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Is it still good home cooked food if you use a jar?

416 replies

Hsundbfhdi · 16/07/2024 17:33

We've had a pretty rubbish day here, I'm heavily pregnant and feeling rough and my husband is working crazy hours. Our childcare fell through so we've been trying to juggle a toddler too.

It's time to get dinner ready and I've popped open a jar of honey and mustard chicken tonight. Poured it over some chicken thighs. Will make pasta and peas to go with it.

Curious to know where people stand on how unhealthy it is to use jars? I've never really cared before, but now we've got a little one, I'm more conscious of the food I'm making. Growing up, my mum would use jars quite regularly e.g dolmio, curry, chicken tonight etc she'd also make amazing Mediterranean food from scratch too. It was a real mix.

Anyway, would you still consider this a healthy, home cooked meal? Do you think it's still better than a takeaway (I do)? I've started trying to make my own sauces when I've got time, but my husband and I both work full time, long hours, and trying to get something together after work and before baby bedtime is a real mission! So I'm still partial to a jar here and there.

Just curious for thoughts.

OP posts:
thestudio · 16/07/2024 18:51

KreedKafer · 16/07/2024 18:46

This post is a good example of how the disproportionate panic over ‘processed’ foods has made people - let’s face it, almost always women - think they need to work themselves to death in the kitchen cooking everything from scratch and feel guilty/like a shit mum if they don’t. It’s such bollocks and it’s just another way to make (mostly) women feel awful about themselves.

Use a fucking jar of sauce if you want, ffs. Nobody’s going to die.

I really agree with you about the fact that the guilt and extra effort usually falls on women, as it always has done.

That's shite. But the solution is more aggressive feminism Grin not more processed foods.

More and more research about the connection between UPFs and poor mental health for eg.. and that's against a trazillion-pound industrialised food lobby which very much does not want to be regulated.

Dontmesswithmyhead · 16/07/2024 18:51

Hsundbfhdi · 16/07/2024 17:52

That's actually a great point, and I hadn't thought of it before. Roast chicken, pasta and veg are perfectly acceptable. The jar doesn't take away from that. Really interesting perspective!

No the jar just adds crap that I don’t want to eat. Emulsifiers, and gums, sweeteners. All crap that if you believe scientists such as Chris Van Tulluken (sp?) think are poisoning us. He’s not alone.

I for one want to eat as close to basics as possible. I don’t want my kids eating that shite either.

Ottervision · 16/07/2024 18:51

maddiemookins16mum · 16/07/2024 18:50

I flippin love CT honey and mustard. I often make a slow cooker casserole with chicken thighs or thick pork shoulder steaks with added veg. Served with (homemade) roasties and green veg it makes a lovely meal. Is it home cooked meal, of course it is, a bit of cheating yes but it’s hardly a 99p Basics ready meal.

Surprisingly a lot of cheapy stuff can be (check individual stuff) less processed. Don't assume it's crap because it's cheap.

Interested in this thread?

Then you might like threads about these subjects:

Ottervision · 16/07/2024 18:51

Dontmesswithmyhead · 16/07/2024 18:51

No the jar just adds crap that I don’t want to eat. Emulsifiers, and gums, sweeteners. All crap that if you believe scientists such as Chris Van Tulluken (sp?) think are poisoning us. He’s not alone.

I for one want to eat as close to basics as possible. I don’t want my kids eating that shite either.

There are also plenty of other HCPs saying they don't poison us.

Catandsquirrel · 16/07/2024 18:52

It sounds absolutely fine to be eating, based on the ingredients and better than most takeaways but it isn't home cooked. You didn't cook the main component with the most work at home!

Nowt wrong in using convenience foods sometimes, this one hasn't got piles of crappy ingredients in but a home cooked meal surely means cooked at home pretty much from scratch, not the main bit home heated. Fine to use a mix.

AquaFurball · 16/07/2024 18:52

Spirallingdownwards · 16/07/2024 17:45

No but it adds unnecessary processed foods to what is otherwise healthy. I don't mind a jar being used don't get me wrong but it's actually quite easy to make a honey and mustard sauce to make is healthier and home cooked but short cuts are allowed and its not an issue to use them from time to time

Mustard is a processed food.

Alltheyearround · 16/07/2024 18:53

We use jars maybe once a week, almost always have some pasta or curry sauce ready in the cupboard. Just like I don't make my own potato cakes or bread. There is only so much time and energy in the day.

