Food prices are spectacular these days. So it’s no surprise that people are trying to save more on grocery shopping.
And its current financial woes dovetail perfectly with the release of the six-episode cooking competition, “Big Bad Budget Battle,” hosted by Food Network star Ree Drummond, best known as The Pioneer Woman. I’m here.
The new show, which will premiere on the Food Network on August 9 at 10:00 PM ET/PT and stream on Discovery+ the same day, will feature ‘Turn Affordable Ingredients Into Tasty Meals Everyday. ‘ follows three at-home cooks who take on the challenge. According to a release from Discovery, Flavortown will shop for “small cash” at his market (the show is executive produced by Guy Fieri).
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The “best cook and most frugal” walks away with a trophy and a year’s worth of groceries.
“When you go to the grocery store, they all have the same amount of money and you have to make the most of that money,” Drummond told USA TODAY.
Drummond says he learned a lot from the show’s contestants and has some tips on how to save money while grocery shopping.
She shared three.
1. Buy frozen vegetables
If you’re looking to make money, Drummond recommends using fresh produce when necessary for meals with raw vegetable elements, such as salads, and frozen vegetables otherwise. .
“There are so many things you can do with frozen vegetables,” she says. “You save so much money by replacing what you might buy in the produce section with frozen. Quality is barely noticeable when you’re making soups, stews, or casseroles.”
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Drummond says getting to know the frozen vegetable section is really important. Most of the time, she says, no one can tell the difference between fresh and frozen vegetables in cooked dishes.
2. Check the meat at the butcher corner
Protein is where the wallet often “hit,” says Drummond.
“I love going to the meat counter in the meat department and finding deals,” she says, noting that it’s mostly family packs of chicken thighs.
“From casseroles to stir-fries, there are endless things you can do with chicken thighs,” she continues.
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Finding these deals takes a long way.
The Food Network star added that when he gets a pack of ribs or chicken, he breaks the package, repacks it, and freezes whatever is left over.
“[So]I’ve eaten this much, but it’s okay to eat a few times,” she says.
3. Buy frozen dough
Drummond says there are other frozen foods that work well beyond vegetables.
“I love things like frozen bread dough, for example,” she says, sold in buns that can be puffed up by home chefs.
And one loaf of bread can go a long way.
“[It]can turn into a giant pizza crust, it can turn into a small calzone. You can make so many things with frozen dough,” Drummond says. If I buy fresh bread, I might spend more money.”
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