THE STRATEGY

Savvy planning and smart shopping are the key to good cooking on a budget. So save yourself cash, time and grief by getting a strategy.

Here’re my top tips – ways to make the most of every meal without emptying your bank account…

Make a Plan

Background

• Fast food for students and studio-dwellers

• Student food: A healthy guide

• Bean there, cooked that

• Time to get fresher with chef

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• Skint Potato & Onion Soup

• Tomato Lifesaver Pasta (with vodka option)

• Write a list. Don’t turn up at the supermarket without one – and try to stick to it.

• Base your list on a strategy. Plan what to eat at least a couple of days at a time and you can factor in big money-saving strategies.

• Key top tip – plan food that will last for more than the one meal. A roast chicken costs more than a fillet but can make four other meals (risotto, salad, sarnie, soup). A curry or tart lasts for days. Saves major cash, time, waste, effort.

• Check individual recipes so you won’t forget key ingredients.

• Check the cupboard/fridge so you don’t overstock.

• Build your basic needs into a mantra – i.e. eggs, butter, milk/soy, juice, garlic… Q Split the costs for shared meals like roast dinners – everyone’s a winner.

• Consider sharing all food bills.

• Plan to use leftovers.

Savvy Shopping

• Shop when your money’s in.

• Don’t shop when you’re hungry – you’ll spend more… Do it at the end of the day when supermarkets reduce some prices. Same at fruit and veg markets.

• Supermarket own brands can be better value than named brands – e.g. pastas, rice, beans, pulses, etc.

• Don’t get ripped-off by pretty packaging/health/ethical promises – take time to read the labels.

• Always buy food with the longest sell-by dates – less goes to waste.

• Buy up bargains when you see them – get great discounts on olive oil, multi-pack tins of tuna, beans, etc.

• Check out the freezer section. Find good value frozen fish bits (great for pies), veg and berries (nutritionally brilliant and really convenient).

• Get savvy about special offers. Ignore “buy 1 get 1 free” or “3 for 2” offers if it’s fresh food you know you can’t eat by the use-by date. Snap up the real bargains that you can store/afford/freeze/eat now.

• Do you really need it – e.g. Mexican blackberries? Local stuff may be cheaper, use less airmiles.

Save energy – and cash

• Use a pan that covers the hob. If it’s smaller the spare heat’s useless. Don’t use a huge pan to cook small quantities.

• Speed the pan boiling process – get water from a boiling kettle.

• Cover pans with a lid. Food cooks faster, water boils more quickly.

• Food cooks faster chopped into small bits, e.g. potatoes for boiling/ roasting.

• To cook frozen peas – boil kettle. Pour over peas. Defrost 1 minute. Drain. More boiling water. Leave 2 minutes. Cooked. Sorted.

• Get a steamer. Cooks simultaneously on different levels, saves energy, nutrients.

• Oven cooking? Make more than one meal at a time to maximize energy.

• Don’t keep opening the door while cooking – heat escapes, food can spoil.

• Ovens retain heat. Slow cooking? Turn off 20 minutes before finish time (not for baking).

THE EQUIPMENT

You don't need a lot to get going. Get value brands from supermarkets. Hunt down old-style hardware stores, Asian shops (woks, balti dishes, utensils), charity shops (plates etc). Borrow from home . . . kettle and toaster taken for granted.

ESSENTIALS

Can-opener; Saucepan ; Frying pan ; Mixing bowl ; Bread knife ; Teaspoon & tablespoon ; Measuring jug ; Baking tray ; Sieve (doubles as colander) ; Spatula ; Grater ; Potato peeler ; Wooden spoon ; Balloon whisk ; Plastic chopping board ; Simple compact kitchen scales ; Ovenproof dish ; Cling film/foil ; Plastic storage boxes

NEXT LEAGUE

Wok ; Different size mixing bowls ; Different size pans ; Griddle pan ; Larger board for chopping/rolling out ; Colander ;Fish slice ; Crepe/omelette pan ; Big casserole dish ; Roasting dish ; Muffin tin ; Yorkshire pudding tin ; Loose-bottomed flan tin ;Loose-bottomed cake tin ; Potato masher/ricer ; Slotted spoon (for frying/stir-fry) ; Garlic press ; Lemon squeezer ; Kebab skewers (metal) ; Ramekins ; Scissors ; Rolling pin ; Cooling rack ; Pestle & mortar ; Greaseproof paper ; Cocktail sticks (for cocktails & cake testing) ; Handheld electric stick blender (star item)

For more information and to buy Sam Stern's Student Cookbook click here or visit www.samstern.co.uk

THE TOP 10 STORE CUPBOARD INGREDIENTS by Fiona Beckett

1. Garlic What would life be like without garlic? Buy it fresh; it will keep for a week or two. If you don’t want smelly hands, you’ll need a crusher, too. Asian grocers are the cheapest place to buy garlic, about half the price of supermarkets.

2. Black peppercorns They give a real flavour and spicy lift to dishes. You will also need a grinder, but you can buy plastic ones quite cheaply, with an initial supply of peppercorns.

3. Olive oil Yes, it’s a treat, but it’s good for you. Ideally you should have two bottles; a basic one for cooking and a bottle of extra virgin olive oil (kept locked away from your housemates) for making salad dressings and drizzling over pasta and veggies.

4. Oregano The most useful all-purpose herb, which doesn’t have that obvious dried-herb taste you get with cheap mixed dried herbs. Good for Italian dishes, especially pasta. Best bought from Italian delis.

5. Moroccan spice mix A great all-purpose spice mix, which you can make yourself. Combine 2 tsp each of ground cumin and ground coriander (again buy from Asian shops where they’re half the price they are in supermarkets) with ½ tsp turmeric and ¼ tsp of hot chilli powder or smoked paprika (below). Blend well and use in place of curry powder or with Moroccan-style recipes.

6. Smoked paprika Good for rounding off the flavour and adding a bit of a kick to bolognese.

7. Marmite Even if you loathe the taste, buy it to use as stock – 1 level tsp per 225ml of boiling water. It’s great for gravy or stews.

8. Light soy sauce Forget expensive stir-fry sauces and use this instead. You can buy big bottles in Chinese supermarkets for roughly the same price as a small bottle in a supermarket.

9. Thai sweet chilli sauce Proof that there is life beyond ketchup, though admittedly this isn’t as good with bacon or sausages. But it’s fabulous with chicken, fried eggs, anything fishy, including fish fingers, stir-fries, noodles or as a dipping sauce.

10. Marigold Vegetable Bouillon Powder The base that I use for virtually all my soups and stews or for making rice dishes such as risottos and pilaus. It has a much more natural flavour than any stock cube I’ve come across.

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