Looking to reduce costs!

[torontokids]

Thanks for the input. I do some batch cooking however we don't have a chest freezer as we don't have the space. I am curious how you cook and freeze potatoes though. I have made and froze sheppard's pie and the potatoes were still great. I have also froze cooked quinoa, rice etc for fast side dishes.

My kids here are all big eaters. I have kids who could easily eat 1-1.5 bananas during snack in addition to the other food I serve. I have started limiting the fruit a little more to watch costs but also to decrease the amount of fruit they are eating as it was crazy.

I guess I was also getting a sense if my food costs are inline with others. The $150 a wk I spend on DC food is in addition to the $150 I spend a week on my family's food. That being said, we never eat out aside from ordering pizza 1-2 times a month and all the food is unprocessed for the most part.

I agree with watching the scanners but it can be hard, especially if the store is busy. I already have 2 orders from an over flowing shopping cart, price matches etc...sometimes I am just trying to pack as quickly as I can to free up the belt. Plus I shop on my own.

[kindertime]

Thanks for the input. I do some batch cooking however we don't have a chest freezer as we don't have the space. I am curious how you cook and freeze potatoes though. I have made and froze sheppard's pie and the potatoes were still great. I have also froze cooked quinoa, rice etc for fast side dishes.

For potatoes, I usually boil them and then either mash with a bit of butter and milk and put in containers to freeze or I cool them in the fridge and when they are cold, cut them really small for hash browns. Then I put those in small ziploc bags. I have a cast iron frying pan so I can fry them with very little oil (only enough to make the pan shiny.)

I have found if you boil the potatoes and freeze them in pieces, they end up a gross, soggy mess when reheated in the microwave. Frozen mashed, however, as long as they are heated through and steaming hot are just as good as freshly mashed.

[5 Little Monkeys]

For potatoes, I usually boil them and then either mash with a bit of butter and milk and put in containers to freeze or I cool them in the fridge and when they are cold, cut them really small for hash browns. Then I put those in small ziploc bags. I have a cast iron frying pan so I can fry them with very little oil (only enough to make the pan shiny.)

I have found if you boil the potatoes and freeze them in pieces, they end up a gross, soggy mess when reheated in the microwave. Frozen mashed, however, as long as they are heated through and steaming hot are just as good as freshly mashed.

I found the same! The potatoes that I boiled, cut in chunks and froze went brown and mushy but the ones that I mashed and froze stayed white and were fine. I wonder why?? I only did it that once and haven't tried again. I even used my food saver machine and bags so it's not like air got to them.

[kindertime]

I found the same! The potatoes that I boiled, cut in chunks and froze went brown and mushy but the ones that I mashed and froze stayed white and were fine. I wonder why?? I only did it that once and haven't tried again. I even used my food saver machine and bags so it's not like air got to them.

Not sure but I suspect it has to do with the stucture of the starches in the potato. When I mash and don't use milk and butter the result is a mushy mess. I have never tried the frozen pieces in the oven to heat them up, might work. I have also found that for the best results when frying the hash browns, they need to be boiled less than for mashed. Less water absorbed that way.