To wonder who these wonder women are who 'cook from scratch' every day

[MGFM]

Following on from all the threads about supermarket shopping and how to make it cheaper etc, I just can't get me head around all of the families 'cooking from scratch' everyday.

Is it just me that thinks that cooking from scratch everyday is an absolute nightmare? Are people confused about what cooking from scratch actually means? Are all these people who do this SAHM/SAHDs? Are they getting up at 5 am to put the meal together to heat up in the evening. I just dont get it.

I am currently on Mat Leave but when I was working full time and getting home around 1645/1700 every night, the last thing I wanted to start doing was cooking from scratch.

And what does cooking from scratch even mean? I enjoy sausage, mash, peas and gravy. The mash is from scratch...does that count?

I tend to cook from scratch at the weekend....a big pan of chilli which can cook for a few hours, or spag bol and then will freeze the left overs but I dont start cooking this on a thursday night for example.

Anyway, If I am being unreasonable and it is actually pretty easy to be super mum/dad and cook from scratch, can I please have your recipes?

Thanks! -

Before I went on mat leave I didn't get home until 8pm, I've still always cooked from scratch. I grew up abroad without access to processed food and ready meals, so I just always have done. I save more
lengthy to cook meals for weekends, where I might make a big batch of chilli or spag Bol or shepherds pie, but it only takes me 15-20 minutes most nights to knock up a homemade supper - frittata, or spaghetti carbonara or steaks with sweet potato wedges or something. It would take me longer than that to heat a ready meal in the oven.

My dh cooks from scratch pretty much every day. He works ft but mostly from home.

It doesn't take long and he enjoys it. He's making fish pie tonight.

I would hate to cook every day. Left to me it would be pasta every night as I'm fat too lazy to be bothered with it.

It's not that time consuming to put some pasta on and then make a basic tomato sauce. That's cooking from scratch in my book.

Chilli takes about 15 minutes to prep then leave to simmer for 30-40 minutes whilst kids do homework. Similarly pop some chicken breast in the oven to bake and then put potatoes on to simmer then the veg with 5 minutes to go. All done in 25 minutes. Or salmon baked in the oven with some couscous and salad. That takes about 15 minutes.

It doesn't have to be a full on roast dinner to be 'from scratch'.

I cook using loads of shortcuts. Frozen garlic puree in cubes (every bit as good as fresh and ready immediately), chopped chillies in oil, ginger paste in a tube, ready made chicken stock as well as tinned tomatoes, frozen peas and dried pasta. I don't enjoy chopping garlic or making bread enough to waste my evening on them.

On holidays, in a lovely rented villa, I love making tomato sauce from tomatoes and pasta from flour. Once I retire, I might make crumpets and fish fingers from scratch to fill my day. In everyday life, kids bath time, homework, job, a moment with DH and a million other things come first.

i occasionally reheat rice, never had a problem with it. Although it only takes 15mins to cook so not much time saved there I guess?

I cook from scratch most days during term time but use lots of things like tinned tomatoes and frozen veg. During school holidays I rely much more on things like ready made pasta sauces and fish fingers. My son with sn requires too much attention to be spending much time in the kitchen.

I do most days but I also like the odd take away and the odd preprepared thing - preprepped duck in the oven at the moment, I could do it from scratch but bu the time I have been to a Chinese supermarket to get the little pancakes (not making them at home) then I might as well stick the pre prepped one in the oven.

Tomorrow I have roast beef - will cook in the sc all day, might do veg with it, might make sandwiches.

I also think there is nothing wrong with half measures, ready trimmed beans and carrots are fine occasionally.

We have reheated rice for years with no problem.

I cook from scratch everyday, albeit with some shortcuts like pre cooked meat from a previous roast. Most meals take between 10 and 30 mins to make from start to eating, with little needed to prepare - stir fries, currys, fajitas, etc.

Some meals take a bit of preprepping, tonight's dinner I've had to marinade some chicken and if I cook a pizza the dough needs some time to prove but most of that is quick work then leaving it alone for a while so other stuff can be done in the meantime.

Reheating rice can cause food poisoning. Rice is so cheap that I would never risk it.

Reheating rice is ok,it's making sure it's cooled down very quickly,within an hour and put in the fridge.

