TV chef Sandra Lee’s tips to cook ‘incredibly good’ food on a budget

Sandra Lee is not only making her return to television, she is also coming in hot with some tips to help you save money on your next trip to the grocery store.

In an exclusive interview with Fox News Digital, the chef and TV personality opened up about her new show, Roku’s "Dinner Budget Showdown," and shared some of her best advice for how to feed your family on a budget. 

"Go to your pantry," the former Food Network star suggested. "Use what you have at home and when you go to the grocery store, embellish what you already have. So many times you don't use things in your pantry and then they expire and you have to toss them."

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"Being one of the founding board members of UNICEF and sitting on the World Food Program Board, you know, our focus is hunger," she added. "Our focus is making sure that, you know, people around the world don't go hungry. So to waste food and to throw pantry items away, that's not good."

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Lee, who serves as an executive producer and host on the new show, suggests always taking a close look at one thing in particular: price per pound. 

"The number one thing is looking at price per pound. If you're buying a protein like a meat, you have to shop wisely and look at what they charge per pound. If you don't need as much (as is) in the package, just go to the butcher and have them unwrap it and give you what it is you do need. Or buy a little more and break it up and freeze it and use it again later."

"Also, look at your spices and your seasonings. If you walk down the seasoning aisle, they're a fortune," she added. "And those packets that have multiple spices and seasoning in them are so inexpensive. There's no reason why you can't have incredibly good tasting food and not spend a fortune creating a spice pantry."

On her new show, Lee uses her expertise in the kitchen while mentoring the contestants competing to make meals using smart budget hacks. The lucky winner will win free groceries for a whole year. 

The New York Times best selling author of 27 books is joined by cohost restaurateur Jordan Andino and a series of expert chefs and guest hosts, including Carla Hall, Joe Sasto, Stuart O'Keeffe, Mei Lin, Claudia Sandoval and Derrell Smith for the new six-episode series. 

Speaking more toward the inspiration behind the show, Lee said she had a specific vision in mind. 

"I wanted to create a hybrid show that gave you the how-to's and the hacks of cooking, along with the competitive nature of the popular television content and marry them." she said. 

"Also, I wanted to make sure that you had a high-end experience, a high-end food experience with elevated, sophisticated food, as well as an everyday from the grocery store perspective, so they could implement anything they want."

"Nothing exists like this show," she added. 

"Dinner's Budget Showdown" is currently available to stream on Roku.