My grandma told me to always buy a whole chicken and break it down myself
I thought it was too much work, but after trying it last week, I saved over $5 compared to buying the same weight in pre-cut parts. Anyone have other 'old school' kitchen tricks that actually save cash?
Totally! I freeze my scraps in a flat layer on a baking sheet first. That way they don't all stick together in one giant frozen lump, and you can just grab a handful when you need it.
My grandma taught me to save veggie scraps in a bag in the freezer. Once it's full, I boil them to make my own stock. It tastes way better than the boxed stuff and it's basically free. I used to just toss onion skins and carrot ends.
Remember my old roommate tried that once. He left the pot simmering while we went out for a few hours. Came back to the whole apartment smelling like a wet forest and a blackened mess on the stove. He was so proud of the "concentrated" flavor, but it just tasted like burnt celery water.
Yeah my mom does that too, patricia262. It's smart but my freezer bag always ends up weird. Like half broccoli stems that make the stock bitter, and then I find a random lemon wedge from six months ago. Still beats paying four bucks for salty water in a carton though.