99 Cent Store Cookbook a Big Hit with Frugal Foodies

Rachael Ray promos 99 cent store cooking

One of America’s favorite daytime cooking show hosts, Rachael Ray, introduced viewers today to “The 99-Cent Only Stores Cookbook.” This method of cooking with items that the author found at a 99 cent store introduces multiple ways to make money.

Author Christiane Jory says she started making gourmet meals from stuff she found in 99 cent stores after she got sick of a college diet of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.

Great finds at the 99 cent store

In her segment on the Rachael Ray show, Jory pointed out some of the “finer things” she found at the 99 cent store. She bought shitake mushrooms, roasted red peppers and even wine at the 99 cent store.

She also pointed out that the 99 cent store has a full offering of spices. “Come here for your spices,” she said. “It’s ridiculous not to.” She has a good point. There’s no reason to blow a secured loan on groceries is you can get the same stuff cheaper.

99 cent store stigma

Jory says that many of her friends turned their noses up at 99 cent store cooking. She has also made delicious meals that her friends loved, and she only told them afterward she had made it with things from the 99 cent store.

Jory points out that the quality of the ingredients at the 99 cent store is just the same as it is at the grocery store. For instance, with the wine, she explains, it ends up at the 99 cent store because it only has six months left on the shelf before the manufacturer has to throw it away.

Great food, great bargains

Thanks to “The 99 Cent Stores Only Cookbook,” you can be armed with hundreds of recipes that only cost a few dollars each to make. Furthermore, the book only costs about $10 on Amazon. There are some used copies for as low as $7.

As if that weren’t enough opportunities to save money, you might be able to score yourself a free copy of the “The 99-Cent Stores Only Cookbook” at Rachael Ray’s web site, rachaelrayshow.com.

Worth every penny

Here are some snippets of reviews from Amazon.com for “The 99-Cents Stores Only Cookbook”:

A friend of mine got me the book as a bit of a joke and it turned out to be a real gift. I love to cook and this gives me a chance to cook with my son. The recipes are unique, pretty simple and VERY tasty. While that’s great it also gives me the chance to let him take the reins without worrying about ruining expensive ingredients.

-W. Roe

Not only was I surprised by the adaptability to make a lot of recipes vegetarian, if they weren’t already, but having never shopped for food at the 99 Cent Store, I was shocked to see a lot of fresh and organic produce. The recipes are great – easy to prepare, and if I mess something up I’m only out a couple bucks!

-Ace Hannah

Just got this last week and tried 2 of the recipes for a party this weekend. My friends and I (all twenty somethings) loved the food and I saved a lot of money. I definitely recommend it. I thought it might be hard to find the ingredients at the 99 cent store but they were all there, plus I already had a fair amount of the ingredients on hand. Super easy, super budget friendly, super good.

-Shila Shiravi