Healthy eating. - Why cooking helps you as a person.

I think @Mason and @Brendan and several others touched on this, I'd like to see just as much as I want people to sous-vide a movement towards better ingredients. They aren't necessarily more expensive if you calculate total cost.

I made mine really simple - I butcher myself, so I go to costco or a butcher and ask for the biggest pieces I can find, that'll result in silly expensive protein if you can freeze it.

If you plan a plate - you don't need 8 heads of corn, you need one.
If you plan proteins and starch - you don't need diabetes treatment.

If you allow a ton of butter, eat some veg.

Those were just some some examples, do you guys have any ideas of how we make that more accessible?

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Comments

Shannon_Barnes_68642

I don't sous vide because it's cheaper, I do it because I have better luck and more consistent results with meat when sous viding. (My brother, the consummate king of the grill, would be so horrified that I just admitted that.

I eat a primal diet, with a huge focus on whole foods (and a nod to the 80/20 rule, since I love cooking different types of food). I do the bulk of my shopping at a local Asian market, where the produce and butcher counter are considerably cheaper than the local unionized big box store; I also do not buy any pre-prepared food, which tends to be much more expensive. I almost never go out to eat, unless it's for work and therefore not on my dime; I choose to spend my money on groceries instead of eating out, buying coffees, lunches, or any of the other usual money draining habits. but I suspect my lifestyle is quite different than the target audience for this type of cooking; I live alone and only cook for me; I budget my disposable income for my two hobbies, food and costuming; and I budget my time between my hobbies as well, so I'm not in a hurry to slap something down on the table for dinner. I really wish people could change their perceptions about food and cooking from it being a horrible time-drain and necessary evil to it being part of life, and something we do because we enjoy it, because it makes us healthier, and because it's such a part of family and community bonding.

Johan_Edstrom_5586

@Shannon - I bet you also beat your griller brother every time because you think

We haven't bought packaged food since I think 2002, my daughter has asked to try hamburger helper and hated it.

I bill enough (Like a lawyer) that I could eat lobster every day, I do not see the point in it, I prefer to hunt, donate, teach classes and remain in the small house where we are now.

What I've seen with sous-vide is that we thanks to appreciating foods more also look more towards the origin, I've made friends with people like you here, curists, pastry chefs, fellow food nuts and what not else.

Brendan_Lee_56950

I also think a big part of the problem is that you buy everything in a container these days so everything has been handled and polished before it even gets to your store. I like to go to the local asian market and buy loose veg and love the variety of fruits I can find.

Shannon_Barnes_68642

@Johan, my brother just got a sous vide, so he'll soon overtake me again in making the perfect steak.

I agree about the origin of food - I very much prefer to have organic, grass fed and free range meat if possible; and like @Brendan, I prefer to have normal produce and not super polished and overly handled and processed food because it's "prettier". I am a food purist, I care what I put in my body, maybe a little too much.

But I'm not such a purist that I'm inflexible - I do like some really awful things, like those stupid greasy tacos from Jack in the Box that I cannot live without, lol!!!!

But for normal eating, I prefer to eat the best and healthiest that I can afford.

Mason_Perry_34060

Great thread I will chime in when I get home.

Allen_Johnson_67197

I love to cook and bbq/grill and yes there is a difference

Ever since I started buying my meats in larger bulks I have saved more and more money. It has opened more doors which led me here. Making new friends like you guys have been a great bonus.

With that said, the family is loving the things I have been making Sous Vide. It has been healthier in the fact that I dont have to fry foods. Its also opened up more opportunities for new creations.

Just the other day my wife was asking if we could prep meals ahead of time when vacuum sealing? I told her yes we could and it would be easy to fire up the Sous Vide, take the protein from the freezer and toss it in. The options are endless....

I am not saying that you have to have Sous Vide for every meal but it gives you options.

I agree with you @shannon about buying meat in larger portions is best. I get my food from Restaurant Depot you save money there and get excellant quality!! I even took it to another level and made videos on youtube how fabricating meat yourself saves you money. On some meats it saves you $3 per pound.

I am not perfect by any means. I will still buy packaged stuff in a pinch but making an effort to make better choices always feels great......

Tom_Champion_14732

When the budget allows the first think we buy is a good vacuum. Water displacement and strong lungs do most of our vacuuming now.

As to buying package food we buy the veggies on the discount shelf & then prep them our selves for future dishes. They freeze easily and make it easy for the two of us to make tasty meals quickly. Between work & grand kids are schedules are a weekly mess; but keeps us in touch with family.

We spend one day a week as a shared hobby planning, preparing, cooking for the week. My son and I do the smoking / grilling. Last Fall's smoking served us well thorough the Winter and Spring. With this site I've learned so much that makes easier, quicker, better, and more healthy. Our butcher does 21 day aging for us with non- hormone chemically enhanced food for the animals. They actually get exercise and in it's in the taste.

Wife has a talent for ingredients and I love the technique side of cooking. I've lost 40 LBs between better cooking & exercise. We will have a date night about once a week and thats when we split a restaurant meal. Portions, salt, and fat are too much for one person.

Great thread I suggest to my kids how they can do the same thing and save money. Their children under 25 are a bit stubborn & friends still have a lot of influence; but my kids are doing a great job showing their kids healthy cooking.

tshewman

CS has helped both myself and my kids become better cooks. :-) My son likes watching some of the technique videos with me. Just yesterday, he put gloves on when we were preparing some chicken. He knows how to work the vacuum chamber, the mixer (for pasta or ice cream) and he comes with us to he market and local grocers to buy food. I am hopeful these lessons will help them learn where food comes from. There is an incredible challenge with hamburgers at certain establishments being less expensive than a piece of fruit.....and then the toys that are promoted along with the kids meals. We are lucky in that we have yet to introduce them to a fast food hamburger etc but know when they enter school this will be more challenging. Eating well is actually a bit more expensive. This is not necessarily a bad thing as portion control and quality has taken a back seat to quantity over the last couple of decades (IMHO). We can only hope the lessons we provide will resonate for a long time. I believe this is also a CS goal.

papauren_1597578

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