From the article: How to Cheat at Cooking, Not Feel Guilty and Save Money
Though we may want to be a domestic god/dess but sometimes there just isn't the time or the energy. There are ways to 'cheat' without feel guilty and these are a few of mine. Share your with readers and help us all to maybe take it a little easier from time to time. What Are Your Tips?
Cheating at cooking?
- Here on the Food Network there is a whole tv program entitled: Almost Home Made which deals with all kinds of helpers not cooked from scratch.
- —Guest Nancy from Washington, USA
Natural Born Cheater
- As an alternative/dairy-free/vegan cook, I'm a cheater by nature. I, too, am an enthusiast of the wonton skin; it's so much easier and neater to make ravioli with wontons, not to mention tasty fried appetizers, than to make your own dough. Other "cheats" that always line my pantry shelves and freezer are those bottled, bagged and boxed staples I could never live without: lemon juice, tomato-vegetable juice (for soups, for sauces!), canned tomatoes, boxed vegetable broth, frozen berries, frozen veggies, and, every once in a while on a very blue moon, preground flax meal. (Even as I buy it, I know I could grind the seeds myself, but sometimes...I just don't want to.)
- —Guest dairyfreecook
A long list :-)
- Chopped canned tomatoes, pre-cooked kidney beans and chickpeas, rotisserie chicken, chopped and chunky frozen veggies, chopped frozen spinach, pre-mixed dough for chapati flatbread.... Need I say more? Life is just too hectic to actually make everything from scratch. I also do lots of basic stuff - like sauces and gravies - 'in bulk' and freeze so I can add it to a dish.
- —Guest Petrina
Frozen berries
- For the record, I don't consider canned tomatoes even cheating - that's just good sense! My "cheat" is definitely frozen berries. They are often more flavorful than fresh, whose ripeness varies a great deal. I'm not even sure I consider them cheating....
- —Guest Molly
Salad dressings and more
- I love the refrigerated salad dressings you get in the produce aisle, and bagged salads are also a must-have. I also have lots of canned beans and pasta sauce in my fridge. I figure that since these are really 'ingredients' I'm still making homemade food!
- —ABBUSYCOOKS
Canned Beans and Tomatoes
- Though dried beans are cheaper overall, I opt for the convenience of canned beans for salads, soups etc. I use a lot of canned tomatoes, which, as Carroll says, can be made into a decent sauce with the addition of a little olive oil, and garlic. Finally, a quick and dirty weeknight meal would be rotisserie chicken, bagged salad, and a baguette.
- —Guest FionaH
Frozen puff pastry dough
- I promise you'll never catch me rolling book folds into puff pastry dough in my kitchen. It's Pepperidge Farm for me!
- —Guest Danilo
Rotisserie chicken, bagged salad
- Rotisserie chicken is one of my favorite shortcuts. I use it for everything from chicken soup to chicken enchiladas. I also grab pre-cut carrots and bagged salads for quick and healthy sides when I know I won't have time to make something to round out the meal.
- —KidsCookingAdmin
the wonderful wonton skin
- i love packaged wonton skins for super easy ravioli and tortellini. I hear they also make a pretty good wonton.
- —Chef_Mitzewich
Pre-Cut Vegetables
- It feels really decadent, but sometimes (especially when I've got lots of company coming) I'll spend the extra money and get pre-cut vegetables, such as pre-shredded cabbage or carrots that have already been julienned. I love to make winter soups with butternut squash, but the squash is so hard to cut, so it's a treat to get it pre-cut. (Sad what can make a woman feel decadent, isn't it? :)
- —NancyL.
Another Cheat
- Another cheat - I never make my own puff pastry, I buy the frozen stuff. But that and garlic are the only two I can think of.
- —Guest Kevin
Cheats
- I been pondering this question, and the only one I can think of is keeping a small jar of pre-minced garlic in the fridge for those rare occasions when my fresh garlic got away from me (sprouted) before I could use it.
- —Guest Kevin
Canned or Jar Tomato Sauces
- Please don't tell the Italian in-laws, but I always keep these on hand for emergencies. Mind you, we don't eat them as is. I always start with a little olive oil in my pot and I sautee some fresh chopped garlic, basil, onion, oregano first. I deglaze the pan with a little red wine and then I add the jar sauce. No one ever seems to know the difference.
- —CarrollPellegrinelli
Frozen Veggies!
- I prefer frozen vegetables over canned; I think they have a fresher taste and firmer consistency. My favorite is chopped frozen spinach, which I use in calzones. I also use frozen, shelled edamame all the time, to add to brown rice, stir-fries, or for my toddler to eat as a snack.
- —JessicaHarlan
Tomato Sauce
- Yup, it's a universal and we buy jars on sale. Perfect for seasoning pasta, rice, using as a bed for eggs, making pappa al pomodoro, pizzaiola sauce for meats, and more. Very versatile, and adds color too. That, butter (unsalted) and a wedge of grating cheese, and meals take care of themselves. Oh yes, and the kids never (ever) complain.
- —nacheroo
Frozen Veggies
- When making a soup, chili or stew, I sometimes use frozen veggies instead of peeling and chopping fresh.
- —Barb.Rolek
Cheating
- I like to keep a few bottles of dressing in my refrigerator, different flavors so i always have a choice. I don't feel guilty as I live alone and making dressing for one doesn't work. I always check the ingredients carefully as some as heavy with salt and I try to avoid those.
- —Maryelley