How my grandmother raised 5 kids, cooked daily and made pretty much all their clothes/cardigans is beyond my ken. Though she didn't work by that point.
Typical of her war time generation, she had a larder full of tins. Just in case.

Like PP said, jars do tend to be quite salty etc but they are a life saver especially if you are pregnant, tired and have a toddler in tow.

I bet when you're little ones get a bit bigger you'll be showing them how to make simple healthy food to eat. You can pay yourself back some brownie points in the future : )

Home made ? No. Good enough? Yes but probably not every day.

Zone2NorthLondon · 16/07/2024 18:54

There’s a lot of mn bragging about kids who only eat okra and boak if offered a haribo
Dinners prepared thoughtfully over a day by a mindful and grounded mother
Chicken dinners that last 5 day and feed 15, stew,roast,sandwiches and picky bits from one chook

Ozzyskye · 16/07/2024 18:54

I don't like using jars for me and ds but DH will use one for himself.

Things I make from scratch are:

Tomato sauce (onion, celery, stock, tinned tomatos and any other veg I fancy) then use for pasta or stick some (store bought but no extra bits) meat balls. Sometimes will shred up some mozzarella and have the sauce with spaghetti

White sauce: add cheese for macaroni cheese; chicken stock leek chicken (cooked, ready to eat) onion and celery then some store puff pastry to make a pie; the former but without pastry and with pasta plus veg to make a chicken pasta dish

Bolognese sauce, big cottage pie, stew in the slow cooker (I'm more of a winter dish gal!).

Plus a portion or two of extra veg.

Except of course on nights like tonight when I can't be bothered so me and ds(6) are having a McDonald's Grin

helpsoughtplease · 16/07/2024 18:55

In my house that would count as home cooked - life's too short.

I do make my own Bolognese but only because I prefer using the chopped tomatoes than the taste of the jar tomato sauces!

Anyway, I'm sure that I read a piece in the paper (need to find the source) recently about the whole thing about UPF (which I wouldn't say a jar like that is anyway) does not have as much impact on health outcomes as we're led to believe (as long as we don't eat too much food and become overweight, and still eat our veg/fruit etc). Same with processed food as long as in some sort of moderation.

For what it's worth, before my kids were fully weaned on protein etc I mostly used Ella's pouches. Both healthy, slim, eating healthily now.

A happy, rested mum is better than a stressed one. We all put too much pressure on ourselves nowadays.

Hope you have a better day tomorrow, OP.

thestudio · 16/07/2024 18:55

AquaFurball · 16/07/2024 18:52

Mustard is a processed food.

But not an ultra processed food, and that's where the problem is.

For eg - most supermarket bread is ultra processed. Sourdough and other breads which are yeast, flour, salt only are processed.

Almost everything is processed (i think you already know this and are propagandising).

Movinghouseatlast · 16/07/2024 18:56

It's highly processed but if you are short of time it's easy. I think they probably have a lot of sugar?

You could make the same sauce yourself by combining some chicken stock with some cream and a bit of honey I expect. Tomato pasta sauce is just onion, garlic, tomato and some herbs. You can buy ready chopped onion and garlic

Mindful Chef have some really easy recipes for sauces thst are quick and delicious. They have been a revelation to me, especially the curry sauces.

CinnamonJellyBeans · 16/07/2024 18:56

"Home-cooked" is not a nutritional goal, like vitamins, minerals, fibre.

30yearsuntilretirement · 16/07/2024 18:56

Dontmesswithmyhead · 16/07/2024 18:51

No the jar just adds crap that I don’t want to eat. Emulsifiers, and gums, sweeteners. All crap that if you believe scientists such as Chris Van Tulluken (sp?) think are poisoning us. He’s not alone.

I for one want to eat as close to basics as possible. I don’t want my kids eating that shite either.

let’s not put all our trust in people just because of their job status 🤪 that’s really naive

Everything in moderation people. Calm down!

FredaFox · 16/07/2024 18:58

Using a jar isn't home cooked, for me that's making the sauces etc from scratch but I think we all use one full time to time so I wouldn't stress over it

If it were every night I'd say learn to cook!

Liv999 · 16/07/2024 18:58

TeenLifeMum · 16/07/2024 18:43

By this logic, people making a roast, by using bisto gravy it no longer counts as home cooked! wtf? Chicken, veg and pasta is home cooked, adding a jar sauce isn’t deleting that fact. Mn is mad.

