Friday, Apr. 18, 2008

Get creative with leftovers to cut costs

Smart shopping and cooking from scratch are important ways to save money on grocery bills. But that's only part of the story.

To make the most of your purchases, you need to avoid waste and stretch every bit of what you buy. Although this kind of thinking was automatic for our grandmothers, these days many people find it easier just to toss leftovers.

But if you're determined to cut your food budget, you need to get frugal and give those leftovers the respect they deserve. These tips can help:

— Unless it's moldy, stale bread is too versatile to toss: Freeze it and use in bread pudding, strata or french toast. Or process or grate it into bread crumbs. Use artisan bread in Italian bread salad, bread soup or as croutons: Cut into cubes, then saute with olive oil and garlic until golden.

— Turn scraps into stock: Whenever you cook, save the ends of onions, carrots and celery (or rubbery specimens past their prime), tomato skins, parsley and thyme stems, and meat scraps such as chicken wings, necks, backs and roasted chicken carcasses in a self-sealing bag in the freezer. When the bag gets full, dump it in a pot, add water to cover and simmer gently for a couple of hours. Strain and freeze in measured portions. Just make sure you have more meat than vegetables, and don't use anything strongly flavored such as broccoli, cabbage and asparagus.

— Small amounts of leftover cooked meat, fish or veggies aren't hopeless: Freeze the meat and toss into your next soup, stew or stock; freeze the fish until you have enough to make a few fish cakes; and use the veggies in an omelet.

— Give lingering bits of cheese new life: Make fromage fort, a cheese spread, by pureeing a half pound of cheese bits with 1 clove garlic and 1//4 cup white wine. Any combination of cheeses will do, just be sure to cut any mold off first (don't use soft cheeses that are moldy). Spread on crackers or toasts (broil it until warm, if you like). Save parmesan rinds (you can freeze them) to flavor soups.

— Use every last drop: Shake up vinaigrette in the empty Dijon mustard jar; make tuna salad in the empty mayo jar; make peanut sauce in the peanut butter jar; rinse the jam jar with juice and pour into a smoothie. You get the idea. Save your butter wrappers to use for greasing your pans.