Win both of the One Pound Meals cookbooks by Miguel Barclay
***Rachel Khoo would like to thank all the inspiring people who helped make the Khoollect studio a hive of creativity. Although the Khoollect studio’s doors have now closed, you can keep up with Rachel’s newest adventures on RachelKhoo.com and on Rachel’s Instagram and Facebook pages – and, continue to enjoy the Khoollect website’s stories and recipes, which will remain available.***
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Hi, Rachel and Khoollect Team!
I am from the Philippines and I must say, here, we always penny pinch on everything. I am cheap and I am proud of that. I hate to waste money on things I don’t need, so i make sure that every time I go grocery shopping, I won’t waste money on unnecessary items.
First always choose products based it’s functionality not on its brand name. Well I know some of the leading brands out there are the best, but their are some diamond in the rough items that are cheap but works well like those of the leading brands. Second, use alternatives. When you are on a budget, always remember that a recipe is not written on stones, it can be changed and can be modified. If you have a recipe that has ingredients that is not available in your country, you find or search for alternatives that is available, remember, local produce are cheaper than imported products. and Last, home-cooked meals is way better and cheaper than Take-outs. Yes, it is time consuming but a little time management would do the trick. You will be surprised on how amazing and easy it is to cook at home. Some of Rachel Khoo’s recipes are pretty simple but tasty.
My best money-saving cooking tip is to only by what produce is in season and cook with that.
I know this may sound stupid, but one of my best money saving tips is: Be nice and friendly with the butcher! My local butchers always make sure I have less fat, less bones and will select the prettiest cuts for me!
Hi,
I’m from Spain. I’m a single and I love to cook a lot even if it’s just for me. I don’t really like to eat out and I prefer to cook my own meals. My best money-saving tip for cooking is not wasting food. Every week I plan my meals in advanced and buy just what I need to prepare them. I like to buy my fruits and vegetables from local producers because it’s cheaper and high quality. I always buy them every week by units instead of kilos, for example five bananas, two pears, eight strawberries, three tangerines, one carrot, seven tomatos,… I don’t throw away food because I eat everything I have planned for the whole week. It takes me time to do that, but it’s worth it. In the end I save money.
My best money saving tip for cooking is to use frozen vegetables. They are so much cheaper, great tasting and last for a long time in the deep freeze. No wasting necessary ! 🙂
Hi Khoollect Team!
My best money-saving tip is to take one affordable staple and prepare it several ways at the same time. This will save you not only money but time and energy!
Let me illustrate with sweet potatoes, a favorite in our home.
I’ll buy a large batch of sweet potatoes and boil them in a single, large pot.
Once they are cooled and peeled and mashed, I divide them into different bowls, like cars in an assembly line.
Now comes the fun!
I’ll usually prepare one batch with ingredients from something tried-and-true (eggs, cumin, ginger, orange juice, brown sugar), experiment with another (I recently added tehini and honey) and try a new recipe (I found one with pineapple that looks promising).
Sometimes these dishes can be frozen and then – oh, joy! – I come home and find them on a busy day and am so, so happy.
Or I can serve them immediately. For me, it was really just preparing sweet potatoes. For my family, it’s three very different-tasting dishes, and they are delighted and appreciative.
I do this with chicken and beef for my meat eaters, tofu dishes for my vegetarians and vegetable dishes for everyone.
Thank you!
I’m Howard from Hong Kong. I love Rachel and her books. I love Khoollect for inspirations. Here are few tips I am practicing.
1. Buy at the right time: To shop only at the Big Sales Day in the supermarket and the closing time in the market for more discounts.
2. Two is always better than one: To cook the portions for 2-3 persons or more, even you are only cooking for yourself. You can share the rest with friends/families or save it to taste again few days later. It’s always most costly & energy consumed to cook for one person to buy and cook each time.
3. One for more: To use the same ingredient for multiple ways of cooking. For example, a broccoli for pan frying for Day 1, salad for Day 2, baking for Day 3, fried rice for Day 4.
4. Share more, save more: Share the cost with friends to buy bigger portions of products. For example, you can share a big chicken with 1-2 friends which must be cheaper than buying chicken fillets, breasts for one person. You can also save unnecessary packaging waste.
5. Eat smart: Finally, try to simplify your ingredients and portions to keep the optimal flavor and size. Less is always more.
Hello!
I often use frozen veg for my dinners and soups. So much cheaper and still great flavour! Frozen berries for crumbles are great too! I also freeze any overripe bananas to use for smoothies or banana bread. When I buy bread, I freeze portions of it so I can just pop it in the toaster when I need it. Freezer is my friend:)
My best tip is to always try and make meals with any leftovers you have.
