Do you buy ready made meals.

fin12 · 16-04-2016 12:32am

I really like the Lidl frozen meals chicken tikka masala and chicken Balti but would only get them the odd time but I actually haven't seen them now in ages in any Lidl store? I wonder have the stopped making them does anyone know, they would have a korma and jalfrezzi one as well.

goz83 · 16-04-2016 12:45am

The OH hates when i eat ready made crap....but still, she bought chicken kievs yesterday and spwedges for my dinner. It was muck! I used to eat ready made meals and convenience foods daily. I even loved the meatballs and mash they sell in IKEA. I'm glad to say I don't have them as much as I used to and my waist line says thanks.

The Randy Riverbeast · 16-04-2016 12:56am

Deleted User wrote: »

I would never eat a ready meal. They are only for lazy, slovenly people.

I much prefer to fly to Italy on a regular basis and get freshly made pasta. When there I also supervise the care of some calves because on my next trip I'll be slicing chunks off of them to bring home.

My garden is full of vegetables. Why go to the shop like the other plebs when I grow my own? I also have goats. In the evening I like nothing better than to make cheese from their milk.

I catch my own fish in a little boat I acquired. Off I go with my rod and bring back a lovely haul of trout and salmon. It's so simple that anyone could do it.

The best thing about all of this is it only takes ten minutes.

You dont happen to work in the finance industry in Germany where you complain about the IT department do you?

Minderbinder · 16-04-2016 1:12am

No I wouldn't be a fan of ready made meals. They're just not nice.

The wife has been confined to bed for a few days so I bought one of those corn fed chickens from Tesco and boiled it with a little ginger, scallions and wolfberries. Made broccoli in oyster sauce and cooked rice and it was good for a couple of dinners and a lunch. The chicken soup is the drink of the gods.

Robsweezie · 16-04-2016 2:47am

I eat those pasta pots from dolmio and used to eat the microwaveable dolmio pasta in the packet . tasted a bit like rubber but I liked it anyway.

those rustlers burgers can go die a horrific death. had one before and the taste of absolute nothing off them. never again.

mdwexford · 16-04-2016 3:28am

Ready meals are more nutrious than cooking from scratch.

Lady is a tramp · 16-04-2016 7:05am

I love Cully & Sully ready meals as a treat, and I can't see anything in the ingredients that would put me off them. The main deterrent is the price, but as I'm usually only cooking for one, it's hard to use up loads of fresh ingredients. So I can justify the odd readymade C&S lasagna or cottage pie!

I'd also often buy the readymade stir-frys etc from the local butchers, although I'm not sure if they count as you do actually have to cook them - they just have all the veg/spices included. Again, when cooking for one, it's a more economical option rather than buying a load of peppers etc that I won't end up using.

Mister Vain · 16-04-2016 7:22am

Yes I'm a terrible cook so I always buy them. There are some good healthy tasty ones available now though in fairness. Options were limited years ago.

Speedwell · 16-04-2016 7:34am

I do absolutely have to admit that the quality of readymade meals here is vastly superior to the quality of readymade stuff in the US. Standards are just higher and there's no jiggerypokery about the labelling.

Keane2baMused · 16-04-2016 7:36am

Robsweezie wrote: »

those rustlers burgers can go die a horrific death. had one before and the taste of absolute nothing off them. never again.

My other half actually likes them. When he takes a trip home to his family his mother will always have a couple of them in the fridge in case he's 'peckish'.

They are vile. I have questioned our relationship a few times while seeing him eat a rustlers

Shenshen · 16-04-2016 10:05am

We usually have some frozen pizzas in the freezer, but that's about the extend of it.
I've tried the readymade pasta sauces and have yet to find one that would actually make me want to finish the plate.

I did recently buy a microwave meal, mostly out of curiosity. My husband doesn't like aubergines, so I don't make moussaka - no point making that for just one person. So I tried Tesco's frozen one. Binned it after the first mouthfull. It was absolutely horrendous.

It's just a taste thing, I guess. I love cooking, it allows me to make it taste exactly the way I like it.

TerrorFirmer · 16-04-2016 10:13am

I don't eat them too often but there are some nice ones. The worst one I ever tasted was Weightwatchers Mac and Cheese....tasted like a hot microwaved gym sock.

