How many different meals do you cook?

[meredithgrey1]

Not sure whether DH and I are unusual in this respect or not.
We have about 10 meals we rotate through but realistically probably 4 of those aren't done regularly so we generally eat the same six meals, with perhaps slight alterations.
This seems like a really low number to me - 6 regular meals, 4 less regular and a few very occasional meals that are done quite rarely. They are all home cooked which makes me feel a bit better but DD is 8 months and I'd like to have a bit more variety as she grows up. I am a decent cook, just can't be arsed thinking up different things so tend to revert to the same ones.
How many meals do other people cook on a regular basis?

Probably about 20, and I think we're in a bit of a rut. It is effort to think of new ideas but I'd be really bored with 6!

About the same as you, makes shopping and cooking easier when I don’t have to think too much about it.

Probably 50 or 60, but some more than others

I love trying new things but hate following recipes so tend to use recipes as a guide and just make it up! This means we never have the same meal twice

In reality although I try to vary it I do get stuck in a rut of cooking similar ish things all the time.

What are the ten things you cook?

Loads of different meals , I love looking up recipes and trying out new ideas
Obviously we revisit favourites regularly but I try out at least one new recipe a week sometimes 3 or 4 depending on what time I have

Loads ... I google a lot. But I batch cook so I always have staples in the freezer - pasta bake (not my thing but DD loves it, chilli, cottage pie, cauliflower cheese, lentil dhal, pork fillet cooked with mustard, apples and cider, half a chicken frozen with quartered red onions and lemons, garlic and rosemary (frozen in a roasting bag).

So those sort of things as staples a couple of times a week with fish another two days and google or something new out of my books the rest of the time.

There was someone on Saturday kitchen promoting a book of freezer food recipes this week, I only saw a couple of minutes but must google it, it looked interesting.

If I think back over the last 10 nights in reverse order...

Toad in the hole, mash, veg
Steak, new pots, salad
Spag bol
Pork steaks, veg and rice
Pizza
Curry and rice
Cold gammon, chips and salad
Spag bol 🤗🤗
Chicken fried rice
Omelette, beans and toast

We’re back to at least two of these meals again this week 😫

We have 10 favourites that appear frequently although often with tweaks (eg I make several different lasagnes). Per week, we normally have two or three solid favourites and the others are new or different recipes. Caveat that I'm on maternity leave at the moment so don't have a massive amount to do other than cook and think about food. I think when I go back to work, we'll get a bit lazier because it will be easier to default to our normals. I tend to photograph recipes in magazines/books/websites and then have an album on my food for the month where I put recipes that I want to try.

I'd definitely get bored with six.

I can cook quite a few but time restraints means I don't necessarily manage it. Normally we go between 20 or so, some made more than others.

We have the same stuff all the time. Not quite as bad as chop on a Monday, stew on a Tuesday etc but not that much better.

We do however eat totally different in winter vs summer.

At the moment not many.
DH doesn’t eat meat
DD1 can’t have dairy and is a picky 3yr old
DD2 can’t have dairy, soya or wheat and probably carrot but is just weaning so doesn’t have full meals yet
I can’t have dairy and soya due to bf DD2

Meals have to be something I can make while juggling the 3 yr old and baby during their witching hour.

I hate meal planning with a passion.

I may cook the same type of thing, eg pasta, twice a month, but not the same meal, so on that basis, we would tend to have 25-30 things over the month. I feel I am in a rut because at least 2/3 of those i have probably cooked once a month for over 20 years...

I've just written a list of our regulars and it wasn't far off my 20 estimate.

We probably have a couple of the same things most weeks (some variation on mince, usually!) then rotate the rest and throw a new recipe in when one of us can be bothered to be adventurous.

Is it worth just trying to add one new recipe every couple of weeks OP, then you'll eventually get a bigger repertoire.

I could do a full month with out repeating a meal. In reality we repeat the more favourite’s and if the kids ask for a meal that’s not pasta and we had it in the last week or two, we have it agai to encourage them.

A lot now I think about it!

I probably make a different family meal every night of the month and wouldn’t repeat all the same meals the following month so I guess 45 or so?

I then have about ten “dinner party” meals I do on rotation.

Interesting question I think about 20 cooked regularly. I probrably "know" about another 20-30. Six seems low , your meals also seem amazingly " meat heavy".

Probably 50 or so
I cook everything from scratch
Dont eat processed food at all normally as I have food allergies
Variety is the spice of life
Type your fridge contents in to Google for recipe ideas to cut down on waste

I do about 20 regularly. And I get bored to death of those.
I stand in the middle of Sainsbury's or Aldi and just can't bear to buy the same meals yet again. I can't stand the repetitive drudgery of it all.

How anyone can eat only 6 I'm struggling to comprehend.

Not enough! Bolognese, chilli, fajitas, various casseroles and stews which are different every time. We don't have an oven so everything has to be done on the hob or in a small pot to fit in the microwave which does convection as well.

I have a 6 week meal planner that I devised, with at least another 20 meal options that I interchange.

I couldn't manage with the same meals every week!

Just written out our current faves -23
That doesn't include easy 10 minute things like beans on toast, pasta pesto or "oven food".

Roughly 20-30 for me and Husband but Dd5 and dd2 have like 6 evening meals max as they are bloody picky. Lunch I can wing with a kids mezze not worthy of Pinterest but they like it none the less.

Loads, we're quite adventurous and I cook a couple of new recipes each week.

Just to add, I really enjoy cooking which helps!

I made a resolution to try out at least 5 new recipes this month so am trying to improve it. And next month I want to try out at least 5 meat free recipes. These responses have made me feel very boring!

Our main meals that we repeat are:
Bolognese/lasagne - I'll count these as one meal as relatively similar.
Spicy sausage casserole
Meatballs
Creamy chicken, mushroom and white wine, served with veg and either pasta or potato
Fish cakes
Beef stew - this varies slightly with different veg but not enough to class it as a separate meal. Served with rice or potato.
Chicken casseroles - two main types, one with onion, cider and cooking apples and one with cannelline beans, tomato and red pepper. Again served with rice or potato.
Chicken and bacon pie
A pretty basic chicken, chorizo and potato bake thingy
Curry - again varies but not that much.

More occasional meals are things like a roast dinner, fajitas, homemade pizza, burgers, a butternut squash thing, stir fry, chilli, salmon fillets.

Jeez that main list looks dull it is all cooked from scratch if that makes it in any way redeemable!!

I need new ideas!