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The Frugal Foodie Cookbook: Waste-Not Recipes for the Wise Cook
The recession has put a lot of strain on the grocery bill, especially for those with families or friends to feed. But that doesn't mean having to skip gourmet food and a balanced diet. Noted chef and "four-star frugal gourmet" Lynette Shirk shows readers how to creatively and cleverly use ingredients and leftovers to produce wonderful inexpensive meals for any occasion. This book has everything, from roasting coffee at home to concocting inexpensive crave-worthy casseroles to whipping up snacks on a shoestring. Chapters include "Bankable Breakfasts," "Lunch for Less," and "Dinner on a Dime," and feature irresistible recipes from Shaved Shrimp Rolls and Gourmet PBJ to an "Exponential Chicken" that stretches the bird over five different courses. With hundreds of delicious dishes and expert advice (including fun ideas for serving), The Frugal Foodie Cookbook keeps hungry readers living well and eating better.
189 pages, Paperback
First published September 1, 2009
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231 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
November 26, 2016
Hm. I have lots of problems with this. First, I knew most of the stuff going in. Second, turning on the oven for two chocolate chip cookies is ridiculously *not* frugal. Third, lots of stuff I hoped would be in here wasn't. For example, did you know that if you stick a carrot top or an avocado pit or just about anything similar in a planter, you're likely to get a new houseplant in a few weeks? I'm finding those to be much hardier than the plants I used to buy at Lowe's.
But, anyway, I did get lots of ideas, so I have to give this handy little book the full four stars.
Tuna can, both top and bottom removed = egg ring for poached or fried eggs that will fit on English muffin.
"Hands-Free Hash Browns" is oven-baked hashbrowns without all the cheese and soup the other method calls for. This is 1 large diced onion, 2 large minced garlic cloves, oil for sauteing onion, 3 pounds potatoes (very thinly sliced, she says; I'd grate), 1 stick melted butter. After onions and garlic are softened, toss all, then bake (with foil 20 min, remove, raise temp, toast the top for 25 more).
See more ideas in the comments. Add your own if you like!
But, anyway, I did get lots of ideas, so I have to give this handy little book the full four stars.
Tuna can, both top and bottom removed = egg ring for poached or fried eggs that will fit on English muffin.
"Hands-Free Hash Browns" is oven-baked hashbrowns without all the cheese and soup the other method calls for. This is 1 large diced onion, 2 large minced garlic cloves, oil for sauteing onion, 3 pounds potatoes (very thinly sliced, she says; I'd grate), 1 stick melted butter. After onions and garlic are softened, toss all, then bake (with foil 20 min, remove, raise temp, toast the top for 25 more).
See more ideas in the comments. Add your own if you like!
June 22, 2011
I don't refer to myself as a "foodie". I just really like food and I like to cook. I am not in fact frugal about food on a normal basis either but I feel I should be. This was my attempt to try to figure out how people do such a thing. And I found out it's all a lie. Unless. You are little miss suzy homemaker. Do you have a job? Do you have things to do? Do you have kids? Do you like to go out and do anything fun ever? If the answer to any of these questions are yes then you cannot devote your whole waking day to figuring out how to be a frugal foodie. Lynette Rohrer Shirk pities you.
Okay for real though. There are some good tips in this book. There are a few recipes that seem doable and delicious. But I don't want to make my own beauty products to save money because I don't have the time. I don't want my kids to play with food coloring in my house just so they will eat a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. And I am clearly the only goodreader who wasn't charmed by the cutesieness of this book.
Okay for real though. There are some good tips in this book. There are a few recipes that seem doable and delicious. But I don't want to make my own beauty products to save money because I don't have the time. I don't want my kids to play with food coloring in my house just so they will eat a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. And I am clearly the only goodreader who wasn't charmed by the cutesieness of this book.
January 25, 2010
This book contains a lot of novel ideas about stretching a food budget but still making amazing food. While I've gotten into the habit of not wasting food, I didn't think to extend the frugality to cleaning products, beauty products and parties. I have a lot of pages marked. I can't wait to try recipes and the home-made bath products. This also has the ultimate guide to cooking substitutions-something that I will use every day.
