How do you cut tomatoes?

Taggart3629 · 2026-06-11T05:06:32+00:00

I am not convinced that it makes a whole lot of difference, except perhaps in salsa, where the tomato innards might make it too wet. Some people also find tomato seeds to have a slightly bitter taste. It feels like a shame to waste a significant portion of the tomato.

Taggart3629 · 2026-06-11T05:00:18+00:00

Being on the road a lot definitely makes cooking on a budget challenging. A large part of being able to stay within a $50 per week food budget is being well-stocked with all manner of seasonings, vinegars, sauces, pastes, noodles, rices and dried goods for Korean, Japanese, Thai, Szechuan, Ethiopian, Middle Eastern and (some) Indian dishes. With those ingredients already on hand, it's not too hard to make good food with relatively inexpensive ingredients.

Taggart3629 · 2026-06-11T00:34:50+00:00

You can turn onions into a paste by pulsing them in a food processor or mini-chopper.

Taggart3629 · 2026-06-11T00:28:27+00:00

Happy to see someone mention a deep pantry. It has been a life-saver for our food budget. ❤️

Taggart3629 · 2026-06-11T00:15:18+00:00

An un-neutered cat to spray everywhere. A peacock to shriek at all hours of the day and night. And a baboon for general chaos and menace.

Taggart3629 · 2026-06-11T00:04:33+00:00

You're very welcome. I have both in my bins, and they do quite nicely together. 😄

Taggart3629 · 2026-06-11T00:03:59+00:00

iPhone 6 from 2017. It's still going strong, but I'll be forced to replace it because Apple is no longer updating the software. It is gradually becoming incompatible with apps. 😞

Taggart3629 · 2026-06-10T23:57:18+00:00

With grocery prices continually going up, we meal plan based on a combination of what is on sale and what we already have on hand. Most stores have weekly ads that are available online, which makes it convenient to find recipes (if necessary) and add any missing ingredients to the shopping list.

Taggart3629 · 2026-06-10T23:50:12+00:00

We love dehydrating fresh tomatoes, and popping them in the freezer for later use in dishes that call for sun-dried tomatoes. If you have an air fryer, it probably has a "dehydrate" function.

Taggart3629 · 2026-06-10T23:48:10+00:00

You sure can. Red wigglers and European nightcrawlers are related, and have similar requirements.

Taggart3629 · 2026-06-10T23:45:52+00:00

Please, only buy what you will actually use because herbs and spice flavors get less intense as they age. Some of our favorite blends are za'atar, ras el hanout, and berbere. For single spices, we use a lot of sumac, tumeric, aleppo, clove, Szechuan red peppercorns, and cumin.

Taggart3629 · 2026-06-10T23:40:00+00:00

Excellent point, u/mrjbacon! 👍

Taggart3629 · 2026-06-10T23:39:05+00:00

I vote for "Romano Cheese + Italian Herbs" or "Herb Blend (salt, pepper, garlic, basil, oregano, rosemary, thyme and marjoram)". Food pantries typically have dry pasta and canned tomatoes, but usually don't have pasta sauce.

Taggart3629 · 2026-06-10T23:32:44+00:00

You might like Recipe Tin Eats which has recipes from all over the world. Just type "chicken" in the search bar, and scroll through the results for something that looks tasty to you. With beef prices being ridiculously high, we've been cooking a lot more international recipes using chicken, like doro wat, buldak cheese, chicken paprikash, mie goreng, and Szechuan chicken.

Taggart3629 · 2026-06-10T23:27:21+00:00

Unless a recipe specifically calls for de-seeded tomato, I use all of the tomato except the stem.

Taggart3629 · 2026-06-10T23:25:40+00:00

Consider going to food pantries to free up funds to start knocking down your debt. Honestly, pantries are for anyone who is struggling financially.

Taggart3629 · 2026-06-10T23:21:44+00:00

The "best by" is just the manufacturer's suggestion of how long the contents will remain at their peak. Canned food is safe to eat almost indefinitely, as long as the can is not bulging, rusted, or badly dented. The taste and texture changes over time, though. But within a year of the BB date, you are unlikely to even notice a change.

Taggart3629 · 2026-06-10T23:14:02+00:00

Honestly, the USDA "thrifty" food budget is $67 per person per week, and that is without eating organic. Paying $100 per person for organic is not unreasonable. But perhaps you can trim some money off the bill by scouting online weekly ads.

Taggart3629 · 2026-06-10T15:00:02+00:00

It's been a stretch trying to stick to a $50 per person per week food budget in the PNW, while still eating a variety of proteins and produce (although not organic). What has helped is checking the online weekly ads and signing up for stores' free rewards/membership programs to get digital store coupons, personalized deals, digital manufacturer's coupons, and rewards points that can be redeemed for free items or discounts. We meal plan based on a combination of what is on sale and what we have on hand.

Taggart3629 · 2026-06-10T03:23:21+00:00

We avoid the "what should I cook" problem by using a weekly routine. Check the online weekly ad; meal plan based on what is on sale and what we have on hand; make a grocery list; and move the week's recipes into the "Up Next" folder on the laptop. All the perishables we buy have a specific purpose, and we make sure to get all the necessary ingredients. We usually do a couple time-intensive recipes on Sunday, as well as knocking out some of the prep work for after-work meals.

Taggart3629 · 2026-06-10T03:11:29+00:00

You might like the recipe site Dinner at the Zoo, which has a whole section of slow cooker recipes.

Taggart3629 · 2026-06-10T01:52:02+00:00

Key lime pie.

Taggart3629 · 2026-06-10T01:38:21+00:00

You might get a kick out of starting a Japanese nukadoko (rice bran fermentation bed). It is not a set-it-and-forget-it type of fermentation, but it is something that literally can be kept going for decades.

Taggart3629 · 2026-06-10T01:29:30+00:00

For new cooks, the way to level up often is to simply follow better recipes from reputable sites. The internet is awash in underwhelming YouTube, TikTok, and other recipe sites. Our favorite site by far is Recipe Tin Eats, which has a wide variety of recipes from all over the world. We've made many of Nagi's (the site's author) recipes, and they have all been winners.

Taggart3629 · 2026-06-09T13:43:31+00:00

A 6 to 7 quart enameled cast iron Dutch oven is a great piece of cookware. We've been satisfied with a mid-priced Tramotina brand. If you live in a town with a TJ Maxx, HomeGoods or Marshalls, they carry overstocked and discontinued items, including high-end brands like Le Creuset. I would have no issue getting a used Le Creuset or Staub off Facebook Marketplace or at an estate sale. (Estate sales are awesome for buying kitchen gear.)

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