If you’re a cook from scratcher….

[CurlewKate]

…What one convenience thing do you buy and love? Mine is microwave pouches of puy lentils. So quick and delicious.

Ginger for me as well.

DS 19 actually made lasagne from scratch last night (bolognaise and bechamel with dried pasta sheets). I was pretty impressed especially as it came out of oven just as Traitors started.

I have had pouches of merchant gourmet lentils but they are quite pricey vs cooking dried Puy lentils. I use ready made puff pastry, not short crust. Taste the difference custard.

I do make stock but not all the time. Yorkshire puds…. Hell would freeze over before I bought a pre made one. This week DS was trying out his air fryer and we had scampi and chips. Hmmm not horrendous, but we won’t be doing it regularly. I just like stuff from scratch a lot more and enjoy cooking.

The white sauce is the bit that makes the most difference to a homemade lasagne in my view! I’d never bother making the meat and then layer it with dolmio 🫣

my list is:
puff pastry
occasional breaded chicken
custard
fresh pesto

It’s interesting what people mean by cooking from scratch. I think I do-but obviously not to the extent some people do. I do make stock for example -but I only use it for something like risotto, where the stock is a significant ingredient. I use stock pots day to day. It wouldn’t cross my mind to make puff or flaky pastry-I had a major panic when DP couldn’t find frozen puff to make our Christmas wellington and tentatively asked if I’d make some….fortunately Aldi came up with the goods at the last minute!

And I know this is heresy, but I haven’t met a pre-made mash I like-except Idaho dehydrated….

You can also use a layer of the little discs or rolls of frozen mash or I have been known to squash a pot of M&S ready made into the right shape and lay on top of the cottage or fish pie filling

I'm surprised by the mash potato love. It's super expensive compared to making your own.

My cheat with mash potato is to not bother peeling, cut potatoes in half after cooking then through a potato ricer.

I agree - I always used to peel the mash but DH converted me to peely mash. Bonus fibre!

I consider myself a from-scratch cook, but I do buy stock, pesto, harissa, mayonnaise, curry paste. I don't think buying these things makes you not a from-scratch home cook.

My mum would make her own tomato sauce and then supplement it with a jar of Dolmio because she thought it tasted better than hers but wanted the fresh veg in there.

I always cook too much rice and freeze the leftovers as soon as cooled. It's fine. Microwaved normal 'dry rice' is quite easy too, wash it well in a sieve, put in a large glass bowl like a Pyrex, pour boiling water on just to cover rice by about an inch and microwave on high for 10 mins. Test and microwave in 5 minute intervals until it gets that cooked look to it & leave with a plate over it for 5 mins. Best for basmati I've found. I guess it could be frozen at the just before done stage then finished off in the microwave when required.
I also buy huge vacuum packed fresh ready peeled garlic cloves and freeze then use as required.

Put the ingredients for soffritto on a tray and in a single layer then freeze for one hour.
After the hours up put in a big bag/tub and back in the freezer. It will be loose enough to scoop out the amount you need.

Stock, frozen sofrito, sticky rice (I just can’t seem to get it right without it being the consistency of rice pudding!)

This .... though we have now ordered a machine!

Frozen peeled and chopped butternut squash. I don’t normally mind chopping veg but butternut is my nemesis! It’s great to have in to roast or make soup.

In the summer I like precooked salmon fillet, then I can just make a quick salad and dinner is done.

Puff pastry. I made some for a pie when I was off work over Christmas and had more time, it wasn’t worth the faff!

for rice - get a rice cooker! Perfect rice every time.

I got round the faff by chopping up a whole bulb at a time (not by hand, in my little mini-chopper). Fill a small jar with it, pour in enough oil to cover it all and keep the jar in the fridge. It was good for the rest of the week, always to hand.

I honestly don't think that buying pre-chopped veg is not cooking from scratch. That must be really discouraging if you've got arthritis or other conditions that mean you need to buy it pre-prepped. It's no different from asking your partner to do a bit of chopping for you!

Agree

I also wouldn’t count tinned chopped tomatoes

Like you OP, I would struggle to think of buying dried pasta as “not from scratch”… although I know technically the pasta is pre made/processed. But I suspect hardly anyone makes their own fresh pasta on a regular basis.

Puff pastry

Stock and pesto.

I have started making pizza bases. So easy. Yeast. Warm water. A tiny bit of sugar. Then add OO flour to a bread maker while it does the work. Add olive oil and adjust flour. Let it rise in the bread maker.

Thank you for that. I used your method to cook enough for tonight's marinaded pork and tomorrow's planned kedgeree, and will freeze what's left.

Oh fair enough then.

🤣🤣🤣