Mesrine65 · 16-04-2016 10:15am

Speedwell wrote: »

I do absolutely have to admit that the quality of readymade meals here is vastly superior to the quality of readymade stuff in the US. Standards are just higher and there's no jiggerypokery about the labelling.

This word makes me smile...that is all

Penny Tration · 16-04-2016 10:16am

I don't buy them often, a lot of them are muck. Don't eat jar sauces either cause my own are cheaper and nicer.

Tbh it tastes much better making your own meals, then just putting extra portions in the freezer for when you're busy or lazy.

Don't really care what other people eat though tbh, there's obviously a market for them.

r93kaey5p2izun · 16-04-2016 10:20am

I buy a pasta bake from M&S every few weeks. If I use sauces (once a month) they are from a jar and soup is from a carton (once or twice a month). Mostly I just eat very simple, plain, boring food but if I was to eat more exciting dishes more often then they would definitely be ready meals. Cooking for one is a pain and the waste is huge. Very little freezer space means nowhere to store any leftovers and lack of fridge space for fresh ingredients once open too.

murpho999 · 16-04-2016 10:22am

People eating ready meals 4-5 times a week should really look at how much salt and sugar is in their diet.

This stuff is not good for them.

It's definitely easier to make stuff for yourself in larger quantities then portion and freeze what's left and then you have meals for the week.

French_Girl · 16-04-2016 10:35am

For now? Yea, I still buy them occasionally.
When I have kids and family one day, I will turn into a proper housewife and cook everything from scratch. And will quite enjoy it as well like I do now when I cook every once in a while.

Actually, after reading this thread I ended up getting a ready-made meal last night.
What's a girl to do? I was hungry!

Cathy.C · 16-04-2016 10:42am

McCain's Ready Made Jacket Potatoes have to the laziest ready meal of all time.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Brr_idvh5vE

Chickarooney · 16-04-2016 10:50am

TerrorFirmer wrote: »

I don't eat them too often but there are some nice ones. The worst one I ever tasted was Weightwatchers Mac and Cheese....tasted like a hot microwaved gym sock.

I think the only reason the weight watchers ones are so low calorie is because there's nothing in them!!

There's a difference (IMO) in the likes of the cully and sully stuff, which are generally fresh foods and with a reasonable use by date, and stuff as someone else said, that is good til 2025.

That said. If you've a decent diet and you're having the occasional dolmio stir in sauce to get some food into you with ten minutes to spare, then you're doing yourself no harm. It's really only if you're living on nothing else that you'd have to worry. I just find the jars of sauces very very sickly sweet.

mzungu · 16-04-2016 10:55am

Never buy ready made anything. Much prefer to cook myself a proper meal.

Miguel_Sanchez · 16-04-2016 10:56am

When I was in college I used to but now I cook everything from scratch at home.

The Randy Riverbeast · 16-04-2016 11:12am

Robsweezie wrote: »

I eat those pasta pots from dolmio and used to eat the microwaveable dolmio pasta in the packet . tasted a bit like rubber but I liked it anyway.

those rustlers burgers can go die a horrific death. had one before and the taste of absolute nothing off them. never again.

I thought they were OK, until I had a chunk of plastic in one.

AnonoBoy · 16-04-2016 11:14am

I'm a rebel.

I used to buy those Ready Made Meal Deals for Two.

Then I'd eat 'em all myself.

Fight the Power!

Stick it to Marks and Spencers the Man!

16-04-2016 1:29pm

I very rarely buy ready meals (excluding frozen pizza) but I would eat out or get take away 2 or 3 times every week (mostly at weekends) and buy lunch everyday.

There are some really good fresh ready meals (not frozen) now though being sold by the likes of supervale or in butchers. Cottage pie, lasagnes, currys etc which are very like what you would make at home.

16-04-2016 2:53pm

The Randy Riverbeast wrote: »

You dont happen to work in the finance industry in Germany where you complain about the IT department do you?

