Save Money by Maximizing Your Home Cooking

A great way to save money on food expenses is to avoid dining out and start cooking meals at home. Throwing food out because it has gone bad can be a big waste of funds. Here are some helpful tips to avoid food spoilage and wasted money.

• Spend one free day or even a morning or afternoon cooking. If you don't have time to cook during the week, the food that you have purchased to cook at home will spoil and go to waste. You're also more likely to spend money dining out if you can't spare a minute to cook. If you spend just a few hours one day a week, you can prepare most of your weekly menu and reserve it for when you’re ready to eat.
• Be sure to cook food to the appropriate temperature to kill any bacteria and allow it to cool down before you store it. Proper cook and cool temperatures can help to prevent food spoilage. If you will be eating the food within seven days, you can store it in the refrigerator. If you plan to hold food longer than seven days before you plan to eat it, freeze it.
• Freezing food can be a big lifesaver on those days when you haven't had the time or the money to go to the grocery store and just can't find anything in the pantry to throw together for a meal. You can prepare some meals completely in advance, cool them down and wrap them in plastic wrap or aluminum foil and freeze them. When you're ready to eat them, pull them out, let them defrost, then reheat them in the oven (remove the plastic wrap first!). This works especially well for casseroles, soups, stews, stocks, and baked goods. It might not work so well on cooked vegetables or fruits, but if you prep them in advance usually they cook very quickly.
• Prep your vegetables immediately. Wash and dry your vegetables thoroughly before you store them to better maximize their refrigerator life and your cooking and prep time. Different vegetables behave differently when stored, so do some research on the optimal storage conditions for the ones you buy more often. If you've planned your weekly menu you can even peel and chop some sturdier vegetables like onions and celery and store them in zip top baggies. Remember fresh fruits and vegetables can go bad quickly, so either only purchase the amount you can consume before it spoils or consider using frozen or canned vegetables especially for off season produce.
• Freeze meats and bulk foods. This might be a no-brainer, but frozen meats last longer than those stored under refrigeration. If you have the freezer space and butcher skills, purchase larger cuts of meat on the cheap, butcher them yourself, and freeze them. When freezing meats, wrap them in butcher paper and a few layers of aluminum foil to avoid freezer burn and wasted meat.
• Get as much out of your leftovers as possible. If the idea of eating the same leftovers over and over isn't very appealing to you, get creative and use those leftovers in a totally new meal. Remember, leftovers should be kept under refrigeration for no more than seven days.