Fucking hell, have you ever tried to live on rice and beans? You need half a dozen spices and salt just to make it taste like not sadness, plus prep time, prep space, prep bowls and pots, and then you need to wash everything. Compared with a frozen meal that cooks in the microwave and a disposable tray for serving, there’s really no contest. A “rice and beans” lifestyle requires a stay-at-home partner who soaks beans and washes dishes.
It’s a great frugal tip to stretch your grocery dollars, but if you’re poor, it’s not a moral failing to go with a cheap frozen meal.
It’s just one of the myriad of recommendations people make because they don’t understand the problem. People think that the simple trick that worked for them would solve similar problems for everyone. Worse, they get angry when their advice is met with resistance. It’s like Napoleon feeding the alpacas.
You might need to soak them (though there are some recipes that don’t require it), but during that time, you are not required to stand over them watchfully to make sure no bean escapes. When you cook them, that takes about an hour. And after the first 10 minutes of prep and cooking, you only have to keep an infrequent eye on them.
I know this outside of the scope of the discussion, but you can cook dried beans in a instant pot in about an hour.
Obviously that’s still going to be a struggle for anyone where time/space/equipment are a huge factor. But it’s a big difference from letting them soak overnight.
Insta pot can help, but I don’t feel it add much value in the overall cook. Sautéing, caramelizing, deglazing, etc. takes time that no home-use kitchen gadget is going to help with. Soaking beans overnight is not the problem, as much as actual time it takes to make a meal. Planning,
purchasing ingredients, prepping, cooking, cleaning…insta-pot is not worth the hype iykyk
You can make a relatively tasty rice with beans with canned beans and bit of salt in 10 minutes - if you are feeling fancy adding parsley will even move it to tasting good. I’m starting to suspect all the corn syrup is damaging american’s taste buds beyond repair.
Two things, canned beans and instant rice cost more than dry bulk rice and beans. And your recipe for “salt and parsley instant rice and canned beans” sounds like it’s going to taste like sadness.
Fucking hell, have you ever tried to live on rice and beans?
Tried and succeeded.
You need half a dozen spices and salt
Cumin, onions, garlic, salt, maybe some chili powder or a chili pepper. None of those cost much. The occasional fresh tomato can also be useful and is not expensive.
prep time
Elapsed time: can be a few hours if you soak the beans (you don’t have to for refrieds). Actual time engaged in the cooking: a few minutes.
prep bowls and pots
A pot or skillet to cook the rice in (I’d usually make Mexican rice), and another for the beans. Or you can tag-team them. You need a semi-decent knife. A steamer is very useful; otherwise you can stir-fry things.
and then you need to wash everything
Ten minutes effort, maybe less. I can do all the dishes for our current household of four adults in 15 minutes.
Compared with a frozen meal that cooks in the microwave and a disposable tray for serving, there’s really no contest.
That requires a microwave. And you can also cook from scratch using a microwave. But you can also do subsistence cooking from scratch on nothing but a shitty two-burner stove.
A “rice and beans” lifestyle requires a stay-at-home partner who soaks beans and washes dishes.
That’s not true. It requires some minimal forethought and half an hour of actual effort. And if you make bigger batches (and have enough room in the fridge to store the leftovers), you don’t need to do it every day.
it’s not a moral failing to go with a cheap frozen meal
Not at all, but ready-made frozen meals are seldom cheap. The more the processing, generally the higher the cost. Frozen ingredients, on the other hand, can be cheap-- that is, if you have a freezer. Lots of people don’t. I didn’t when I was poor, I just had access to a shared fridge. Luckily I lived near a food co-operative that had cheap fresh fruit and veg (many of which don’t actually need to be refrigerated).
you really shouldnt be giving advice when your comments include, not paying for peoples food because you think they are only buying sugary foods. yet your here eating junk food.
Fucking hell, have you ever tried to live on rice and beans? You need half a dozen spices and salt just to make it taste like not sadness, plus prep time, prep space, prep bowls and pots, and then you need to wash everything. Compared with a frozen meal that cooks in the microwave and a disposable tray for serving, there’s really no contest. A “rice and beans” lifestyle requires a stay-at-home partner who soaks beans and washes dishes.
It’s a great frugal tip to stretch your grocery dollars, but if you’re poor, it’s not a moral failing to go with a cheap frozen meal.