Only cook what you plan to eat unless you are planning to use the leftovers for another meal
Hi there! We shop in bulk for certain items and then fill in the blanks with fresh produce from the grocery store.
My money saving tip is I always buy the not so perfect vegetables and cook with them! I think why pay more money for the perfect looking vegetables when you can cook with the less popular slightly funny looking ones as they taste the same.
Velveting beef for stir-fries. It allows you to increase the tenderness of the beef without having to spend a lot on an expensive cut of beef. I usually go with water, shaoxing rice wine, corn flour and salt and pepper.
Hi
Frozen fish and veg are good value and depending on the recipe taste as good as fresh.
Hi, there! My best suggestion is to always make a good provision of what you will need during the week, for ex, so that you can buy accordingly. Also, always buy vegetables and fruit at the market, preferably seasonal products!
Plan your week’s meals, only buy what you need for those meals, and make batches of stew/pasta sauce etc. to freeze so you don’t wind up with leftovers going off in the fridge.
Cooked beans & lentils can be expensive especially when bought in single serve pouches. Buy dried beans & lentils and rehydrate when needed, so much cheaper! And you avoid adding additional preservatives to your dish
Cooked beans & lentils can be expensive especially when bought in single serve pouches. Buy dried beans & lentils and rehydrate when needed, so much cheaper! And you avoid adding additional preservatives to your dish as you do with ready ingredients
shop with several meals in mind rather than to a strict meal plan & explore ways to use up leftovers.A quick example, meat left over from Sunday roast can be made into a stew or curry or a stir fry the following day and if you you have any leftovers from that then make some pastry and turn it into individual pies or pasties etc Stir fry leftovers also make great filling for omelettes,once you start, tweaking /swapping ingredients and trying new recipes the possibilities are endless, you’ll have no waste & save lots of money. Another thing I do is freeze every little thing even just a couple of spoons of something left in a pan like chilli,spag bol or cheese sauce can be used another day to make another meal for one, a topping for a jacket spud filling for a toasty etc etc
When I buy meat, I usually buy bigger packets (typically cheaper by weight) and separate the packet up into one person portions, put the portions into freezer bags and into the freezer. That way I only defrost the amount I need and don’t waste meat by defrosting a whole packet!
I love Miguel’s style and the fact it isn’t cheap results it’s really good food. My food budget could really do with a few pounds saved each week. I would say my top tip is bulk buy, bulk prep, and bulk freeze. Saves time and money, win-win.
My top tip for saving money is to buy fresh vegetable, slice them yourself and freeze them this way you don’t waste anything and have prepared vegetables for whenever you need them!
My best money saving tip is to be flexible. If chickpeas aren’t on offer why not make hummus with cannellini beans? Or swap expensive almonds for cheaper peanuts. You rarely notice and it can change up everyday staples!
I’m at uni and have found my best way to save money is to roast a chicken on a Sunday for a nice roast and then use the remaining meat to make lunches and then use the carcass for a big soup with lots of veg! Makes it go really far and you get lots of meals out of one chicken!
My favourite tip is when fruit is looking like it is about to go off make them into ice cubes! I stick bits into ice trays fill with water and freeze. They lool great in cocktails and soft drinks and when the ice has melted it adds a favour!
I like to play Ready, Steady Cook with odds and ends left over in the cupboard, it challenges you to make a meal out of what you have rather than buying more.
Hello Rachel and Khoollect, I have been following your work for a while! Love what you do. My money saving tips is to cook ‘investment’ foods that you can make into several different meals such as roast chicken which you can then use leftovers to make into soups, salads then the bones for broth or bone broth. It just keeps on giving! I also don’t cook to elaborate recipes – substituting with what’s on hand and limiting to fewer ingredients – ‘simple’ doesnt mean compromising on good flavours. I Ihink that captures the Miguel cooking philosophy.
My best money saving tip is writing a weekly menu.. this teamed with the freezer means we rarely waste any ingredients.
Lists! Meal planning and shopping lists! A bit of forward thinking always ensures I have less food waste and can make multiple meals from few ingredients.
One thing I try to do is shop a little later (half 8 onwards) and rummage through the marked down foods. A lot of it can be unuseful to me but sometimes there’s hidden gems in there like kale (for my ever hungry rabbit) soup packs, bagels that can be frozen! The freezer is also my best friend for saving money on fresh food.
