Are you having to live on what you’ve got in the kitchen cupboards? It’s a far cry away from being able to hit the shops whenever you want, buy whatever you feel like or head to fast food outlet and grab a burger. We’re living in a restricted world so we must adapt to survive. How can you make your food go further? Here’s a few tips.
Make Your Own
If you’re anything like us, you can’t get a supermarket delivery slot for love nor money. As we’re currently isolating – mainly because I wasn’t convinced in the first instance that it would only affect the older generation and by the looks of latest reports, I was right – we’re using what we have. Flour seems to be the new toilet roll that people are buying in bulk so even if you can get a delivery, there’s no flour available. Sugar too I hear! Sounds like baking is in full force during lockdown!
Fortunately for us we usually have a couple of those bread mix packets in the cupboard so we can easily make bread with the kids. These are a lifesaver as we can make and bake fresh dough when we (k)need it. Obviously it won’t last forever but it’s a start. Having the ability to make your own staples is a wonderful thing. Those people who have chickens in their gardens can live on omelettes!
Bulk It Out
One thing we’ve been doing is bulking out our meals with other things. I made a cottage pie, for example, but only used half the mince usually would. I bulked the rest out with half a tin of sliced carrots. The other mince and carrots can be used for another meal, a bolognese. Little swaps, smaller portions, saving leftovers, these will all help make your food go further.
Use Your Freezer
With the mention of saving leftovers, your freezer is your friend. From freezing loaves of bread and only taking out what you need for the day, to boxing up and popping leftovers in there for another day. Leftover night is now a regular occurrence in households across the nation.Did you know you can also freeze milk? I saw a trick about pouring it into ice cube trays so you don’t waste it. One ice cube if milk is perfect for a cup of tea. This might be ideal for those people who cannot get out the house as much or are self isolating during all this.
Don’t Throw Stuff Away
Food waste is a huge deal. Figures reported at the beginning of this year said that UK households waste 4.5m tonnes a year. Hopefully having to use what we have during this situation will reduce that number. Did you know that there are more vitamins in the stalk of a broccoli than the florets? Yet so many people just dis-guard it. Peel the harder green exterior (throw it in bone broth for flavour) then chop up and steam the paler fleshy part.
Freeze herbs before they wilt or leftover fruit before it goes off. Make your own vegetable stock with peelings, tops and roots. Pop them in a ziplock bag in the fridge and they’ll be fine for a week. Then boil up your own stock. Meal plan to keep on top of what will be used when. If possible, batch cook too. Leave the extra meals in the freezer for when you need them, or if you’re feeling extra generous during this current scenario, pop it on the doorstep of your next door neighbour.
Follow
Be sure to follow Jack Monroe over on Twitter, the absolute best in creating meals from random bits in your cupboards and back of the fridge. She’s not called the Tin Can Cook for nothing.
Make your food go further with these top tips and please share any others you have with me over on Instagram. Happy cooking!
