Would you/could you cook after 8pm

[Fuwari]

Sorry, saw it on the DM website! (I admit I go there but see it as a trashy mag!) Apparently one of the measures for avoiding blackouts over winter is asking people to either cook their evening meal after 8pm or to eat cold food. For me personally this wouldn’t work. I eat early, around 6. I’m usually in bed by 9. So there’s no way I’m going to be cooking my evening meal at 8. I’m quite happy to take any other measures, they mention also not using dishwashers/washing machines between 2pm and 8pm. But I don’t see how I could shift my dinner time to fit in with this. Just wondering what other people think?

How much money is it meant to save?

No I cook dinner for 4pm usually. No energy to be standing cooking at 8pm!!

I am usually tucked up in bed at that time. Up sharp 6am most mornings 😃

We often eat after 8pm. I can't remember the last time anyone in our family ate at 6pm (DC are 12 and 16)
DH and I don't get in from work til at least 6 most days so it doesn't work for us.

I don't normally get back home from work until after 7, so quite regularly cook at 8ish so wouldn't be an issue for me, DH will usually cook something beige for DS to eat earlier, like pasta or jacket potatoe.

It seems like people with young kids literally cannot comprehend that not everyone does 🤷‍♀️

No, but only 'cos we have solar panels and I want to minimise what we draw from the grid. I was cooking dinner at 4:30 to 5 ish this afternoon to make the most of the late afternoon sun. I was using the remoska and induction hob and keeping an eye on the energy monitor to make sure we were (mostly) the right side of the import/export line.

As we go deeper into autumn I'll be using the instant pot on either pressure or slow cooker setting during the middle of the day to avoid drawing kWhs from the grid for cooking & just a quick reheat at dinner time.

We always eat that late. Much prefer it!

No I couldn’t leave dinner that late (unless forced by blackouts I guess) as my kids eat at 5 and are asleep by 8! But I could and would switch to less energy intensive cooking if necessary - ie not cooking a Sunday roast dinner that has the oven on for two hours late afternoon, batch cooking and reheating in microwave etc. If it comes to it we’ll bbq every night!

I can eat that late, but 15yo DS would not be able to. He has ARFID and his safe foods for school are picky bits. He is ravenous when he gets home.

It doesn't save money. It spreads the load.

I'm happy eating at 8 or 9 if it's just me. Would be completely unworkable with our kids, though (a toddler and a baby).

I'm doing my bit and will either slow cook or cook at lunchtime and reheat in the microwave.
I can't eat dinner that late, we eat at 5pm.

We always eat around 8/9ish.

Get in from work around 6/6.30, DS bedtime at 7 so don't start tea until he is in bed.

Tea often takes about an hour or so to make.

Hell no! I don’t eat after 6/7pm. I cant, i don’t want to.

i hate eating out as its usually later so i have soup. I hate going to bed with that full belly feeling. Id be sick.

id rather not eat

I couldn’t start cooking at 8pm. I‘m too done in by then. Just lately I have not been eating properly to save money and just having a couple of biscuits for breakfast and then eating with DD at 7ish. If I don’t start dinner by 7, it’s not happening. DD also needs to eat dinner around 7, as she needs to have stealth meds as close to bedtime as practical. I batch cook mostly, though, so we will likely only be reheating anyway. I’m already putting the washer and dishwasher on during the day (or overnight) and I don’t mind smart plugging the fridge and freezer to go off between say 6-8, but the boiler will be on for some of that time. I’m putting up with being really cold during the day and colder than I’d like morning and evening, so I’m not putting up with freezing during family time while energy producers are making millions in profits. So There!

I'm in Spain, I used to work in an independent shop inside a big shopping center in one of the Costas.
Closing time 10 pm , last bus 10:15 but very often could not make the bus because of CF shoppers coming in just before 10
On those nights could be 11:00 pm or later before I got home so yes I've cooked after 8:00 pm

No. Too late.

DH would rather have hot meal at noon (how he grew up) but doesn't work for teenagers (at school).

My acid reflux would be awful if I ate at that time plus the kids go to bed at 8 on a weekday.

That’s just weird.

I can't eat in the morning without feeling sick (up by 5am), have lunch when there's a brief lull at work (11-2pm) and then go to gym, so food has to be on the plate within about 20mins tops before 7.30pm or I'll be a. Starving and moany and b. Probably sick overnight.

No way do I want to wait until 10 for dinner - I want to be in bed by then.

I do it once a week because I get back late, but I don’t enjoy it. As I’ve got older I’ve found it suits me better to eat earlier,

We normally eat around 8, start cooking 7-7.30. So it wouldn’t be a big deal for me. If I’m going into the office I don’t get home until at least 6.30, usually more like 6.45.

I would gladly have my late dinners legitimised. I'm always late with the dinner and feeding the kids at 9 (noodles after school as a stop gap)

We nearly always eat later than that. It was different when we had DC at home, but now it's just DH and I we like to eat late.