Frugal Kitchens 101 - The Rising Costs of Food

Over the past year or so there have been rumours of food shortages combined with rising food costs.  In some cases the price increase were quite noticeable (eg. chicken now $1 per lb cheapest compared to the previous 69¢ per lb cheapest) but in other cases it has been a bit more hidden (eg. slightly smaller package with slightly higher price).  Despite reports of certain food shortages with the currently reported one being sugar, there have been no signs of food shortages here.  Yet the World Food Bank has declared food costs at an all time high with dire predictions they are going to get worse.  Food shortages are expected due to adverse local and global growing conditions that will affect the availability of some foods.  This week's Frugal Kitchens 101 addresses a few issues with the rising costs of food and how you can create a bit of a buffer against them.

• stay informed - In this day and age it is easty to stay informed with respect to food availability and predicted shortages.
• ignore the fear mongering - Back during the y2K scare there was a lot of fear mongering centred around not only food availability but the availability of essential services and the collapse of our monetary system.  In the end all this did was cause wide spread stockpiling often unorganized that resulted in an increase of food spoilage.  Fear mongering creates temporary, local food shortages like we are currently seeing in some areas with sugar.  The reason this happens is folks panic then over buy that product creating empty spots in the stores which feed into the panic of others who heard there may be a shortage.  A vicious circle is created.  The best reaction is to stay calm and do not panic.
• act accordingly but systematically - Once of the best defenses you have against food inflation is a well stocked pantry.  Ideally your pantry will be stocked with a 6 month to 1 year supply of foods necessary to sustain your family.  Your pantry stores should be constantly added to and rotated.  Cherry pick the sales to build your pantry supplies.  For example, pastas and a limited variety of condensed soups have been on sale here so the focus is replenishing the pantry with these foods. 
• stock the instants - This is a good time to stock a few valuable instants in your pantry to be used in emergencies.  These include: powdered honey, powdered milks, powdered peanut butter, powdered eggs, and powdered cheeses.
• stock the basics -  Focus on the whole ingredients like flours as well rather than packaged foods.  If buying canned foods get those that can go towards making a dish rather than the convenience canned foods (eg. canned pasta or stews).  This makes the food stock a bit more versatile for later use.
• move towards self sufficiency - It is not too late to learn a few basic skills to help ensure your food security.  Topping the list is growing as much produce as you can as well as raising rabbits and backyard chickens where permitted.  Learn to preserve foods (canning, drying, freezing) as well as cure meats (extremely easy and cheap to do).  Fishing, hunting, trapping and foraging are all good skills to learn if possible to help ensure your food security.
• change your eating habits - Now is the time to move away from heavily processed foods that will see the greatest increase in costs towards raw and homecooked foods. 

What I Did With 16 Chicken Legs Backs Attached

Chicken used to be relatively inexpensive here but over the past several years the price has crept up there.  One of the local grocery stores had their $1 sale on so I decided to take advantage of the chicken that was on sale.  The chicken pieces were legs with back attached.  As little as a year ago these would go on sale for 69¢ per pound but now the sale price is $1 per pound.

My husband picked up four packages of the chicken.  Usually this store has the chicken packaged in plastic bags but now they are on foam trays with plastic wrap.  I'm not fond of this type of packaging but that is all that was available.  I ended up with 16 legs back attached at a total weight of 5.932 kg (13.07 lb) and cost $2.20 per kg ($1 per lb), $13.05 total cost.  This would break down into 8 meals for us at a cost of $1.63 or about 82¢ per serving for the chicken which is not a bad price given the costs of other meats.  However, I had plans to stretch the chicken out a bit further than 8 meals.  Chicken stock was on the adgenda since I was completely out here although two jars are safely tucked away at our vaction home. 

The first thing I did was vacuum seal eight of the chicken legs into meal sized portions.  That was enough for four packages for the freezer.  As a rule with a sale like this I tend to put up half then use the other half fresh and/or make other products for the pantry.  Of the remaining eight legs I used two for garlic pepper chicken with TPC Sesame Garlic Spaghetti for dinner that night.  Three of the chicken legs went into the stock pot for stock.  Realizing that our Christmas celebration was on the up coming Saturday meaning I would have a turkey left-overs and turkey stock to deal with, I put the remaining three pieces of chicken into the freezer as well.

