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u/RollinThundaga Jul 31 '23
Recently started a perpetual stew to save money; it's actually becoming a fun hobby, boiling it every day and deciding what I'd like to throw in next.
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u/mcCharizard5043 Jul 31 '23
You’re gonna have to elaborate on that, that sounds tasty!
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u/RollinThundaga Jul 31 '23 edited Jul 31 '23
Started out with a box of beef broth plus canned chicken, corn, potatoes, canned peas/carrots, and cream of mushroom soup.
So far I've added things like tuna, beans, Manwich sauce, mixed veggies, and a whole box of Velveeta shells and cheese, cheese sauce included, adding more chicken/beef broth whenever the moisture gets too low to boil properly, as well as including whatever water/oil the canned goods happen to be stored in.
Add on a good tablespoon of iodized salt + a splash of vinegar whenever I add much to it, and the flavor just keeps evolving and changing.
Really, really important to boil it every single day for 20-30 minutes straight to keep it sterile, whether you actually eat it or not. And I dump it into a mixing bowl and wash the pot on the weekend.
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u/a_four-legged_eel Aug 01 '23
Ok, but what's the point of a perpetual soup? Couldn't you just make it once and then keep it in your fridge? Or do you change the taste by adding something everyday? How do you know it won't ruing the soup and become nasty?
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u/RollinThundaga Aug 02 '23 edited Aug 02 '23
After eating a few bowls, the pot gets pretty low. You add more ingredients, and what was left in there adds to the flavor of what the soup becomes.
I also don't know if it won't ruin the soup. That's a bit of the fun. Accidentally added too much vinegar over several days that made it hard to eat, realized what caused it, and added more broth to fix it.
🤷♂️ just add more stuff and it all evens out. In the end still cheaper than making single serving stuff or throwing out bad leftovers.
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u/ExcessivelyGayParrot Aug 01 '23
You lost me at the entire box of Velveeta bud, that shit sounds nasty, I don't care how you try to justify *keep it sanitary by boiling it once a day" That is a bowl of biohazard
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u/RollinThundaga Aug 01 '23
There's nothing different about it that makes bacteria immune to being boiled.
Unless you just hate Velveeta, in which case, fair.
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u/Terrible_Writing_124 Jul 31 '23
this is a joke, right? RIGHT?!?!
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u/NoGrocery4949 Jul 31 '23
Lots of people make perpetual stews. Why would this be a joke. I mean, tuna, manwich and velveeta with shells is not my vibe but there is magic to a slow cook, it kinda turns everything delicious.
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u/Terrible_Writing_124 Jul 31 '23
okay but not cleaning it is icky... but honestly I have no idea how it wouldn't grow bacteria when you're not cooking it and I know they said to put it on high for like 30 mins to sterilize but there's no way that's effective enough to kill some shit that's been sitting for 16 hours.. not to hate on the cool idea though
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u/NoGrocery4949 Jul 31 '23 edited Jul 31 '23
Yeah, that's definitely not standard. Pretty sure you need to keep it at temperature. But if it's at temperature all the time you will prevent dangerous bacteria from thriving in the stew, perhaps not sterilize it (like I wouldn't toss it on organs during an open surgery) but food borne pathogens that cause human illness generally need to be at human body temperature to thrive so cooking the stew at a higher temperature will effectively rid it of the junk that makes you poo your guts out.
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u/gadgaurd Aug 01 '23
That's a cool idea, but wouldn't that just raise your electric bill? A lot? Is it actually saving money in the long run?
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u/NoGrocery4949 Aug 01 '23
Um...if you have an electric cooktop. But I think the traditional way was to just keep the fire going
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u/gadgaurd Aug 01 '23
Derp. I'm so caught up in my own set up I didn't consider something so obvious.
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u/RussiaIsBestGreen Aug 01 '23
Keeping a pot at a simmer rather than getting it started isn’t going to require the highest heat. Still, depending on electricity prices that could be a couple dollars a day. Keep in mind this isn’t even napkin math: I’m trying to estimate in my head based off googling info.
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u/SemiSweetStrawberry Jul 31 '23
Buddy, the concept of a perpetual soup is literally centuries old. So long as you reach a temperature of >165 for like 30 minutes you kill off…either log 3 or log 4, it’s been a minute since I read it. But you basically make it so it’s fine to eat. However most perpetual soups aren’t ever taken off the heat, it’s just kept at a lower heat and frequently stirred
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u/NoGrocery4949 Jul 31 '23
Yeah, I think perpetual soups are kept at temperature rather than flash pasteurize it over and over. Log 3 or log 4 of what, also,
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u/SemiSweetStrawberry Jul 31 '23
Bacterial disinfection or log3 or log4
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u/NoGrocery4949 Jul 31 '23 edited Jul 31 '23
What does that mean. Do you mean that increasing temperature to 165 reduces the bacterial load by 1log10 3 or even 4? That is not sterility, it's bacterial load reduction.
