Budget Crock Pot Cooking

With the troubled economic times that seem to be unending, one of the best ways to economize is to plan less expensive meals. However, less expensive does not necessarily have to mean less appetizing, especially when using a slow cooker.

At the grocery store, some of the best cuts of meat are not necessarily the most expensive. A whole chicken costs less per pound than does a chicken cut-up by the butcher. A pot roast, rump roast or pound of hamburger are less expensive than that succulent slab of steak, but tastes just as wonderful with the right cooking process.

Crockpot

Hankering for a pork sandwich? A pork shoulder will cost less per pound than will pork tenderloin, offering a substantial savings. Fish is a healthy and tasty way to save some money with less expensive fillets available at your grocery store.

Another way to save a couple dollars on each visit to the grocery store is to use fresh vegetables versus frozen or canned. While convenient, frozen and canned vegetables will usually cost more per ounce than fresh. A good rule of thumb to remember when shopping for food is this: the less processing a food receives prior to arrival at the grocery store, the more economical it is for the consumer.

All these foods, and more, are able to be cooked in a crock-pot with more tender meat and a mélange of flavors that are certain to please even the most discriminating palates. With some creative thinking and shedding of some old ideas, nearly anything you can do in the oven or on the stove can be done in a slow cooker.

One final way a slow cooker can help with your food budget is to make more than you might need, freezing leftovers for lunches or later dinners. Whether you're a family of two or ten, there is a crock-pot size to suit your needs. By selecting the next size up, you are assured of having a full freezer no matter how far away that next payday is. Also, if you've created an especially delicious meal, you can save what's left and have it again, without having to recreate an entire batch.

With so many homes now being two income households with both parents working late, dinner can become the least favorite part of the day, coming at the end of a long, tiring day. Coming home to an already prepared and cooked meal can alter the way you look at coming home of an evening.

Utilizing a crock-pot will save you money not just on your grocery bill but also on your electric or gas bill as well. As a smaller appliance Crock-pots use less energy than an electric stove and you won't have to stand next to the hot stove as your food cooks. Recently, two major frozen food companies introduced to the market "Crock-Pot Meals" that are low-cost and delicious, with both requiring little in the way of preparation. Cooking with crock-pots has never been easier on both your time and your food budget.

Budget Crock Pot Cooking

Fran just loves to cook and loves to share her cooking finds and ideas with everyone. Her number one budget cooking source of cheap crock pot recipes is at http://www.A-Crock-Cook.com And she suggests you try one of the beef crock pot recipes.

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