How much time/money do you spend cooking?

[enigmaT120]

I can get those buckets free from work, but many of them have very strong odors of garlic and other sauces in them. A lot of times filling them with bleach water will get the smell out. I was using them to make fruit wine so obviously I didn't want the smells left.

[bryan]

0 hours and $0. I eat out exclusivly for the last year+

Then again, I don't have a kitchen or any appliances. I do buy some groceries but nothing I cook.

Though, I'm at my gf's place about two days a week. Sometimes I've noticed it can take me up to 30 minutes just to make some oatmeal and iced coffee

[Freedom_2018]

We enjoy cooking...even when we are camping. She is a good baker and I often make Indian spice based food (which always tastes better the next day...if we ever have leftovers). Since our food tastes so good, we rarely eat out.

I do however try to be efficient on the cutting/cleaning front and try to use the minimum number of implements. Often when invited to someone's home for dinner...the number of silverware and serving dishes on the table is quite perplexing and inconvenient, not to mention the piles of cooking utensils piled up in the sink.

In the last 2 months we've spent about $650 (all grocery, eating out, house supplies and utilities) for 2 people. This amount also includes $120 each month on the beer and wine tastings at the local Kroger (certainly not frugal but money well spent on meeting locals during our stay new Athens, Ohio)

[Bostrom]

About 150-170$/month, one person. Making ten meals each time, it takes about one hour. Eating two meals a day so it will last for 5 days. I eat about six times a day but a lot of it is simple food that I don't need to cook(peanuts, whey protein, carrots, spinach etc). Total daily consumption: 170g protein, 3500-4000 kcal.

[BRUTE]

About 150-170$/month, one person. Making ten meals each time, it takes about one hour. Eating two meals a day so it will last for 5 days. I eat about six times a day but a lot of it is simple food that I don't need to cook(peanuts, whey protein, carrots, spinach etc). Total daily consumption: 170g protein, 3500-4000 kcal.

holy shit

[KevinW]

Our nominal weekly routine is:

- Sunday, cook 5 weekdays' worth of breakfasts and lunches in bulk. This takes about 2-3 hours of active cooking, plus several hours of inactive waiting (slow cooker, bean soaking, bread rising, etc.).
- Breakfast is a hardboiled egg and either overnight oats, or homemade yogurt with fresh berries.
- Lunch is usually a slow cooker bean/rice recipe such as: chana masala; yellow curry potatoes and chicken; mejadarra; split pea and ham soup; rice noodles with vegetables and chicken; BRC burritos; or fried rice with egg and sardines. Occasionally we do sandwiches on homemade bread. Plus a piece of fresh fruit.
- Dinners are (3) planned meals comprised of the trio of 1) protein entree (e.g. cutlet of chicken/fish/pork chop; chicken/fish curry; hamburger patty; grilled sausage), 2) vegetable (e.g. lettuce salad; steamed greens, carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, brussels sprouts, green beans, squash, or asparagus) and starch (e.g. pasta, potato, rice pilaf, flatbread, dinner roll). Each meal makes enough food for two consecutive nights.
- Weekday dinners are fast (<30 minutes active time), while the weekend dinner can be slower (e.g. roast whole chicken, pot roast, cassoulet, gratin vegetables, rich sauces).
- Weekend breakfasts are a fast (30 minutes) hot breakfast like rolled omelets, bacon and scrambled eggs, breakfast burritos/sandwiches, or pancakes. Occasionally I'll do something more elaborate (1 hour) like eggs Benedict or French toast.
- That accounts for 6/7 dinners and 5/7 lunches. The remaining meals seem to take care of themselves through leftovers, social events, and splurges on restaurant food.

We make a meal plan and bulk shopping run every two weeks. Lately we've been sourcing everything from Costco and a nearby Korean market.

Altogether that's about 6-7 hours/week cooking.

I don't track the cost, and it would be difficult to be precise since the Costco bill includes non-food items, and there is volatility due to restocking in bulk quantities. A ballpark guess is $200/person/month including splurges.

[stayhigh]

We (two adults) spend 30-60min daily combined on cooking and 200-250usd monthly. I contribute for 1/3 of both numbers. We use these to storage staples like legumes or rice:

[vexed87]

stayhigh, great idea on rice/legume storage in those jugs!

[SimpleLife]

Sometimes I microwave something for 50 seconds, other times it's plopped into the slow cooker over the span of five minutes and let it do it's thing for a meal that lasts about a week for every meal. This is usually some kind of meat/potato/veggies/rice dish. Many of the ingredients are home grown (potatoes, onions, carrots).

Only thing I don't like about the gamma seal lids is they crack very easily. I use a food saver and mylar instead now. I also tend to buy meat at a 70% discount and freeze it after vacuum sealing. Tastes just fine and is cost effective. I still have 9 steaks from my last 18 steak purchase for $17. Yes, I don't live off Ramen and dandelion salads, but it's not that expensive to have an occasional treat. I live...a little.

As I only buy a few staples (rice, beans, bread, hot sauce, etc.) and try to grow as much food as possible myself, it's really cheap to eat. Now that I'm out of the HOA I can have a garden again. In a few years when I move back into a rental of mine I'll have chickens and rabbits and a HUUUUGE garden again. Even bigger garden. With a paid off house, a garden, livestock and a walk able neighborhood, the three biggest expenses are really low....

[Lucky C]

I don't have a routine and the amount of time I spend is all over the place. At one extreme, if I have nothing else planned when I get home from work, I'll just fry a few eggs and microwave a potato. Throw on some butter, S&P, and maybe some hot sauce.

On the other hand, I enjoy trying to cook new things every so often. This can easily take several hours on a lazy Sunday as I experiment with new recipes. The last new thing I tried was Chinese tea eggs - pretty good!

I like improvising more than planning out a batch of meals that lasts most of the week, even if I have to spend a couple extra hours per week cooking. Maybe that will change some day when I have more mouths to feed.

I don't have my expenses broken down to the cooking ingredients level, but it's probably close to what MMM spends.

[GregorioBennett]

Well it depends on our personal choice. According to me I give time less as I am busy with some other thing.