Would sooner stick pins in my eyes than cook - ready meals are too much faff! I'm not keen on takeaway so dinner is always pretty quick!

Well gadgets are great for me.

Rice cooker - I never liked until I lived in china. I wash my rice pop it in, press start. I can get on doing my other dishes... rice is done and kept warm until serving. I grew up making rice on a hob... and can do it effortlessly... but it still needs attention to prevent it burning. I even make my rice & peas in my rice cooker my mother disapproves

Pressure cooker - great for off cuts of meat that may be tough or other meats like goat. Also fantastic for making chilli. I don't like beans in a tin... so alway buy dried. 20-30 mins in a pressure cooker and they are ready for the hob with ingredients. Also grew up using one... it's also great for soups etc.

I've only ever used my slow cooker for hearty soups... like beef and barley or to do pulled pork. The key is not adding all your ingredients at once... as we know some veg lose nutritional value when over cooked. browning your meat is essential when using a slow cooker... otherwise it comes out as mush and meat with no flavour. I'd never put fish in a slow cooker.

I never reheat rice

I would cook fresh rice every day to go with reheated curry or whatever, it takes less than 15 minutes, which gives me time to stir fry veg or whatever

we eat home cooked food most nights, and I work 4 days/wk.
On my day off I cook double of something like lasagne, and I'll often also sort out something towards another meal (roast some chicken thighs for a thai noodle soup). We eat a lot of asiany stuff as it's loads quicker to stir fry some salmon and veg rather than roasting things. Don't really do pre prepared jars or ready meals, but I'm quite a fan of pre-chopped veg.

Thing is, I quite like cooking so I don't find it a massive chore. We're also all quite greedy, so I have a nice appreciative audience to cook for. I don't think it's somehow morally superior, and if it bored me or if the kids weren't good eaters I might not bother nearly as often.

As it stands I claw some time back by being a fucking shocking housewife and never cleaning anything unless we have guests.

I have a slow cooker but it has never come out of the box (fucking ludicrous present to buy someone like me!)

I work full time (teaching) and cook from scratch every night (bar the odd takeaway). It's habit really. During the week I have recipes that can be prepped and cooked in under an hour and at the weekend it'll be a longer cook or roast. I've never really thought too much about it but I definitely work better in the evening with a good meal inside me!

Xpost

... I also use my slow cooker for gumbos

So yum!

The best one I made was a chicken a chorizo gumbo... we had it with mash instead of rice. It's so good!

I've just stuck some previously marinaded spare ribs in the oven. The marinade took 10 minutes to make and can be made 24 hours ahead. Sticky rice and sesame beans will take another 20 minutes of very low intensity labour while I'm setting the table and corralling my family. Pudding will be clementines and some left over cake. Cooking from scratch is not rocket science and, TBH, it's more about ensuring the quality and provenance of ingredients than anything else.

I'm one.

And I make sure my kids cooked too.

I think it's as important as teaching them to wipe their arses.

What do they eat otherwise? Processed shite or raw food.

I cook "from scratch" every night, and don't usually get in from work until 630 ish. I just don't buy any ready meals or sauces - but will use shop bought pasta and stock cubes so not true scratch cooking I guess! Tends to be quick things like grilled fish with green veg and some kind of potatoes; pork escalopes with spaghetti and tomato sauce; salmon with rice and stir fry veg; seafood pasta; chicken breast with couscous and roasted veg etc.

We don't eat until very late though (830/930) (the kids eat at after school club and then have a quick supper when they get in before bed)

I cook from scratch the vast majority of the time - fresh, not from the freezer earlier made meals. Not a big fan of mince or very long cooked items, so my food is usually things which require organization and are heavier on the prep, but cooking is not often lengthy.

Reheating rice is not a problem - just cool quickly and reheat to a high temperature. Been eating rice all my life (oriental background) and I have never been sick or known any of my family to have been sick due to re-heated rice.

My husband cooks equally. We both work full time. We just do the really fussy meals at weekend so no cooking at week. E.g. Tonight is lasagna made yesterday

Being able to cook is something most people can do.

Whether your kids will be rustling up nutritionally balanced meals when they leave home is a different matter