Nicki, you're sure to find bread-making friends at university! That's where I learned how to bake bread on an everyday basis. Even without a bread-baker (which actually makes efficient use of electricity, if you can get one second-hand), you can raise dough in the fridge or in a bowl of water during the day and bake in the evening. However, my flatmates did a cost-comparison, and we made the unhappy discovery that on a calorie basis, porridge was the cheapest starch food. Wonder what it would be now?
Slow-cookers - not so well-known in Japan, but I've got a lot of mileage out of a
thermal pot. I'd even like a second smaller one!
It's like a saucepan in a hay-basket - a giant thermos, in fact. You simmer food for 5 minutes or so, then put the whole pot inside the container and leave it. It doesn't need to be plugged in to anything, and there is really nothing that can break or go wrong with it.
I not only use it to cook stews, but to cook porridge overnight, to cook soup or white sauces slowly and thoroughly, and to cook delicate things like fish which break up easily when simmered. You can use it to ferment yogurt or bread, and you can also cook rice in it, though I haven't tried that.
Although I'm fond of my cup of coffee, I'm surprised how much less coffee I use during summer, when I either drink cold barley tea, or pick tea herbs from my tiny garden. Some mints which are horrible eating make wonderful tea, and sage tea is good made from either fresh or dried sage. Winter coughs and colds usually get herbs rather than an expensive visit to the doctor too.
Recently the price of butter almost doubled in Japan - I've gone back to another university staple, sprinkling bread with vinegar and olive oil, and adding a little pepper (or herbs, of course!). Cheaper than butter, cheaper than jam, and tastier as well.
What I really need to slash (apart from music lessons
) is electricity, and all those useless detergents and cleaners!
and I have a big cook-up once a week - we eat the results for days afterwards!
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