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Grex > Kitchen > #202: Cooking on a budget, i.e. when you are impoverished. | |
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jaklumen
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response 45 of 68:
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Jul 27 09:53 UTC 2005 |
resp:41 darn skippy.
resp:43 can never make pizza stretch well... say, when we get a u-bake
pizza it tends to get snarfed. No, not particularly healthy. Usually
done for speed and convenience (mostly convenience).
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jaklumen
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response 46 of 68:
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Jul 27 09:56 UTC 2005 |
almost forgot.
sister brought by the Jeff Smith cookbook from the library.
also found some frugal-type recipes on the Internet, both from the
Frugal Gourmet and from other sources.
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keesan
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response 47 of 68:
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Jul 27 14:16 UTC 2005 |
If you have a bread machine, you could take fresh-baked bread for lunch
instead of buying Subway sandwiches. Used machines are quite cheap around
here, Value World had them for $5 or so, and we found a working one at the
curb.
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jadecat
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response 48 of 68:
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Jul 27 14:20 UTC 2005 |
Well that requires purchase of stuff to put in sandwiches. and plenty of
time. Hmm, I wonder where in my teeny kitchen I could fit a bread maker...
My Beau and I are having difficulties keeping salad stuff fresh for very
long in our fridge. Gets quite annoying really.
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keesan
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response 49 of 68:
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Jul 27 14:24 UTC 2005 |
'stuff' has to be cheaper than buying sandwiches. You can run the bread
machine in another room than the kitchen, where you don't mind the noise, even
the bathroom. I can't imagine it would take more time to purchase something
to put in sandwiches, than to go to a place that sold them and wait to buy
one every day.
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jadecat
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response 50 of 68:
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Jul 27 14:39 UTC 2005 |
It can be- but honestly the problem I often run into is the quanity that
needs buying. If it doesn't get all used up and goes bad than it's a
waste of money. What this really means is that my planning skills need
work. ;) As for the time... when you put it like that, I have to agree
with you.
For the bread machine, I have a fairly good sized apartment- it's just
got stuff in many places- and boxes of books since we only have two
bookshelves. Putting a bread machine somewhere other than the
counter/cupboard isn't likely to happen. And running it... with two
cats, one of whom earned the nickname Danger Boy!, I would rather have
the bread machine running in the kitchen where I can better protect it. ;)
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keesan
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response 51 of 68:
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Jul 27 19:13 UTC 2005 |
Jim says he runs his bread machine in the garage. I don't see how a cat could
damage a machine, or vice versa - do they try to open lids?
What do you put into sandwiches that you cannot either buy in smaller amounts,
or freeze?
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jadecat
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response 52 of 68:
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Jul 27 19:20 UTC 2005 |
No, not opening lids- chewing cords. I used to joke that my Sasha was a
great mouse hunter- except the mice she killed were connected to computers.
Part of the problem is also that we don't have a great refrigerator-
it's very damp. So things like lettuce, onions and tomatoes (well
they're okay) go bad more quickly than they should. Getting a new fridge
means arguing with the landlord.
As it is we buy 4 tomatos and they go bad before we eat them all.
Usually it's because we're lazy and get the 'bag' salad and that almost
always goes bad before we eat it all. Like I said, poor planning in
terms of what meals will be eaten in the coming week and shopping
accordingly.
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keesan
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response 53 of 68:
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Jul 27 19:44 UTC 2005 |
Do you keep your vegetables in the plastic bags they come in? That raises
the humidity a LOT. Take them out and keep in the vegetable bin (crisper)
or even an open colander. I have never heard of a refrigerator being too
humid. The self-defrosting ones have the opposite problem, they dry things
out. If you are used to those, but have a non-self-defrosting one, get used
to taking things out of bags. Jim asks if you are putting uncovered foods
in there, which will evaporate and increase the humidity.
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jadecat
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response 54 of 68:
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Jul 27 19:55 UTC 2005 |
The problem seems to be the freezer automatic defroster- it drips into
the fridge. I actually keep a small bowl in there to catch the
condesation, it gets emptied every few days or so. So that would be
where the humidity comes from. Sadly our fridge really is a joke and
while we try to put the veggies in some other container and in the
crisper they just don't stay crisp.
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keesan
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response 55 of 68:
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Jul 27 20:14 UTC 2005 |
It sounds like the tube from the freezer to the area below the refrigerator,
which is supposed to drain the melted ice, is clogged, so the water drips onto
the inside of the refrigerator. It is fairly simple to unclog them with a
pipecleaner or maybe a coat hanger. This is not condensation collecting, but
melted freezer ice. We have at least one free refrigerator in good condition
that was thrown out because it had a clog in the drain line. If you cannot
figure out how to unclog, I will ask Jim for more details, but I think it is
up near the freezer, assuming it is a one-door model.
