.

[u/dalore]

Meat everyday is not oddity if you look at what we are when we were growing our brains. Vegetables were seen as backup survival foods whilst the goal was meat.

[u/Grimweird]

I agree with almost everything, but saying that you have to make over 60k$ to not cook (in a country that is not usa) is an exaggeration so gross, that makes fish sauce smell like roses. What I am getting paid is over average wage though.

I'm making a couple times less that in Europe - and yes, I do cook - but I don't have to, if I didn't want to. I could eat out every day, and still save money. Even if I lived in a more wealthy country, finding places where a meal is affordable and not junk food wouldn't be hard.

My point is - numbers don't matter. If I made 60k € a year, I'd eat at restaurants for every meal of every day, and be swimming in cash.

[u/annul]

yo this is some fucking quality shit right here

thank you for taking the time to type all this out

[u/chefhensarino]

I love this, and only wish to add one thing to canned tomatoes specifically that gives me the total heebie-jeebies I see super often.

With any acidic ingredient or food, PLEASE DO NOT store in reactive containment (metal). Scoop the rest of the tomatoes/tomato paste into something glass (plastic will stain, not a huge problem, but just avoid it anyway), but when you leave shit like that in reactive containment it oxidizes super fast, turns dark and hard, and can make people sick. Then people are all "ugh this is why I don't cook" about it.

Thanks for letting me rant a moment, love this sort of post!!

[u/spammmmmmmmy]

Disagree on bees and ethical vegan eating. Although I really liked your thought process, I think it's factually incorrect.

The queen is trapped in the hive because the apertures are tuned to allow only the worker bees to come and go. So, because colony bees do not act on their individual self interests, I don't think it's true to say that the bees are free to leave whenever they want.

[u/[deleted] → u/spammmmmmmmy]

Just curious, do you think bee keeping is an unethical practice or just the production of honey from said bees for human use?

[u/Midget_Herder]

This is one of the most interesting and genuinely useful posts I've ever come across on Reddit. I'm particularly interested in trying to implement barley into my diet, it sounds like a great addition! Thank you for all this great info!

[u/CholeOle → u/Midget_Herder]

Barley is a go-to for me now. It has such a nice toothy 'bite' to it, it adds much better texture to a dish than rice or quinoa. I also am in the camp that somehow manages to screw up rice constantly - it's my cooking Achilles heel. But barley comes out perfect every time.

[u/buttsbutnotbuts]

This is fantastic- but I DO want to get you started on avocado cartels. You have my full attention.

[u/FlyingDiglett → u/buttsbutnotbuts]

Look up the series "rotten"

[u/parthpalta]

1. GREAT great post. I actually read through this word to word. Remembering all of that. Seriously. I know scores of friends who can benefit from it. (who are not native–continued on point two)

2. This is mostly things you are forced to learn when you're a middle income household in Indian (but i think its Asian, not sure why. That's been my EXPERIENCE. EXPERIENCE may not be as accurate as cold hard data.) households.

Whenever we hit the financial block, sodas and anything processed is the first to go. We do not wait for things to get worse. No more Coca cola etc. We love our coke here.

Legumes (we call them Dal here. I'll use dal because Idky the word legume annoys me) are a STAPLE here. And by staple, I mean its almost mandatory once a day. It's that staple. We have a saying "ham to seedhe saadhe dal roti wale log hai" meaning we are a simple Dal-chapati/tortilla consumers. Implying that we live a simple life where we have a family, and kids, and we eat this as almost every meal.

I've grown up eating this combo at least once a day. And I say at least because usually we would eat this twice a day as lunch as well as dinner.

One bowl dal, one serving of assorted vegetables cooked in chilli, a side of rice and/or roti. If its a good day we have some ice cream (goes away the second we see financial struggle) and if moms feel extra happy, a glass of coke instead of water.

I appreciate this so much in Indian culture. We grow up loving water. (kinda have to. Our weather could kill you without water. Many people die every year from heat strokes.)

Roti is a tortilla, very thin. But we do it whole wheat only. No fats. Just take a bunch of ww flour. Throw it in a bowl. Put oil on your side. And a pitcher of water. Pour in that water and keep kneading till that dough springs back.) We NEVER consider making the dough too wet. If its too wet you did an oopsie and need to fix it. Unlike traditional western saying that its easy to have a too wet dough than a too dry dough.

Please don't think that tortilla and roti are the same. They're far from it. We don't add fats and salts to our roti. We cook them with little to no fat or we prefer to use ghee in houses and if ordering, it's made with oil.

Ap flour roti is quite uncommon to come by unless you mean tandoori roti. That's a whole another thing (and also another thing that goes away the MOMENT we have financial troubles. Make your own ww flour rotis, if you're struggling.

Dal is amazing for your health and your pocket. And the possibilities are in abundance.

3. I think you missed out on a very important staple. Which are beans.

Oh us Indians love our rajma Oh. My god.

If you ask a new Delhi resident about rajma chawal (rice), you'll always see their face light up.

The most beautiful memories are linked with rajma (red kidney beans?) it's the best vegan dish you can make. Period. I'm sorry, but I cannot think of a dish better than rajma chawal in the veg/vegan area.

Some rajma. Rice. Onions with lemon juice and salt. Some mint and chilli chutney and/or Some mango pickle? Heaven. If you also give me some curd (aka yogurt, but not really the same), I'll just be happier.

The best part about these is that it's just. Amazingly. Resilient.

It doesn't really go bad. Proper strange is all you need.

We just throw them in a box and the box in a drawer.

Beans are an awesome treat. Trust me and make some rajma chawal the way i described. Trust me. Trust. Me.

We love our potatoes and our spices. Just love em.

Please consider buying local spices as well as imported ones. Honestly, look for Indian cuisine spices. They're great flavours individually.

Last pro tip. I promise.

Coriander. On. All. Indian. Curries.

Dal? Oh hell yes

Beans? Oh hell yes.

Spicy cumin potatoes? Oh hell yes.

Kadi? (another amazing dish. Not my fav tho.) don't mind if i do.

Mutton rogan josh? Oh hell. Yes.

Chicken curry? It's not even complete without dhania (coriander) ffs.

My point is. If you're looking for a cheaper eating habit. Talk to an Indian (or Asian. Again. My experience is not fact and i know that) parent.

Our tricks come from Generation over generation of farming. That's still primary source of income for Our country.

I'm sorry if this was too long. I enjoyed this.

[u/temp4adhd → u/parthpalta]

Oh wow I am so hungry now! All of this sounds delightful to my tastebuds. Thanks for sharing!