Well funny you should mention that. I have a chap who does a bit of ground maintenance for me. With all my catching of fish and slicing up cattle I don't have the time. He's a bit odd but harmless. You know the type. 40, lives with his mam, wouldn't know one end of a woman from the other, or indeed man. Andy or something is his name.

Anyways it turns out Andy lives an entirely delusional life. In his head he is a wealthy financier working for a large German bank. I had to call around to his house with his wages and there he was at the kitchen table in his stained pj's happily regaling the internet with tales of his success and high living.

How sad thought I as I made my way back to my Aston Martin. It's pillar box green don't you know.

Giblet · 16-04-2016 3:01pm

I'd watch those tins of tomatoes you buy in some supermarkets. Full of Sugar. I know LIDL do a pretty good tin though.

George Michael · 16-04-2016 3:07pm

i bought a halogen oven recently. one of the best buys i have ever done. i cook fish, chicken, steak, beef burgers, prawns, chips etc in it. only takes 20ish minutes.

saves me a fortune in buying microwave meals or buy carvery dinners.

i would recommend it to anyone who cant cook.

RedXIV · 16-04-2016 3:10pm

I know I shouldn't and to be fair, Herself is a great cook and cooks lots for scratch but I'd have no problem getting stuck into a ready meal. Can't even use time as an excuse, usually just lazy

There's a certain pasta meal that I particular like, I'm sure it's shocking bad for me but I love it. I'll get better someday but for now, tasty food is tasty food

FizzleSticks · 16-04-2016 4:31pm

This post has been deleted.

Penny Tration · 16-04-2016 5:08pm

The Randy Riverbeast wrote: »

I thought they were OK, until I had a chunk of plastic in one.

I found a zip in a bisto Bolognese ready meal a few years ago :pac:

B0jangles · 16-04-2016 5:08pm

Keane2baMused wrote: »

On occasion I do. However I never give ready meals to my kids. It's more for my OH who can't cook to save his life so he likes to have one or two in the fridge/ freezer for such an emergency when I'm not around

You can get some that aren't so bad. The traffic light system is great for checking salt/ sugar / fat contents.

FYI there are no rules about how producers colour code any form of traffic light system they use, which leads to ridiculously misleading labelling like this:

Keane2baMused · 16-04-2016 10:38pm

B0jangles wrote: »

FYI there are no rules about how producers colour code any form of traffic light system they use, which leads to ridiculously misleading labelling like this:

Those images don't seem to be working.

I don't need the traffic light system myself as I know what is excessive regarding fat/sugar/salt but it can be good for those with less awareness.

Keane2baMused · 16-04-2016 10:40pm

Giblet wrote: »

I'd watch those tins of tomatoes you buy in some supermarkets. Full of Sugar. I know LIDL do a pretty good tin though.

As in added sugar? I've never noticed tinned tomatoes with added anything!

If it's natural sugar you mean that's expected.

Sheep in a field · 16-04-2016 10:51pm

It's easy to cook/steam some meat, frozen veg and or rice /pasta.

Just throw it in there and Wait.

B0jangles · 17-04-2016 11:09am

Keane2baMused wrote: »

Those images don't seem to be working.

I don't need the traffic light system myself as I know what is excessive regarding fat/sugar/salt but it can be good for those with less awareness.

That's weird, the links are fine for me, anyway I've attached them to this post.

I just found what Knorr have done to be really against the spirit of what the traffic light system is supposed to achieve, they are basically relying on people assuming Green=Good and not seeing the actual information about salt content.

17-04-2016 12:17pm

Giblet wrote: »

I'd watch those tins of tomatoes you buy in some supermarkets. Full of Sugar. I know LIDL do a pretty good tin though.

Think you must be thinking of jars of sauces etc. Chopped tomatoes, passata etc never have things added as far as I remember.

Speedwell · 17-04-2016 12:22pm

Ellianna Bewildered Train wrote: »

Think you must be thinking of jars of sauces etc. Chopped tomatoes, passata etc never have things added as far as I remember.

I used to eat a lot of tinned "stewed tomatoes" in the US, until I saw how much sugar was typically added to them. You really do need to read labels. But in general you're right. Passata should have no sugar and "chopped tomatoes" or "whole tomatoes in juice" should not have sugar either.