I allowed the chicken legs to cook through then removed them from the stock and deboned them.  The bones and skin went back into the stock pot for a long, low simmer.  I seasoned the meat then used it for two meals of wraps and chicken tacos.

I ended up with 14 - 500 ml jars of chicken stock which is about my average yield when making stock.  As you can see I used Tattler reusable lids on seven of the jars.  The more I use these lids the better I like them!  For those wondering if I had to buy the chicken stock the equivalent would come in at approximately $20.86 ($1.49 each).  The cost of the homemade stock came in at $2.86 including the lids and electricity for both cooking and processing the stock.  It is easy to see where making homemade stock is very cost effective.  The stock can can be home canned or frozen.  I prefer canning mine for the convenience of ready to use.

Frugal Kitchens 101 - Special Sales

A well stocked pantry will result in being able to cherry pick the sales. While most grocery stores offer weekly sales but from time to time grocery stores offer special sales with even greater savings to help stretch your food dollars. Special sales include anniversary sales, dollar sales, case lot sales and special event sales such as grand openings or going out of business. For example twice a year one grocery store chain here holds a 'one dollar sale' with many items on sale for $1. Another grocery store chain holds a '$1, $2, $3 sale' with many items on sale for those prices. Today's Frugal Kitchens 101 will give a few tips for shopping the special sales.

• Don't get caught up in the hype. Check the unit prices. Some foods on for a $1 may be more expensive per unit than non-sale items.
• Shop only the sale items and be picky. An item on sale even if only for $1 is not a good value if it is something you aren't sure you will use.
  
• Avoid the snack type lunch kits and that type of convenience food as they are not a good value even when on sale.
• Focus on those foods that give you the best nutritional value such as fruits, vegetables, meats, lunchmeats and breads. One trick is to take only $40 cash and get the highest nutritional value you can for that money.
  
• If beef or pork cuts are on sale for $1 per pound put the focus of your sale dollars towards it. Be sure to check the meat aisle for other bargains. There may only be a couple of select cuts of meats on sale for $1 per lb but nearby there might unadvertised in-store meat specials.
• Quite often a few dairy items will be included in the special sale prices. Unless they can be frozen then buy only what you can use before they spoil. If the sale runs for 2 weeks then it is better to make a couple of stops to stock up rather than one depending on your needs.
• Some sundry items such as toothpaste, fabric softener and bath soap may be on sale at the special prices. Here you really do need to know your prices! A 90 ml tube of toothpaste may be on sale for $1 but the same brand only a 130 ml tube may $1 regular price at the dollar store.
  

Frugal Kitchens 101 - Shopping Food Sales

One of the easiest ways to save money on your grocery bill is to shop the sales. That sounds like an obvious statement however, shopping the sales is a bit more complicated than the obvious. Today's Frugal Kitchens 101 will highlight some of the finer details of shopping food sales effectively. When it comes to sales most grocery store flyers are available online. Do that comparison shopping from the comforts of your computer not by driving around! Don't forget to use unit costs when comparing the sales as well. In many cases grocery stores have eliminated being able to pair coupons with sales so if you are a coupon shopper keep that in mind.

Things to keep in mind when shopping food sales:

1. sales are cyclic: Grocery store sales follow a few trends. In general certain types of food will consistently go on sale just before holidays, certain events (eg. March break, back-to-school) or seasonal. For example one of the best times to stock up on baking items is just before Christmas; turkeys routinely go on sale just before Thankgiving; and hams go on sale just before Easter. Snacks, pastas and convenience foods go on sale just before March break and just before the kids go back to school. Some grocery stores run an annual $1 sale usually as spring approaches while others will run this type of sale both spring and fall. Local produce sales will follow the local growing season however, other produce such as mandarin oranges follow the season of availability in their country of origin. Meats too follow cycles. Farmers who do not want to over winter live stock put them up for sale meaning an influx of cheaper meats at butcher shops and abattoirs. Fish tends to be cheaper during the fishing season if you are shopping fisheries.
   
