To think cooking from scratch is not always cheaper?

[IonaNE]

A few posts on another thread (not primarily about this) have got me thinking.

In my local ASDA Weight Watchers ready meals are £2 each. If I buy one for each night of the week (to make life easier for when I get home from work), that's £10 for a hot meal on every evening of the week. For this I get a balanced meal that, over the whole week, contains chicken, beef, prawns, pasta, rice and potatoes, vegetables and a variety of sauces. On top of that it's exactly as much as I need to eat, there are no leftovers, I am not using energy by cooling unnecessary stuff in the fridge. I don't need to keep a host of jars of sauces, oils and spices which would otherwise be needed to cook all this from scratch either. And finally, I am not using energy to cook all that from scratch, and then to wash up all that was used in the process. (I do use energy to microwave the meals, 5 mins each; and the microwave is very cheap to run.)

I can cook from scratch all that is in those meals. I don't enjoy cooking but I can do it if necessary. But I don't think that I would get that variety of hot food for just £10 a week. Furthermore, if I bought all the ingredients, they would be in portions much bigger than what I need for one supper. Then I would either need to freeze them; but also: does everyone who cooks from scratch only eat a WW meal-portion of everything before they freeze the rest? I find I eat larger portions if I cook. And while I'm not overweight, I really don't need to put on weight.

So I think eating ready meals is actually cheaper than cooking from scratch. It is also less time consuming (=more time for other things) and provided you choose the right ones and read the labels, not necessarily less healthy either.

Phantom but I think everyone's else point is that it's somewhat of a straw man, and if it does exist, it would only apply to very small odd situations (fleeing DV away from any support network etc.) because very few people have no access at all to a pan, and those that do could get one on freecycle etc. pretty quickly.

The cost of "all" the seasonings etc. is also a red herring, because that only applies if you want to eat a variety - and a varied diet isn't needed (you'll last years on nothing but potato, butter, sun and exercise) So you only need enough to make the meal you'll commit to for that first week.

The cost of heating and cooking vs a microwave is a lot more relevant, as are of course the skills to do it.

Angelika321 The difference is the amount of meat, and your high cost of "other" ingredients, Peppers and salsa should be a lot cheaper, and the quid's worth of wraps would be other meals too, the amount of chicken - so therefore actual nutrition would also be a lot higher, total calories would be similar of course as the chips would contribute lots. But you're right for lots of specific meals eating out and cooking at home don't make sense. Don't your supermarkets have halal meat?

Angelika we spend nowhere near £4 per portion on meat! If we're having chicken stir fry for example we use 2 chicken breasts for me, DH and toddler DD. More like £1 per portion of meat.

As Fred says^
A spice/herb stock is built up over time and depends on what you like. A few quid in that 40 pound budget would cover it.
I think Bunny refers to very specific situations as feeding a family on only ready made meals would not be realistically sustainable.

Angelica, how many peole do you feed with 500g of meat?
In my house (2 adults, 2 teenagers) we use about 250g of meat per dish, the rest of the bulk is vegetables.

Also it is very clear that if you go to a butcher and buy 'special' meat such as halah, it will cost more.... And there is no way you can compare it to a £5.00 meal deal (I suppose that's what you meant) as I'm pretty sure the meat won't be the same quality than what you bought at the butcher, nor will you have 500g of meat for two people.

We sent ds1 off to university with a frying pan, a couple of other pans, a sharp knife or two, a tin opener, a grater, a couple of wooden spoons, a mixing bowl, and some food basics (oil, oregano, chilli, tinned tomatoes, pasta, rice) - we didn't spend a fortune (I think we got most of the equipment in IKEA).

Over his three years at university, he gradually added the store cupboard things he needed/wanted, and he became very good at shopping from the reduced cabinets - which I think is often easier if you are only looking to feed one or two than if you are trying to feed a family - and he ate well, cooking from scratch a lot of the time, on a budget of around £30 a week, for all his meals, and the odd takeaway.

