Cooking and Shopping Tips

Tip #1: Pick Your Store Wisely!

In Manhattan, the difference between supermarkets five blocks apart can sometimes be hundreds of dollars. Near me in Morningside Heights, I prefer to shop at Lidl and H-Mart, as these stores provide everything I need for a decent price. Chinatown (especially around Canal St) also has some of the cheapest, freshest produce in the city. You can often get herbs, tofu, mushrooms, and bok choy for a fraction of what you'd pay at Trader Joe’s or Whole Foods. Plus the folks are also wonderful to talk to!

Tip #2: One Pot Meals

When you’re tired, broke, and your kitchen is the size of a closet, one-pot meals are your best friend. In fact during my freshman year, 99% of my home-cooked meals were made with a singular pot and hot plate in my room (shh please don't tell housing about the hot plate). Stir-fries, pasta, fried rice, soups, and stews are filling, comforting, and require minimal cleanup. I love tossing whatever leftovers I have into one pot with some garlic, oil, and a splash of soy sauce. Suddenly, it’s dinner in 15 minutes with only one dish to wash.

Tip #3: Learn the Delivery Restock Schedule

Lidl and Trader Joe’s are budget lifesavers, but if you show up at the wrong time, the shelves look like a grocery apocalypse hit. Most TJ’s restock early in the morning, and mid-week is often the best time to go (I personally like Tuesdays or Wednesdays before noon). The Lidl near Morningside Park usually restocks early on Sunday mornings, so a quick Sunday walk to Lidl is always in the schedule. Don’t be afraid to ask a crew member when they get their deliveries in! Knowing the schedule means you’ll actually get the cheap frozen dumplings before they vanish.

Tip #4: Prep and Store Ingredients Beforehand

I found that the biggest contributor to my overpriced takeout cravings was simply being too tired to chop and prep my ingredients. Save yourself that fate by pre-chopping your aromatics and veggies. I like to prep garlic, onions, scallions, and peppers on Sunday and store them in containers. If I’m feeling fancy, I’ll even cook a pot of rice or soft boil a few eggs. It’s so much easier to throw something together when half the work is already done.

Tip #5: Buy in Bulk

While most Manhattan apartments can’t handle Costco runs, you can still bulk up on essentials. Dry goods like rice, oats, pasta, lentils, and beans are way cheaper in larger quantities, and they last forever. I buy the largest sack of rice that they sell at H-Mart and it lasts me over a year! Just make sure you actually have room in your cabinet to store all of your food.

Tip #6: Learn to Substitute Ingredients

Don’t let missing one ingredient stop you from making a recipe. No eggs? Use mashed banana, silken tofu, or flaxseed. No buttermilk? Mix milk with a splash of vinegar. I once made pancakes with yogurt, oats, and water because that’s all I had. And don't worry, the pancakes were absolutely fire. Cooking gets a lot easier (and cheaper) when you understand the true flexibility of different ingredients.

Tip #7: Utilize Your Freezer

The freezer is your secret weapon. Whenever I see an amazing deal on some soon-expiring food I grab it confidently without a worry. I freeze leftover herbs in olive oil, english muffins and bread, and even half-used cans of tomato paste in ice cube trays. When cheese goes on sale, I grate and freeze it. Fruit that's getting overripe? Straight to the freezer. That way, nothing goes to waste and I always have backup meals and flavor boosters waiting.

Tip #8: Toast Off Your Spices

This was a tip I learned from my grandpa. Toasting your spices in a dry pan or a bit of oil before adding anything else makes them so much more flavorful. Cheap spices from corner stores are suddenly million dollar ingredients. Cumin, paprika, curry powder, chili flakes - they all get deeper and warmer when toasted. It’s a small extra step that takes 30 seconds and makes everything taste more legit.

Tip #9: Using Instant Ramen as a Base

There have been countless nights where I've come home starving for a warm, delicious pot of ramen. However, I never just eat a normal pack of ramen. By adding soy marinated soft boiled eggs, leftover chicken or beef, random scallions I have in the corner of my fridge, or simply garlic cloves, my instant ramen is instantly 10x better. Through the simple technique of adding more shit, I will never get tired of instant ramen.

Tip #10: Buy Cheap Cuts and Cook Em Slow

Manhattan grocery prices make chicken breast feel like a luxury item. I'll let you guys in on a secret though: the cheap cuts are actually better. Chicken thighs, drumsticks, pork shoulder, and stew beef are way more flavorful and forgiving. You can throw them in a slow cooker (if you have one), simmer them in a pot, or bake them low and slow until they’re tender and juicy. I’ve made some of my best meals with $3 packs of drumsticks and a few pantry spices. As a bonus: the leftovers make killer sandwiches or rice bowls the next day.