How Often Do You Rustle Up A Meal From Scratch?

lawred2 · 02-05-2019 11:59AM

JupiterKid wrote: »

Well, I’ve been flat out incredibly busy with work the past week, and when I get home in the evenings I’ve been just too wrecked to start cooking a dinner for myself and my OH from scratch, so I might boil some spuds, open a tin of peas and stick a frozen Chicken Kiev in the oven.

Some days I’m so tired I’d just order something in. I know, it’s a bad habit...

But how often do you have the time - please be honest - to do a big cook with many ingredients bought fresh, prep the food and cook the meal? Is it worth the effort?

Do share...

pretty much every day

always worth the effort

nothing ready made or convenient comes close in taste to what I make myself

Lux23 · 02-05-2019 11:59AM

5 days a week at the least.

jiltloop · 02-05-2019 12:00PM

I enjoy cooking most days, get lazy maybe once a week and get something quick but in general I enjoy cooking and have a decent foundation of knowledge to get something cooked as long as I have a few fresh ingredients in the fridge.

Once you have rice, noodles, pasta, tinned beans/tomatoes, spuds in the kitchen you can always buy fresh veg every 2-3 days and rustle something up. Once a week we usually get fish, chicken, pork, some red meat (less so these days) and freeze it in portions, take it out in the morning before work so it's defrosted by the time I'm home.

Feisar · 02-05-2019 12:00PM

theteal wrote: »

Most Sundays I take a bit of time to do a big batch of something e.g. bolognese, chili, curry, pasta bake etc. That'll do dinner that day and then cover me or lunches until maybe Wednesday - being honest I'm probably sick of it by Wednesday so hit Tesco for a meal deal.

Everyday dinners are easy, I mean spuds, rice, pasta with chicken, steak, salmon etc. and a bunch of veg doesn't take much time really - sure the meat and veg cooks while the spuds are boiling so all in about 15 minutes. When we have chips it takes a bit longer because of the prep, par boil and then airfryer is a bit slow but apparently we're allowed now have these slimming world chips straight from the freezer - how convenient!

I enjoy the process of cooking, after a day of dealing with issues/people it's good for helping the brain relax.

a bolognese can become a chili fairly easily have it with rice one night and a backed potato the next, so three fairly distinct dinners from the one pot.

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1 · 02-05-2019 12:14PM

Every day.

Wibbs · 02-05-2019 12:16PM

Kehlani Tender Rodent wrote: »

Every day.

This. Every meal pretty much. Once a month I'll pop to the chippers for a single of some greasy stodgy chips but that's about it.

Irish Guitarist · 02-05-2019 12:20PM

I bought an omelette maker a couple of years ago and for a while made omelettes every day. I enjoyed using it but the thing was too hard to clean. I've made a nice pasta bake a couple of times with Tesco tomato soup, pasta and grated cheese. I don't know if that counts as from scratch as the soup was already made. I make the odd egg salad sandwich or scrambled egg and toast. I'm not sure if that counts either.

lawred2 · 02-05-2019 12:23PM

Irish Guitarist wrote: »

I bought an omelette maker a couple of years ago and for a while made omelettes every day. I enjoyed using it but the thing was too hard to clean. I've made a nice pasta bake a couple of times with Tesco tomato soup, pasta and grated cheese. I don't know if that counts as from scratch as the soup was already made. I make the odd egg salad sandwich or scrambled egg and toast. I'm not sure if that counts either.

Is an omelette maker not a frying pan?

Irish Guitarist · 02-05-2019 12:33PM

lawred2 wrote: »

Is an omelette maker not a frying pan?

Sure, if you want to make boring omelettes. These are much sexier.

lawred2 · 02-05-2019 12:44PM

Irish Guitarist wrote: »

Sure, if you want to make boring omelettes. These are much sexier.

they look nice but that's exactly how my omelettes look out of my frying pan...

