Is your family is snobby when it comes to homemade dishes

Right, so you agree they're snobby.

I wouldn’t call it snobby.

All this ‘you don’t have time’ stuff is a myth sold to us by the UPF industry. We’ve been bombarded for years by ads showing that cooking is a ‘waste’ of our time, when we could be ‘living’ instead.

Now I’m sure there are some single mums working full time as nurses - fair enough. But I’d wager the weekly phone usage of some of the other time poor would often be several hours a day. Which is fine if you really don’t want to cook but I do think we’ve been brainwashed by fast food companies to do think it’s this massive chore.

How long do you think it takes to produce a meal?

My MIL was upset that I made cottage pie, I should have bought Asda Smartprice one apparently- nicer and better according to her.
She was very very upset when I made pastry. She didn’t understand why anyone would when you can buy it.

I can do a very wide variety of dishes in less than fifteen minutes start to table. Pasta dishes, stir fries, grilled / pan fried meat or fish, noodle soup, fajitas ect. Another set take longer to cook but only 5/10 mins prep like tray bakes. I batch cook bolognaise, chilli, curries, stews so only have to cook those one time in four and they’re ready when I’m tired or busy. I think it helps that I have a full cupboard of spices and pantry ingredients and know what I can easily throw together.

I do sometimes enjoy cooking more elaborate dishes and taking time to do baking ect, it’s enjoyable and relaxing for me. but like most people I’m busy and I don’t think fresh cooked food takes any more effort most days.

It’s not snobby! It’s economical and intelligent. I am not well off and I home cook because it’s healthy and saves money. M&S stuff is all pastry and no filling.

I don't expect them to cook a separate meal for me (not that they offer) I have always catered for myself and happy to do so.
If I spent hours cooking it myself they would probably be OK with it, it's the fact it is a ready meal they object to!
I work ridiculous hours and don't have time to cook but they look down their noses at me and treat me like a second class citizen.
It doesn't bother me as I have got used to it over the years but I sympathise with OP.

My mum was a great cook and i just think that good home cooked food tastes better. And particularly niw when mist restsurant food us judt geated up, and supermarket foid is horrible unless you pay a fortune. But you cant beat home cooked.

It seems to me that the OP is the snobby one, looking down on her in laws. Also her assumption that a single parent would invariably feed her children shop bought food is so narrow minded. I think I'd get on better with and be better fed by her in-laws any day of the week.

You're getting a lot of flak on here OP, but I think I know where you're coming from. My parents-in-law are divorced and I've noticed their approach to food when we see them is quite different.

Scenario A: My in-laws on one side really value home cooked meals. There is a lot of discussion about the provenance of ingredients, the recipes, it is presented beautifully, it is very lovely.

Scenario B: My in-laws on the other side are happy to serve up shop bought food. They are busy and presumably don't see cooking and food as a hobby. They get in some supermarket food when we go round and often we help ourselves buffet style. There is always plenty to choose from.

OK the food is definitely healthier in Scenario A. I very much appreciate the effort made and enjoy the home cooked food. But I have to say I have a fondness for Scenario B. Our get togethers seem more about chat and catching up rather than focusing on what we're eating.

And certainly when we host, I feel under much less pressure when hosting the scenario B side of the family.

I do recognise this is from my own lack of confidence with cooking. I cook from scratch almost every evening at home and it usually tastes good! But I feel anxious about cooking for guests, and feel happier knowing that I can offer them a shop bought dessert for example, without it being thought of as "mass produced crap." My husband also isn't a keen cook. We don't invite side A round nearly as much as we probably should because it just seems stressful.

Now our own children are adults, I enjoy cooking for them and their partners when they come round. But I always tell them, I don't want them to feel under pressure to cook when we go round to theirs. I'd much rather have a supermarket pizza with them than not see them because they don't have time or just can't be bothered to cook a delicious fresh healthy meal for us. (They do both enjoy cooking however!)

You don't even have to be a particularly good cook, you just have to have a vague idea of what goes together. I just had a What Needs Using? meal comprising pasta with garlic, a few mushrooms, half a bag of rocket & the last dollop of nduja in the jar, all cooked in olive oil & made silky with a couple of spoonfuls of pasta water. Took about 2 minutes longer than the pasta needed to cook (11 minutes) & was delicious.

As others have said, I dont think its snobby to prefer homemade. But if you would let a guest's food rot in the fridge or turn it away at a gathering just because it was shop brought, that's snob territory.

Many People are coming to the conclusion that they don’t want upfs, or chemical additives or pesticides. Prioritising food is more important in many peoples lives , we just don’t all want the processed shit masquerading as food for our families anymore and yes it takes more time, but food doesnt need to be complicated - soup, stew, something on homemade bread. Just plain old nutritious single ingredient deliciousness.

Troll

For me snobby would be if they expressed comments and opinions that made them see people who don't prepare from scratch as being somehow inferior.
Like many people I do my best to prepare meals from scratch, but sometimes life happens and so shop bought is used.

They’re not judging others so they’re not being snobby.

I personally love listening to people who take joy in things.

You're the one that sounds snobby tbh. There's nothing wrong with appreciating good food and why would they get excited about a supermarket cake when they can probably all make better themselves?

I wouldn’t say it’s snobby. My husband cooks everything home made and favours it because the quality is usually better. If someone made a home made dessert he’d be touched because it the effort that had gone into it and it’s rare these days.

I have a busy life - work full time, have young children, volunteer, exercise..

I think for me a lot is that this is how I was raised. I don't question whether I have time for cooking any more than whether I have time to shower or brush my teeth. It's just part of life.

I don't do it entirely for health reasons either - I just enjoy my own cooking a lot more than ready meals

And I also am quite a fast confident cook. I can cook something decent in 20 mins

I workout every day, sometimes twice a day and food is really important to me so almost everything I eat is homemade from scratch. Some meals I prepare are a little more complex than others but many are quick and simple and I very often have leftovers which means I don't need to cook as much. It takes very little time to prepare a frittata with veg and salad on the side.

This is bizarre. I’ve never come across an association between home cooking and snobbery before and surely no one actively prefers shop bought food?

I don't think it's snobby. Growing up, my parents grew all their own fruit and veg, and everything was made from scratch. They couldn't afford to buy anything ready made. My mum made her own jam/chutney/marmalade etc, despite having 3 kids and working FT. I had never had a Viennetta until I met DH, as it was always homemade food. I now make 95% of stuff myself, because generally it is better and cheaper, but will happily have an M&S meal deal or a nice pud. I also don't make jams etc, I can't face that.

Got half through the OP and panicked my family were being posted about! But we’re making a nut roast for our vegetarian so couldn’t be us!

What a ridiculous comment. Why are you trying to put words in someone else's mouth?