[Closed] Do most people cook?

My boyfriend used to be a chef so he does all the cooking and has got into baking bread and stuff recently, which is nice 😀 I can barely make a cup of tea 😆

is this a real question? 'do people cook?'

Yeah I 'cook' most evenings, sometimes I cheat with jars of sauce and such, it's a time thing.

Jekkyl- Some people don't 'cook', they 'warm stuff up', ready meals and that.

Different people prioritise different things, OH likes to cook so he makes time for it. I like to sit on my backside and watch him cook, so I make time for that!

is this a real question? 'do people cook?'

Do you mean grammatically or literally?

41% of households "prefer to cook from scratch" apparently. It was on the news this morning so it must be true.

Generally we/I cook a meal every night and by cook I mean starting from base ingredients

Guessing you don't have kids?

We cook as often as time allows but it's difficult when you're trying to get home from work , pick up kids, feed everyone, wash dishes, take at least one child out to whichever activity , wash remaining kids and read stories and put to bed, fetch activity child back home again, wash and put activity child to bed, wash yourself and finally slump down on couch at half nine or ten o'clock.

Yep, I try to - however often cheat with Jars of Curry/Pasta sauce.

The only ready meals I buy are frozen 'Amy's Kitchen' Gluten free Macaroni Cheese/vegetable Lasagne for my Daughter who is Wheat/Gluten free.

I try and do something special at weekends though.

We cook, again only "cheating" with some sauces, we don't actually have anything in the freezer you can just heat up to eat. Doesn't mean to say we don't resort to beans on toast some nights, we ain't 'food snobs', just after you've realised cooking isn't that difficult, you realize pre-packaged crap, is just that...

Nope, no kids here..

Apart from the odd meal out and a takeaway on Friday, we cook everything from scratch. Helps that it's something I really enjoy. During the week though, I try to have a rule that nothing can take longer than 45 minutes to prep and cook, and 30 minutes is the target time so lots of fajitas, noodles, bean stews, simple meat and veg, etc. Fancy stuff only happens at the weekend.

I knew nothing about cooking until I left home and it just became an experiment of flavours and exploration/travel.

I have a week off from work; so I get to cook!

Working on Italian and Indian meals.

Invite a few friends over etc. Watch them enjoy a fantastic tasting 3 course and I'm happy.

Then back to work flat out with no time for cooking 🙁

If you cook a meal every night what are you doing with all the frozen triple portions?

Yes, most nights (as a couple with no children). Well aware of how much of the evening this takes, even for relatively simple meals. But I wouldn't change this. If some element of my lifestyle (job that meant I worked 10 hour days for example) meant that I had to exist on ready meals all the time, then I wouldn't consider it much of a life and would be pretty quickly changing that, even if it meant some compromise (e.g. big pay cut).

I didn't so much when I was single but since I met my wife we cook most nights. We used to spend a lot of time seeking out new ideas and recipes but since Jr came along we tend to recycle a dozen or so favorites.

I say we but it has really become me as I'm happier in the kitchen with the radio than I am watching the god awful programs our lass watches in the early evening. 😐

Guessing you don't have kids?

No, but plan to eventually. This may disrupt the status quo 🙂

Most days I cook. Most of the time 'from scratch'. But I'm not going to make pasta, let alone anything fiddly like ravioli on a week night, there comes a point where the line between 'processed food' and 'ingredients' get's a bit bury. Tinned tomatoes? Easy cook rice? Dried (or even fresh store bought) pasta? I quite happily use the fresh curry sauces from the farm shop, but then usually use the cooking time to make nann breads, that probably makes me a heathen.

Although after stumbling into the "does stuff taste better the day after" thread and reading that to some people using curry paste is no better than a ready meal I'm amazed some people have time in the day for anything else!

Not when I'm working.
Leave at 6am, home at 8pm.
Beans on toast or a baked spud if I can face it.

But yes, a lot when I'm off.
Always enjoyed it.
Nothing that takes endless prep, but yeah, I find it relaxing and anyone can follow a recipe.
I've stolen loads from here, family and friends, old cookbooks etc.