1 can beans. 1 can tomatos. pour in bowl. microwave. add garlic powder, chili powder, pepper, cayenne. Eat.
I have eaten this for months before. It is cheap, convenient, healthy, and tasty.
I wish more people understood this. Beans are so good, but only if you can devote hours to them.
It’s just one of the myriad of recommendations people make because they don’t understand the problem. People think that the simple trick that worked for them would solve similar problems for everyone. Worse, they get angry when their advice is met with resistance. It’s like Napoleon feeding the alpacas.
There’s good eatin’ on them alpacas.
You might need to soak them (though there are some recipes that don’t require it), but during that time, you are not required to stand over them watchfully to make sure no bean escapes. When you cook them, that takes about an hour. And after the first 10 minutes of prep and cooking, you only have to keep an infrequent eye on them.
I know this outside of the scope of the discussion, but you can cook dried beans in a instant pot in about an hour.
Obviously that’s still going to be a struggle for anyone where time/space/equipment are a huge factor. But it’s a big difference from letting them soak overnight.
Insta pot can help, but I don’t feel it add much value in the overall cook. Sautéing, caramelizing, deglazing, etc. takes time that no home-use kitchen gadget is going to help with. Soaking beans overnight is not the problem, as much as actual time it takes to make a meal. Planning, purchasing ingredients, prepping, cooking, cleaning…insta-pot is not worth the hype iykyk
You can make a relatively tasty rice with beans with canned beans and bit of salt in 10 minutes - if you are feeling fancy adding parsley will even move it to tasting good. I’m starting to suspect all the corn syrup is damaging american’s taste buds beyond repair.
Two things, canned beans and instant rice cost more than dry bulk rice and beans. And your recipe for “salt and parsley instant rice and canned beans” sounds like it’s going to taste like sadness.
This guy frugals.
Agreed. HOWEVER, we should be educating people and coming up with new ways to eat cheap, quick, and healthy.
Use your ovens, folks. Food like bacon and bratwurst turn out great in the oven and you don’t have to babysit them, either.
I mean, the solution is to cook in a group. It’s just that nobody does it.
Man, that would make things so much easier and save a lot of time.
Yeah. Go do it!
Tried and succeeded.
Cumin, onions, garlic, salt, maybe some chili powder or a chili pepper. None of those cost much. The occasional fresh tomato can also be useful and is not expensive.
Elapsed time: can be a few hours if you soak the beans (you don’t have to for refrieds). Actual time engaged in the cooking: a few minutes.
A pot or skillet to cook the rice in (I’d usually make Mexican rice), and another for the beans. Or you can tag-team them. You need a semi-decent knife. A steamer is very useful; otherwise you can stir-fry things.
Ten minutes effort, maybe less. I can do all the dishes for our current household of four adults in 15 minutes.
That requires a microwave. And you can also cook from scratch using a microwave. But you can also do subsistence cooking from scratch on nothing but a shitty two-burner stove.
That’s not true. It requires some minimal forethought and half an hour of actual effort. And if you make bigger batches (and have enough room in the fridge to store the leftovers), you don’t need to do it every day.
Not at all, but ready-made frozen meals are seldom cheap. The more the processing, generally the higher the cost. Frozen ingredients, on the other hand, can be cheap-- that is, if you have a freezer. Lots of people don’t. I didn’t when I was poor, I just had access to a shared fridge. Luckily I lived near a food co-operative that had cheap fresh fruit and veg (many of which don’t actually need to be refrigerated).
I’m sure all dollar stores sell those.
I lived on easy hamburger helper. Everything is in the package, just cook some ground beef in a pan and mix the rest of the stuff in.
It’s not that hard, guys. You don’t need to eat candy to survive
you really shouldnt be giving advice when your comments include, not paying for peoples food because you think they are only buying sugary foods. yet your here eating junk food.
I’m saying don’t pay for the sugary food, pay for the slightly more healthy food
That shit is full of sodium and really bad for you. Once they target sugar, what do you suppose is next?
sodium isn’t bad for you unless you are eating ungodly amounts. Typically if you get too much of an electrolyte, you just piss it out.
Sodium is at least required for you to live. You can have 0 grams of sugar and be perfectly healthy
Sure, but if you eat a balanced diet of fresh food, you’ll get all the sodium you need. Nobody needs the sodium in an instant meal.
Not everyone eats balanced meals. Guess what is in a balanced meal? Sodium. You need it.