My crisper is badly designed and rots things because it has no
drain/ventilation holes near the bottom, where the humidity tends to be
highest because cold air sinks.
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jadecat
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response 56 of 68:
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Jul 28 20:01 UTC 2005 |
I'll look at it when I get home- but it is a two door (the freezer has a
separate door from the main fridge).
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keesan
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response 57 of 68:
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Jul 29 03:02 UTC 2005 |
Is the lower compartment also self-defrosting?
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jadecat
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response 58 of 68:
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Jul 29 13:17 UTC 2005 |
No idea. I'll have to find out.
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keesan
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response 59 of 68:
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Jul 29 15:49 UTC 2005 |
If it is, look for a drain tube and clean it out with pipecleaner.
Or make sure you are not putting uncovered foods in there, which do increase
the humidity and cause condensation.
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jaklumen
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response 60 of 68:
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Aug 2 10:24 UTC 2005 |
resp:47 I need to find out about getting some more wheat. We ground
some wheat in a blender for flour once and we got bread that was sort of
like cracked wheat bread.
We've usually been buying bread at a bakery outlet- about 3 for $1 or 3
for $2... I am sure you'll tell me that bread machine bread is
ultimately cheaper.
As for sandwich stuffs, I agree with Anne-- it is tough getting a lot of
veggies and the like to keep. Right now, we've had good success with
tuna sandwiches-- we use a recipe that uses onions, pickles, and
dillweed. I could add romaine quite easily.
On the subject of used items-- those are much harder to come by here,
even harder to find places to fix cheaply-- I would love to have someone
like you guys to fix our poor little vacuum cleaner that just dies
everytime I turn it on and run it through 2-3 rooms.
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jadecat
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response 61 of 68:
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Aug 2 12:50 UTC 2005 |
Re: #60- is the vacuum overheating? Mine was doing that. The Beau
figured out a way to open it up and clean the filter (it's still not
that great of a vacuum, but it never really was to begin with. ;) ).
Back to the sandwich thing- not being a vegetarian, getting decent meat
fillings can be annoying. Gotta be careful it's not overly processed, etc.,
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keesan
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response 62 of 68:
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Aug 2 14:08 UTC 2005 |
Bread machine bread consists of whatever you choose to make it from. 3 for
$1 bread is probably the white puffy stuff with no taste or texture or fiber.
Check the vacuum cleaner for threads wound around the roller.
Why take sandwiches at all? You can bring other things in containers and eat
with spoon or fork. Cook extra the day before.
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jadecat
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response 63 of 68:
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Aug 2 18:49 UTC 2005 |
I hate to sound like I'm purposefully trying to be difficult however...
Keeping items fresh during the day while in their containers can also be
an issue. Keeping items cold or warming them up so that they don't go
bad. Which, come to think of it, is also a reason taking sandwichs can
be difficult.
It can be very difficult when you don't have a schedule that's totally
of your choosing.
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keesan
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response 64 of 68:
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Aug 2 20:31 UTC 2005 |
Do you work some place that has an employee refrigerator?
You can take a small insulated bag with a coldpack in it to keep things cold.
Hard cheese can be left at room temperature for a long time without spoiling.
So can uncut fruits, which includes tomatoes and cucumbers and peppers.
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jadecat
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response 65 of 68:
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Aug 2 20:42 UTC 2005 |
Well I work someplace with an employee fridge now, but I haven't always.
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gracel
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response 66 of 68:
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Aug 2 21:47 UTC 2005 |
In the (distant past?) when I packed lunches for myself, I routinely
made a week's worth of sandwiches and froze them, so that
on a weekday morning I only pulled out a sandwich or two from the freezer
and added a piece of fruit or vegetable.
The sandwiches were mostly peanut butter, and one of our cats was
fond of peanut butter, so he expected his share.
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keesan
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response 67 of 68:
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Aug 3 01:55 UTC 2005 |
Why did you freeze peanut butter? It keeps pretty well at room temperature.
I used to put apple slices in my peanut butter sandwiches. To upset people
at school, I would also add just about anything else that stuck, including
green beans (cooked) or cranberry sauce. The carrot tops were not very good.
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lumen
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response 68 of 68:
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Aug 4 10:24 UTC 2005 |
resp:61 Julie (I should start calling her Ms. Fix-it now) figured it
out. She said the brush roller had too much hair on it and couldn't
spin. Took off the hair-- problem fixed. i.e. resp:62-- exactly.
resp:62 au contraire, it's reasonably tasty, and reasonably fibered
(usually just 2 g though :/ ) I guess it's time to start workin' that
bread machine...
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