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Convenience food

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Convenience food

Postby Lizzie-47 » Thu Mar 19, 2015 4:00 pm

Saw this article in the Grauniad which made me laugh! http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle ... -food-ever

But it also made me think about the convenience foods I DO use - not because I don't know how to make them from scratch, but because I can't be bothered to make flaky pastry, or because home-made mayo doesn't keep for as long as Hellmans, or because I actually prefer Heinz baked beans!

With all the talented cooks on this board, I might be the only one, but does anyone else use convenience foods?

Lizzie

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Re: Convenience food

Postby Dena » Thu Mar 19, 2015 4:26 pm

Hi Lizzie, made me laugh too. Boiled eggs that take longer than DIY - though I do understand peeled hard boiled quail eggs. They are just so difficult to peel, even using the crack the shell whilst running under cold water trick .

I use ready made puff pastry too and always have a jar of Hellmans in my cupboard but often do make my own. Baked beans, I don't like them from tinned so soak all my beans, chick peas, etc.
If I like the tinned version I think I might have a few tins in the cupboard.

I'm sure I do use others but just can't think of them at the moment. :D

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Re: Convenience food

Postby Joanbunting » Thu Mar 19, 2015 4:36 pm

Hi Lizzie and Dena

Was a funny article, but a bit worrying. If you can't boil an egg then heaven help!!!!

No-one in their right minds makes puff pastry (not even a lot of chefs) but I always make shortcrust and pate sablé

Don't like Hellmans but just sometimes buy chilled locally made mayo from the supermarket.

Have bought peeled quails eggs too, but the GCs love peeling them. Hens' eggs - we have our own.

I do sometimes buy rouille, now I have found a decent brand.
Last edited by Joanbunting on Fri Mar 20, 2015 11:54 am, edited 1 time in total.

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Re: Convenience food

Postby cherrytree » Thu Mar 19, 2015 5:40 pm

Sadly I love making puff pastry-I must have too much time on my hands! Mayo- it depends. I always make my own of its just for the family, but if Im making something for a "do" that requires mayonnaise then I use bottled. This is to cover my back should anything go wrong. My attempts at marzipan last Christmas were so catastrophic that I won't go there again. I can honestly say though that I have never in my life bought a mince pie or a hot cross bun.

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Re: Convenience food

Postby Stokey Sue » Thu Mar 19, 2015 6:09 pm

I don't even think some of those are what I'd call convenience foods

For example
John West boneless sardines in tomato sauce
Cost: 99p for a 95g tin.
Conventional alternative: 80p for the same amount of fresh sardine and tomato puree.


A lot of people really don't like sardine bones, and would regard having them filleted as a necessity rather than a mere convenience, and I think most people who really like sardines buy both fresh and canned for different uses - I certainly do
I don't buy boneless canned, I buy Lidl's Nixe, which have particularly nice tomato sauce, lovely mashed with spring onions and hot chilli sauce for a sandwich or on toast, and they can sit in the cupboard for years which is a genuine convenience that fresh doesn't give you)

Sainsbury’s extra-mature grated cheddar
Cost: £8 per kilo.
Conventional alternative: £6.25 per kg for ungrated.
Convenience: Grab grated cheese from the bag, rather than drag a block over a grater for a couple of seconds
Overall verdict: Only makes sense if cooking for huge numbers of people, and so the grating really does become time consuming. .


I do buy Morrison's extra mature grated cheddar - why? Because it is often cheaper than whole (no I don't understand that either) and freezes really well in its pouch, staying fluid in separate strands, so I can just grab a handful whenever I want - handy for one person.

There are some convenience foods I really don't get - the pre-made omelette, the pre-made tuna pasta bake and many other examples of dishes that originated as quick and easy things you could conveniently make from the contents of your larder at 2 minutes notice

Convenience foods I buy? Sometimes JusRol,
I always have some ready made mayo, homemade doesn't keep and often I only want a tsp. or so to go into my lunch
Kikkoman teriyaki marinade - to make it you buy 3 bottles and mix the contents, might as well buy it pre-blended IMO, I add fresh ginger & garlic
Fondant (rolling) icing
Quaker microwave porridge sachets (they keep much better than loose, and the are treated to reduce the risk of boiling over)
Is SR flour a convenience product?

I was reading a Burmese cook book - the writer's mother was shocked that in the UK she had to make her own crispy shallots, instead of buying them in the market; she felt very much like this was hard work - and most veg in Burmese markets are sold prepped for slinging in the pot - we're all at it :D

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Re: Convenience food

Postby jeral » Thu Mar 19, 2015 6:30 pm

I think the article is overly derisive as it gives only a cursory acknowledgement of various people's individual needs.

