Ask YC: What do bootstrappers eat for dinner?
I quit my job a week ago and moved into an apartment with a friend to work on an idea full-time. I'm 23-years-old. I want to know, what do you guys eat for dinner?! How do you buy food when you have no income? When I was an earning man, I managed to get by with meals at the office, lean cuisines, and hummus. Now that I'm on my own I have to figure out everything for myself. We plan on making Costco runs about every two weeks and going to Safeway to get anything else we need. How do you guys survive?
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[ 4.0 ms ] story [ 78.2 ms ] threadLiving in my parents' basement while I get tarsnap up and running is the best business decision I've ever made.
Food is somewhat like hacking. You have to have access to the raw ingredients, the right recipes & kit. Most important is practice. One of the things I've noticed that differs from hacking is cooking is very time sensitive. Timing is everything.
So here's a couple of hints:
- REFERENCE: find a good food reference ~ http://www.jamieoliver.com Jamie Oliver may not be to everyone's taste but he covers a good variety of tastes and communicates well.
- BUDGET: set a budget, stick to it.
- LISTS: create a shop list, don't deviate: fruit, vegetables, meat, rice, pasta, bread, nuts, oils then cheese should be at the top list.
- PURCHASING: shop at markets and look for fruit/veg in season, shop at supermarkets also but be aware of specials. Limit purchases of non-essentials and learn to spot in-season consumables. For meats & fish wait till the later part of the day when the prices go down.
- MEAT CUTS: learn how to make do with cheap meat cuts (but be inventive). In the restaurant trade the difference b/w mediocre and great chefs is the ability to make something good out of cheap meat cuts. Do the same.
- BREADS: make your own bread (flour + water + yeast + oil) Unless of course you can find a cheap baker. My baker bakes bread 30% under supermarket price ~ http://flickr.com/photos/bootload/543460411/ then http://flickr.com/photos/bootload/1005146072/
- NO WASTE: don't overcook, portion out servings to avoid waste
The most important thing is to get as close to raw ingredients as possible. Then cook yourself. Cook when you need, don't freeze. If you go for processed stuff you are going to pay. The pay-off is better food, cheaper food ~ http://flickr.com/photos/bootload/sets/72157600195801193/
Peasants always eat better. They just have to work harder at it :)
1 1/2 c. lentils (rinsed) 3/4 c. rice (rinsed) 1 onion 6 Tbsp. olive oil
Slice the onion into 1/4 inch thick rings. Fry them in the oil over medium heat for 15 minutes. They'll be kind of ropy when they're done, at which point you should take them off the heat. While the onions are cooking, put the lentils and 1 quart of water in a medium to large saucepan over medium high heat. Get the water boiling and cook the lentils uncovered for 15 to 20 minutes. Once the lentils have started to soften up, add the rice, a little salt, and a lot of pepper. Reduce the heat to low and cover. Once the water is all absorbed, stir in the onions, let it cool for a minute or two, and dig in.
Definitely stay as close to raw ingredients as possible. I've lived out of two cookbooks for the last several years: - Mark Bittman's "How to Cook Everything" - Deborah Madison's "Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone"
Learn to not be picky. Ramen may be cheap and taste sort of ok, but you need to take care of your body if you want a well functioning mind. Learn to love things like kale... cheap, available year round, VERY good for you. Boil it until tender and hit it with a little tabasco.
Just try not to get into an unspoken cooking competition with your roommate. Two months into the semester that my roommate and I decided to learn how to cook, we were spending $30 a meal at the grocery store, trying to outdo each other with dishes like Fillet Mignon with Caramelized Onions, and Grilled Swordfish. Don't do that. Stick to the basics.
good luck!