I suspect that, if you want ready meals of a similar quality (in taste, and in terms of no added rubbish/sugar/salt) to home cooked from scratch, it will be as expensive as home cooked, or more expensive, if you price up the ingredients according to how much you use, rather than how much you'd pay to buy it in the shops (ie. price for 25g of butter than for a 250g block, the cost of 2tbsp of flour not a whole bag, to add to the milk for a white sauce).

I think there would be a market for a 'Starting To Cook From Scratch' cookbook, where the first section needs very little in the way of equipment and store cupboard basics but each recipe will add maybe one item to your store cupboard, and then the book carries on with a range of recipes that make use of the store cupboard you've built up in section 1, and adds to it - but it's all done with an eye to economy, and not asking you to buy lots of new ingredients or equipment.

For me, the big advantage when I cook from scratch, is hat I know exactly what's gone in. I'm not evangelical about it, but I do try to cook from scratch most of the time.

My first set of kitchen "equipment" was a few old saucepans, a plate, a bowl and a few ancient items of cutlery provided to me by my mum when I became a uni student in self-catering accommodation. Nothing that I had to pay for, and all stuff she had had for years and years (perhaps since her own student days).

You can often pick up a fair bit of decent kitchen stuff in charity shops for virtually nothing. A good wash back at home and it is good to go.

I suppose it would be good if food banks and the like did have these sorts of things to give out to needy families with very little, as not everyone is lucky enough to be given basics by their families. I do have a few things that could be donated.

Cooking from scratch - well I would like to do that tonight (pasta with mushrooms, spring onions, creamy sauce, garlic and brie), but DH seems to be in DIY mode in my kitchen adjusting shelves and generally causing chaos. Any suggestions for how to turf him out tactfully?

I prefer the food I make when cooking from scratch and wouldn't choose to eat ready meals very often even when I lived alone. I do find cooking a bit of a chore (unless I'm really in the mood) but not so much that it really annoys me. What I prefer to do is have a bulk cooking day - just get all the cooking over and done with - and freeze meals in portions of 2 (for DH and I). I am fortunate in that I have the equipment/freezer space to do this and I know not everyone does. For us it means that when we both get in from a long day at work when we can't be bothered to cook we can have a healthy home cooked meal with very little effort.

On the secondary debate that seems to be going on on this thread - I totally agree there are people who DO have that decision to make - to buy food that isn't as healthy vs. buying good food and financing ways of cooking said food. I have had difficult times financially myself and I couldn't afford to cook from scratch like I can now. I would actually be interested in donating old pots/pans/cooking utensils etc to food banks if that was something they offered alongside the food. Does anyone know of anything like that existing?

I volunteer at a food bank and we very often have to deal with people with little or no cooking facilities.. Some are living in hostels, they may have a kettle and / or microwave, but nothing else. Or they may have run out of money on their electric so can only manage cold food until they can next afford to top up their power. One item we regularly give out is tin openers (the majority of our food is tinned and people were unable to even open it). But we would welcome the opportunity to give out pans etc too.
I know this is off the OPs topic but seems to be a theme on this thread. And if you want more info about what your local food bank needs check out the Trussell Trust website or initiatives like starter packs which give out kitchen utensils to those in need.
Ain626 hope that helps.

OP to respond to you quoting me saying there is a cost to your health in terms of missing out on nutrients, of course you're eating other stuff other wise you'd likely be seriously ill! But if you're eating three meals a day, and one of those is a crappy ready meal, you're missing out a whole third of your potential intake of delicious, nutritious, scrumptious, healthy food. It just seems a shame to do that so regularly. Have a pack of smoked mackerel and some broccoli or even a decent home made sandwich, and you'd be more nourished.

What are these onions that people are buying that go off before the next time they are needed? Mine keep weeks, just in a cupboard. Mind you, most days, the first thing I do when cooking, is to chop up an onion.

Same with peppers, they easily keep a week in the fridge, or can be chopped up and popped in the freezer.