The biggest "against" seems to be laziness. However, all the items seem reasonably healthy in principle (i.e. before assessing added salt, sugar, butter) and must be better than either doing without or living on candy bars - and a big plus that there should be no wastage.

Anyway. I use some, e.g.
tinned mandarins (too fiddly) or
mangoes (perfect ripeness),
garlic or garlic & ginger paste,
frozen spinach bricks,
puff pastry of course.

I have more time now. Before, ready carved chicken or tikka'd chunks for lunchbox were a must even knowing that the relative cost was pretty ludicrous. As I'm non-meat, it also saved the kitchen smelling of chicken cooking for hours on end :)

I'm afraid any sort of bought pies or pasties have never got past being a poor imitation. Some cakes, e.g. Madeira, are pretty good though and versatile too for puds.

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Re: Convenience food

Postby Stokey Sue » Thu Mar 19, 2015 7:19 pm

jeral wrote:I think the article is overly derisive as it gives only a cursory acknowledgement of various people's individual needs


Exactly :clap

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Re: Convenience food

Postby BelgianEndive » Thu Mar 19, 2015 7:38 pm

Hah! I can't believe the ready to eat egg when hot water poured over it! I've not seen that one over here.
I agree with Jeral about the article being derisive.

Considering that we live in another country and habits are different, I do get some convenience foods.

First off I have a big confession to make: I cannot make a decent mayo, it goes kaput on me every time :shock: so I haven't made one for years although OH makes one which is very good. Still I buy Maille Fine mayo, prefer it by far to Hellman's which is too sweet for me. The rare occasion I make a pie, whether it is flaky or sablé or whatever I buy the ready-made stuff of course. I grate cheese myself, but will buy frozen chopped shallots for quick use as well as fresh ones which I ask OH to chop as they make me cry. I've certainly bought peeled quail eggs but not seen them in a while. I buy taboulé which is a bag of couscous and a tin of sauce which I mix and then vastly improve on by adding mint, tomatoes, spring onions and parsley and lemon juice. There must be other things but not much.

I don't for one minute feel bad about the above! :D

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Re: Convenience food

Postby Gillthepainter » Thu Mar 19, 2015 8:11 pm

Yip.
I've softened.

Used to make stock from scratch and load up the freezer in pouches.
Bake tomatoes and make up batches of passata and sauce.

But now I just buy cubes and cartons of both when required.

Re the article: all you have to do is peel potatoes, chop them, cook them, mash them sounds like a lot of hard work.
Which I think it is. Peeling potatoes is a drag really.
The ready bought mash is the most convenient of the list and makes complete sense to buy it.

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Re: Convenience food

Postby Sakkarin » Thu Mar 19, 2015 11:38 pm

I'm afraid I couldn't resist a bit of Photoshoppery after reading about those silly "instant" boiled eggs.

If they take off, here's my suggestion for the follow-up product...

Image

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Re: Convenience food

Postby Gillthepainter » Fri Mar 20, 2015 8:56 am

Ha ha ha ha ha.

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Re: Convenience food

Postby elderberry » Fri Mar 20, 2015 11:22 am

Joanbunting wrote:Hi Lizzie and Dena

Was a funny article, but a bit worrying. If you can't boil and egg the heaven help!!!!
.

Well actually I had to boil an egg for my elderly mum yesterday, and she very much appreciated it. Everything like grated cheese, sliced onion or grated carrot have uses to those who cannot prepare food easily.

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Re: Convenience food

Postby Stokey Sue » Fri Mar 20, 2015 11:56 am

elderberry wrote:Everything like grated cheese, sliced onion or grated carrot have uses to those who cannot prepare food easily.


Exactly

I spent 3 months with my right hand and forearm in a splint, and a weak hand for weeks after of course

Iceland frozen diced onions & peppers were brilliant, and actually I'd buy them if mass catering to save time and effort in a cramped kitchen

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Re: Convenience food

Postby Joanbunting » Fri Mar 20, 2015 2:55 pm

elderberry wrote:
Joanbunting wrote:Hi Lizzie and Dena

Was a funny article, but a bit worrying. If you can't boil and egg the heaven help!!!!
.

Well actually I had to boil an egg for my elderly mum yesterday, and she very much appreciated it. Everything like grated cheese, sliced onion or grated carrot have uses to those who cannot prepare food easily.


