How to Save on Food Expenses

A recent headline in papers suggests that food price hikes are lurking in the near future. This is a legitimate cause for concern mainly because in the long run it will paralyze our financial ability to care for our families

We focus this article on the extreme cost of meat the past few years. This phenomenon is not likely to change in the near future, and therefore we need to tackle the problem from a different angle.

A good and effective way is to make use of the availability of good quality processed meats.

First of all we need to deal with the misconceptions relating to Processed or “cold” meats. People tend to think that only the “waste or off cut meats of animals, as well as bad fats are used in processed meat. This however is not the case in today’s day and age. Quality minced or diced meat as well as spices and raw products are imported from countries such as Belgium, France, Germany and Austria.

Belgium are one of the leading countries that supply South Africa with quality spare ribs, as well as potato chips and frozen vegetables.

All sausages are made from minced or diced meat combined with spices, raw products such as potato starch and different ratios of fat, depending on the kind of sausage that are made. The meat and spices, raw materials and fat are mixed with a certain amount of ice chips, to form an “emulsion” similar to the concept of dough to bake a cake.

This meat are filled into a casing and then put on trolleys to go into the steaming and smoking cabinet. The preferred cooking method used in the manufacturing of processed meat, is steaming and drying of the product before it is smoked. This process results in a product that is already cooked, or in some instances half cooked. In turn reducing mom’s time spent in front of the stove and resulting in savings on your electricity bill! Being in mom’s good books is a positive for the whole family!

Herewith an easy guide to some of the processed meats that are available to you the consumer. Replace three red meat meals a week with some of these products, and you will be sure to save on your grocery expense account.

Russians

This sausage’s meat are coarsely ground, and has pieces of fat in. This makes for a juicy sausage that can be combined with chips for an energy packed lunch!

Belly spare ribs

Imported from Belgium this particular cut from the pigs belly rib, proofs to be an old favorite. Include this in your rugbybraai and you are sure to be the envy of the whole neighborhood!

Smoked chicken breat fillets

Smoked and steamed to perfection chicken breast fillets are the leanest meat in the processed meat range. This product is great to use in salads or to cut into thin slices to put on sandwiches for the kid’s lunch boxes, or to snack on in front of the television!

Hamburger patties

This product can be lots of fun to prepare.A great alternative when entertaining friends and family. Make sure to pre-prepare your ingredients for the perfect hamburger. Cut some salad, tomatoes, cucumber, onions and pineapple.Leave the guests to braai their own Hamburger Pattie and pack their own burger. Now you are not only having fun, you are getting everybody involved in clever money saving!