Is Convenience Worth It?

Cooking home made meals can bring a world of benefits, including delicious food that is healthier too. And it when comes to cooking at home, a lot of people rely on the convenience of pre-chopped veggies, grated cheese, and other pre-prepped food items to shave off minutes from meal prep. But is it really worth the price? Let's tale a look to see how ingredients prices can compare once you add just a little more elbow grease.

Block cheese vs pre-grated mozzarella

Having pre-grated cheese seems convenience, especially for topping large pizzas and even grilled cheese, but grated cheese spoils a lot faster since more of it's surface area is exposed to air.

Time: 5 minutes to grate on a box grater
Cash Saved: $3.29 per 16 ounces

Baby Carrots vs .bagged carrots

Pre-peeled baby carrots seems little a sweet, tender treat, but there's nothing miniature about them since are just larger carrots wittle down to appear smaller. Larger carrots can be just as sweet and less of the vegetable is wasted in the packaging process.

Time: Enjoy two large carrots in 2 minutes with a peeler
Cash Saved: $1.10 per pound

Egg Whites vs. bottle egg whites

We all know that egg whites are healthy, but separating the whites and yolks is easy if you simply use a slotted spoon. Transfer the yolks to an air-tight container and freeze to use in a home made ice cream recipe.

Time: 4 minutes to separate the whites
Cash Saved: $1.20 per 12 ounces

Canned Beans vs bagged dried beans

Here's one where the convenience of canned beans definitely pays off! The only trade off is the sodium content since canned beans can be high in salt. Look for the "no salt" added canned beans next time you stroll down the canned goods isle.

Time: 1 hour to soak + 1 hour to cook, 2 hours total
Cash Saved: 29¢ per 30 ounces