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! -

I cook every day from scratch (with the exception of the odd box of stir fry veg- more to reduce waste than anything)
I think it takes:

• planning (I plan a month's worth of meals in advance)
• a bit of practice in the kitchen - the quicker you can chop the better!
• A few cheats ( I do buy ready chopped garlic and ginger and make batches of tomato sauce which I freeze as a base for lasagne, slag Bol, homemAde pizza etc)
• a repertoire of quick dinners for in the week 20/30 mins. A favourite at the moment is teriyaki salmon (home made sauce) sticky rice and stir fry veg. Chinese recipes tend to be really quick. Likewise lots of pasta/ risotto dishes.

I work ft and long hours as does dh. We have a toddler but only give him a snack after nursery so only feed him at weekends which helps.

I really enjoy shutting the kitchen door sticking the iPad on and watching some trash- find it really relaxing after a long day at work!

I haven't read the while thread but DH came home from work at 5.30 and I went and started dinner.

pasta, bacon & courgette in creamy sauce. Cut up bacon and fry, baton courgettes and add to bacon, put pasta in boiling water, drop a whole Boursin cheese thing in with the bacon and stir until it melts, add double cream to the consistency you like, drain pasta and mix with sauce, serve with side salad - today was little gem lettuce, sliced peppers and cherry tomatoes

I do count that as cooked from scratch but is one of my "quickies".

Tomorrow we are having toad in the hole with carrots and broccoli all cooked from scratch. I will admit to using Bisto onion gravy though....

Chop cauliflower and bung in a pan with some water and simmer.

Make a cheese sauce- don't bother to grate the cheese ,chop into chunks .

Put cauliflower onto one of your plates ( presuming it's oven safe) and pour cheese over and put in the oven.

OR just pour cheese sauce over the cauliflower without browning.

Now tell me you hate cauliflower cheese Livia

Tom Kerridge recommends cling film if you can't find a pan lid...

Can I recommend a lazy ersatz cheese sauce?
1.Take a pot of fromage frais

1. stir in half the volume of grated cheese.
2. Feel free to add seasoning, herbs or mustard.

It's not proper cheese sauce, but it's tasty, Quick and easy. Ideal for cauliflower cheese. You'll never go back to jar bought...

If I got home at 4.45 per the OP I'd definitely be properly cooking from scratch every night!! As it is I get home about 6.30/7, spend an hour with DS and start cooking about 8.

I cook from scratch in the sense I don't buy ready meals or have take away often. But my meal might be something like a salad or stir fry or steak and oven chips. I don't peel, cut and dry the chips but I start with uncooked, unprepared ingredients. Guess that is my definition.

Like lots of people on this thread I cook every day - but I don't really care whether it fits any definition of 'scratch'.

I use ingredients (e.g. veg, minced beef/pots, sausages, cheese, rice, dried pasta, tinned tomatoes, stock cubes, and so on) to make meals and don't buy much that is 'pre-prepared' (although that's a loose definition and I am not necessarily against time saving stuff). I very rarely buy ready meal type things (and I'm invariably disappointed if I buy, say, an M&S preprepared thing because they're never very good).

It is a bit time consuming but I don't mind doing it as I like to eat food I consider nice and tasty. For the same reason, DH does not cook (because he just outright refuses to accept that changing colour is often positive in food or that seasoning makes things taste better); he gets extra bathroom cleaning and laundry duties instead.

I do work FT and just come in from work (after picking up DS2) and start cooking.

Actually the ersatz cheese sauce with Dame's recipe sounds rather a nice combo

A lot of people on here who work full time are home very early or don't work what I class as long hours. On a good day I'll be home by 7 pm....we eat at 9...:

I do batch cook at weekend but with the best will in the world corners will need to be cut when cooking.

By the time we've done DDs bedtime, showered, unpacked work stuff, maybe done a bit more work...cooking from absolute scratch is just not going to happen every night.

Livia I have a gas cooker and a steamer but I use the saucepan, colander and saucepan lid trick (as mentioned)

Equal volume of basmati rice and boiling water (with a stock cube, splash oil, and turmeric) in an oven proof dish.

Chicken pieces slashed and rubbed with spices/curry paste.

Both in oven for 30mins. Took 5mins to make.

Another five minutes chopping cucumber, onions, cherry tomatoes...

