ChefTalk.com › ChefTalk Cooking Forums › Food and Cooking Forums › Food & Cooking Questions and Discussion › Cooking for Dirt Poor College Student
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:

Cooking for Dirt Poor College Student - Page 2

post #31 of 39
4/9/10 at 10:12pm
I used to have a cook book called "The Starving Student" or some such, don't remember the exact details.  That was decades ago, back when I too was a starving student.

I'll also chime in with chicken suggestions.  A whole chicken or a pack of leg quarters will require a few bucks up front, but can translate to several meals.  It can take a bit of work, but I'll often buy a whole chicken for maybe $5 but get 6 - 8 servings out of it.

Too bad you don't like mushrooms, they are one of my favorite foods, almost always found in anything I stir fry.  And stir fry is often a good way to go to get the most value and flavor out of minimal ingredients.

Another thing to look at is pork shoulder.  A big chunk can cost up front, but provide a number of meals that work out to be pretty cheap on a per dish basis.  One of my favorites for a long time was just a simple stir fry with chunks of pork shoulder, a small handful of peanuts from the bulk food aisle and a couple of green onions.

When you say you can't eat peppers, do you mean any sort of peppers or chilies at all, or can something sweet and mild like red bell peppers be tolerated?  They can add a flavorful and colorful touch to soups and salads.

mjb.
Reply
post #32 of 39
4/10/10 at 6:50am
I concur with pork shoulder.  In the crock pot it's probably the best darn carnitas for almost no work at all.
Reply
post #33 of 39
4/11/10 at 6:06am
Port shoulder (Squid, you might see it as "butt" or "Boston butt" meets all the stated criteria.

It's cheap. Around here it typically sells for about 99 cent/lb. So, positing an 8-10 pound butt, we're looking a quite a few meals for less then the price of a store-bought pizza.

It produces multiple meals. Example: Made on the grill, we get 16 generous servings from a butt that started life as 9 pounds. That translates as just under 50 cents/serving for the meat. Add in another nickle or dime for the spices/sauce and you're talking 60 cents per serving. Add in some cole slaw and potato salad (preferably homemade) and you're still less than a buck a meal.

It's tasty. Pork is very versatile, and you can ring all sorts of changes on it.

To be fair, it is not quick to make. But if that crock pot is working, it doesn't matter, because it's cooking itself while you're attending class or whatever.
Reply
post #34 of 39
4/12/10 at 8:41am
Thread Starter 
The crock pot does work and I managed to make a stew out of it. I had 1lb of beef, a few chopped carrots, potatoes, and one onion, and added one cup of water.

My only complaint about it was that I felt maybe I didn't add enough water because the carrots and potatoes didn't get very soft. I'm also wondering if I should have marinated the beef or something before I added it since the beef tasted like it was cooked plain. I'm terrible at math and I accidentally threw away the reciept but the beef was $4 for 1 pound, and I think the potatoes were about 98 cents a pound, and then I have no idea what the carrots and onion were. But it all lasted me about three days eating it just once a day. So basically I got three meals out of it. Is there anything else I could add to it to make it more filling? Something so I don't end up eating half of it the first night like I did this time.

As for the Ox Tongue, would a regular grocery store have one? I live in central Florida so we have Publix, Winn-Dixie, and Sweetbays to shop at but I've never seen any of them selling Ox tongue.

I love Boston Butt, but its been a long time since i've had it. If you're able to get 16 servings out of it just how large is the meat? One thing I have to keep in the back of my mind is where I'm going to store the things I don't use. I live with two other people and we all put our food in one refrigerator.
Reply
post #35 of 39
4/12/10 at 8:52am
$4/lb is pretty spendy IMO.  There are cuts of beef that do well in the crock pot.  Chuck Roast is one of them.

The first basic rule of cooking is to salt and pepper.  Salt and pepper your beef first and then a little salt to the water.
Reply
post #36 of 39
4/12/10 at 10:58am
Are you a UCF student? I live in DeLand (that's me flashing my West Volusia gang signs)
Reply
post #37 of 39
4/12/10 at 2:30pm
The pork butt I referred to started life at a bit more than 9 pounds, Squid.

In my case, I made it on the grill, in smoker mode. Because I like a lot of bark, I periodically basted it with the same Tennessee mop sauce that the pulled pork gets mixed with.

Once pulled, and the bone discarded, it would all keep in a largish storage container.

Are your roommates in the same financial position? If so, wouldn't it make sense to pool resources. F'rinstance, using the pulled pork as an example, you could split the costs and cooking three ways, and still enjoy a plentitude of great meals.
Reply
post #38 of 39
4/12/10 at 7:59pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Squid View Post

The crock pot does work and I managed to make a stew out of it. I had 1lb of beef, a few chopped carrots, potatoes, and one onion, and added one cup of water.

My only complaint about it was that I felt maybe I didn't add enough water because the carrots and potatoes didn't get very soft. I'm also wondering if I should have marinated the beef or something before I added it since the beef tasted like it was cooked plain. I'm terrible at math and I accidentally threw away the reciept but the beef was $4 for 1 pound, and I think the potatoes were about 98 cents a pound, and then I have no idea what the carrots and onion were. But it all lasted me about three days eating it just once a day. So basically I got three meals out of it. Is there anything else I could add to it to make it more filling? Something so I don't end up eating half of it the first night like I did this time.

As for the Ox Tongue, would a regular grocery store have one? I live in central Florida so we have Publix, Winn-Dixie, and Sweetbays to shop at but I've never seen any of them selling Ox tongue.

I love Boston Butt, but its been a long time since i've had it. If you're able to get 16 servings out of it just how large is the meat? One thing I have to keep in the back of my mind is where I'm going to store the things I don't use. I live with two other people and we all put our food in one refrigerator.


 Browning the meat first makes a more flavourful stew in the crockpot.  You can clean out the pot you brown in with a little wine or stock that you pour over the contents of the crockpot.   Also, put the vegetables under the meat.  Putting them on top means they don't get as soft.  

Instead of water you can use a little stock - or even just a spoonful of Knorr stock mix along with your water, and maybe a little squirt of tomato paste from a tube.  I sometimes add a small spoon of prepared horseradish.  
Reply
post #39 of 39
4/16/10 at 10:05am
soups are good to make, theyre often cheap and you can make loads and freeze them for later... on a weekend just dedicate the afternoon to cooking a soup and a stew/chili and portion it out and freeze it.

google some recipes - dont be scared to give some things a try! something like cauliflower soup isnt likely something high up on your "i must try this" list, but when you make it well its delicious, same as potato, bacon and leek soup... or pumpkin soup...
Reply
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:
  Return Home
ChefTalk.com › ChefTalk Cooking Forums › Food and Cooking Forums › Food & Cooking Questions and Discussion › Cooking for Dirt Poor College Student