As the cost of living increases, many of us have been forced to relook at our lifestyle choices in a bid to save money. Fortunately, there are many ways to cook with your kettle and reduce the energy used compared to heating the oven and boiling water on the stove.It’s also super quick and a lot cleaner. But the best thing is, these methods aren’t rocket science so you can’t go far wrong. Easy!
Quick links
Cous Cous
You can buy dried cous cous but it takes far longer to cook, and therefore we recommend picking up the sachets which are pre-portioned and come in various flavours to suit any dish.
Cous cous is great on its own, but try adding some of these toppings for extra flavour and texture. They don’t need cooking either!
- Dried fruit or nuts
- Tinned and drained chickpeas
- Chopped salad e.g. peppers, cucumber, tomatoes
- Try reducing food waste by using up leftover roasted vegetables e.g. red onion, courgette, sweet potato
Frozen Vegetables
Sweetcorn and peas are the perfect last-minute side or addition to any meal. Just pop them in boiling water and they will defrost in a couple minutes. Peas take a few minutes longer than sweetcorn.
Instant Mash
If there ever was a potato hack, it’s this one. You can purchase instant mash which is an incredibly quick option and because it’s a cupboard ingredient it’s always there when you need it! Plus, some reports say it offers roughly the same amount of vitamins as real mashed potatoes. So, if you’re looking to reduce down cooking time and energy usage, or just need a cheap, healthy meal for one person, you can’t go wrong with instant mash.
Pasta
You can find Gnocchi (potato dumplings) and Tortelloni (or pasta parcels to you and me) in the fresh and food cupboard aisles. They both cook in just a few minutes in boiling water and simply rise to the surface when done. Just use a large enough bowl to allow them to float.
After draining the pasta, simply stir over jarred pasta sauce, or cream cheese which will warm up using the residual heat. Mixed with your kettle cooked sweetcorn or peas, and voilà! You have yourself a perfect cheap, easy family meal.
Porridge
Porridge oats will ‘make themselves’ if you just pop them in a bowl, cover with hot water and let it sit. The perfect breakfast that will see you through until lunchtime.
Noodles
Noodles are fantastic on their own, or as a base to a meal. They’re an ultra-convenient option for lunch, and also an ideal accompaniment for a Chinese ready meal if you want the takeaway experience at home. Plus, you can pick them up at bargain prices!
Lots of packaging features cooking instructions using a kettle, but even if they don’t, it’s as simple as this…
For dried noodles such as egg noodles and rice noodles, break the block of noodles into smaller parts in a bowl, top with boiling water, cover and leave for around 3-5 minutes. Similarly, ‘straight to wok’ noodles can be covered in boiling water to heat them through and will therefore be a little quicker.
To browse products, go to iceland.co.uk and just remember to think outside the box!