2. loss leaders: For those not familiar with the term loss leader, it refers to a product the store will put on sale at a loss simply to get you in the door knowing that you will more than likely buy other products while you are there. A frugal shopper will cherry pick the loss leaders without buying anything else. This is why you will see stores put limits on loss leaders per purchase often worded as for example limit 2 per family purchase. Loss leaders tend to be staples like milk, butter and meats but they can also include other foods like certain sauces.
   
3. cherry pick: Cherry picking refers to buying only those items on sale and especially to buying only those loss leaders. This can be a very inexpensive way to stock up on certain items but if there is a limit you will need to either take another person with you and split the shopping so you can get extra or make a few stops. If the option is making more than one stop consider the cost of doing so
   
4. in store specials: Most grocery stores have in store specials either to promote the store or move certain perishable items quickly. Always budget an extra $20 to $40 to take advantage of these sales! One local store where we used to live always put fresh cut meat that hadn't been sold that morning on sale at 2 PM so I was able to get a lot of great deals. Other stores have cold bunkers (open refrigerator units) with in store meat specials. Meats and produce are guaranteed to be on sale late Saturday and Sunday before their new shipments come in Monday morning. One of our local grocery stores always reduces rotisserie chickens from $8 to $5 every evening at 6 PM.
   
5. reduced for quick sale: Most grocery stores have a small section for items reduced for a quick sale. These are foods that are close to their sell by date or sometimes items with damaged packaging that does not affect the quality of the food. The items vary but generally range from produce to dressings, canned foods and left-over holiday specials.
   

Chatting from the Kitchen Table

Every cook has those times where they rely on the tried and true, family favourites and so it was with me for the past couple of weeks. There has been a lot going on lately and with our beef now at the abattoir's we have been focusing on eating from the freezer. Not that either are an excuse for not doing creative home cooking but that is how it has worked out. Unfortunately this is not really helpful for new posts on a home cooking blog. My most creative cooking the past week was making pita bread! While I took pictures of in the oven and the finished pitas, this is really something I would like to feature in greater detail from the forming so watch for that post likely later next week when I make another batch.

Diana Sauce

I seldom use commercially prepared sauces but when I do they tend to be gourmet style and preservative free. I also enjoy buying and using specialty sauces at various foodfests. I have often mentioned Diana Sauce® on this blog. Now this is one of my favourite commercially made sauces so I do use it a fair amount. That means I blog about it as part of recipes and methods. Diana Sauce® is distributed only in Canada so I do apologize to those trying to duplicate exactly my recipes or methods. Diana Sauce® is a gourmet sauce that has no preservatives something that is very important to us. It has a lovely, very smooth texture. It is available in 7 rich flavours. Pictured are some of the flavours I use the most: Maple, Original, Rib & Chicken and Western Smokehouse. Not pictured but another favourite is Honey Garlic. Despite being a gourmet sauce, Diana Sauce® is not expensive. It normally costs about $4 for a 500 ml (16 oz) bottle but is often on sale for $1.99 as a loss leader. I'll explain more about this in tomorrow's Frugal Kitchens 101.

I have been working on a homemade sauce that duplicated the original flavour but am still not quite there yet. I will tell you cheesecloth and xanthan gum are two key components for the texture. I am very close so will post the clone recipe as soon as I'm satisfied with it.

Canning Chicken Stock

Just so you don't think I've been slacking off in the kitchen, a few days ago I decided to go through the freezers in preparation for our beef. We buy beef in bulk on the hoof so that is a large influx of of meat at one time. I make batches of stock several times a year but honestly unless it is a special recipe I do not make from scratch each time. I use my home canned stock instead.

The key to great stock is roasting the bones which ads a richness that can't be beat. I like saving up enough bones in the freezer to do this. Stock making is always a 2 day process and there is a reason for this especially when home canning the stock. The stock is made on day 1 but then must be cooled and defatted before the canning process can begin on day 2. Once the stock is defatted it can be further stained through cheesecloth for clarity or canned as it. The main reason for clarifying is for making soup where a clear stock is desirable. Other than that there is no reason to clarify.

I managed to get 13 - 500 ml jars of chicken stock from the batch, just one shy of a full canner load. It is more cost effective to run a full canner load but sometimes it doesn't work out that way. This was a nice addition to my pantry shelves.