to think it takes less than an hour and a half to cook a spag bol?

[ACatCalledBrian]

I'm 12 weeks pregnant, and also have a massive work deadline this week that means I'm sat at home writing reports tonight. Therefore DH is on tea duty.

An hour and a half ago he decided we would have slag bol for tea. This was after spending twenty minutes playing with the cat while making that decision. He then proceeded to change his outfit ("it's cold, and I have to go to the shop to get cheese"), came back from said shop with multiple items he didn't go for (including a six pack of coca-cola, which I can't even drink being over my caffeine limit for today), and then went into the kitchen. I assumed that meant he was starting cooking.

One hour later, he comes into the living room and asks which sort of pasta I'd prefer. Honestly at this point I don't care whether it's bows or twists. I'm pregnant, grumpy, and not eating regularly seems to trigger my morning sickness. I just want spag bol. I don't even know what he's done for the last hour. Would it be unreasonable to leave the bastard/order takeaway on his bank card?

Proper ragu doesn't have garlic BoneyBack and italians would never mix garlic and onions in the same dish

But the OPs husband wasn't cooking it for an hour and half..He was faffing for an hour and a half!

You really have to explain to your dh that when you are PG you have to eat now. I am the same, I get weak, dizzy and nauseous if I have to wait, he's one of those people who forgets to eat breakfast and then lunch is like "oh it's 9 pm, I should have some food"

Nice for some...

YABU only as far as that when I was 12 weeks pregnant I was perpetually throwing up into whatever receptacle I could find and unable to contemplate consuming anything more than a very small glass of fizzy water.

YANBU as far as the spag bol is concerned. DH should be batch cooking and freezing large quantities of whatever you fancy so that you never have to wait more than 5 minutes for food.

I have a vat of carrot and lentil soup and a vat of bolognaise sauce simmering at the moment. Both will take at least another hour, but there will be enough to feed us for at least 4 meals.

Ya all bu for missing out chicken livers!!!

GotBunnywhacked

I know but I have had no complaints yet

I would rather have an egg on toast than 'spag bol' that has been put together in half an hour. Just yuck.

Oooooh I must say I am intrigued by all the talk of proper spag Bol and feel the need to investigate and learn how it is made as I'm obviously missing something!

OP as a Preggo I think YANBU - you need food and he is faffing about, however he is cooking for you which is lovely. If he's anything like my DH he just takes his sweet time doing it - dunno why but mine can take half an hour cutting veg. I usually just leave him to it and eat some biscuits in the interim!

Op - just go and make yourself a slice of toast or eat a banana.

My half an hour spag is really tasty but it because I use the best Aberdeen Angus mince. It's a completely different thing to the 'proper' spag Bol that people make but it's yummy non the less.

Slice onions garlic and sweat in EVOO for 10 minutes. Chuck in mince, fry till turned with 2 bay leaves. One box chopped toms, squirt of tom puree, tsp basil, oregano. Crumble in stock cube, slug of Worcester, three twists of pepper. Bring to boil then back to simmer. Wait 5 minutes, then get the kettle on and an inch of water in the pasta pan. As soon as it boils, spag in, stir, set timer for eight minutes after boiling restarts.

Turn off sauce with 2 minutes to go. Hand held liquidiser for 30 seconds (DW will retch if intact onion is detected). Bring back to simmer, drain pasta, eat like wild beasts.

30 minutes flat, and the EVOO stops it separating.

Oh I am so guilty of this stuff in the kitchen takes me forever. I have no idea why because actually it doesn't take that long to cook.

It's worse when I'm out of practice though.

Bloody hell, 3 hours for a spag Bol? Waste of time IMO. I make a lovely spag bol in an hour.

Spag Bol is every-day family grub for me. 3 hours, what a faff!

Spag Bol is every-day family grub for me. 3 hours, what a faff!

But not a faff, because it is in a low oven for all that time. You really can tell the difference.

But the OPs husband wasn't cooking it for an hour and half..He was faffing for an hour and a half!

This, plus he was using a jar not a three day simmered, blessed by virgins Ragu

My bolognese takes maybe twenty minutes' work plus two or three hours' cooking quietly while I do something else. I also batch cook it so each dinner only requires ten minutes of actual work.

Not a faff.

It is not a faff to cook something properly. It is just sitting there simmering. The faff (preparation) time is no different.

Spag bol using a jar takes max of 20 mins. You should have got your tea ages ago. Those saying spag bol takes over an hour are not talking about quickly using a jar. OP may be more sympathetic (although equally hungry) if DH was making it according to an ancient family recipe. He's not, he's using a jar!

My best friend, who was extremely lovely and supportive during the whole of my pregnancy (during which I vommed copiously every day for 7 months - began at 4 weeks and DS was born at 8 months) still approaches me with caution when she cooks for me. She once managed to make me exactly what I wanted to eat even though I didn't really know myself.

I'd have probably LTB and married her instead

I love all these answers about how long it takes to make a good bolognese!

The reality is that the OP was basically promised 'pasta and sauce' (based on her expectations of time and presumably past history), which then took 90 minutes. He was faffing, being inconsiderate and I'd have ordered the takeaway after about 45 minutes.

It takes me about 2.5 hours to make the sauce but I do it over the course of an evening as freezer food.

Is he still alive?

Fairly amused at the discussion over what sort of pasta to have in the spag bol

How not to cook Bolognese sauce (MN Classic).