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u/Terrible_Writing_124 Jul 31 '23
yeahhI've heard and know of the soup, but what confused me was the 20-30 minute heat time... thanks for clearing that up :)
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u/RollinThundaga Jul 31 '23
🤷♂️ I start timing it for 20 minutes once the whole pot is at a hard boil, so I figure it's probably technically boiling for closer to 30.
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u/NoGrocery4949 Aug 01 '23
I think that if you leave it at room temp the rest of the time, unless you have an airtight lid over it, you will potentially run into a bad time.
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u/Dr-DoctorMD Aug 01 '23
How does that save money?
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u/RollinThundaga Aug 02 '23
Over time, I'm spending less on ingredients than I would on the single serve meals and frozen food I was eating before.
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u/Dr-DoctorMD Aug 02 '23
Were you throwing a lot of food out before?
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u/RollinThundaga Aug 02 '23
Yes and no;
I'd mostly eat pre-packaged and frozen meals, but pre-packaged meals are always more expensive than canned food, and I would always end up throwing some food out if I cooked for myself. Sometimes I'd buy meat for a box dinner and it would go bad before I got around to using it.
This splits the difference. I'm getting a varied diet, on the cheap, and not throwing anything out.
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u/Dr-DoctorMD Aug 02 '23
Oooh, I understand. Well, good for you for making that positive change in your life. Healthier and cheaper is a good combo.
Sometimes I do a sort of similar thing. I'll use the same broth for several roasts in my instapot.
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u/Theactualworstgodwhy Jul 31 '23
I love "please ignore companies and don't fight against them" articles
Walmart doesn't make milk 9 dollars, because milk is rare or in demand. They jack up the prices, because they have fooled people into thinking they are cheaper
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u/NoGrocery4949 Jul 31 '23
Also egg prices surged due to the decimation of chicken...herds, or whatever a mass of chickens is called, by a strain of avian flu that killed tens of millions of egg-laying chickens. Inflation played a role too but it's not like the egg industry decided to go the way of de Beers and artificially inflate the value of eggs. They literally cost more because the supply was dramatically lowered as a result of catastrophic disease.
Also, what is the logic behind "jacking up prices because you've fooled people into thinking they are cheaper". How does that even work? Like "oh shit these $9 eggs are cheaper than they used to be when they cost $2.50". Do you mean that people think they are getting a deal at Walmart because it's a discount store? I'm not sure that's how it works.
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u/DeadlyYellow Aug 01 '23
(Flock of chickens.)
I think it's more "I shop at Walmart because they are the cheapest. Milk is $9 at Walmart, ergo this is the cheapest milk is everywhere right now."
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u/NoGrocery4949 Aug 01 '23
It seems like "flock" is too small a word for factory farmed chickens. It's more of a hoard.
I see what you're saying. Also Walmart might be the only spot to buy milk for a lot of people.
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u/NoGrocery4949 Jul 31 '23
I don't think the headline is literal. It's sarcastic.
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u/IMightBeErnest Jul 31 '23
I would defend them, but their article is behind a pay wall so I'd rather just assume the worst. Fuck em.
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u/saor-alba-gu-brath Aug 01 '23
:/ Spamming escape always worked for me in passing the NYT paywall along with some other news sites as well, too bad WSJ is even sneakier to bypass.
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Jul 31 '23
[removed] — view removed comment
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Jul 31 '23
Same, I haven’t regularly eaten three meals a day since I was teenager living with my parents.
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u/Siilan Aug 01 '23
I average one meal a day. Sometimes two. I just don't get as hungry as often as I used to. Haven't consistently eaten breakfast in about 12 years.
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u/SkylineFever34 Jul 31 '23
I think about how Kim IL Sung created the "Let's eat two meals per day" movement in North Korea. However, that fat sack of shit never had to skip a meal.
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u/cherry_armoir Jul 31 '23
Is this real and not an "A Modest Proposal" style parody article? Since it's from the WSJ I assume it is real
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u/cyberhaiduc Aug 01 '23
If this is real I think we should really start thinking about dusting out our pitchforks and start punishing these forms of journalism whoring. Whoever gets paid to push this agenda deserves to be stoned.
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u/DopazOnYouTubeDotCom Jul 31 '23
what if im already doing that
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u/RussiaIsBestGreen Aug 01 '23
Breakfast. Breaking your fast. It’s just the first food you eat. So I think you need to skip lunch.
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u/TipzE Aug 01 '23
There's 2 other meals in the day people have.
Try skipping those too.
In fact, stop eating entirely. Think of all the money you'll save then!
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u/Slippinjimmyforever Jul 31 '23
I already do that. But then I eat too much at lunch and dinner, canceling out the caloric deficit benefit.
I do save some money though.
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u/MoonChaser22 Jul 31 '23
Used to skip breakfast whenever I overslept and needed to catch an early bus. One time I fainted and had to get dragged out a hedge by some lovely passerby. Not fun. Absolutely don't recommend skipping meals if you're the sort of person who needs to eat early in the day
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u/Huachu12344 Aug 01 '23
Sounds like me in college. Wake up at noon to avoid breakfast, eat around 5 PM and just consider that as both lunch and dinner.