B0jangles · 17-04-2016 5:38pm

I've noticed most passata here in Ireland has quite a lot of added salt, so I just liquidize a tin of whole or chopped tomatoes instead - the ordinary ones from Lidl or Aldi have no added anything in them.

gutenberg · 17-04-2016 5:44pm

Ellianna Bewildered Train wrote: »

Think you must be thinking of jars of sauces etc. Chopped tomatoes, passata etc never have things added as far as I remember.

B0jangles wrote: »

I've noticed most passata here in Ireland has quite a lot of added salt, so I just liquidize a tin of whole or chopped tomatoes instead - the ordinary ones from Lidl or Aldi have no added anything in them.

There is usually salt added to passata - sometimes a huge amount (one carton I saw had something like 30% of your daily recommended amount). I'm living in the UK and there was one brand of passata that didn't have any added salt - and then my local supermarket stopped selling it :mad: Need to go back to just pulverising a tin of tomatoes!

Keane2baMused · 17-04-2016 5:48pm

Napolina and Cirio passata have no added salt.

Xaracatz · 17-04-2016 6:01pm

[Deleted User] wrote: »

I would never eat a ready meal. They are only for lazy, slovenly people.

I much prefer to fly to Italy on a regular basis and get freshly made pasta. When there I also supervise the care of some calves because on my next trip I'll be slicing chunks off of them to bring home.

My garden is full of vegetables. Why go to the shop like the other plebs when I grow my own? I also have goats. In the evening I like nothing better than to make cheese from their milk.

I catch my own fish in a little boat I acquired. Off I go with my rod and bring back a lovely haul of trout and salmon. It's so simple that anyone could do it.

The best thing about all of this is it only takes ten minutes.

Pfffff. I carved my own fishing boat. Out of a bigger fishing boat.. Which I also carved.

-_-

gutenberg · 17-04-2016 6:04pm

Keane2baMused wrote: »

Napolina and Cirio passata have no added salt.

I don't know about Cirio, but the Napolina passata sold here does contain salt. It's something like 0.4g per half carton.

Irish_rat · 17-04-2016 6:06pm

I get the cully and sully soups the odd time but everything else is pretty much cooked up.

Spanish Eyes · 17-04-2016 7:28pm

There are some things that are just far too time consuming to make yourself.

Like passata, tomato sauce, pesto, mayonnaise etc. Buy them - of course I do.

I always have Aldi Cottage pie and Lasagne in the freezer for days I can't be bothered. But that is rare, then again that's what a freezer is for!

I mash spuds with no butter or milk and use an ice cream scoop to open freeze em. They are the biz, and reheat beautifully. Yum feckin Yum.

I always think that some who advocate cooking everything au naturel are spoofers.

Everyone needs a standby for days when you might not be in the mood for cooking.

I think it is called moderation in all things.

Frozen fish and vegetables (apart from carrotts yuk) are great too BTW and not to be knocked either. Fresher than fresh I'd say!

Dave0JV · 19-04-2016 12:17pm

I normally would make my own food but there are days where you just want to not have to worry about it so for those days the ready made stuff is extremely handy

MrMorooka · 19-04-2016 1:36pm

Don't see the point of spending an hour or more making a meal that I will eat in 2 minutes, then cleaning up after it. Then dealing with managing expiration dates and ingredient quantities- it's not set up for people who live alone.

Obviously, as a result of this attitude I am fat. I think it's a major issue- we haven't cracked the food science problem. If you want to eat healthily, you have no choice but to spend a lot of time and effort cooking. Now that the economy has changed such that both partners in a relationship have to work and you don't have a full time housekeeper, people get married much later or not at all, that is more and more difficult, and kids raised in such an environment(like myself) are set up for obesity problems in life.

We really need to automate our way out of this. There was a time when you had to spend hours a day cleaning clothes, cleaning the house, but we invented stuff like the vacuum and washing/drying machines, lawnmowers, all sorts of gadgets that eliminate a lot of the work involved. But there has been no such revolution for food, cooking at home is still fundamentally the same as it's been for hundreds of years and designed for a world where you have hours a day to prepare stuff from scratch, instead of just a few hours after work in the evening. We need a solution.