RobertKK · 02-05-2019 12:57PM

Everyday, porridge and omelette for breakfast. The omelette usually with cheese and some greens.
Dinner sometimes it two veg and fish, more times I make a chicken stew - cook the chicken in the oven, then chop it up, throw it into a large saucepan, add a load of different vegetables, some chicken stock, and I have a dinner for a few days, good healthy and simple.
It doesn't have to be complicated. Once it tastes great with good nourishment, that is all I want.
I make my own bread, tarts and things too. Being biased but it is much better than mass produced in my opinion.

pq0n1ct4ve8zf5 · 02-05-2019 01:01PM

Not as often as I should, though I eat a lot of them. My partner is self employed and works from home a lot so he naturally ends up doing most of it. Nights he's not there or has already eaten (he eats meat and I don't so sometimes he fancies a steak or whatever) I'd rarely actually cook from scratch.

I walk past an Iceland on my way home so I might grab a ready meal there. Otherwise I'll just graze away for the evening on fruit, toast, whatever veg is on the fridge that doesn't need peeled or cooked (cherry tomatoes, celery, peppers), nuts etc. Basically just a very large deconstructed salad :pac:

The days I'm off I usually would cook something that'll do a few days, stew, chilli, curry.

Don't get takeaways very often, not sure when I last had one. There have been phases where it was multiple times a week though.

kowloon · 02-05-2019 01:10PM

freshpopcorn wrote: »

I'm alright at cooking from scratch meals/cakes/etc from I was a teenager. Nothing really would bother me. We'd cook a good enough dinner every day. My meals probably wouldn't good looking enough for Instagram tough.

I don't think the instagram crowd actually eat that food. You spray it with clear varnish to keep it good for longer. It's something nice to look at while you ingest your nutrient rich survival paste.

LimeFruitGum · 02-05-2019 08:15PM

Cooking a meal can take as long as waiting for a takeaway, so you may as well cook. It doesn’t take that long to chop some veg, season some fish or meat, and bung them into the oven.

Bassfish · 02-05-2019 09:14PM

It pays to plan meals smartly. Plan your meals and do your shopping based on the meal plan. E.G throw on a Chicken and a stew/pie on a Sunday Morning. Roast chicken dinner Sunday, chicken noodles/fried rice Monday evening, stew/pie Tuesday and Wednesday, quick pasta dish Thursday, things that cook quickly Friday and Saturday: burgers/steaks/fish etc. Rinse and repeat!

dartboardio · 02-05-2019 11:48PM

What even is an omelette maker? Thats like a fried egg maker..

Surely it's just to keep it in a nice shape or something?

Struggling with cooking ideas for the warmer time of year, end up having burgers and salad or chicken salad rice and sweet corn everyday.

Any ideas?

arybvtcw0eolkf · 02-05-2019 11:52PM

Almost every day, tbh I can't remember the last take away I've had.

I spend a bloody fortune in the butchers on fresh meats, but then I have a very high protein, low carb and medium fats diet which isn't cheap.

Helps that my daughter is a chef, paying for her culinary arts degree has been worth every penny

03-05-2019 12:04AM

Zelda Weak Radial wrote: »

Almost every day, tbh I can't remember the last take away I've had.

I spend a bloody fortune in the butchers on fresh meats, but then I have a very high protein, low carb and medium fats diet which isn't cheap.

Helps that my daughter is a chef, paying for her culinary arts degree has been worth every penny

That’s the point of having kids, so they can look after us in our old age.

My daughter came out a few years ago. It’s something I thought would never happen to me, but I love her and I respect her decision.

Now I just have to accept that I have a vegetarian in the family.

wakka12 · 03-05-2019 01:04AM

I cook a curry/stew whatever twice a week, a big pot, that will last me for 2 dinners and 2 lunches, other than that, might get a few meals in college, some nights just do something easy like an omelette or toast with egg and avocado. I find cooking tough and boring and I think its expensive to buy the ingredients tbh. I must be doing it very wrong but I spend nearly the same amount from buying my weekly groceries as I would from eating lunch and dinner out daily(in a cheap cafe obviously)

But I prefer cooking at home just because its much healthier, scary how much salt and sugar food bought out of home has in it

How Often Do You Rustle Up A Meal From Scratch?

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