Frugal Living - Home-Ec 101

Freezer How To

Dear Home-Ec 101, I’m completely lost when it comes to freezing food. I know this is a great way to have meals on hand, but once it’s in the freezer I don’t know what to do with it. Just last night I made too much enchilada filling. So I made an extra pan, covered it in foil …

5 Reasons to Have Renters Insurance

I’m still on the road, hanging out in Minnesota. The lovely Louise Baker offered to guest post and I gratefully accepted. Enjoy! It’s important to know when you’re moving into a new rental home or apartment, your landlord carries insurance only on his building. It’s up to you to insure anything inside by purchasing renters …

Is Crystallized Honey Safe

Dear Home Ec 101, I don’t really like honey, but I keep it around for when my grandkids visit. It always gets grainy and I don’t trust that it’s safe for the kids. Is there a way to prevent this from happening? Signed, Beelinda Heather says: Honey crystallizes over time, it’s just a fact of …

How Long Will Dry Cereal Last

Dear Home Ec 101, I’m just starting to get into building an emergency pantry and there’s a great sale on my kids’ favorite cereals. I was thinking of using the sale and coupons to lay in a good supply for the pantry, but I don’t know how long the cereal will last on the shelf. …

The Many Uses of Bacon Fat

Brian says: Growing up in my house, bacon fat was practically the Salve of the kitchen. My mother, aunts, older cousins and grandmothers down the line all used bacon fat for everything. I do mean everything. For example, whenever it came to Sunday dinner ideas, mom would always make sure there was a can of …

Questions About Making Homemade Chicken Stock

Q: How do you make chicken stock? Is there a basic recipe for making chicken stock? A: I have two, one is based on the French method and the other on an Asian method of stock making. The ratios for chicken or turkey parts to water and vegetables is similar in both. While the methods are …

Substitution 101

Brian says: I’m talking to all the guys in the room for this one. I know there have been -and still are- times when you decide to go all out and make yourself something relatively good to eat. You break out the dusty knife set your parents bought for your new apartment and tie on …

Home Preservation and Pressure Canning

Dear Home-Ec 101: I’m taking your advice about building an emergency food supply seriously. I’d like to do some of it by canning and preserving foods from my own garden. Besides pickles, jams and jellies, (which are yummy, but don’t exactly fill a belly) what kinds of foods should I be growing so that I …

Bare Minimum Pantry Supplies for Black-Outs

The topic of emergency preparedness can be quite overwhelming, over the next few weeks I’ll be covering different aspects of how individuals and families can be more prepared for some emergencies. Emergency preparedness is a practical, low cost insurance policy. Just like car, home, or renters insurance, we may never need it, but that doesn’t …

How to Cut Up a Whole Chicken, a Knife Skills Tutorial

Heather says:

Why would anyone want to cut up a whole chicken? It’s a useful skill to have, I tend to buy whatever is on sale and if whole chickens are on sale that week, then I load up. By buying a whole chicken, I have not restricted myself to one form of cooking or another. Additionally some people in this house are white meat fans, while others prefer the dark and good luck finding chicken breasts at a reasonable price on their own.

If you purchase whole chickens, come home and cut them up, they can be frozen in pieces. However, do not thaw the chicken, cut it up, and refreeze. That’s a big no on the safety meter.

As some readers of Home Ec 101 are vegetarian and others read their feeds first thing in the morning, I’m putting a cut, just so no one is surprised with pictures of raw chicken. You’re welcome.

Also, give my stepdaughter a big round of applause, she was a trooper and helped me take the pictures for this tutorial. It’s not every teen who’s willing to hang out with their stepmother over a chicken carcass, you know.