March 17th, 2009
So I’ve covered the ‘saving money by eating takeaway’ theory, now here’s an article on saving money by NOT eating takeaway. My general response? If you’re trying to save money, use takeaway as a replacement for expensive restaurants and home-cooked meals as a replacement for regular takeaway. So takeaway becomes a treat and home-cooked becomes the norm. Phew.
Here’s a link to the article at Taste.com.au, or simply read the meat of it here:
“Is it cheaper to buy takeaway or to make your own? In these difficult economic times, Taste.com.au's Francesca Percy crunches the numbers and finds out that the home cook is well ahead.
Simple pleasures seem to be increasingly important of late. According to an article in the Sydney Morning Herald, people are bunkering down to weather the financial storm in front of the TV with pizza and a beer. As a result, spending on takeaway food has jumped.
Staying in more often is a good way to save pennies, yet while takeaway is an easy option it can still make a dent in the wallet. With this in mind, we at Taste.com.au headquarters decided to check out how much some of our favourite takeaway recipes would cost to make at home, compared with our local takeaway shops.*”
The article then goes on to list the savings made by cooking at home rather than eating out, eg. Making your own pizzas (roughly 1/3 of the cost of a bought pizza), making fish and chips at home (less than half the price of takeaway), home made Pad Thai (1/3 of the cost of cheap Thai takeaway) and chicken Korma (around half the cost).
To check out some of Taste.com.au’s recipes for ‘home-made takeaway’, click here. Or see below for one of my favourite recipes, adapted from a Donna Hay tuna pasta recipe.
tuna , lemon and chilli linguini
* 300g linguini or spaghetti
* 2 tablespoons olive oil
* 1/2 teaspoon chilli flakes
* 2 cloves garlic, crushed
* 1/3 cup salted capers, rinsed and dried
* 1/3 cup (80ml) lemon juice
* sea salt and cracked black pepper
* 1 1/2 cups shredded rocket leaves
* 150g sashimi tuna, finely chopped (or use canned tuna if you’re not a fan of raw fish)
* shaved parmesan, to serve
Cook the pasta in a large saucepan of salted boiling water for 10-12 minutes or until al dente. Drain and keep warm. Return the pan to the heat, add the oil, chilli flakes, garlic and capers, and cook for 2 minutes. Return the pasta to the pan, add the lemon juice, salt and pepper, and toss to combine. Divide the pasta between serving plates and top with the rocket, tuna and parmesan. Serves 4.
Note: if you don’t like tuna, use cubed chicken pieces instead, cooked in a pan with lemon juice and olive oil.
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