And I'm slightly shocked at what some people consider a portion of meat. 500g would easily do four of us. When there are six of us at home then I'd do double and leftovers for lunch; easy to pop a couple of spoons of curry in a pitta with some salad, or top a baked potato with a small amount of chilli.

i've lived on my own for many years and i tried both the ready meals and the batch cooking options, batch cooking has always come out on top for me, it's healthy, i know exactly what i'm eating, if you are savy with your weekly shop you can pick up lots of cheaper good quality meats in the clearance section and freeze for when i need it, also batch cooking is better as i can have the same meal for 2 nights and freeze the rest, once you get into the habit it all becomes second nature and put of your weekly routine and towards the end of the month you also have a variety of delicious home cooked meals to choose from in the freezer!!

OK, guys, some rolled-together responses to posts so far.
Thanks to the poster who pointed out that WW ready meals are £1 in Iceland. :)
I do have pots and pans and I am able to cook. I just don't think it's cheaper to source the evening meal by cooking from scratch.
When we are discussing cost, please also include the price of energy involved.
I do have a small freezer. However, I don't see the point of keeping a whole lot of frozen stuff at my expense (it costs electricity to keep the freezer running). I pass 2-3 big supermarkets on my way to and from work. They can keep stuff frozen for me at their expense and then I can stop on my way and buy it. It does not cost more for me.
I don't have a cooker. This is by choice. I have a tabletop induction hob, because it's enough for my needs (that includes entertaining, too), and it is very efficient.
I did not buy my microwave. It comes from the house of an elderly lady who had to move into care.
I am not on an extremely tight budget. I work full time in an office job. It is more a question of I'd like, if possible, to spend my money on things other than food: books, travelling, etc.

coveredinsnot, I eat a fresh salad (made that morning in my kitchen) and some lean protein (chicken, boiled eggs, tinned fish) for lunch every single day without fail in the 30-min lunch break at my office. Also every morning I take a multivitamin formulated for women. Because of this I don't tink I'd miss out on any nutrient even if I did not have anything for supper. If I had what you suggest for supper ("decent home made sandwich"), I would never get a hot meal.

Also, as I and others have pointed it out, while there are crappy ready meals, there are also ones that are not crappy.

Also a bit shocked at how much meat a PP (whose name I don't remember, sorry) serves for an evening meal

A 500g pack does enough chilli/spag bol for 3-4 meals for me and 2 for DD.

But the ww ones are certainly more towards the crappy side. But there again for £1 each what do you expect!

Sirzy, the last one I had was Hunters Chicken with brown and wild rice. No artificial colours or flavourings. 5% RDA sugar and 18% RDA salt (but given that I don't put salt on the midday salad, I'm still far off the RDA). 20g protein (chicken breast). Was good enough for me.

I don't understand the 'shock' at how much meat people eat. We don't skimp on the meat, can afford it, no one is overweight what is shocking about it?

Just sounds like a lot of meat toby! Don't think I could physically eat that much (and we could afford to if we wanted to). Each to the their own though.

It just seems a huge amount I suppose and an unnecessary amount and waste of resources

We could also afford it, and don't eat a high carb diet so meat and fish feature a lot but 250g each just seems loads!

250g of mince is a lot I agree (I don't do that much) but it does depend what you eat it with. 8oz steak though is pretty normal... and only the same amount.

because at one point, 1/4lb of meat (about 115g) was considered a large portion of meat. now people are saying it's perfectly normal to eat 1/2 lb at a time!

When actually a portion of beef should be 100g for an adult

people have got scewed ideas of portion size!

Sorry op but that photo of the hunters chicken looks vile.
I eat a high protein diet. I use 4-500g mince for a chilli for me and DH. Usually have one portion left for me to take to work the next day, but we will eat the chilli with sour cream and cheese and don't fill it out with carbs such as rice. I suppose with rice or baked potato it would go alot further but to keep my weight down and to feel healthy I keep carbs to a minimum.

an 8z steak is a large portion of steak! it only feels "normal" because of the abudanc eof 12oz steaks about!

OP - that monstrosity is not hunters chicken!

where's the bacon?

where's the cheese??

According to who? There is no right and wrong its not war time. I think portion size is skewed by a lot of people being overweight from eating loads of crap.

As I don't do mumsnetting during the working week, I'll now effectively abandon the thread. Thanks everyone for the contributions.