September 10, 2019
Reviewed by Tammy
Book provided by the publisher
The Frugal Foodie Cookbook: Waste-Not Recipes for the Wise Cook is Lara Starr’s second cookbook. She says when writing the The Frugal Foodie Cookbook that she was “on the lookout for healthy, nutritious meals” that wouldn't “break the bank”. Visit here to read her bio and learn about all of her books.
I really enjoyed this book. I am frugal (the frugal part) and cooking is one of my favorite pastimes (the foodie part). There are great recipes in this cookbook; some I already make and some that I have bookmarked to try out. The Mock Potato Salad piqued my interest. I like the author's name, Kitty Litter Candy, for what I make called No-Bake Cookies.
Lara Starr uses a small dose of humor as she shows how to make great meals for less. The quotes given throughout this book are interesting. There is one that sums me up perfectly - “They take their pride in making their dinner cost much; I take my pride in making my dinner cost little” by Henry David Thoreau. A few recipes that I have been looking for, such as the starter for friendship bread and how to make your own ice cream sandwiches, are found in here. I think the best person to purchase this book would be someone learning to be frugal. Although I have been living frugally most of my life, I still really liked it. I even got a few new ideas and recipes to try out.
Book provided by the publisher
The Frugal Foodie Cookbook: Waste-Not Recipes for the Wise Cook is Lara Starr’s second cookbook. She says when writing the The Frugal Foodie Cookbook that she was “on the lookout for healthy, nutritious meals” that wouldn't “break the bank”. Visit here to read her bio and learn about all of her books.
I really enjoyed this book. I am frugal (the frugal part) and cooking is one of my favorite pastimes (the foodie part). There are great recipes in this cookbook; some I already make and some that I have bookmarked to try out. The Mock Potato Salad piqued my interest. I like the author's name, Kitty Litter Candy, for what I make called No-Bake Cookies.
Lara Starr uses a small dose of humor as she shows how to make great meals for less. The quotes given throughout this book are interesting. There is one that sums me up perfectly - “They take their pride in making their dinner cost much; I take my pride in making my dinner cost little” by Henry David Thoreau. A few recipes that I have been looking for, such as the starter for friendship bread and how to make your own ice cream sandwiches, are found in here. I think the best person to purchase this book would be someone learning to be frugal. Although I have been living frugally most of my life, I still really liked it. I even got a few new ideas and recipes to try out.
October 31, 2009
Frugal Foodie Cookbook by Lara Starr w/Lynette Shirk ISBN 978-1-57344-363-0
Review by Chris Phillips
A small book like this, at 6.9” x 6”, will be lost on many a cookbook shelf. However, there are plenty of reasons to keep this one on the counter and handy. Printed in the style of the “Dummy” series books, there are tips, hints and quotes interspersed throughout this delightful collection of recipes and more.
Starr and Shirk have found and included many recipes that most cooks will be looking for at times when running short of specific supplies or ingredients. From the “3-in-1 Eye-Opening Mix” (pg. 18) through “Best Dressed Salads” with a chart to show how to mix herbs together (pg. 62) and to “Cents-able Solutions: Savvy Substitutions” (pg. 114, 115) with a chart showing common substitutes for things that might not be in the pantry. There are recipes of all qualities and styles where the gourmet can vary ingredients for that special taste or the rushed mom can have things already prepared for immediate serving up for dinner.
There are tips in marquee boxes like “Processor Points” delineating how to clean the blade and how to really clean the compartments. There are “Cents-able Solutions” like the one mentioned above in a different style of marquee box. Interspersed throughout are short quotes from famous and infamous persons. Zsa-Zsa Gabor – “I’m a marvelous housekeeper, every time I have a man, I keep his house.” To by M.F.K. Fisher – “Almost every person has something secret he likes to eat”.
The recipes are good and easy to follow. The ingredients are listed first so the pantry can be checked before starting. However there is no index or cross reference to help find something specific. Even the chapters and entries in the table of contents do not provide any type of sorting, just titles of the sections are referenced there.
This book will help anyone trying to save money by trying to use what is already in the pantry. The recipes are simple enough to follow and there are tables and charts throughout to help with substitutions and changes. However, this is not the book for someone who already does this on a regular basis. With the odd size of the book, the missing index and references to items in it, and the odd and limited table of contents it could becomes harder to use than others that are available.