Easy.

I think there are some ingredients missing from those chilli recipes. The slimming world recipe is excellent. Fresh chillies, paprika, cumin, coriander, cayenne pepper, mince, tom purée beef stock, passata, onion and garlic. Yum. I don't use kidney beans I don't understand them. Just why?

sophie150, could you give your recipe for the homemade teriyaki sauce? Thanks!

Still rabbit- that sounds lovely. Going to have a go at it one night

I used to cook on a Baby Belling mini oven in my very first bedsit,I did you even have a kitchen and has to wash up in the bathroom. I'm ancient as that's illegal these days due to building regs

Oh I remember the Baby Bellings - fucking lethal

I think I cook from scratch although I use dried pasta so not sure if that's "cheating". I don't work but do have two kids under three. None of our meals are hugely time consuming - I also use the slow cooker where possible. I make curries, stews/casserole, lasagna, bolognese, chilli, tray bakes, fresh fish and veg etc. Some meals take ten mins to prep and less than half an hour to cook - others have more processes. I meal plan but choose which meal each day depending on how much time I have on my hands to make it

Loon it's this one

charlotteslivelykitchen.com/teriyaki-sauce/

I put a bit over the salmon as a kind of marinade (I don't leave it - just cool straight away) and then use the rest over the stir fry and rice

I don't want to come home and then go straight into the kitchen - I like spending some time with my toddler and when I go back to work there will be two toddlers i won't have seen all day.

SAHM here - DS1 ate at a friends tonight, DS2 had beans on toast, DH had left over gammon and oven chips and I've had cava. Living the dream. 😂😂😂

we cook most days using fresh ingredients.

Tonight, turkey meatballs in tomato sauce with rice
Tues chicken dinner
Wed homemade pizza
Thurs chicken curry
Fri steak, potato wedges, roast veg

The only convenience foods being a packet of paxo stuffing and packet pizza base mix

Cook not cool!

I don't mind cooking really, it's the bastard planning I hate.
Who's here and what time we'll eat changes daily (single parent to a 7 and 17 yo and I often do sport in the evening so eat much later).

So I first have to check the calendar, check when DS2 is seeing his Dad for the evening, badger DS1 to give me his schedule. THEN plan the logistics of collecting etc, then plan the meals, then either shop at Aldi or do Tesco online. If I'm doing the latter then I often leave it very late and end up just getting what I go the week before and the week before that, and the week before that

I make salmon (wrapped in foil, into oven for 25mins) with pots and veg once a week. It takes 30 mins and is so tasty. (I alternate lemon/chilli flakes/cajun so it doesn't get boring. Pots is either new pots/wedges/mash.)
I do a chilli twice a month and make enough to freeze for another time.
I do something like a casserole/stew/slow cooker once a week.
Meatballs (scratch!) don't take long and taste gorgeous.
Lasagna from scratch but I cheat as I don't mill my own flour and make my own pasta! j
Spag bol (fry onion garlic mince pepper, add passata herbs seasoning - 25 mins? I think this is a quick meal!)
I always have a fajita kit for lazy days, plus a packet of frozen tortellini or kievs etc when I can't be arsed. Bangers and mash. Bacon pesto pasta.
But I'd say I cook from scratch most days.
DH cooks at the weekend and always from scratch - stroganoff or a pasta dish.

I'm a sahm and have all the time in the world. I think I'd use a slow cooker loads if I had to work. (In fact I got one last week as I'm pg and can't be arsed most of the time.)

WellTidy my chilli "recipe"
500g mince
Onion chopped
Pepper chopped
Fry these all in your preferred order.
Tip out any oil. Add tin/carton of passata
Add tin of kidney beans in chilli sauce
Liberally sprinkle hot chilli powder to taste.

I find the chopping is often the fiddliest bit so do it before I'm ready to cook then put in fridge.
Also the beans in chilli sauce (before I add chilli powder) is a great mild chilli for my 2yo DD so I take out two pot fulls for her, then add the chilli powder for my DH and I.
This then makes 4 (large) portions for us, two that night and two for freezing.
I don't add anything else. It's very basic but we like it.

Thanks sophie!

I don't want to come home and then go straight into the kitchen - I like spending some time with my toddler and when I go back to work there will be two toddlers i won't have seen all day

We'll, don't then! You don't HAVE to.