Well of course, but forgive me didn't you actually have to heat this egg up in boiling/hot water?

Of course somethings make life easier/possible for those without the time or the physical ability to do it themselves. It is not unknown for me, especially in winter to have several bags of Picard frozen items available ie mixed sliced peppers, chopped shallots, persilade topping etc.

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Re: Convenience food

Postby Dena » Fri Mar 20, 2015 4:14 pm

I think we all use convenience foods to some degree. I just wish I/we could get frozen small onions as opposed to peeling and freezing them myself.

What is the already mashed potato like Gill. Must admit I don't usually peel my potatoes, a little while in the microwave then in t'oven, When done scoop out the insides, straight into the ricer, et voila!! A plus too is that you have the skins to make crispy spud skins for dipping. I save and freeze them for parties, etc.

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Re: Convenience food

Postby Stokey Sue » Fri Mar 20, 2015 4:44 pm

I often make mash by cooking the spuds in their jackets in my combi oven on the baked potato setting, halving them, and squishing them through a potato ricer cut side down

Easy

However I do sometimes buy Brannigan's frozen jacket spuds for instant lunches - they reheat much better in a microwave than nuking from raw. Freezing your own slow cooked jackets also works

Joanbunting wrote:Well of course, but forgive me didn't you actually have to heat this egg up in boiling/hot water?

Of course somethings make life easier/possible for those without the time or the physical ability to do it themselves. It is not unknown for me, especially in winter to have several bags of Picard frozen items available ie mixed sliced peppers, chopped shallots, persilade topping etc.


I think the thing about that article is that it starts with the pre-cooked boiled egg which is clearly a bit silly, and then assumes that everything pre-cooked/pre-prepared is equally redundant, which is in itself pretty stupid. hence the defence of our favourite dodges.

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Re: Convenience food

Postby Lizzie-47 » Fri Mar 20, 2015 5:22 pm

Elderberry, that's a really good point about prepared food for people who may not be able to do their own chopping/grating - I hadn't thought of that :oops:

Sakkarin, that's brilliant! :lol:

I guess the article was a bit glib, although they did admit that some prepared foods, like tinned sardines, were cheaper/easier than doing it yourself.

Lizzie

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Re: Convenience food

Postby jeral » Fri Mar 20, 2015 6:12 pm

If the eggs do indeed come out perfectly soft boiled every time, they're probably worth their weight in gold ;) The Yowk page says it's a kit with egg cup, spooth, breadsticks, salt & pepper, so not just an egg:
http://www.yowk.co.uk/

They're free range and pasteurised so will be safe for young and old too.

I'm going to have to buy one now if only to find out what a spooth is...

Apparently Lidl sells them, so please Joanbunting let us know in due course if they arrive in your Lidl.

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Re: Convenience food

Postby BelgianEndive » Fri Mar 20, 2015 7:05 pm

Yep I like the toast too Sakkarin!

Gill, shame on you, you buy frozen mash? I'll admit to buying frozen shallots, even chives and frozen coriander. Mash is one thing I need to make myself. I don't like the prepared mash that you can buy. Admittedly I tried that a long time ago, maybe they have improved?

Ha ha, Jeral I was going to ask what is a "spooth"? :roll:

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Re: Convenience food

Postby jeral » Fri Mar 20, 2015 7:39 pm

Powdered mash is sold in big 1 or 2kg packs round here. I assume for making fishcakes or other patties or as a thickener maybe for local cafes etc. Although it's labelled as 100% potato, it has a strange taste to me as if dried milk has been added, but that's irrelevant if mixed with spicy flavours.

I wonder if there are now two definitions of "convenience" - i.e. poo-poo'd if twice the price but OK if half the price? Powdered spud is much cheaper if peelings wastage, time & fuel are included, much dearer if sold in titch "convenience" packs. Maybe it's more the cost of packaging/waste that's objected to?

---

On Sakkarin's toast, would it mean that those mile-long Chorleywood steam tunnels could make a neverending loaf? A good Tesco wheeze I'm finding is that their seed loaf sold only as thick sliced has a double thick crust either end (which many people don't use) thus increasing sales deliberately by encouraging wastage *growl*

I honestly think you could be onto something if the packaging was recyclable as you already have the USP of no "end crusts". (Perfect for a graphic of a devil with a dustbin, lol). For example, when I defrost a couple of slices, I do so in a poly bag anyway which is not that different from Toasteezi. Another good graphic would be Toes Teasey, in the way that we eat Fry Deggs, Boil Deggs, Scramble Deggs etc...
Well it is Friday :wino

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