Budget belly busters

Pattree

Full Member
Jul 19, 2023
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Now you’ve got me thinking!
My gran (1950’s) had a wicker basket hay box. She made stew in it in the winter and kept milk cool in it in the summer.
So
1. Could a big cool box with added insulation for a fitted pot work? What are the outside dimensions of yours?

2. Our listed village hall needed roof insulation. In the tight spots they used some 12mm rigid board faced with reflective foil.
I am already thinking of chasing some offcuts of that up for a solar oven - Well they work in Sudan!!!!! I wonder if they’d contribute anything to a thermal cooker.

Thanks for sharing and waking up the other brain cell! @Stew
 

Stew

Bushcrafter through and through
Nov 29, 2003
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stewartjlight-knives.com
Any sort of insulation will work to varying degrees.

Look up the wonder bag.

I do similar for cooking rice and pasta. I bring it to the boile then take it off the heat and wrap the pan in tea towels, hand towel, oven gloves (whatever is there) and leave it to cook through. Not as heat efficient as the other stack but uses less energy than actively cooking it through.
 

lou1661

Full Member
Jul 18, 2004
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Hampshire
Any sort of insulation will work to varying degrees.

Look up the wonder bag.

I do similar for cooking rice and pasta. I bring it to the boile then take it off the heat and wrap the pan in tea towels, hand towel, oven gloves (whatever is there) and leave it to cook through. Not as heat efficient as the other stack but uses less energy than actively cooking it through.
I use a Wonder bag, works well and packs nicely for camping too.
 
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Poacherman

Banned
Sep 25, 2023
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Budget belly busters - good, filling food on a budget.

I will start with homemade Dal and Chickpeas

Dal can be made many ways but I use a medium onion, spices, ginger and garlic 1.2 litres of water added so it makes a large pan full. I then add two tins of chickpeas just at the end of cooking to give it some texture and nutty taste.

Probably costs about £2 for at least 4 large meals if served with rice.

What budget belly busters do you enjoy?
View attachment 75173
Migas it's Spanish Peasant dish it's very nice
 

Paul_B

Bushcrafter through and through
Jul 14, 2008
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We are getting into good old roast chicken dinners. A lovely roast then a few nice meals afterwards. My partner makes a nice chicken curry too. It might be a bit unusual but one extra meal out of the chicken is leftover chicken curry in jacket potatoes. I think meat is made cheaper by diluting it with vegetables, grain and beans. Basically cheaper foods using the meat to add flavour and a bit of the bulk if that makes sense.

Stews are classic examples that I'm hard times becomes more veg than meat. Many cultures keep a pot on the go and add to it with whatever they've got. I've been away with mates for a week and we had most of the week one pot going. We didn't add any meat only veg one day and tbh nobody noticed it.
 

Woody girl

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Liver and onions, with mashed potatoes of course. (I cheat, and use instant mash,) leftover mash mixed with tuna makes fish cakes for the next day.
 
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Woody girl

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Macaroni cheese is lovely, but a sloppy meal. So, I add a whisked egg or two, depending on quantity, to the cheese sauce, pop it in the oven with a bit of extra cheese on top, and bake it untill all puffed, up, bubbly and golden. It becomes much more filling somehow this way.
(I use one egg per two servings)
 
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SaraR

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Mar 25, 2017
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Liver and onions, with mashed potatoes of course. (I cheat, and use instant mash,) leftover mash mixed with tuna makes fish cakes for the next day.
Leftover mash? That never happens here. :)

Gran used to make lovely, small potato pancakes with leftover mash, but mine never turn out as good as hers, sadly.
 

Paul_B

Bushcrafter through and through
Jul 14, 2008
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Sloppy mac cheese? Never happens in our house. Taught my partner how to make a very quick and foolproof mac cheese, now our son prefers hers. Annoying!

I like the baked mac cheese version but our son won't eat it.

Comfort food in my side of the family is my American granddad's pasta bake that he used to call goulash. It's nothing if the sort but it's food that's great for the very young and for the older ones who grew up eating it all those years ago. I can't get my son to eat it because of one ingredient.

It's basically a kind of pasta bolognese but not as fancy. Onions, beef mince, chopped tomatoes and baked beans. Cheap enough. You cook in a pan then bake in the oven. You can add cheese on top if you want but we generally just add brown sauce if we want to. It isn't fancy and most ppl probably think it's a terrible meal idea but it's surprisingly nice if done right. There are some secret additions, as in secret to every family member who makes it. Childish comfort food!
 

rich d2

Tenderfoot
Jan 10, 2019
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I add cauliflower into Mac and cheese, bulks it out and adds more goodness as well as taste. Although with the amount of cheese I use and the way prices have increased it’s becoming less and less budget.
 

Woody girl

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I don't particularly like cauliflower, which is a shame as it's quite versatile and cheap.

I've made a mixed cauli and broccoli one before now, using up leftovers. If you like broccoli it might be worth trying a broccoli cheese.
I think it would pair well with a Stilton cheese sauce.
Oh no! now I've got to go and bust my budget,
and get some Stilton and try it!
 
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Pattree

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Had a cauliflower and chick pea curry a few days ago. We made two days worth but were out for the second day. It is good stuff anyway but the three day old was superb.
I need to put in something red. It does look a little anaemic - but tastes great.
 

Woody girl

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Just been to the shop to get my Stilton and broccoli, came home with bananas and yellow sticker sweet potatoes.??????? Duh!
Totaly forgot what I went down for.
Still, nanas for my porridge, and sweet potatoes to go with my butternuts for soup. That'll do pig. :)
 
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