Mrs S does the washing up.
She can cook, but doesn't like it that much.
I hate washing up, so it's usually a good arrangement.
We'd been in the house two years before she asked me how to turn the oven on.
😀

'do people cook?

I dont make crystal meths

You?

Almost all my meals are made from scratch and I do enjoy cooking

Although after stumbling into the "does stuff taste better the day after" thread and reading that to some people using curry paste is no better than a ready meal

Sort of what triggered me to start this thread. I don't consider using Patak's curry paste a ready meal! To make a decent curry you do need to add a fair few other items.

In response to guess you don't have kids...we have two young children but always cook from scratch...we see whole food as a base for healthy living ..therefore prioritise it. I see it as false economy..eat fast food and you're more likely to get poorly...as a household we rarely suffer for long with colds and stuff...I'm sure that's down to making an effort to eat , sleep and move properly...

Yes, but it's now been nearly 2 weeks since I mare more than a cup of tea in a kitchen, been away with work and racing so most meals have been served to me.

Monday was chicken tikka masala.

Yesterday was korma with more garlic and pepper so it keeps the flavour but adds a little spark.

Tonight will be Mexican fajitas, cheese, lettuce and some extra green peppers. Old gf's salsa recipe which my wife
finds annoying as she's insecure.

Tomorrow will be cheese and broccoli soup.

Hoping to experiment with soups, freeze and use for quick microwave meals and more weight loss.

I heat things.

I had a ready meal lasagne once. Never again.

Yes, properly cook roughly a couple of times a week, often a slow cooker batch job, lots of frozen leftovers other nights and the occasional frozen pizza or quick pasta and sauce etc. Often roast a joint and make a big pot of soup with the bones etc. Currently the freezer has portions of curry, chilli, lamb hotpot with dumplings, coq au vin, several varieties of soups, some meat waiting to be cooked, among other things. I enjoy cooking but wouldn't want to spend an hour a day on it.

All meals are cooked from scratch in our household. I'm better at baking than cooking, so most meals are basic.
The only meals shop bought' are pizzas. I intend making those myself soon.
Extra portions are frozen and used for lunches.

make a pot of soup from scratch on a sunday night for the weeks work.

Started doing bread(not in a bread maker) as well for the same purpose - getting good at that now - first few wholemeal loafs were like bricks.

Discovered home made pizza recently and im in love with that

Made home brew chilli , guacamole and salsa last night - and put together burritos - after being very unimpresed with the bland offerings at the much publicised mexican street food take away in town.

monday night i made home made white rolls and burgers + tattie wedges on the bbq.

Tonight will be baked tatties with salad and the left over chilli from last night.

The three things i discovered is - it doesnt take long to knock up a decent meal from scratch , its much cheaper to make from scratch for the most part and most of all , 9 times out of 10 i find it tastes better than the bought equivalent*....

(*with the exception of M&S dining for 2 - im partial to that for an easy night occasionally)

I had a ready meal lasagne once. Never again

Most are not great. However I think that the M&S ones are ok (not the one with 'steak' bits in though, just the standard ones). These are about the only ready meal we buy and have in the freezer for 'emergencies' or real CBA days!

No: I'm at Uni three evenings a week, and doing Uni work the other evenings, and I usually go around my Parent's for Sunday dinner, so never get time. My home meals tend to consist of muesli, porridge, bought soup, cold chicken, raw veg etc.

It also partially results from having acid reflux, which means I've been trying to eat small and often, rather than three big meals a day

We pretty much cook every night, not always mega exciting but not really anything from jars or packets and usually fresh veg, fish and meat. Not from being pious - it's just what we are used to and I can't stand ready made stuff - too salty.

