Passing pre made food off as your own

[Natsel84]

Lighthearted

Tonight I "cooked" for the family. I had gone to the supermarket earlier to do the weekly shop and for quickness I picked up a fresh family size lasagne .
Cooked it in the oven but added some extra cheese on top to make it look more " home made "
Served it up just before everyone returned home, after hiding all packaging in the bin and passed it off as my own.

It went down a treat not a mouthful left. Everyone said it was one of the nicest thing I made. Technically I did cook it, in the oven anyway...

Do I feel bad no 🤣

Anyone else passed off pre made food as homemade cooking ?

Twobrews lol. Thread on here the other day 'would you eat homemade gifts?' Lots of MNers "no, never, bin them". Might be time for vouchers

@Natsel84 I have definitely done this! No marriage troubles over here either! I've done it with a Tesco's curry from the fresh bit 😂

It has crossed my mind to lie before. My stepson has this huge chip on his shoulder about what is and isn't homemade. If I have the cheek to use instant mash or god forbid frozen roasties I get a lecture on how his mum always makes them from scratch. I tell him if he wants to stand there chopping and peeling spuds be my guest, but there's no bloody way I'm doing that after a day of work. I don't enjoy cooking, if he wasn't here I probably wouldn't bother at all, but fuck me I find his attitude so ungrateful - it's not like I'm sat on my arse all day and then cooking dinner in 2 seconds with instant mash. I am so, so busy and don't necessarily want slow cooker casseroles every day (which again he moans about as his mum has a proper casserole dish!)

So you know what, if I could get away with hiding packaging and saying I'd done everything myself, perhaps I would!

This is so funny! I can't believe how righteous some people are. For gods sake, we live busy lives juggling work and home so yes, I definitely have bought shop baked stuff and not let on it's not homemade. Some people need to get off their saintly pedestals and chill out a bit

It's nothing to do with being self righteous, but being confident in my own cooking ability, which is why I am happy to admit it if I haven't made something.

@LindaEllen

It has crossed my mind to lie before. My stepson has this huge chip on his shoulder about what is and isn't homemade. If I have the cheek to use instant mash or god forbid frozen roasties I get a lecture on how his mum always makes them from scratch. I tell him if he wants to stand there chopping and peeling spuds be my guest, but there's no bloody way I'm doing that after a day of work. I don't enjoy cooking, if he wasn't here I probably wouldn't bother at all, but fuck me I find his attitude so ungrateful - it's not like I'm sat on my arse all day and then cooking dinner in 2 seconds with instant mash. I am so, so busy and don't necessarily want slow cooker casseroles every day (which again he moans about as his mum has a proper casserole dish!)

So you know what, if I could get away with hiding packaging and saying I'd done everything myself, perhaps I would!

But this is my point really - surely people that bitch and moan about preferring meals cooked from scratch need to understand the time and effort that goes into it?

Honestly, if anyone made a snobbish comment about being able to “tell” any food I’d cooked came from a packet/jar, then they’d be cheerily pointed towards the kitchen and told to feel free to put in the effort!

@LindaEllen you really need to get your stepson helping with the cooking. Made all the difference with my moany teen boys. Seriously, tell him he has to get the potatoes done by the time you get home.

@Fittata

Er...its not the lasagne affecting the relationship is it? It's the casual attitude to lying to your own family!

We’re doomed. I regularly tell the kids there’s no chocolate left!

[quote ivfbabymomma1]@Natsel84 I have definitely done this! No marriage troubles over here either! I've done it with a Tesco's curry from the fresh bit 😂[/quote]
So glad to hear your marriage survived , I fully expected my bags to be packed and left by the front door , with a couple of frozen spaghetti bolognese ( cooked from scratch ) by its side this morning , but as luck should have it , all is ok .

surely people that bitch and moan about preferring meals cooked from scratch need to understand the time and effort that goes into it?

And skill, and hard to obtain ingredients.
I make Thai curries using pre-made Thai curry paste because I can't get all of the ingredients easily, and it tastes better.

