Burrito bowls for a family of 4 costs $50? Might as well just order Chipotle next time, right?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Cooking at home is only meaningful cheaper when you kind of specialize in a type of food and have a lot of the ingredients in stock. I find that Italian cooking, for example, is not that cheap. Often I have to buy a bottle of wine (not a drinker here). And then I need to buy some kind of diary that goes bad, like cream or half and half, or sour cream. That stuff adds up.

Chinese cooking, in contrast, I find to be much more economical. A lot of the ingredients are shelf stable or can keep for a long time (soy sauce, oyster sauce, sesame oil, ginger, garlic etc).

When I buy wine for cooking, I buy cheap wine. Maybe if I'm making something fancy I will upgrade, but if I just need something to cook down into a sauce, I will happily buy a $6 wine. Whole Foods has a "Three Wishes" brand wine that is super cheap and I often grab if I need a wine reduction for just a weeknight sauce.

I buy the cheapest wine too but it is often around 8 bucks, which I think is still expensive to use each time I cook a meal.

But it lasts forever in the fridge. I just reseal it and use the same bottle for months. So it’s really only adding $1-2 to the cost of the meal

I feel like a fortified wine keeps better for things like deglazing a pan. If the recipe called for a lot of wine (like beef burgandy) I’d probably be wary of using something that could taste off and ruin expensive meat. But then again I always drink the bottle of wine in the fridge anyway so I may be biased!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I mean you could but you're making choices about what youi're buying. Starting with guac, I make it. Not where near WF pre-prepared prices. Also do you need two meats? And what is "good salsa"? Again, I make pico and you can make hotter blender salsas (green, red, etc..).

Here's what I do:

Chicken: $10 for 1 lb organic tenders
Beans: $1 can
Rice: let's say $1 but likely pennies
Avocado: $4 for 2-3 depending on the week which is fine for a family of 4
Cilantro: $2
Onion: $1
Tomato: $2
Lettuce: $4
Jalapeno, bell peppers: $3
Lime: $2
Corn (frozen): $2
Sour cream: $4
Cheese: $4
Hot sauce: $4
Can of chipotle in adobo: $2
Spices and oils etc...: come on, you have these

This is $46 BUT except for the chicken and beans and avocados easily makes 2-3 meals or components (leftover veggies, rice, cheese, etc...). So really more like $20 a meal because I'm making salads, rice dishes, other things with the ingredients.

You will have ample leftovers.

10 bucks a pound for chicken is insane.

Fair. I buy mostly organic chicken breasts, breast tenders, or the breast slices. I probably pay $10 for 1.3 pounds or organic chicken, which for my family is 1 meal + leftovers for another meal or for 1-2 people, depending on whether we're eating knife and fork chicken, pulled chicken sandwiches, or chicken in enchiladas or something. We do not eat much meat so this is basically my main meat expense.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Cooking at home is only meaningful cheaper when you kind of specialize in a type of food and have a lot of the ingredients in stock. I find that Italian cooking, for example, is not that cheap. Often I have to buy a bottle of wine (not a drinker here). And then I need to buy some kind of diary that goes bad, like cream or half and half, or sour cream. That stuff adds up.

Chinese cooking, in contrast, I find to be much more economical. A lot of the ingredients are shelf stable or can keep for a long time (soy sauce, oyster sauce, sesame oil, ginger, garlic etc).

When I buy wine for cooking, I buy cheap wine. Maybe if I'm making something fancy I will upgrade, but if I just need something to cook down into a sauce, I will happily buy a $6 wine. Whole Foods has a "Three Wishes" brand wine that is super cheap and I often grab if I need a wine reduction for just a weeknight sauce.

I buy the cheapest wine too but it is often around 8 bucks, which I think is still expensive to use each time I cook a meal.

But it lasts forever in the fridge. I just reseal it and use the same bottle for months. So it’s really only adding $1-2 to the cost of the meal

I feel like a fortified wine keeps better for things like deglazing a pan. If the recipe called for a lot of wine (like beef burgandy) I’d probably be wary of using something that could taste off and ruin expensive meat. But then again I always drink the bottle of wine in the fridge anyway so I may be biased!

+1 and anyone who doesn't know how to use up "dairy" like cream and sour cream needs their kitchen privileges revoked. Or ask here. We have great tips. Or asking the internet "how to use up extra cream" is so helpful.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I wonder where OP shops for grocery items. It would be a lot less than OP's number if at Lidl or Aldi.