He's definitely like Marmite, but if anyone asks me to recommend a starter cooking book I suggest this - [url= http://www.amazon.co.uk/Jamies-Ministry-Food-Anyone-Learn/dp/0718148622 ]Jamie's Ministry of Food[/url]

I'm sure 41% people might prefer to cook but I doubt very much that anything close to 41% of meals consumed in the Uk are freshly prepared and cooked. Having a guess I'd reckon it's closer to 10-15%

I cook 3 or 4 times a week. The rest of the time I either go for the beans/cheese/tuna on toast option have takeaway or eat out. Learning a few more dishes and generally getting better at cooking is one of the things I need to work on over the next few months. It's something that I value but not something that I particularly enjoy.

yes when i can but midweek is usually another portion of something already made plus some greens or something that only takes half an hour. the only ‘ready meal’ i have often is filled pasta with some pesto and more greens or pasta with some tinned tuna if i get back late. i like to make my own tomato/vegetable sauce and freeze it so it’s ready to make something quick.
i do have a ready made curry and naan or fish fingers and baked beans once in a while but dont think of that as bad but wouldn’t want to eat that kind of food every day.
there are whole sections of the supermarket i never use though, some of that tinned stuff looks grim. curry paste isn’t cheating IMHO
and as above ready meals are often too salty. i dont have any salt in the house so i really notice it.

Sort of what triggered me to start this thread. I don't consider using Patak's curry paste a ready meal! To make a decent curry you do need to add a fair few other items.

Ahh, that's where you're going wrong, making curry paste is pretty easy. Make a batch of it, can it in jars and keep it until you fancy a curry, then just add meat, stock, tomatoes, coconut, almond, cream or whatever the sauce is to be made from.

Me?

Well I used too 🙄

No I really did, I love cooking but over the last year and a half I've become very lazy and resorting to Charlie Binghams Pies/Pasta/Meals pre made, then chucking steamed Veg or Salad on a plate.

But for years cooking was my main pleaseure in the evenings, having spent 2 weeks at Rick Steins cookery school a few years ago really made me consider the art of cooking good meals. Pre that I always cooked, post that I cooked a lot.

But now, nope.

If Charlie Bingham went bust, I'd starve. 😆

Everything from scratch in our house.. I do most of the cooking

My other half cooks a couple of times per week..
I have a knackered bowel and she's in remission from cancer so we don't **** about with processed food and preservatives

Ahh, that's where you're going wrong, making curry paste is pretty easy.

I know, I make Thai curry paste. I should give Indian curry paste a go

"and as above ready meals are often too salty. i dont have any salt in the house so i really notice it."

I learned to cook when i realised my mum(a heavy smoker) added alot of salt to everything when cooking.

would you like veg with your salt......

We don't cook every night as we tend to cook big batches to freeze. So a couple of times a week it will be something "I prepared earlier". I like the odd takeaway and now and then we have lunch at the pub. But generally yes, we cook.

most people wouldn’t admit to living off frozen pies, pizzas and 3min microwave meals would they?
i do admit to buying ready rolled pastry but at least i’m the one making the pie filling 🙂

Agree that 'ministry of food' is a great book for people who want to get in to cooking. I still use it when doing a roast.

For currys the hairy bikers curry book is ace. No need to use a paste ever again!

most people wouldn’t admit to living off frozen pies, pizzas and 3min microwave meals would they?

This is true and we may suffer from a confirmation bias.

EDIT: Should we start talking about people we know instead? 🙂

I do most of the cooking in our house (2 adults, 2 young kids).

Apart from the occasional pie, I prepare all the meals from scratch. Some planning is therefore required and double / triple batches, freezing and a slow cooker help.

I find it also helps to fill the fridge with lots of good stuff that I might not usually fancy on a rainy night when I come home late, but no pre-prepared meals - so that I have absolutely no options!

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Generally at weekend everything is done from scratch, sauces included. Lots of big batches made for the freezer for easier meed week meals.
During the week we may use bought sauces with the fresh ingredients.
Snacks are my weakness as I always go for the convenience of junk food over making something or even having fruit.

I work 12 hr shifts mix of days and nights, usually end up doing 13-14 hrs due to late finishes. My oh works between 10 and 15 hr long shifts on a 4 on 4 off pattern. We tend to batch cook from scratch then freeze food in meal portions so we just need to reheat after our shifts.

