An Introduction from your Thrifty Cook

Every time I hold forth on cooking as I am wont to do, my mother always says, "You should write a book!" Well, I don't have the talent or patience to write a book, but why not a blog?

I am single, so I cook for my own pleasure. I eat three meals a day with a few snacks in between. (My mama taught me right way to eat.) I rarely go to restaurants or eat fast food, and when I do, I order those things that I do not or cannot make myself. And when the check comes, I blanch.

Let me start with my cooking philosophy:

1. I buy everything I can on sale. To do this, you have to give up your privacy and join the supermarkets' frequent shopper programs. I scour the weekly advertising flyers and visit a couple of different supermarkets once a week. I never buy meat that's not on sale. I buy in larger quantities, put it in smaller packages, and freeze it for later.
2. I don't use coupons unless they fall into my lap. Most of the coupons are for processed foods or products I don't use, and it takes too much time to manage them. As a frugal cook, I admit that admire a shopper that can get a cart full of groceries for free, but I wouldn't dare eat what's inside.
3. I am becoming more and more wary of processed food and believe in eating them in moderation, and less. Processed, or prepared, food can be used for cooking shortcuts, but the more I know about them, the more guilty I feel about using them.
4. I use frozen vegetables, but never canned (except tomatoes). They can be almost as good as fresh, and I can use small quantities at a time.
5. I almost never throw away food. If cooking is my religion, wasting food is a cardinal sin. Extra food is often an inspiration for a dish, and I love having leftovers in my refrigerator.
6. I don't measure too accurately, unless the chemistry is important. And I substitute or leave out ingredients if they are not readily available or  too expensive.

Your Thrifty Cook

 P.S. They can say it better than I ever could...