With food prices on the rise, for consumers and restaurants alike, a lot of articles have been popping up in newspapers and magazines across the country asking chefs how they’re saving money these days.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture is reporting the cost of food is at its highest inflation point since the late 1980’s while analysts don’t feel the peak of these increases has been reached. Over the course of 2007, food prices have increased an average of 4-percent while a variety of commodities have increased even more, like price of dairy that is up 13 percent.
“I’m finding it’s not the high-end stuff that kills you. It’s the everyday stuff, i.e. flour, pasta, milk,” Andrew Carmellini, chef of A Voce, said in New York Magazine’s March 10 issue.
Chefs have historically been a thrifty bunch, even more so as the need for a good bottom line in these modern times of corporate chains. They’re experts at saving, recycling and revamping every shred of food that comes through their supply dock doors.
So, here are some chefs’ tips to get you on the path to cheap eats and rich flavors:
Special Effects – when you’re entertaining, use smaller plates so portions look larger (this is especially good at summer barbecue potlucks) and use lighter silverware so bites seem heavier
Fill ‘Er Up – dairy and proteins are the heaviest hit by rising prices, so try to pair quality meats and cheeses sparingly with lower cost starches and vegetables – think steak strip salad
Save, Save, Save – chefs, or more likely their line cooks, are put to work every day breaking down larger cuts of proteins (think whole chickens versus a package of just thighs) and using every part of the animal. This includes saving bones for stocks (at home, I store bones in the freezer until I get enough to make one large pot of stock), and rendering fat for cooking. Vegetable scraps, like the ends of celery stalks, onion peels and carrot peels can also be saved for making homemade stock. Some chefs have taken this a step further and are saving scraps like beef trimmings, and marinating them for use in sandwich wraps and as a meaty garnish for other lighter, dishes
Lotsa Pasta – at high-end restaurants you’ll be seeing an increase in homemade pasta dishes on the menu. By creating an elegant ravioli, for instance, chefs can use those bits of seafood, etc. with more filling vegetables in the filling and finish the dish with inexpensive, yet elegant sauces and garnish.
Fabulous Fakes – while you can’t pass a sparkling wine for true Champagne, you can offer guests more domestic wine choices; use blended oils for cooking and save the pricier extra-virgin olive oil for salad dressings and garnish; substitute two, smaller 3-oz cuts of steak for a larger, single, 8-oz portion or instead use stir-fries and sautés instead of full cuts of meat in your meals.
Eat More Chicken – said the cow. All kidding aside, chicken is one of the less expensive proteins, next to canned/dried beans. We splurge on free-range chickens when we want a fabulous roast for a family gathering, and buy the cheaper, more commercial birds when the chicken is going to be braised or smothered in a sauce or added to a stir-fry or casserole. And, contrary to other advice out there, we recommend buying chicken (whole or parts) with the bone-in as much as possible as the trade-off in cost per pound doesn’t make up for the loss in flavor. If we need boneless, skinless chicken for a recipe, we buy boneless chicken thighs.
They Love Me, They Love Me Not – let’s face it, there are a lot of neglected veggies out there and they’re quite tasty. Look for cheaper vegetables like beets, radishes, rutabagas, kohlrabi and Brussels sprouts – all of these taste fabulous on their own and even better after a hot stay in the oven for glorious roasted, caramelized flavors.
Seasonal Specials - highlight what’s in season because that’s when it’s cheaper and more plentiful. Visit andshecookstoo.com for a copy of our seasonal produce chart.
Tighten Up – our wallets and our waistbands. Many chefs and restaurants are offering lighter, smaller portions with fewer calories that are not only better for our pocket books, but also better for our bottom lines. If it works for dining out, it can also work at home.
Here’s the dirty dozen:
- Control waste
- Don’t by pre-fab meat and poultry and cut pork loin chops and chicken yourself
- Use your freezer - for example, save bacon for a quick flavor boost
- Shop for what’s in season, this applies to seafood as well as produce
- Visit farmers’ markets and foreign grocers for the best prices on fresh and dried herbs and spices, and produce
- Grains, beans and root vegetables are cheap, wholesome foods that offer a wonderful variety of flavors and are light on the pocketbook
- A good stinky cheese or a nice piece of cured meat can be quite pricey, but a little goes a long way creating flavor and umami (see below)
- Pan-drippings, rendered fat, shrimp shells and carcasses make tasty sauces, soups and stocks
- If you need to add wine to a sauce, use our favorite substitute, dry vermouth. It’s less expensive but offers the quality of a good white wine with the addition of a nice herbal, undertone. Read more here. Another option if you don’t drink wine regularly, purchase smaller bottles that come in 4-packs, these bottles are lest wasteful then opening a larger bottle.
- Shave your citrus – my husband always gets a bald orange in his lunch and that’s because I use a microplane grater to shave off the tasty orange bits and store them in the freezer for whenever zest is needed in a recipe. This works lemons, grapefruit, tangerines, etc.
- Look for store-brand (or as it’s referred to in the industry ‘private label’) organic foods – they’re made with high-quality ingredients and the prices are comparable, if not better, than regular brands
- Braise as much as you can – not only does it just sound comforting and chic, but braising is one of the best ways to cook and add flavor to a variety of proteins and vegetables, especially cuts of meat that are less expensive. Chefs also have a trick up their coat sleeves when it comes to braising – these dishes taste even better the next day. So, it’s a cheap eat with rich flavors that can be a time saver, too.
“If you need to make real food out of nothing, that’s real cooking,” New York Chef, David Chang, said in the March 8, Wall Street Journal.
- GE, 6/12/08
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