/ck/ - Food & Cooking

Ok, so it sounds like you'll want to spend less than $4.30 per day, for food.

Pick up a bag of rice, a bag of beans, and eggs. Don't make tacos. Taco ingredients, like the shells, meat, and cheese, are pricey.

>>4272027
You can get some tortillas at the dollar store and make soft tacos.

buy a large bag of rice. it'll feed you for months. ~10$

use the rest of the money on beans/meat/veggies


To cook the rice:

Boil water in a large pot.
When boiling add 1 cup of rice.
Give it a little stir only now so it doesn't stick to the bottom.
Reduce the head to medium-medium high.
Boil for 10-13 minutes.
During the last 3 minutes taste the rice to see if it's cooked to your liking.
When it is, strain the water from the rice.

Eggs are good, except only use the yolk once in a while. Use only the whites most of the time, so your cholesterol doesn't skyrocket.

2 egg whites = 1 egg

Except that could pose a problem because you may go through your eggs faster.

Can you make pasta? Or better yet, can you follow directions on a box? Cheap, store brand spaghetti around here is like 89 cents, and store brand sauce about $1 for a jar.

Stay the fuck away from premade meals, they're expensive and not cost effective.

You might want to splurge a bit the first time on some spices, they'll make whatever you're cooking a million times better.

Meat can be frozen. Get a big pack of ground beef or one of those family packs of chicken breasts, freeze what you aren't using.

going to post some images. How inexperienced are you OP? Can you make stir fry or cook a chicken breast in a pan?

You could just get a job. That's always an option. You know, become a contributing member of society.

>>4272027

Premade hard taco shells are expensive.
Tortillas, however, are dirt cheap. Use them instead--make soft tacos with them as-is or deep-fry corn tortillas to make crispy taco shells.

>>4272108
>family packs of chicken breasts

Chicken breast is the most expensive part of the chicken. Whole chickens, leg quarters, or thighs will be cheaper. Those are also easier to cook for noobs since the bones and skin will help prevent them drying out.

>>4272108
Some essential spices/seasonings I'd recommend (you don't have to buy all these at the same time)

Olive Oil
Salt
Pepper
Soy Sauce
Oregano
Basil
Bay Leaves
Herbs de Provence
Curry Powder
Chili Powder
Ginger (powdered or fresh)
Hot Sauce (of your choice)
Mayo (good for making sandwiches, as well as chicken and tuna salad)
Scallions/green onion (good for salads and stir fry especially)

>>4272119
I think that chicken breasts are easier for noobs personally, since you only have to cut it into strips and season and throw it in a pan. But your other points still stand.

>>4272123
Oatmeal is also a good choice for breakfast, since you can buy it in bulk and boxed cereal is fucking expensive. If you don't know how to make oatmeal I have a vertical.

I have a job. I work at this place called Market of Choice. My apartment is pretty pricey, so most of my paycheck goes to rent. Where did you think I was getting the $30 a week for food from? My dead parents?

And yes, I can cook boxed pasta. I guess I forgot I know how to make that. I've never been good at pan frying things, it usually turns out burnt, because I'm a terrible cook.

>>4272129
Quick spice guide, again, you don't have to get everything on this list

Thanks everyone. This is really helpful for a guy who recently started college. I've never been on my own before this, so I've never had to cook for myself. My parents or girlfriends always did it for me. I guess it's time to stop being spoiled.

>>4272131
What setting are you pan frying at? The general rule is low and slow. Turning it up on high heat will almost guarantee burning/drying out (I used to make this mistake all the time when I started cooking and burned the fuck out of my veggies).

It's best to cook things on medium/medium low heat. It's pretty hard to burn it like that if you just watch it and add enough oil or butter to the pan.

>>4272149

>>4272154
Last image for now, some ghetto ass ramen recipes for when you're really desperate.
Might be back on later to post some easy verticals, good luck OP

>>4272101
dietary and blood level cholesterol are entirely different things and do not correlate whatsoever.

Looks like me OP
Gallon of milk
Bread + peanut butter
Rice
Tomato juice + pasta
A steak once in a while

You are good to go

>>4272022
Buy pasta.

Get sauce of choice and cheese.

I have just the thing for you.

>>4271699

First thing is a big bag of rice, try and find some brown rice as well, get some extra fiber
Then, you can get a bigass tub of salsa at any small mexican market for about 5 bucks, but get the cooked kind, it will last far longer.
Veggies are a must, teach yourself to like greens. They are inexpensive, very very healthy, and dead simple to make.
Get some sturdy greens, kale, collard or whatever, and put them in simmering water for as long as it takes to cook to your liking. Season with salt pepper and some lemon juice
Try and eat meat only 3 times a week, get dried beans or chickpeas and eat them with rice for your protein
Find a cheap whole wheat bread and buy it on sale, as much as you can fit in your freezer reasonably, it keeps forever in there.

30 bux eh?
buy dem cheap chicken weiners for your protein
buy old bread on discount... it ought to be a buck a loaf. check carefully for mold in the store. buy the freshest "old" bread you can. freeze it immediately and toast the frozen slices to serve. whole wheat>white
gallon o' milk
um um then the cheapest veggies and fruits you can find, cuz you need that to round out your diet. look for clearance veggies but check VERY carefully for any mold or spotting. Never buy spoiled produce. or spoiled anything.
so chicken/toast/veggie sandwich with a glass of milk and a piece of cheap fruit, 3x a day. this should hold you on $30.

don't be afraid of checking out the food bank, but they will only tide you over with odds and ends, it is very difficult to feed yourself off a food bank in most parts


ALTERNATE MEAL PLAN

brown rice+lentils+cheapass (clearance) veggie stew, 3x a day, + piece of fruit and glass of milk

>>4273122
oh and you need some fats... so, "splurge" on a tub of margarine if you go the bread route, and vegetable oil if you go the rice/lentil route.