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by soreally
2916 days ago
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Great article. Hope the authors extend this comparison with more information about how much time you spend to get those savings. Restaurants are interesting because you're not really saving much time, but you're converting shopping/cooking time into socializing time. Delivery via uber-eats type services is nice to get good food without spending time, but it isn't cheap. Fast food is quick and cheap if you're already driving somewhere, but it isn't healthy or high-quality. So what is the optimal choice for saving time and money while still eating well? |
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Personally, I'd say just developing everyday food shopping and kitchen skills is a good start.
Learn to recognise good ingredients when you're shopping. Finding fruit and vegetables at the right level of ripeness or choosing a good cut of meat will improve your meal quality, reduce your waste, and save you time and money. Buying very cheap cuts of meat or clearance produce is often a false economy, as the quality is often so low that you'll waste much more and what you keep will be less healthy and less tasty.
Knowing where to go shopping for the best ingredients is helpful too. Independent local stores, farm shops or markets might have fresher and less modified products than a big chain store or home delivery service, and you might have more flexibility to get exactly the amount you want instead of a pre-determined pack size. Sure, it takes some time to buy fresh ingredients in person every few days, but probably only a few minutes.
Speaking of time, the amount I have saved over the years by knowing how to prepare different fruits and vegetables efficiently must far outweigh the relatively small amount I spent learning. (Seriously, if you don't know the easy way to slice a bell pepper or dice an avocado, go to YouTube right now and spend a few minutes finding out how professional chefs do this kind of thing. You'll thank me later.)
It's also important to have the right tools, and this is about quality, not quantity. Non-stick pans, good sharp knives and the right utensil for the job can all be big time savers, as well as often being safer than inferior alternatives. And get into the habit of always cleaning as you work, instead of stacking up some huge pile of dirty cookware, utensils, knives and boards to wash later.
Ultimately, it's hard to beat a decent home-made meal with good ingredients for cost, and unless you're talking about a nice restaurant it's going to be hard to beat it significantly on quality either, but you can certainly do a lot to reduce the amount of time you have to spend making one.