Another vote for Jamie's Ministry of Food. In fact any Jamie Oliver book is good for starting out. Pat Chapman's Curry Club books are worth a look although to be honest it's just as easy to think of a dish and look it up on line.

Always cook from scratch and batch cook for weekday meals. Find ready meals and canned soup to be massively salty.

Cook every night, except when we have fish and chips. Often cook 1 thing for us and 1 for the boys. We both think its really important that the kids grow up seeing us cooking the food from scratch, they will then get used to eating proper food and not processed crap (apart form school dinners!) and hopefully eat properly for their whole life. My wife is Spanish and her Mum is very traditional - i.e. stay at home and spend all morning making the lunch for the family, so I think this has had a big part to play in how we approach things.

We normally cook things that last for a few meals - lasagna, Cottage pie, lentil dishes, stews etc. but also do a lot of simple meat/fish and veg, stir frys or even just pasta, sauce and tuna (we make the sauce in a big batch and freeze), also make big batches of veg soup (or pure) and freeze that (oddly a favorite of our 6 year old!). Occasionally the boys will have a pre-made pizza, but often we do home made ones as its easy to make the dough and freeze it. The 4 year old also loves baked beans so he usually has those for a weekend lunch after playing football.

We buy the normal processed/pre-made foods like bread, sausages (from the farm shop), pasta and have things that aren't good for you too - nesquick, biscuits, nutella. But the main meals are 90-95% cooked by us.

I don't really see the need for ready meals, they take 5-8 minutes to heat up if there are 2 of you thats 16 - 20 minutes. Stick a Chicken breast or bit of fish in the oven and cook some veg only takes a maximum of 5mins more, its loads better for you, tastes nice and your not eating it wondering if your eating arseholes.

I used to cook all the time, but the tidal wave of pretentious TV chefs and overpriced 'Artisan' ingredients have put me off the whole process.

Tonight I will be having Mini Kievs for dinner.

Yes, everything from scratch, if people can't find time to prepare and cook good nutritious food perhaps they need to sort out priorities.
Boiled eggs on wholemeal toast takes less than 10 minutes, beats a Dominos pizza hands down.

Boiled eggs on wholemeal toast takes less than 10 minutes, beats a Dominos pizza hands down.

As a knife enthusiast or kitchen knife to be specific the joy of cooking is preparing the ingredients ... chopping things up.

Yes, I cook from scratch so I don't buy ready cooked meal.

I use Thai curry paste but I can to make it myself if I want just that it's not worth my time.

I make vegetables pickles(Korean Kimchi ... damn jar lid is stuck and wouldn't open dammit!)

Boiled eggs on wholemeal toast takes less than 10 minutes, beats a Dominos pizza hands down.

what are you doing for the other 6 mins?

depends if your family are into greasy fatty salty artery clogging stodge really...

never really got dominos/pizza hut pizzas they aint all that good(flavour and texture) and the boxes make great firelighters afterwards. id rather the eggs on toast (which is a dish fit for kings ill have you know)

If i want a take away pizza for what ever reason ill nip down to the local italian restaurant and grab a take away. thin crust, stone baked crunch,doesnt leave a drop of grease on the box and cheaper to boot.(fellow formite rustymac found this gem of a pizza place - you wouldnt look twice at it normally for getting a pizza)

I use Thai curry paste but I can to make it myself if I want just that it's not worth my time.

With one of these it takes about 30 secs
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i got one of them for xmas dmorts - has revolutionised soups/salsas/guacamole/currys

I wouldn't be without one!

Everything from scratch here as well. That includes bread, stock, spice pastes, etc. We do make large batches of staples and reheat from frozen. A load of things are made from leftovers and we have very little food waste. We both work full time and one of the best things that I have found is that the kids now take part and make some meals themselves (12 and 9 yo). We have just been decorating and the kids took it upon themselves to make lunch and dinner whilst we we working so this is a definite result.