Also posted on www.bookpleasures.com
Review by Chris Phillips
A small book like this, at 6.9” x 6”, will be lost on many a cookbook shelf. However, there are plenty of reasons to keep this one on the counter and handy. Printed in the style of the “Dummy” series books, there are tips, hints and quotes interspersed throughout this delightful collection of recipes and more.
Starr and Shirk have found and included many recipes that most cooks will be looking for at times when running short of specific supplies or ingredients. From the “3-in-1 Eye-Opening Mix” (pg. 18) through “Best Dressed Salads” with a chart to show how to mix herbs together (pg. 62) and to “Cents-able Solutions: Savvy Substitutions” (pg. 114, 115) with a chart showing common substitutes for things that might not be in the pantry. There are recipes of all qualities and styles where the gourmet can vary ingredients for that special taste or the rushed mom can have things already prepared for immediate serving up for dinner.
There are tips in marquee boxes like “Processor Points” delineating how to clean the blade and how to really clean the compartments. There are “Cents-able Solutions” like the one mentioned above in a different style of marquee box. Interspersed throughout are short quotes from famous and infamous persons. Zsa-Zsa Gabor – “I’m a marvelous housekeeper, every time I have a man, I keep his house.” To by M.F.K. Fisher – “Almost every person has something secret he likes to eat”.
The recipes are good and easy to follow. The ingredients are listed first so the pantry can be checked before starting. However there is no index or cross reference to help find something specific. Even the chapters and entries in the table of contents do not provide any type of sorting, just titles of the sections are referenced there.
This book will help anyone trying to save money by trying to use what is already in the pantry. The recipes are simple enough to follow and there are tables and charts throughout to help with substitutions and changes. However, this is not the book for someone who already does this on a regular basis. With the odd size of the book, the missing index and references to items in it, and the odd and limited table of contents it could becomes harder to use than others that are available.
Also posted on www.bookpleasures.com
July 6, 2016
Bought this at the library sale & decided to skim it since it related to the last book I read. Most of the recipes didn't grab my attention, and the frugality stuff seemed pretty basic, but I liked the collection of kitchen and household tips. I also liked the mix & match sections for things like soups & salads. Worth keeping around...
What I liked:
- p. 24: Probably my favorite tip - make a five-day menu for lunchbox lunches: e.g., Monday is pizza day, Tuesday bagel & cream cheese day, etc. Having a reusable plan would make packing lunches a lot simpler.
- p. 59: Versatile Veggie Soup. All purpose recipe with a chart giving options of good veggie + herb/spice + topping/add-in combinations.
- p. 61: Best-Dressed Salad. Same as above but the chart suggests greens + savory + sweet + crunchy + oil + vinegar + dress-up.
- p. 91-94: Some interesting-sounding pizza recipes, like Roasted Garlic, Spinach & Feta Pizza, Mushroom & Goat Cheese Pizza, and White Bean and Green Olive Pizza.
- p. 102: Exponential Chicken -- making 1 whole chicken cooked on Sunday last a whole week's worth of varied meals (Chicken Curry & Tacos Naranjas sound good. So does Hard-Boiled Curry in a Hurry at the end of this section.)
- p. 114: Savvy Substitutions: e.g., substitute chicken broth for white cooking wine, soy sauce + anchovy paste for fish sauce
- p. 137: Crunchy Granola. Another one with a chart (dried fruit + nut + options). More than anything, this just reminded me to find my trusty granola recipe and make it again...
- p. 149: Kaleidoscope Popcorn. Sounds like something the kids would like.
- p. 155: List of good after school snacks
What I liked:
- p. 24: Probably my favorite tip - make a five-day menu for lunchbox lunches: e.g., Monday is pizza day, Tuesday bagel & cream cheese day, etc. Having a reusable plan would make packing lunches a lot simpler.
- p. 59: Versatile Veggie Soup. All purpose recipe with a chart giving options of good veggie + herb/spice + topping/add-in combinations.
- p. 61: Best-Dressed Salad. Same as above but the chart suggests greens + savory + sweet + crunchy + oil + vinegar + dress-up.
- p. 91-94: Some interesting-sounding pizza recipes, like Roasted Garlic, Spinach & Feta Pizza, Mushroom & Goat Cheese Pizza, and White Bean and Green Olive Pizza.