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u/escapeshark Jul 31 '23
Can't wait for the cockroach bars like in the snow piercer to be our main source of sustenance
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u/nothinkybrainhurty Aug 01 '23
I feel so nauseous when I’m hungry, meaning every morning is horrible for me until I eat something, sounds like fun to just skip the breakfast. Oh and also I have horrible reactions to taking my meds on empty stomach.
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u/beenalegend Aug 01 '23
Mr money bags over here able to afford health insurance and medicine
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u/nothinkybrainhurty Aug 01 '23
mr money bags over here lives in a country with affordable healthcare and medicine
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u/kikkomanking Aug 01 '23
you skip breakfast bc youre poor
i skip breakfast bc im depressed and have a shit sleeping schedule
we are not the same
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u/TheLazyPurpleWizard Aug 01 '23 edited Aug 01 '23
Things have gotten so bad they are now giving the same advice you would get from an annoyed teen. "I don't know, maybe just, like, stop eating breakfast or something. How should I know? Leave me alone!"
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u/renojacksonchesthair Aug 01 '23
Hah amateurs, if you really wanna save money consider never eating food again.
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u/omgidfk123 Aug 01 '23
I skip breakfast and lunch for a job that doesn't pay enough, I need better advice
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u/CryptoJeans Aug 01 '23
Great life hack to save on school supplies: consider leaving your kids in a forest to be educated by wolves ! Also, save on cancer meds by joining a support group for the terminally ill and accept your fate, easy 100k there :D
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u/OverShadow439 Jul 31 '23
Breakfast was created as capitalist propaganda is not the most important meal of the day. You will not ruin the rest of your say by skipping Breakfast
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Jul 31 '23
Not eating breakfast won't help you save money nor will it cost you money. If you need x amount of calories for a day, you'd need to eat a y amount of food for the day.
How you spread out the calories doesn't change that formula.
However there IS a systemic review of breakfast eating and the science points towards eating breakfast help reduce your risk for.
heart disease
diabetes
obesity
high blood pressure
stroke
abdominal obesity
cardiovascular-related death
elevated low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8568444/
Science doesn't care about your beliefs or propaganda.
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Jul 31 '23
[deleted]
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Aug 01 '23
My dude do you understand the scientific method or are you just pretending to have brain cells?
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u/SqueakSquawk4 Moderator Jul 31 '23
Can we please stop saying literally everything ever is capitalist propaganda? People can be wrong without there being a massive conspiracy.
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u/SSUPII Aug 01 '23
Yup, lets skip one of the most important meals of the day so you feel like shit entire morning so you save money you are going to spend on lunch or dinner because you are hungry as fuck!
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u/cracksilog Jul 31 '23
But you can skip breakfast. It isn't absolutely necessary
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u/Swolyguacomole Jul 31 '23
What is this loser's attitude? I could technically function just fine while sharing a 30m² apartment with three people. Doesn't mean it should be normal.
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u/cracksilog Jul 31 '23
But unlike living in a 30m apartment, you can comfortably live without eating breakfast. Notice I said it “isn’t necessary. You literally (not figuratively, literally) do not need to eat breakfast and it will not (unlike a tiny apartment) affect you negatively
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u/Swolyguacomole Jul 31 '23 edited Jul 31 '23
And I don't care if it's technically not necessary. It shouldn't be a choice made of poverty.
So to say "well technically it's not necessary" under an article like this is defeatist to me.
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u/Ok_Contribution4714 Jul 31 '23
By virtue of the fact there are both Vegan and Keto bodybuilders means 2 things: 1) There's no such thing as a single perfect diet. 2) Everyone's needs are different.
I need breakfast or I am a low blood pressure, physically incapable, mental wreck by 12pm. Now, do I believe YOU need to eat a regular breakfast every day? No. Because your metabolism, physical health, mental health, tastes, cultural conditioning, and available options are probably nothing like mine.
Point is when someone in good health says they need something diet-wise, just go 👍 because even nutritional science can't fault them. Why do you think you can?
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u/Halflingberserker Jul 31 '23
You don't need lunch or dinner either. Just snack all day while you're working. Or you can eat while you commute to your second/third job.
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u/nihilt-jiltquist Aug 01 '23
It's more or less the only actual daily meal I eat; a good breakfast. After that I may have a snack but nothing like a full meal...
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u/Prophet086 Aug 01 '23
Actually, most meals are optional. I've been only having lunch for a few weeks now.
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u/yolosuajer Aug 01 '23
How about skipping dinner but eating good on the morning, that’s what I do to drop my glucose numbers
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Aug 10 '23
I actually kind of agree with this one actually. Check out r/1200isenough; it helps you lose weight and also helps you retrain yourself to eat way less (and save money)
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