A mini scraper, it means I get all the stuff out of the jam jar, peanut butter jar, chutney jar etc and ….I also then can get every last molecule of pancake, cake and muffin batter or cannelloni filling or icing or anything that sticks to and has to be scraped off something.. seriously I’ve had two at one time before and I give them as gifts, saving bunches money by not washing away or chucking out the last little bit of stuff I’ve paid for
Hi both, my favourite money saving tip is to fill the oven when it’s on. I’ve been doing this for about a year & it really makes a difference. It also gives me the gently nudge to plan ahead. Then I also have ready food in the freezer, so win win. X
Hi all!
Since having a baby and working less, money is a bit tighter. So I have learned to be alot more creative.
The best tip I would pass onto anybody is when you think you have nothing. Look in your fridge and your freezer for bits of veg, meat, cheese. Anything you have left over. Whip up some eggs and fire it all together in an omelette . Left over pasta and potatos are a great way to bulk it up as well. Its quick, easy and requires no skill!!
My best money saving tip is to buy reduced items and use as soon as possible, having recently been a student (struggling for money) I used this technique and it meant I got to eat good healthy foods with breaking my bank!
Make sure you cook and eat all the things you buy – even if you end up making a soup out of all the vegetables that are lurking at the back of your fridge.
One simple word: the freezer! Oh and one trick, for judge food by its stated use by date… use common sense and your nose!
Hi Rachel and Team!
My recent big money saving tip is: buy in bulk. Black beans, chickpeas, porridge oats, rice, nuts, seeds, dried fruit….so much cheaper and if you bring your own jars no waste! I never bought bulk before so it has been a revelation in the last 6 months ⭐️Thanks for all the foodie inspiration x D
Hi Rachel and Team!
My recent big money saving tip is: buy in bulk. Black beans, chickpeas, porridge oats, rice, nuts, seeds, dried fruit….so much cheaper and if you bring your own jars no waste! I never bought bulk before so it has been a revelation in the last 6 months ⭐️Thanks for all the foodie inspiration ✨Dorothy
I go to the supermarket when they’re reducing all the veg and buy huge batches of it! I then either chop it up and freeze it, or make a large batch meal eg. Veg and lentil soup, roast veg, then portion it into individual meal-size portions, ready to grab and go later! Takes time initially, but saves a lot of time in the long run!
My tip is to become best friends with your freezer! It not only saves money but also reduces waste. (Freeze leftover baked potatoes to make fishcakes or hummus if you made a massive batch). It is especially cost effective when you’re just cooking for one!
Another great recent discovery was tinned mackerel! Great to have as a store cupboard essential and so delicious in a salad or with creamy scrambled eggs and sautéed tomatoes.
My tip is to become best friends with your freezer! It not only saves money but reduces waste. I freeze everything from jacket potatoes for fishcakes to batches of hummus and pulses. Another great tip and recent discovery is tinned mackerel. A store cupboard essential that is great in a salad or with creamy scrambled eggs, sautéed tomatoes and a slice of rye bread, yummy!
Ratatouille has been my money saving trick! No more wasting left over veg,I chuck them all in and make a big pot of ratatouille. It’s the perfect side for a main or to take to work with fresh salad for a quick lunch. I pop it in the freezer as well for when I can’t be bothered to cook. it’s one of my favourite money saving recipes
Well hello! My best money saving tip for cooking is to plan meals for a few days in advance, and go shopping for my ingredients…after I’ve eaten! I’ll then make enough of each meal to last a couple of days. Enjoy! xx
Hi I’m from Portugal. I have 2 daughters age 2 and 6 so it is very important to cook healthy and tasteful food for them. I prefer to buy fruits and vegetables at the local farmers because I think you can buy cheaper and fresher. Also I plan weekly the meals to save time buying the ingredients and to avoid waste. My daughters appreciate both my food and my time with them ❤
Hi Rachel. We have an allotment which means we can share with family and friends lovely fresh produce. Many people leave their surplus crop on a table near the entrance free for all. I’ve had so many free marrows!
We try to grow as organically as possible and recycle our green waste to make compost which goes back on allotment to feed next crop.
We also try and freeze extra to keep us going through the winter.
Last year we attempted home made cider from the apple crop and raspberry vodka as we had so many extra.
One final benefit is my husband gets his exercise digging and weeding. 🙂
Planning dishes around seasonal veg or whatever veg are on offer. That way you can use less of more expensive ingredients like cheese. Also bulking out meals with pulses, cheap, versatile, full of nutrition and delicious!
Omelettes!
I pick up 6 free range eggs for £1 every week, on my way to visit my mum. (She’s 90.)
Then I keep leftovers from family meals (ham, fish, veg or whatever) and rustle up a couple of omelettes during the week.
I still use the omelette pan my mum gave me years ago.
Keeping the family tradition going!