Eight of the nation’s leading chefs have come together to reveal the ingredients they consider to be the biggest waste of money, from ready-made sauces to pre-grated cheese – these experts explain how making simple swaps or learning a few basic skills can save you time while also delivering better results in your cooking.
But, it’s not just about what not to buy: each chef also shares their most surprising money-saving kitchen tip, from transforming limp herbs into homemade dried seasonings to softening hardened sugar using a slice of bread. These practical ideas will help you waste less and gain more enjoyment from every meal, and may even prompt you to rethink your own shopping list…
What ingredient do you think is the biggest waste of money?
1. Becky Excell: packet microwave rice
“Though I don’t want to demonise an ingredient or shame anyone for using it, it’s a fact that getting out of the habit of regularly using packet microwave rice will save you money.
It’s more than four times more expensive than dried rice if both were sold in equal quantities (see the cheapest price per kilo of both), and what you have to also remember is that microwave rice has already been cooked, meaning that the water absorbed from the process of cooking will make it weigh more. So, in effect, you’re paying a lot more for the pleasure of receiving enough microwave rice for one person, vs having enough dried rice for 20 people.
Of course, that doesn’t mean it doesn’t have its uses (it’s convenient!), but I just want to ensure we’re all aware of the potential savings that could be made here!”
Good Food tip: learn how to cook basmati rice and brown rice
2. Claire Thomson: ready-made tomato sauce
“I would say ready-made tomato sauces for pasta and the like – so very easy to make yourself.”
Good Food tip: try our recipe for homemade tomato sauce
3. Nadiya Hussain: anything you don’t cook before it spoils
“I think any ingredient is a waste of money if you don’t use it properly or cook it before it spoils. But nothing is a waste of money if you use it and enjoy it.”
4. Si King: pre-chopped products and lemon juice
“I have a list! Bottled lemon juice; garlic butter; gold leaf; pre-chopped veg and herbs; pre-made dips, salsas and sandwich fillings; and pre-cut cheese and ham.”
Good Food tip: make your own tomato salsa and garlic butter
5. Jeremy Pang: caviar
“Caviar – I just don’t get the price and how it gets around the lack of sustainability questions.”
6. Matt Tebbutt: pre-grated cheese
“Pre-grated cheese! Just, why?”
7. Barney Desmazery: prepared veg
“I hate any kind of prepared veg, because you pay extra for the preparation and where it’s been cut is normally a bit brown and scabby. Unprepared veg is cheaper, will last a lot longer and remains crunchier.”
Good Food tip: order yourself a veg box, whether wonky veg or organic
8. Cassie Best: shop-bought pesto
“Pesto – make your own with any wilting soft herbs, spinach, watercress or rocket that’s lurking in the fridge. It costs less, tastes 100 times better and helps reduce food waste. I store portions in the freezer for whenever I need to make emergency pesto pasta for dinner!”
Good Food tip: try our recipe for homemade pesto
What’s your most unusual money-saving tip?
1. Becky Excell: cook more food than you need
“This is something I’ve started doing when I’m incredibly short of time. Whenever I make dinner, I purposefully make ‘too much’ food. I class this as being as ‘unusual’ as to the average person, it might seem like you’re doing the opposite of saving money. But, in reality, it’s batch-cooking without any extra effort – after all, I was already cooking dinner anyway!
By doing this each time I cook, I ensure I actually have enough leftovers to serve the same meal again another day (instead of barely having enough to do anything with). I then freeze them as homemade ready-meals. Not only will you save money on your energy bills because you’ve got two days worth of meals out of cooking only once, but on the days where you don’t feel like cooking (and may have otherwise bought an expensive ready-meal or ordered a takeaway), you now have a meal than can be easily defrosted and put on plates ASAP.”
Good Food tip: get into batch-cooking with our batch-cooking recipes
2. Matt Tebbutt: add crab sticks to your pasta
“A simple pasta dish using chill, garlic, parsley and shredded crab sticks! Strangely delicious.”
Good Food tip: try one of our budget-friendly pasta recipes
3. Nadiya Hussain: microwave limp herbs
“Everyone has herbs that wilt and go soft and sad in the fridge, and the first instinct is to get rid of them. Never get rid – just pop them on a microwave plate and heat them in 20-second bursts until they’re dry, then, when they’re crispy, just crush them up into a jar to make instant dried herbs for whenever you need them.”
4. Jeremy Pang: stock up your pantry
“If you are really on a budget, focus on stocking the dry goods in your pantry first. For example, having various big bags of noodles in your pantry means that you are always just a bit of boiling water and some dark soy sauce away from a meal. Or, if you have a large selection of dry spices and canned tomatoes, you can make a curry out of anything you like.
With fresh food, my fridge rotation applies to the whole fridge; don’t buy anything new until you’ve finished 90 per cent of the fresh food in the fridge. That 10 per cent can be mixed with the noodles to make a meal while you wait for the next online order to come!”
Good Food tip: make one of our cheap noodle recipes for dinner tonight
5. Claire Thomson: make breakfast from scratch
“Less unusual, but making your own granola, muesli or overnight oats from scratch is easy and the more cost-effective option.”
Good Food tip: have a go at making one of our recipes for homemade granola, muesli or overnight oats
6. Si King: don’t shop when hungry
“Don’t over-buy. Buy what you’ll eat, and don’t go food shopping when you’re hungry as you’ll buy more.”
7. Cassie Best: put hardened sugar in a jar with a slice of bread
“If your brown sugar has hardened to a solid lump, pop it in a jar or container with a slice of soft bread. It will soften up within a day.”
8. Barney Desmazery: bake your own bread
“All the bread we eat at home I bake myself. It’s sourdough, and a large loaf – including fuel – costs me less than a pound to make. I get to enjoy it while it’s super-fresh; the equivalent that wouldn’t be as fresh and would easily cost at least £5 from a bakery.”
Good Food tip: turn your hand to our easy bread recipes, such as our soda bread, or learn how to make Barney’s perfect sourdough loaf