Most of this comes from two drivers: being tight and liking the taste of food. The contents of a lot of prepared food is eye popping (palm oil, just don't start me on that one, it is in everything!). My wife has a very restrictive diet and the best way to cope with this is to make all our food from scratch. I still manage to waste time one here so it can't take too much time 😉

is the question about what we (STW) do or what people do?

We cook from scratch most of the time - in fact when we are both late from work we sometimes resort to takeway as there are no fallback options.

But i don't think that's normal.

My brother thinks cooking involves the oven, even if you just heat stuff up. A special dinner he made for a girl: Breaded chicken breast sliced & lettuce in a wrap!

He also recently served his GF breaded chicken breast for dinner, nothing else! she was not impressed 😯

is the question about what we (STW) do or what people do?

Both

dmorts - Member

I use Thai curry paste but I can to make it myself if I want just that it's not worth my time.

With one of these it takes about 30 secs

Yes, I have that gadget I still need to wash the blade and container if I use it ... 😀

Ready made Thai curry paste (made in Thailand) is much preferred for me. Just scoup two (or as desire) table spoons from the container ... add other fresh ingredients and everything is done.

i get weird looks at work for turning up with a tub of home made soup and bread wrapped in tinfoil...... usually followed up by you know they sell that in cans for not very much money right ?

so no i dont think its normal at all.... but seeing how some folk eat is quite scary .....

im definantly in the

being tight and liking the taste of food. The contents of a lot of prepared food is eye popping (palm oil, just don't start me on that one, it is in everything!)

Just means i appreciate good food more when im home and dont shovel in the shit.

is this a real question? 'do people cook?'

I think its a question a lot of people don't really ask themselves. I remember in dim and distant past of the iDave threads - that discussion often revolved more around how to cook than how to eat. I think people 'thought' they cooked until the things the diet excluded made them realise they didn't. Theres a spectrum between microwaving ready meals and catch/kill/eat where people often think they're cooking but they're actually warming up various pre-prepared components.

On the whole I cook - except for the rest of the family's love for filled pasta.
So no I don't bake bread or make pasta. I use curry paste (as the rest of the family aren't keen on spice so keeping ingredients and making paste is not economical).

Yes I am economic so don't waste much food and only occasionally eat out as it's often lower quality than home cooking.

they're actually warming up various pre-prepared components.

I think this is a good way into cooking proper, but you need to keep trying new things.

An example is Dolmio 'bolognese' sauces. I think one of the first things I learnt to 'cook' was spag bol using Dolmio. Essentially brown the mince, add the sauce and simmer.

If I make a bolognese/ragu sauce now, it's sauce from scratch and never served with Spaghetti. Tagliatelle or other flatter pasta instead. This isn't being a snob, flat pasta picks up the sauce, spaghetti doesn't 🙂

Today's sauce has at least 2 hours on simmer, the old version had about 20 mins.

EDIT:
Just looked up Dolmio out of curiosity. The instructions are as follows

Brown 400g of mince for approx. 5 mins, until cooked through. Add your DOLMIO Bolognese sauce, bring to a simmer for 5-10 mins whilst gently stirring. Serve over spaghetti, or your favourite pasta and enjoy.

5-10 mins! Lovely chewy, indigestible mince there!

Bit of both here,

We have 2 kids and both work, so it takes some doing.

The week starts on a Sunday with the roast dinner, this week a 2.5kg turkey crown that was £8 in January after every one stopped eating turkey again for another year.

So, roast dinner out of that, then 3 Tupperware-ed roast dinners for the freezer for lunch Monday, Tuesday and one left over.

Made a thai red curry out of half of what was left of the mega turkey crown Sunday night and chucked that in the fridge for heating up for Monday night's dinner, yes I make my own paste. 3 of those in the freezer as well, for today's (eating it right now) and tomorrow's lunches.

The cheese sauce from the cauliflower cheese that was part of the roast (don't judge me) I made too much of to keep some back for the white sauce of the lasagne that I put together last night, fed 4 people, and have maybe 1.5 - 2 portions left of indoors.

