From the 1800suntil the early 1900s,most Americans cooked in bulk to prepare for the winter months when a lack of food and limited transportation made frequent grocery trips impossible. Bulk cooking consisted of preparing food in large quantities to store away for later use. Families survived winter with premade, oversized portions stored in the basement. Most commonly, these stores of food included salted, pickled, smoked, dried, and canned foods. During this time, most Americans cooked over an open fire. Only those lucky enough to have $23 – the equivalent of $300 today – could have a stovetop. The practice of bulk cooking tapered off when trading posts and the opening of the first farmer’s market made supplies more readily available throughout the entire year. Easier accessto supplies meant people could cook every night. Technological advancesalso resulted in less bulk cooking. By the 1900s,most homes had a stove, and refrigerators became popular in the 1930s.Separate freezers, known as iceboxes, became common in the 1940s. It was more common to have a fresh home-cooked meal every night of the week, even during the winter months. When more women started working outside the home during the 1940s– 1950s,the fast and convenient TV dinner arrived. After the TV dinner, fast food restaurants became popular, which made life even easier. The first fast food restaurant, Automat, opened in 1912, and in 1921, White Castle opened its first restaurant, but the fast food craze did not fully hit until the 1940s.Women who worked a 40-hour week and did not have time to cook could stop by a fast food restaurant and pick up a meal for their family. By the early 1980s,71 percent of women worked outside the home, resulting in fewer home-cooked dinners than ever before. But, as the years progressed people were looking to save money and time, which is when the first bulk warehouse store arrived. The first bulk warehouse store, Sam’s Club, opened its doors on April 7, 1983 in Midwest City, Oklahoma. Costco soon followed, opening their doors on September 15, 1983 in Seattle, Washington. Once bulk warehousesspread nationwide, people began to purchase items in bulk quantities, including paper goods, detergents, frozen foods, meats, fruits, vegetables, and spices. These stores are still largely popular acrossthe U.S. Although consumers realize purchasing products in bulk savesmoney and time, most do not use the same philosophy in their cooking. The majority only think about cooking in bulk when preparing for a party, but with rising food prices – almost 3 percent in the past two years – it seemslogical to buy food in bulk at a discounted price and to get the most out of your dollar. If you are interested in making the money you spend on groceries go farther, but are unsure of how to go about doing so, this book will give you tips on everything you need to know. When the purchase of a bulk product goes on sale, it can be difficult to any consumer to figure out just how to use all of the meat without letting any of it go bad. There are several benefits to making meals ahead of time. First, you can save money, especially if you are a family that hits the drive-thru more than you eat a home-cooked meal. Cooking and purchasing in bulk can save you anywhere from $2,400 to $3,600a year – the price of a family vacation or down payment on a car. Preparing food in bulk will also save you time. If you have full meals prepared and stored in the freezer, there will be more time to spend with your family. Bulk food is convenient, especially for those days the kids are busy with extracurricular activities, there is a late night at the office, or you have unexpected company. You can feel accomplished knowing you do not have to worry about dinner every night becauseit is already in the freezer; the hardest part will be deciding which yummy recipe you want to heat up. Throughout this book, you will find preparation, safety, storage, and consuming tips, as well as more than 100 recipes that allow you to cook in bulk. The information in this book will include how to plan each meal, along with shopping tips. Everything you need to know about each meal of the day, including appetizers, salads, and desserts will be included for you to reference. You will learn the best places to shop and just how much money and time you can save when you start bulk cooking. You will
learn how to convert your recipes to bulk quantities and how to read measurements. The recipes are organized according to the type of meal. There are chapters for breakfast, lunch, soups and salads, appetizers, side dishes, sauces,desserts, and dinner. Separate chapters are provided for cooking chicken, beef, fish, and pork. This book will give you options on how to prepare meals for 14 days or for an entire month. There are also charts to help you gauge how long you should store food before it goes bad. With an understanding of how the beginning of bulk cooking became popular, you can now choose to live that lifestyle.Hundreds of years ago the settlers of had the right idea, now you can choose to follow their ideas for a chance at eating healthier and saving money.