We all know that the economy is in the toilet. So what do we do about it? Watch out expenses, cut back on luxuries, the usual things. In the world of food, that seems to mean relishing in pot pies. Forbes/NY Times report that as the economy struggles, pre-made sales of the creamy dish are increasing. Twin Hens pot pies, an artisan food company, experienced their largest sales just last month. They've been in business for six years.

On the one hand, it makes sense -- don't go out, eat in, pick up something quick and tasty. But just using Twin Hens as an example -- is this really an example of penny pinching? The website lists that a four-serving pie is $28 for chicken, and $30 for beef. If you choose, instead, to buy two individual portions, they cost $22-24 -- or $11-12 a meal. As for the time commitment, the frozen large pie needs 45-55 minutes to cook.

And now I must rant, because while this paints the picture of us going back to hearty pot pies to shield us from the harsh winds of economic woes, it's a flawed rationale.



Something like this, since Twin Hens doesn't use preservatives, is great for that night when you have absolutely zero time to cook, and just want to throw something in the oven until the timer dings. They look pretty darn tasty, too. But as a cost-saver? It's certainly not as cheap as some pasta and sauce made from canned tomatoes, herbs, and vegetables, or lasagna if you buy meat on sale, or a pizza if you make a quick dough from scratch. Stir fries are also affordable, and are a dish meant to be cooked in a flash. But even more appropriately, think about roasts.

Say you get a big gobbler -- a 22 lb turkey. It might run you $50 (or free if you save up and stockpile essentials). Add sausage, bread (unless you make your own), carrots, onions, herbs, potatoes, cranberry sauce, and other necessary ingredients. I'll really round up and say it costs $100 in total. If you're a family a four, like one large pot pie will feed, you've got your 4-person serving dinner right there. That leaves $70 left to make meals for the whole family with:

• You'll get an enormous amount of stock out of this bird, which can then make at least two soup dinners if you add some noodles.
  
• Plus, a meal, two, or more of sandwiches and vegetable leftovers.
  
• Plus, at least a couple full turkey meals.
  
• And with the vegetable, meat, and stock scraps, you can make at least one or two large pot pies.
  

So, for the next $70 (and really, it'd probably be less than that), you get at least 4-6 more meals for the whole family. If your kids are young, that figure will surely grow. Yes, this is an investment of a day's worth of time, so it's a good thing Thanksgiving is coming. But it's also just an example of how to make the most of what you spend. You could make this on a much smaller scale with a chicken and get results that still rival a pre-made pot pie.

To me, then, the huge increase of pot pie purchases may have been inspired by penny pinching, but isn't a good example of it -- unless the family used to go out for really expensive dinners every night.

If you need to curb your food spending, the best way is to keep an eye out for sales, make your own meals, and make the most of every purchase -- celery ends and mushroom stems for stock, etc. Buying pot pies isn't going to do it. Make them yourself!

I got about 5 servings out of the delicious pot pie I made last month, and the costs were ridiculously minimal -- I just used a ton of ingredients that were about to go bad. Pot pies are so forgiving that you can most certainly cut corners and speed up the process to suit your needs. And heck, freeze your own for that day when you just don't have the time to make dinner from scratch.

So, try the pot pie above, or these other great twists on the classic:

Lighter Chicken Pot Pie
Beef Pot Pies
Turkey Pot Pie, a la Paula Deen