Pre-prepared foods....do you?
Discussion
Had a nice sunday lunch with some mates and wives last weekend. All meat cooked in a wood fired oven. A bit of a faff but excellent quality! Anyway, to the point. One of our mates is a real foodie. Not like, 'I love eating food and go to nice restaurants' but the type that always cooks when he gets home from work and is obsessed about sauces etc. My wife was speculating on how lovely it would be to have a chap come home and sort the cooking out with no fuss. She enquired of him as to whether he actually ever eats baked beans on toast, or some such other easy fare. He responded that he has 'never ever eaten anything that was pre-prepared'. Baked beans, packet sauce, meal for two from the supermarket etc etc. I felt that this was just totally OTT and rather than showing good health it is really quite obsessive in these days when some prepared foods are really quite acceptable. Also, who never has Heinz baked beans FFS (they obv have to be Heinz otherwise you are definitely a weirdo!)?! It's should be a staple in all larders.
So, anyone else out there this obsessive?
JM
So, anyone else out there this obsessive?
JM
Yes, me :-)
I do not eat anything that I do not make.
Bread, biscuits, cakes, lunches, dinners.
Cheaper, tastier and certainly healthier.
SWMBO despairs sometimes - but I have always lived like this!
Equally, there are many recipes that can be made in 10 minutes and are my go-to beans on toast (e.g. pasta and pesto).
I do not eat anything that I do not make.
Bread, biscuits, cakes, lunches, dinners.
Cheaper, tastier and certainly healthier.
SWMBO despairs sometimes - but I have always lived like this!
Equally, there are many recipes that can be made in 10 minutes and are my go-to beans on toast (e.g. pasta and pesto).
Johnniem said:
Had a nice sunday lunch with some mates and wives last weekend. All meat cooked in a wood fired oven. A bit of a faff but excellent quality! Anyway, to the point. One of our mates is a real foodie. Not like, 'I love eating food and go to nice restaurants' but the type that always cooks when he gets home from work and is obsessed about sauces etc. My wife was speculating on how lovely it would be to have a chap come home and sort the cooking out with no fuss. She enquired of him as to whether he actually ever eats baked beans on toast, or some such other easy fare. He responded that he has 'never ever eaten anything that was pre-prepared'. Baked beans, packet sauce, meal for two from the supermarket etc etc. I felt that this was just totally OTT and rather than showing good health it is really quite obsessive in these days when some prepared foods are really quite acceptable. Also, who never has Heinz baked beans FFS (they obv have to be Heinz otherwise you are definitely a weirdo!)?! It's should be a staple in all larders.
So, anyone else out there this obsessive?
JM
I'd call him on the pre-prepared thing. Most things have been pre-prepared.So, anyone else out there this obsessive?
JM
Any cut of meat, fish, any cheese thats been cut, any dried pasta, pulse, bean, mustard, bottled sauce, pickles etc etc etc have all had someone to do something to them and unless he comes home and pulls carrots up out of the garden and shoots a cow before hanging and butchering, its all pre-prepared. I bet you any money he doesn't make brown sauce to go on his bacon sandwich on a Sunday..........
I think he should have said he cooks from scratch, which would be much more accurate.
I cook from scratch as much as I can as I enjoy it, but I'm not a ponce over shortcuts if its easier/I can't be bothered.
Oh and are you f
king mad on Heinz beans? Banned in the Tiga household as of a couple of weeks ago.Try this test. Get one tin of Heinz and one tin of Branston and two pans. open both tins and simultaneously pour both into separate pans. One tin will pour as fast as a tin of soup, the other will pour like a tin of beans should. This tin is not Heinz.........
TIGA84 said:
Try this test. Get one tin of Heinz and one tin of Branston and two pans. open both tins and simultaneously pour both into separate pans. One tin will pour as fast as a tin of soup, the other will pour like a tin of beans should. This tin is not Heinz.........
Might have to buy a tin and try them out!I cannot believe there are many people out there who aren’t retired that have the time 7 days per week, 3 times per day to cook/make a meal from scratch. I assume this discounts take away too? Sometimes if I know in advance I won’t have time to cook I’ll make a big batch of something and heat up a second portion but otherwise convince food does get used in our house, normally followed by me moaning that I could have done it better myself but that fact I’m using it means, at that time I couldn’t (be bothered)
OP, out of curiosity, what does he do for a living? My point is that even though I tend to work from home, even I don't have the time in the day to make things from scratch all the time. His life must revolve around food prep?
I can make most things from scratch, but stuff like pasta and baked stuff - life is too short.
I can make most things from scratch, but stuff like pasta and baked stuff - life is too short.
Johnniem said:
He responded that he has 'never ever eaten anything that was pre-prepared'.
He's kidding himself if he thinks this. As an example, does he make his own butter?Pre-prepared foods are a scale from buying a bag of flour all the way to a pot noodle. There's no magic line where one side is good and the other side is bad.
BigJonMcQuimm said:
Yes, me :-)
I do not eat anything that I do not make.
Bread, biscuits, cakes, lunches, dinners.
Hang on are you saying you have never been to a restaurant in your life? I find that a little hard to believe. On Friday I had lunch with an underwriter at http://www.lucsbrasserie.com/ are you saying you would refuse a paid lunch in a restaurant? I do not eat anything that I do not make.
Bread, biscuits, cakes, lunches, dinners.
Jamie Oliver did 2 whole series about cooking quick meals (although I’m yet to find anyone who can cook them in 15/30 minutes) and he promoted the use of “convenience” food within the context of speed. Most TV cooking shows use shop bought pastry (with obvious exceptions like Bake off and GBM) now. I think your mate might be kidding himself a bit!
