Reddit reviews Jamie's Food Revolution: Rediscover How to Cook Simple, Delicious, Affordable Meals

It can be done cheeper. I did it a lot when I was a student. I bought the ugly produce for cheap at a farmers market/vegetable store (go there with cash in the pocket just before they are closing - then they are much more easily convinced to give you a great price. Be flexible on which items.). I made big batches of food and froze them in freezer bags. I bough cheap, fresh fish from fellow students that fished at their spare time. It's a bit different than the mealprep you often see, but the thought proces behind it is the same.

E.g.:

• bake buns yourself. Freeze them. You'll save a lot. You'll only need one good recipe.
  
  
• cook a chicken. Pluck the meat. Cook soup on what's left, some onions and spizes. Use the meat for dishes, salads and on bread.
  
  
• use the chicken stock to make big batches of vegetable soup.
  
  
• make large batches of ragu when meat is on sale.
  
  
• Bake big trays of home made pizza using the dough you use to bake buns. Use e.g. some ragu as filling. Freeze it. Can warmed easily in the microwave or oven.
  
  
• use potatoes or rice as a base for most recipes. Use beans/lentils sometimes instead of meat.
  
  Don't cook when it's convenient, cook when you can get cheap produce.
  
  Try to get inspiration from sites like this:
  
  
• https://cookingonabootstrap.com
  
• really old people (your grandma?) are great with ideas to stretch the money food wise. Try to ask them. They will be happy to help.
  
  Edit: these books are great for cheap recipes and tips for cooking and saving money (buy them used). On his youtube channel he has free tips and tricks as well (search words "jamie oliver save with Jamie"):
  
• https://www.amazon.com/Save-Jamie-Smart-Clever-Waste/dp/0718158148/ref=mp_s_a_1_31?keywords=jamie+oliver&qid=1550358249&s=gateway&sr=8-31
  
  
• https://www.amazon.com/Jamies-Food-Revolution-Rediscover-Affordable/dp/1401323596/ref=mp_s_a_1_fkmr1_1?keywords=jamie+oliver+everybody+can+learn+to+cook&qid=1550358444&s=gateway&sr=8-1-fkmr1

I have thumbed through several of his books in the store, and have come up with a pretty good sense for a couple of them.

Cook with Jamie - My Guide to Making You a Better Cook - I dove into learning how to cook using Mark Bittman's "How to Cook Everything" series, and I feel this has been infinitely valuable and my top beginners cookbook recommendation. If that book wasn't available, I think my second would be Cook with Jamie. There aren't as many recipes as Bittman's books, but I think it's geared more toward the absolute beginner, with a slower pace, and more focus on details of skills. The best part is, I've been seeing it on the clearance racks of chain bookstores for $7 - $12.

Jamie's Food Revolution: Rediscover How to Cook Simple, Delicious, Affordable Meals - This is the American edition companion book to the BBC TV show "Jamie Oliver's Ministry of Food". In it, he went to an unhealthy Northern England industry town with a reputation for unhealthy inhabitants, selected a handful of people, taught them some super simple everyday recipes, and implored them to spread the knowledge to their friends and neighbors. These are the recipes he taught, which tend to be universal Western dishes, with a British slant (ie. meat pies, curries, etc.). If it sounds frightening similar to the "Food Revolution" show he talks about in his TED talk, that's because it is.

I have also heard great things about Jamie's Italy, but frankly, I'd go for Marcella Hazan's, or Mario Batalli's books first.

While I am not a complete novice in the kitchen I am far from an expert. I would highly recommend this book by Jamie Oliver as starting point. There is a pretty wide variety of easy to follow very tasty recipes.

If you want an excellent beginner's cookbook, I would recommend Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution. The recipes are all really simple and designed for someone just starting out cooking. I cook something out of it at least once a week.