- p. 102: Exponential Chicken -- making 1 whole chicken cooked on Sunday last a whole week's worth of varied meals (Chicken Curry & Tacos Naranjas sound good. So does Hard-Boiled Curry in a Hurry at the end of this section.)
- p. 114: Savvy Substitutions: e.g., substitute chicken broth for white cooking wine, soy sauce + anchovy paste for fish sauce
- p. 137: Crunchy Granola. Another one with a chart (dried fruit + nut + options). More than anything, this just reminded me to find my trusty granola recipe and make it again...
- p. 149: Kaleidoscope Popcorn. Sounds like something the kids would like.
- p. 155: List of good after school snacks
July 23, 2016
This book is packed full of recipes, tips, cents-able solutions, with a little bit of history and trivia thrown in. I really liked how the book was broken down by meal, breakfast, brunch, lunch, snacks, dinner, parties, kids-meals, midnight snacks, and gifts making it extremely easy to find that perfect recipe or tip.
One of the super cute recipes in the kids-meal chapter is Peanut Butter Picassos. All you need is milk, food coloring, white bread, and PBJ. Fill each cavity of an ice cube tray (or muffin tin) 1/2 full of milk & add food coloring. Let kids “paint” two pieces of bread (using new paintbrushes). Toast bread slightly to dry the “paint” & use to make PBJ.
What kid wouldn’t love to make this recipe?
One of the super cute recipes in the kids-meal chapter is Peanut Butter Picassos. All you need is milk, food coloring, white bread, and PBJ. Fill each cavity of an ice cube tray (or muffin tin) 1/2 full of milk & add food coloring. Let kids “paint” two pieces of bread (using new paintbrushes). Toast bread slightly to dry the “paint” & use to make PBJ.
What kid wouldn’t love to make this recipe?
January 28, 2012
A quick and easy read. There are many delicious sounding recipes that I am eager to try. There are a few great charts to make variations on a basic recipe by switching up the ingredients used - versatile veggie soup and best-dressed salad. I also like that the book provides recipes for homemade versions of convenience foods - applesauce, bisquick and instant oatmeal.
March 16, 2013
While there are some excellent tips and great recipes within this book, there are also some recipes in the book that I will never use (finding them to be either too boring or too extravagant). For me, personally, I found about 66% of this book to be extremely useful, and the other %33 to be a waste. Thus, three stars.
December 21, 2010
A lot of the food/cost saving tips aren't new, especially if you read any cost-saving/DIY blogs, but the author did a great job, the book is a fun quick read and the recipes all have cute cheesy names. I haven't gotten a chance to try any of the recipes myself, but they all look delicious.
March 2, 2015
Nothing fancy here, but lots of great tips. A lot of them are common sense to someone who's been working at being frugal for a while, but this would be a great starter cookbook for someone going off to college or newly married.
August 21, 2012
very nice book and small which makes it easy to carry around. it shows how to cook and the different ways to use food without wasting anything. some of the ingredients can be used for beauty.
what i keep going back to the most is the table of substitutions.
what i keep going back to the most is the table of substitutions.
February 2, 2016
It was interesting though not helping in figuring out a better way of shopping on the cheap or making meals on the cheap. Some of the recipes cost a good 10.00 and the break down at 3+ per person ya not budget friendly and to me not very frugal at all.
March 2, 2016
Lots of good ideas to stretch your dollar. For what I paid for this book, I was satisfied. Will keep on my bookshelf for awhile.
Lots of good ideas to stretch your dollar. For what I paid for this book, I was satisfied. Will keep on my bookshelf for awhile.
Lots of good ideas to stretch your dollar. For what I paid for this book, I was satisfied. Will keep on my bookshelf for awhile.
August 30, 2009
Little cookbook full of "budget" recipes and money-saving ideas. Reviewed on my blog http://kahakaikitchen.blogspot.com/20...
May 6, 2010
good, fun ideas for stretching your dollars but still eating well.
July 30, 2012
love, love, love it -this book is fun and has really good recipes and tips. Be a hipper clipper with Lara's help!
February 8, 2012
Wanted to like this more, but nothing really innovative. I've already seen many of these tips in magazines, blogs, my mom's kitchen, etc. Great if you've never read something like this before?
March 14, 2016
If you have any sort of accrued skill in cooking, this will be too simplistic for you.
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews