Cooking Fundamentals (Part 2)

The control of waste is an vital aspect of cooking, which is part of household management. One of the first items to realize whilst contemplating waste is the distinction between waste and refuse. Waste is the disposal of something that could have been eaten, whereas refuse is the disposal of something that could not have been consumed.

This is an important distinction, because there is little you can do with something like, say, egg shells, but if you buy so many eggs that half of them go off before you can use them, it is a different question. Over buying is tough, particularly if you strive to do most of your shopping in one session.

The secret to wasting less is in experience and knowledge. For example, if beef rises above a certain cost an inexpert cook might choose to buy pork or lamb, yet the choice is not that easy, because there is much more inedible fat in pork and lamb than there is in lean beef.

After poor choice of products, the next largest source of waste is choosing the wrong manner of preparing or cooking the food. Peeling too thick or cooking at a very high heat are good examples of this difficulty.

A successful week’s menu should provide all the nutrients, vitamins and fibre that a person needs. We do not have to eat all vitamins and all nutrients every day, but there are some that we should eat each day and we ought to eat enough fibre every day too. This is not difficult to arrange. Experts recommend eating five portions of fruit and vegetables each day, but perhaps the skill comes in providing variation to avert boredom.

Some individuals can accomplish this variation fairly intuitively, but for the rest of us there is another line of attack and it is known as planning. You can easily plan your meals for a week before you go shopping. Planning your meals like this will also save you money, because it discourages impulse purchasing. If you still have an issue with impulse buying, order your groceries through the Internet.

Two good tips for holding costs down yet for still providing variety were also largely ostracized in the Seventies and Eighties, but which are also experiencing a come-back now are: eating seasonal, local food and preparing three (or at least two) course meals.

Local seasonal ingredients are cheaper than stuff flown in from half-way around the world (or ought to be) and starting dinner off with soup and a bread roll and finishing it with a dessert means that you do not need to eat so much of the main course, which is usually the most expensive of the three courses.

Owen Jones, the author of this piece writes on several topics, but is at present concerned with French dip sandwich recipes. If you want to know more or check out some great offers, please go to our site at Vegetarian Sandwich Recipes.