It’s amazing how inexpensively one can make a really good meal. One of the reasons I always include the price per person in my posts is to encourage people to cook more and spend less. This is a $14 minimum at any restaurant and it’s not going to have nearly as much meat.

It took me a bit to realize the reason your cost per person was so low is because of currency exchange, or maybe American food prices are lower.

Agreed!

And I’m simple. Some Italian seasoning, cheeses, protein, vegetables. Sometimes some spicy pepper for a zing.

As much as Americans complain about the cost of food it is very inexpensive. A hundred years ago we were spending 30% of our income on food. Now it’s just 6%. But the trick is not eating out or getting delivery. Although Little Caesars pizza is hot and ready at $7 for two adults.

My typical blend is something like a tablespoon or two of oregano, one tbsp basil (home grown), a pinch to a quarter tsp of red pepper flakes (home grown), quarter to a half tsp of granulated garlic, 1/8th tsp ground star anise. Sometimes sauteed onions. Maybe some fennel seeds.

And if I’m adding meat like I did here it gets almost the same amounts of the same things. Except zero star anise. Maybe an increase in red pepper flakes or add some paprika.

My typical blend is something like a tablespoon or two of oregano, one tbsp basil (home grown), a pinch to a quarter tsp of red pepper flakes (home grown), quarter to a half tsp of granulated garlic, 1/8th tsp ground star anise. Sometimes sauteed onions. Maybe some fennel seeds.

And if I’m adding meat like I did here it gets almost the same amounts of the same things. Except zero star anise. Maybe an increase in red pepper flakes or add some paprika.

I have been collecting specific glass jars with screw on lids. When I do stuff that needs to cook food a long time as ragu or goulash I prepare a really big pot, stop cooking about an hour early, fill into the jars and then put the closed jars in the oven at 120C for another hour and let them finish cooking while sterilizing them at the same time. (Adding a small dish with water for added humidity in the oven and good heat transfer)

Afterwards I have my own shelf-stable jars with pre-cooked food at home for the next weeks.

I typically prepare such stuff on homeoffice work days, as it’s low effort but still takes some hours to cook.

I use a pressure canner for some sauces. That’s usually a version of my Italian family’s “gravy” sauce that has a substantial amount of pork on the bone in it. Because I’m using a pressure canner I can do the saute of the onions and garlic. Sear the country style pork ribs mix all the sauce ingredients and dump everything into the jars and do the bulk of the cooking in the canner.

You are describing oven canning. I understand that is done in places that don’t really have access to canners but the practice has been found through testing to not be safe.

You have the heat turned up to 120 which is high enough to kill botulism spores if kept at that temperature for 90 minutes a liter. But the jars aren’t in a pressurized environment. Since the majority of the contents of the jar is water it will never get above 100 unless you live below sea level.

As long as the onions and garlic don’t have botulism spores and the tomatoes have a pH under 4.6 you are probably going to be okay. Do you have pH test strips?

I cook in a pressure cooker (pot) and then after opening I fill the food into clean glass jars which I sterilize.

I also keep them around for up to a month, as I’m aware it’s not on the level of professional sterilization.

But I got an idea, I might pre-heat the jars in the oven before I cook, then I can easily go above 120.

When filling from the pot into the jars then the only source of problems is what I have in the air in my kitchen.

Additionally, ph testing is a good idea, I’ll try that

My environment is an apartment within a larger city, so I don’t have space for al lot of large equipment.

Making the jars hotter won’t really impact the temperature of the stuff you put into the jars. Also, you’re probably going to dramatically short the life of your jars due to the uneven heating in an oven creating thermal shock in the glass.

The risk isn’t so much from the airborne particles because most of that stuff is going to easily be killed off by the boiling process. The real risk is the botulism spores that can be inherent in anything grown in the ground, but especially root vegetables like garlic and onion. The proper temperature to kill botulism is 250°f (not sure what the Celsius is). Pressure canners get up to 240 which is why you have to heat things for 60 to 90 minutes on average depending on density to achieve that 240 long enough to kill the spores. But again, tomatoes are pretty low risk situation as long as that pH is under 4.6.

I wouldn’t adjust the method you’re using. It’s not ideal, but the other things will not just complicate things. They won’t improve safety and in fact they will probably shorten the life of your glassware.

Instead of my traditional ground pork I went with ground turkey at half the price. There is literally a 2:1 turkey:pasta ratio. The sauce is a heavily seasoned can of crushed tomatoes. Garlic knots have been hiding in the freezer forever and were free back when I got them.

Cost per person: $2.25

That’s looks so delicious and comforting I don’t think we have garlic knots in Australia, so I might need to try to make some. They look like they’d be pillowy soft with a healthy amount of butter and garlic!

So I know for the future… Do you remember where you got them?

You have the idea. Make a soft yeast dough or use pizza dough, twist it, bake it. Slather on butter, garlic and a little parsley for color.

No knowledge of where they came from. The humans we were fostering gave them to us before they ran off in in search a new place to be homeless.

Instead of my traditional ground pork I went with ground turkey at half the price. There is literally a 2:1 turkey:pasta ratio. The sauce is a heavily seasoned can of crushed tomatoes. Garlic knots have been hiding in the freezer forever and were free back when I got them.

Cost per person: $2.25

Turkey elbows or something else? Human, perhaps?