Cotty said:
Hang on are you saying you have never been to a restaurant in your life? I find that a little hard to believe. On Friday I had lunch with an underwriter at http://www.lucsbrasserie.com/ are you saying you would refuse a paid lunch in a restaurant?
I do eat out - but I was speaking with regards to eating at home.It is an interesting topic, where do you draw the line? I make my own sauces, relishes, chutneys and bacon. However, do not make my own cheese / milk.
Like some of the other posters, it is an enjoyment for me :-D
Totally - but I would exclude eating out (as I obviously could not prepare the food).
Eating fast food or centrally cooked meals on the other hand - I do draw the line at!
No, I would not go to Nando/Wagga/Donalds regardless of the invite and company!
Equally, I do not, have not, will not eat the plastic sandwich fifth many a colleague seeks at lunchtime1
Eating fast food or centrally cooked meals on the other hand - I do draw the line at!
No, I would not go to Nando/Wagga/Donalds regardless of the invite and company!
Equally, I do not, have not, will not eat the plastic sandwich fifth many a colleague seeks at lunchtime1
I try and not eat anything pre-prepared (pre-prepared in the spirit of the OP anyway). I Thai boxed for a number of years and this lead me to scrutinise what was in food when making weight for a fight. This quickly filtered down into what I ate day to day when not fight training too.
These are the type of things that I started to exclude if possible from my diet.
Pre-prepared meals (Like the M&S meals etc)
Chain restaurants
Pre-packaged meat from a supermarket (or any meat from a supermarket)
Sauce from a jar
Crisps
Processed meat
Chocolate
Bread
... sure there are more than this on my list of exclusions too.
Anyway, my eating and training became more of an obsession and I decided to stop the Thai Boxing cold a few years back.
5 years or so on and I still train and eat sensibly but don’t rule out as much food out although I still won’t eat a microwave meal, buy meat or veg from a supermarket if possible, eat at a chain restaurant and I always cook as much from scratch as I can. The boxing did make me take an interest and appreciate where food is from, where to source it and how to cook it.
This is why any post in the ‘Photo of your dinner’ thread I do is on a Saturday or Sunday, due to it being my ‘cheat day’... old habits and all that!
These are the type of things that I started to exclude if possible from my diet.
Pre-prepared meals (Like the M&S meals etc)
Chain restaurants
Pre-packaged meat from a supermarket (or any meat from a supermarket)
Sauce from a jar
Crisps
Processed meat
Chocolate
Bread
... sure there are more than this on my list of exclusions too.
Anyway, my eating and training became more of an obsession and I decided to stop the Thai Boxing cold a few years back.
5 years or so on and I still train and eat sensibly but don’t rule out as much food out although I still won’t eat a microwave meal, buy meat or veg from a supermarket if possible, eat at a chain restaurant and I always cook as much from scratch as I can. The boxing did make me take an interest and appreciate where food is from, where to source it and how to cook it.
This is why any post in the ‘Photo of your dinner’ thread I do is on a Saturday or Sunday, due to it being my ‘cheat day’... old habits and all that!
I cook every evening meal from scratch. We used to occasionally buy some prepared stuff, but have gone off it. I was feeling rough last week, so picked up a lasagne. I thought it was pretty bad, my wife managed a few mouthfuls and that was it.
If I have time tonight, I'll make some soup for our lunches this week (didn't have time yesterday). I also make most of the food for our baby.
As for making bread etc, I don't have the time, we have a 10 month old and 2 dogs, so looking after them takes up the time. Also probably explains why I drink a lot of coffee.
If I have time tonight, I'll make some soup for our lunches this week (didn't have time yesterday). I also make most of the food for our baby.
As for making bread etc, I don't have the time, we have a 10 month old and 2 dogs, so looking after them takes up the time. Also probably explains why I drink a lot of coffee.
BigJonMcQuimm said:
Equally, I do not, have not, will not eat the plastic sandwich fifth many a colleague seeks at lunchtime1
Cotty said:
I have a slightly different situation. I have a subsidised restaurant at work and can walk up to the sandwich bar and select my bread, spread, toppings (ham, beef, chicken etc) salad etc and they will make it for me. I have no issues with someone making my sandwich with the same ingredients that I would use, especially if it costs less than I can make it myself.
Similar situation here, subsidised canteen, however, I would not eat there!The only item I purchase is black coffee :-)
Everything here is outsourced and the standard is poor / middle at best.
I certainly could not replicate the quality of meat / fish / bread that I purchase at home, versus downstairs!
The smell of the cheap bacon / sausages / hash browns *shudder* is nauseating to me !!!
As much as I advocate DIY food I do question what is wrong with "Heinz Baked Beans" or a decent quality prepared sauce.
People are fooled into thinking what they do at home is better and/or healthier than what someone else might have done for them, investing millions of pounds into product development along the way!
It may tick a few mental boxes for them but a good quality prepared dish can be as good if not better that the average home made equivalent.
Do your research before condemning pre-made offerings.
People are fooled into thinking what they do at home is better and/or healthier than what someone else might have done for them, investing millions of pounds into product development along the way!
It may tick a few mental boxes for them but a good quality prepared dish can be as good if not better that the average home made equivalent.
Do your research before condemning pre-made offerings.
As the mrs is gluten and dairy intolerant (proper, not lifestyle) most of our meals are homemade. While we'll both get creative regularly most of it is simple fare- pasta, stews, or throw a couple of frozen salmon fillets in the oven/sear some steak, knock up some ratatouille or lob some veg in the steamer. Theres no statement attached to it though, we'll also regularly have sausages with frozen chips or hash browns and sometimes even baked beans.
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