Even TV chefs tell you to buy ready made puff pastry because it is such a faff to make, and I am not averse to saving time and effort with several of Aunt Bessie's frozen offerings

@LindaEllen

It has crossed my mind to lie before. My stepson has this huge chip on his shoulder about what is and isn't homemade. If I have the cheek to use instant mash or god forbid frozen roasties I get a lecture on how his mum always makes them from scratch. I tell him if he wants to stand there chopping and peeling spuds be my guest, but there's no bloody way I'm doing that after a day of work. I don't enjoy cooking, if he wasn't here I probably wouldn't bother at all, but fuck me I find his attitude so ungrateful - it's not like I'm sat on my arse all day and then cooking dinner in 2 seconds with instant mash. I am so, so busy and don't necessarily want slow cooker casseroles every day (which again he moans about as his mum has a proper casserole dish!)

So you know what, if I could get away with hiding packaging and saying I'd done everything myself, perhaps I would!

To be fair I wouldn't blame you , you cant please everyone .

@Joe50

This is so funny! I can't believe how righteous some people are. For gods sake, we live busy lives juggling work and home so yes, I definitely have bought shop baked stuff and not let on it's not homemade. Some people need to get off their saintly pedestals and chill out a bit

Like I said it was only meant to be lighthearted, nothing sinister in it . Glad to see some people including yourself can see the funny side of this thread . 🙂

I once bought a shop bought cottage pie. Sainsburys taste the difference or whatever, it was quite nice.

Ds was unimpressed, said "this doesn't taste like normal. I don't like it." He wouldnt eat much.

I was gutted, I had been hoping to give myself a break from cooking!

NoIDont - we’ve always had a rule that everything is eaten regarding of who cooked it. There was much more enthusiasm for the meals on the days I didn’t cook. DH’s cooking or ready prepared meals went down better with everyone!

I know it's meant to be a light-hearted thread but all the pretence and snobbery about homecooked versus ready meals really gets to me. No one should feel they have to lie over whether food is made from scratch or bought.

Most meals are edible at the end of the day.

I had the opposite - made some scones (Nigella's Lily's Scones recipe) to take to a friend's Afternoon Tea birthday party and was told quite bluntly by some bloke that I couldn't possibly have made them, they were far too good and I must have bought them from Waitrose! :o

And after that not-so-covert brag, I have to say that an Aldi value cheese and tomato pizza, jazzed up with some torn up ham and a scattering of grated mozzarella goes down far better with DD than anything I could ever make her from scratch!

Ready meals are awesome, but... You pretended that you made it? That’s weird to me. I don’t lie to family and it’s extremely rare that I lie to anyone else. I think it’s sad you’re so casual about it.

I dont get why you need to impress your family. What's wrong with saying you didint have time to cook from scratch so you bought a ready made one?

I once had a friend persist in asking where I bought a home made lasagne that I served up. I was flattered and saw this as a compliment..... After reading this thread I'm not so sure now

Where is everyone’s sense of humour - it’s funny!

@Parker231

Where is everyone’s sense of humour - it’s funny!

Omg yes . Honestly I put in the original post that it light hearted.

I told my husband the next day he thought it was hysterical and gave me a high 5 .

@Skysblue

Ready meals are awesome, but... You pretended that you made it? That’s weird to me. I don’t lie to family and it’s extremely rare that I lie to anyone else. I think it’s sad you’re so casual about it.

I once tried to do this for a dinner party I was going to - I took some sort of m&s salad. One of the other guests was Yotam sodding Ottolenghi, who repeatedly asked me about the wonderful dressing. I mumbled something about coriander and honey.

Sorry OP I'm another that thought your usual lasagne must be crap if they thought a ready made one was great
Glad to hear your marriage is still ok though, despite your conniving ways

@lyralalala

I did this with my MIL and late FIL first time I met them. I "cooked" steak pie that actually came from the local bakers. They have a catering kitchen and make the most amazing ready meals and pies.

I had to fess up the second time I met them because MIL was singing my praises to the wider family and her SIL (DH's Aunt) asked for my recipe as the gravy was amazing. I fessed up to MIL in the kitchen and she told her SIL it was rude to ask for family recipes like that and she never told anyone else what I'd done.

FIL told me when he was dying that he knew. He knew because he used to pass through my village a couple of times a week and had a mini pie for lunch. He never told MIL as he had it alongside the packed lunch she made him

Your in-laws sound absolutely brilliant!