To embrace jars and packets?

[FlapsTie]

For years I have cooked delicious, healthy home cooked meals, (interspersed with the occasional 'orange dinner' for those days when I couldn't be arsed).

The kids have got fussier and fussier over the years and my acceptable dinner repertoire got narrower and narrower.

Then I discovered that although they turn their noses up at my pasta sauces (carbonara, puttanesca etc) they will happily eat bowls and bowls of it if it's made with a Homepride or whatever sauce. This has led to the revelation that Chicken Tonight sauce is apparently much preferable to anything I can produce.

I'm not a bad cook (at least I don't think so) but my teenagers evidently have an unsophisticated palate.

So wibu to give up cooking from scratch altogether and fully embrace the jars? It's so much better for my state of mind to spend three minutes assembling a meal they'll all eat than to spend an hour making something nutritious they'll pick at.

I embraced jars and packets years ago.

Cooking bores me. I work long hours. Why spend ages squishing tomatoes with my bare hands when either Dolmio or Ragu is always on offer.

Cook what they will definitely eat. Jars for the rest.

I have embraced jars too. Quick and convenient and always reliable.

I am cooking a from scratch fish lasagne at the weekend, and a from scratch roast, so I'm sure they won't die of scurvy just yet.

But during the week I am slumming it with the sauces.

Trouble is the children develop the taste for processed food jam packed with sugar and salt. My family cheer when they get jarred sauce as opposed to anything I can knock up far more heathily. I feel like I am fighting a losing battle.

As a long time user of jars I would note that there is a lot of difference in the taste and quality of the various brands. They may still be somewhat loaded with salt and sugar but they do at least taste nice.

Preferred brands are Lloyd Grossman, Waitrose and Seeds of Change. Don't use every day and I don't see a problem unless you are using that grey gloop that comes in some varieties.

Your DC will see the light eventually. Then they could learn to cook.

It's because they are loaded with so much disguised sugar - us humans are programmed to like it !
I'd stick to mostly homemade or reduce the number of jars ?

I use dolmio. I'm lazy and it always tastes nice

Jars and packets here too

Cooking is tedious enough as it is without having to make the sauce first

I use packets as I like to think that they are healthier than jars - I'm aware that this is probably a delusion :lol:

I tend to use them as a "base", and add in lots of extra veg etc to bulk it out and freestyle it a bit.

I use Lloyd Grossman jars, probably once a fortnight... everything in moderation. They probably wouldn't be very healthy every night!

I'll happily use jars as will DH - but also cook without using jars. But the former is quicker, easier and will always get eaten.

Stash some empty jars, fill with your own sauces. Be very visual when cooking, holding the labels outwards like on the adverts

We mainly cook from scratch, but once a week we have a takeaway and once a week we have either an orange meal or jar/packet meal. I'm not aiming for perfection, just a balance.

If I were you it would be eat it or leave it- but there is nothing else and no snacks.

What's an orange meal?

i use tins, jars, frozen stuff - not quite at the level of Delia's shepherds pie with tinned mince and frozen mash, but I think taking a short cut in an otherwise home made dish is a 1000 times better than a ready meal. I just don't add any extra salt or sugar (tomatoes often need a sprinkle of sugar to counter bitterness otherwise)

I've come to a bit of a compromise (although I'm probably kidding myself it's healthier, it makes me feel better!)

So where I previously used a large jar of ragu (family of 5) I now use a small jar and mix in a tin of chopped tomatoes, some onions and mushrooms... The kids don't seem to have noticed the difference but it's cut out a lot of the processed salt and sugar.

I've started using jars and packets in the last year. Apparently my 75pence Asda bolognese sauce was 'the best I have ever made' according to my partner
I've always cooked from 'scratch' and I have taken pride in the fact that I do so.
I have come to the conclusion that it tastes shite though. I follow recipes to the word too.
I give up. Packets and jars from now on

Since I've moved in with a very fussy DP I too have embraced packets and jars; I always cooked from scratch and indeed still do if I'm only cooking for me; I appreciate good food and he appreciates takeaways and ready meals . There's no point making my life harder than it needs to be when he doesn't notice the difference

I bought a jar of 70-odd-pence creamy tomato pasta sauce in Lidl (for convenience while on holiday) and I also got the 'best I'd ever made' comments! They have it every so often now.

I can't stand them, they are all so sweet. Same for tinned soups with a tomato base. Yeuck. Do like packet peppercorn sauce tho.

An orange meal for us is out of the freezer- fish fingers, chips and beans, or pizza.

Stash some empty jars, fill with your own sauces. Be very visual when cooking, holding the labels outwards like on the adverts

Beat me to it!!!