Cooking on a budget in the age of Tik Tok – How to eat a hot meal for very little money… – Watch video

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Influencers, cooking websites and book authors provide the solution!

Jenny Kusel, a single mother of three, has become famous on social media for her recipes on a shoestring budget. In Tik Tok alone she has over 350,000 followers while in her bio note she describes herself as “broke” which means “mat” in English slang. Popular websites such as Kitchen Stories and Chefkoch show how to shop and eat economically, but cookbooks with economical recipes are also in demand.

Kushel’s “Broke dishes” category includes: puff pastry stuffed with Camembert cheese, baked potatoes with spinach and cheese and many other recipes. “Rice with buttered vegetables and instant noodle recipes are quite popular. They often have a million views” says she who likes to improvise. Her followers seem to enjoy her recipes, for example a woman from Freiburg who writes in the comments that she has started to really save money and use whatever ingredients she has to cook, while another user writes “you are a genius” .

“My videos are mostly seen by students and mothers or fathers who are raising their children alone,” says Kusel. She knows that her recipes are not always healthy and nutritious. “But when you have very little money, it’s especially important to have enough to eat,” says the 33-year-old, who moved into her own apartment at the age of 16. At the time, she admits, she was living with her partner on her student allowance and sometimes had to get by on €10 to €20 a week.

Distrust of the scientific community regarding influencer recipes

Nutritionist Anya Butt thinks the idea of ​​budget recipes is fantastic. Kusel’s recipes also include good ideas, such as oatmeal with milk and fruit for breakfast or spinach, or potatoes and eggs for lunch. However, she considers that some recipes are at the “limit” and in her opinion there is a lack of protein that the body needs. But in the end you always have to see what you eat in total during a day or a week. “However, I find it difficult to find anything useful on these social media accounts that are managed by non-experts on the subject,” says the nutritionist, adding that it would be useful to consult a nutritionist.

Similar websites such as Kitchen Stories have many articles with money saving tips. According to website spokesperson Louise Lynn: “These articles have an above average traffic count and users are constantly looking for such articles regardless of their monetary earnings. Everyone wants to save money.” At the same time, Louise Lin emphasizes that it is equally important that the dishes are healthy as well as of high quality. Due to the pandemic, more and more people started cooking and this trend continues.

Energy crisis and inflation lead to very cheap cooking options

But cheap dishes are always popular. The energy crisis and high inflation, which reached 10% in Germany in September, have caused food prices to explode. Money is insufficient for the unemployed. “It’s hard to get by on welfare,” says cookbook author Kurt Meyer. But lack of money is not always the only problem. Many people cannot cook at all and buy ready-made products.

Meyer together with Uwe Glinka have written cookbooks for the unemployed but have also published pamphlets on the subject in employment agencies. They have created the Savings Advisors website, while Meyer also offers cooking classes to the unemployed. “You have to take people by the hand. In the end, many people are surprised by how easy it is to cook,” he says.

Some cookbooks that focus on saving money are currently out of print and need to be reprinted, says Susan Jens, a spokeswoman for For Woman Publishing. “Since high prices have created a climate of crisis, more and more people are looking for relevant literature. There are already many cookbooks with affordable recipes on the market, and influencer Jenny Kusel may soon join the ranks, as she says she would like to write a book with her recipes.

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