NP and +a million

I was thinking the exact same thing. I just got avocados yesterday from Aldi for .69 each. And someone budgeting $1 for one onion? You know you can get a bag of half a dozen yellow onions for just a few bucks?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m trying to figure out where people are buying such expensive chicken. I’ve never paid over $1.99/ pound for chicken leg quarters.

We aren’t buying chicken leg quarters; that’s gotta be the worst possible cut of a chicken to deal with or eat

DP

Only if you have no imagination. Dark meat is light years better than all of that tough breast meat.

[Anonymous]

We keep talking about $50 as if it is some magic number. It costs more than $50 to feed my family of 4 at chipotle. Though, my daughter and I only eat half a bowl, so, we get two meals out of it.

Comparing it to homemade is hard. If you were going to offer all the options Chipotle offers (and you were buying EVERYTHING, even spices) of course it would be more than chipotle.

If you pick one protein (like chicken) and have everything else you need on hand then it is certainly cheaper. Ultimately it depends on what you buy weekly as your staple items. We always have sour cream, beans, rice, onions, avocados, peppers, spices, shredded cheese, corn, etc. on hand because I am from the Southwest and cook a lot with these flavors. Homemade chipotle bowls are something I make with leftover meat. It is cheaper than chipotle, but, I'm certainly not offering the variety that chipotle does.

[Anonymous]

Feeding 3 high school athletes at chipotle is insanely expensive! I'd make these bowls at home any day. Both of my boys order double meat at chipotle. And DD and one boy add guacamole.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m trying to figure out where people are buying such expensive chicken. I’ve never paid over $1.99/ pound for chicken leg quarters.

We aren’t buying chicken leg quarters; that’s gotta be the worst possible cut of a chicken to deal with or eat

DP

Only if you have no imagination. Dark meat is light years better than all of that tough breast meat.

Food Network and Anthony Bourdain nonsense. "This throwaway cut is ACTUALLY the best ... try it at my restaurant for $30 a plate ... or fly around the globe to have it from a street vendor."

[Anonymous]

I'm a Dr of Dietetics. Your version had a lot less sodium, so I call that a win.

Chipotle and places like it like to disguise their food as healthy alternatives, but their options often include more sodium than Big Macs.

-signed a big hater of Chipotle, Panera, and Cava

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm a Dr of Dietetics. Your version had a lot less sodium, so I call that a win.

Chipotle and places like it like to disguise their food as healthy alternatives, but their options often include more sodium than Big Macs.

-signed a big hater of Chipotle, Panera, and Cava

Let's leave my Cava out of this list.

[Anonymous]

On a related note I made fish tacos yesterday and paid $58 at Whole Foods to create 5 tacos.

Not tacos for 5, five tacos. Granted $11 of that was for charcoal but even $47 for 5 tacos is absurd.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:On a related note I made fish tacos yesterday and paid $58 at Whole Foods to create 5 tacos.

Not tacos for 5, five tacos. Granted $11 of that was for charcoal but even $47 for 5 tacos is absurd.

At Lidl that might have cost $10. It matters where one shops.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:On a related note I made fish tacos yesterday and paid $58 at Whole Foods to create 5 tacos.

Not tacos for 5, five tacos. Granted $11 of that was for charcoal but even $47 for 5 tacos is absurd.

Good (grilled) fish tacos are hard to find in a restaurant.

[Anonymous]

You don’t need multiple salsas. You don’t need $7-9 in guacamole, when Wholly brand or a few avocados will do.

Rice is a staple bought in 5-12lb bags. Beans are purchase when they are on sale for $.30-.50 per can. Chicken and steak should be bought in Value packs of 3-6lbs and you should have made plenty to have leftovers for burritos, salads, etc. another day. If you bought the meat at Whole Foods, that probably cost you 2x of a value pack at Harris Teeter or Giant.

Cooking at home is cheap when you -
1. Buy staples in bulk.
2. Cook with 1-3 common flavor profiles so you already have spices and vinegars / oils on hand. Not spices you buy for 1 recipe and then never use again.
3. You meal plan an integrated menu for the week that shares ingredients and preparation steps.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:On a related note I made fish tacos yesterday and paid $58 at Whole Foods to create 5 tacos.

Not tacos for 5, five tacos. Granted $11 of that was for charcoal but even $47 for 5 tacos is absurd.

At Lidl that might have cost $10. It matters where one shops.

I'm sure you could probably make "fish tacos" for $10 at Lidl but I'd rather pay $10 a taco for decent grilled fish than eat whatever fish stick on a tortilla abomination you'd make from Lidl for free.