Totally agree

thestudio · 16/07/2024 18:58

Ottervision · 16/07/2024 18:51

There are also plenty of other HCPs saying they don't poison us.

But HCPs, unfortunately, are often very uninformed about research developments. Many of us have experienced this for ourselves.

Much of the work into the connection between gut microbiome and inflammation is post-Covid, because the pandemic revealed that inflammation plays a far greater role in various diseases and disorders than we had previously thought.

S0livagant · 16/07/2024 18:59

Easy weeknight meal where you are short of time or energy. Better than a ready meal. Not what I would want every night though. I tend to batch cook or else do breakfast for dinner for something easy (eggs and mushrooms on toast with tomato, spinach etc), or cheese on toast with lettuce, tomato, peppers or cucumber type salad.

Wishicouldlovemyself · 16/07/2024 18:59

Better than most takeaways, homemade in that you've made it at home, but not made from scratch, so not homemade in the sense most people would use that term.

There's nothing wrong with using a jar of sauce occasionally, especially if ill or pressed for time, etc, but it wouldn't be great for your health or pocket to use them on a regular basis.

I don't really find it takes much longer to make it from scratch, but it tastes much better.

I do pre prep some things, though, eg, I peel and chop onions, leeks and garlic and freeze them either sliced or diced, so when I'm in a rush, I can just get them out of the freezer and use immediately.

I also make my own tomato based sauces using fresh or tinned tomatoes, celery, grated carrots, herbs, onions and seasoning, which I then puree and freeze in portions using ziplock bags, which I lay flat in the freezer to freeze (so once frozen they don't take up much room).
I can then use them as a base for many different dishes and can add other spices, cheese and/or veg, if needed, eg, chilli, various pasta sauces, casserole base, etc.

I might spend an afternoon one weekend doing this, but it makes enough for a dozen family meals and means I only need to do it maybe 2-3 times a year.

I do the same with curry paste... so I make my own mild curry paste up, usually enough for 3 or 4 jars of concentrated paste, which will often last 4-6 months as each dish only requires about 2 tbsp of paste.
Again, I can add more spices and other veggies to vary the flavours/style of curry I make.

I also make naan/flatbread and pizza dough in batches and freeze it in portions. It takes less than 10-15 mins from freezer to table as I defrost the dough in the microwave before cooking in a pan/oven.

Edited to add: @Hsundbfhdi I wouldn't beat myself up about it, though, as stress is just as harmful, if not more, and as I said they have their place and I occasionally use them (maybe 3-5 times a year), and as you said, it's definitely better than getting most takeaways.

Ottervision · 16/07/2024 19:00

thestudio · 16/07/2024 18:58

But HCPs, unfortunately, are often very uninformed about research developments. Many of us have experienced this for ourselves.

Much of the work into the connection between gut microbiome and inflammation is post-Covid, because the pandemic revealed that inflammation plays a far greater role in various diseases and disorders than we had previously thought.

Er quite. I rather meant ones who specialise in this type of thing. I'm not sure we should trust one man alone on what we eat. There are plenty of well informed other people that we should probably consider the opinions of too.

PollyPeep · 16/07/2024 19:00

@Hsundbfhdi It's not home cooked. I consider home cooked as using single ingredients, e.g milk, butter, flour, mustard, honey to make the sauce. Adding a jar of sauce to chicken is basically the same as a ready meal. It's not terrible, it's just not cooking.

30yearsuntilretirement · 16/07/2024 19:01

It’s hardly Sunny D and a Crispy Pancake from the 90s.

😋

LEWWW · 16/07/2024 19:01

I mean let’s be honest most people don’t have the skills, money or time to cook from scratch.

I’d consider myself a pretty good cook but can I fuck make a sweet and sour sauce, last time I tried I wasted so much money on ingredients and spent an hour making 2 different batches for it to still be yuck, it just wasn’t worth it so I get jars 😂 there is absolutely nothing wrong with jars especially when it comes to sauces.

S0livagant · 16/07/2024 19:02

AquaFurball · 16/07/2024 18:52

Mustard is a processed food.

Processed or ultra processed though? You can use mustard seeds to make honey mustard sauce anyway and it keeps for months in the fridge.

RookieMa · 16/07/2024 19:03

If it's from a jar it's not home cooked

It's like saying if I heat up a takeaway in the oven is it home cooked

No