Maximus Alexander · 19-04-2016 1:38pm

I don't drill for oil when I need to put petrol in the car.

TerrorFirmer · 19-04-2016 1:42pm

That's ridiculously sensationalist. Ready made meals doesn't equate to eating significant quantities of garbage. You could still eat a lot of convenience meals and be a perfectly normal weight. Being fat equals unhealthy but being unhealthy does not equal fat. If you're considerably overweight, it's a problem on your end and not inherently ready made meals.

Too many people throwing around excuses rather than just accept the truth that they are lazy and prefer to eat convenience food. You don't have to slave over a stove for "hours a day". Just cook something on Monday and make enough so that it lasts you the week. It's not rocket science nor is it thesoul-destroying, life-sapping effort it's made out to be.

MrMorooka · 19-04-2016 1:51pm

TerrorFirmer wrote: »

That's ridiculously sensationalist. Ready made meals doesn't equate to eating significant quantities of garbage. You could still eat a lot of convenience meals and be a perfectly normal weight. Being fat equals unhealthy but being unhealthy does not equal fat. If you're considerably overweight, it's a problem on your end and not inherently ready made meals.

Too many people throwing around excuses rather than just accept the truth that they are lazy and prefer to eat convenience food. You don't have to slave over a stove for "hours a day". Just cook something on Monday and make enough so that it lasts you the week. It's not rocket science nor is it thesoul-destroying, life-sapping effort it's made out to be.

What's wrong with being lazy? My problem is that you don't like cooking, you're ****ed, since we haven't come up with a better way of eating healthily. I actively dislike cooking, I am terrible at it. Made pancakes at the weekend to use up mix that I got for pancake Tuesday, it was a total mess, pancakes burned on the outside and raw batter in the middle, lots of smoke. I just can't cook beyond putting meat in the oven for a set time and boiling some veg/pasta. Any time I've tried it's been a disaster.

Or what I find, is that it's never worth the effort- food I cook for myself and put the time into doesn't taste any better than convenience food. Often it is significantly worse. So why bother? I used to fry chicken on a pan in garlic and then add to my pasta- then I found that just putting the breast in the oven and cutting it up and adding didn't taste any worse and was like 200% less effort, so I don't bother anymore.

19-04-2016 1:57pm

MrMorooka wrote: »

If you want to eat healthily, you have no choice but to spend a lot of time and effort cooking.

This really is not the case. Perhaps a complete beginner who is making all the wrong recipes has that issue - but with a little improvement you find that you can make all kinds of things really quickly.

Baked things especially as they take little effort to make - and then cook themselves in the oven while you do other things.

Take this for example. You throw a few ingredients in a pan - stir for a few minutes - then lob it all into a baking dish and leave it back for half an hour. Total of 10 minutes actual effort.

Similarly a healthy lunch or light dinner for a hot summers day - lob all these ingredients into a bowl and then take some of your frustrations from the day out by mashing it for 5 minutes.

Even slightly more complicated this recipe takes up 15 to 20 minutes effort. But it is a great one because there is always sauce left over which can be used as a home made pizza base - or thickened further to use as a dip for nachos.

The best and most time saving meals are ones like that - where you are always left with a by-product or left over that goes straight into another meal or snack.

Like many things in life - you will take longer when starting up than you will after a couple of weeks practice. And with a really enjoyable meal you will not be shovelling it in in 2 minutes like you describe. You will savour it and enjoy it.

Which is also another factor in obesity. Taking time to eat slower can actually mean you eat less - because you are not conveyor belting it into your mouth before your body has a chance to say "Stop - that's enough for now".

So with a little initial effort you will get from 1+ hours preparation : 2 minutes eating to something closer to 20 minutes preparation : 20 minutes eating.

As I said in an earlier post - I think one of the modern problems is people often see meals and eating as an inconvenience that gets in the way of the rest of their life. When you say "We need a solution" - maybe consider a mindset change - where you stop viewing food in that way - and view it as a pursuit - a hobby - an enjoyment - and a goal - in and of itself.

It is not just what food we eat in the modern world that is an issue (though it is of course part of the problem) - but it is our entire relationship with food that has become problematic.

Do you buy ready made meals.

Comments