Tonight, I need to do something with the remaining turkey, thinking maybe either a risotto with a bit of chorizo, or maybe just a good old fashioned soup, not sure, but there will doubtless be leftovers of that as well that can all go in the chest freezer.

It's been a good week, but, off work Friday and going away so won't be in at the weekend at all. Therefore next week will be a blur of egg and beans on toast, Costco chicken nuggets in fajita wraps, fish finger sandwiches and curly fries while we desperately try to catch up with the mountains of washing and ironing, shopping, tidying, cleaning etc, and living out of the freezer for work lunches. Then back to the beginning again the following week.

palm oil, just don't start me on that one, it is in everything!

can some one define what "cooking" is before I answer this question

It seems to involve "ingredients" and from "scratch".

Me and my wife like stir frys and we like rice, also we dont "need" particularly strong flavours, we also like vegatables.

So normally the plan is fry up what ever meat we have, ie chicken, turkey, beef, lamb. Boil up some rice.

Then cut up a load of vegatable's what ever we have ie onions, peppers, runner beans, courgeuts, brocoli, what ever is there.

We then normally add a few herbs/garlic or ginnger to add a bit of taste.

This takes no time about 20mins, no thought and no skill. It often quicker than putting a ready meal in oven (although u cant sit down).

Is this "cooking" ?

We have 2 kids and both work

Is that legal?

Is this "cooking" ?

I'd say so

palm oil, just don't start me on that one, it is in everything!

Yep, very difficult to avoid completely.

And as someone who can't eat it .... frickin Skimmed Milk Powder - its in so, so much food

I've always considered cooking a waste of time. I stopped thinking that I had to have a cooked meal every night years ago. Now, I mostly have some toast, or open up a tin of soap and warm it up.Sometimes beans or cheese on toast. Maybe my wife will cook a meal over the weekend. And no, I don't get bored with the same thing every night.
Doesn't seem to have done me much harm.

^ Wash your mouth out! Oh, hang on...

perchypanther - Member
Generally we/I cook a meal every night and by cook I mean starting from base ingredients
Guessing you don't have kids?

err - surely that's the best reason to cook and start from scratch!

I cook everything except the odd waitrose pizza or curry if I'm smashed from biking or boozing. I do know people who don't cook though, and there are a few people in the office who'll usually demolish a microwave lasagne or something for lunch with all it's 30g of fat. They don't look very well though.

palm oil, just don't start me on that one, it is in everything!

I was dissapointed to notice it's in Soreen Malt Loaf yesterday

Vast majority of meals yes, we got lazy a few years ago and it wasn't good for our health. So we stopped being lazy and started cooking properly again. Yes I have kids but not sure why that makes a difference.

I do know people who don't cook though

Yep - same here.
My Sister-in-law (late 30's - single mum to 'challenging' 9 year old lad)

Cannot cook anything beyond boiling pasta and grating cheese over the top.
I sometimes wonder if living on student food/toast/pasta with cheese+tomato puree is the reason her kid is such a little sh*t.

We cook the vast majority of our meals from scratch, except for things like the odd jar of pasta sauce. Once every couple of weeks or so we might have oven chips and a pie or something. Never microwaveable ready meals. Probably the most processed things I have are tinned soups and they're quite rare.
As MrsSalmon is vegan we don't actually have a lot of choice though!

Drac - Moderator
Vast majority of meals yes, we got lazy a few years ago and it wasn't good for our health. So we stopped being lazy and started cooking properly again. Yes I have kids but not sure why that makes a difference.

I was just responding to the post that suggested with children you couldn't cook, due to time constraints I guess from the post. Personally i try to be a little bit aware about what i feed mine so prefer to cook from scratch or as near to it as i can. And no i'm not some knit your own yoghurt earth mother type - i just feel they should have healthy food.

It takes the same amount of time to rustle up a quick meal as it does to reheat a ready meal

Made some dumplings yesterday with vegetable suet. The fat that came out of them was pretty nasty....Yip.....Palm Oil....I will be going back to the old stuff