To ask the most useless "convenience" food you've ever purchased

[EveryDayIsADuvetDay]

I recently added oven chips to an online shop, not realising they weren't pre-coated with oil.
Given that I prefer skin-on fries why do they always cost more? I'd effectively bought a bag of expensive sliced up potato.
On the plus side, it has made me realise that buying oven chips is a total waste of time, particularly as I have very limited freezer space.
What's the daftest "convenience" food have you purchased before realising it's a total waste of money?

Carrot batons
Slimy and watery

I keep a tin of M&S curry in the cupboard for when there's not quite enough curry to go round - it's nice.

I think if you like stuff & it saves you time/effort-use what the bloody hell you want!

@clary

A quid for a pack of pancake mix is still more expensive than a bag of plain flour. Even if you don't bake, you still need it for cheese sauce, gravy, rolling out your (ready made) pastry...

And you can use it for pancakes in the future as well.

Op I've got nothing to add here. I bought some reduced sliced onions once and thought it was a good idea. Frozen strawberries are grim tho.

@clary I don’t think you understand “don’t bake” 🙂 If you don’t bake, you quite possibly don’t cook either.

• cheese sauce: mix with water from a packet, or never make a cheese sauce because it’s already in your ready meal
• gravy: just mix your granules with water
• ready made pastry: buy a premade pie

Lots of people have no need of flour at all!

@unexpectedthird

Frozen veg is great for soup but I'd not use it for much else because it's too watery. Oven chips are grand but they make me sad because I always want chippy chips after eating them.😂

It's all so subjective isn't it. I tend not to buy pre prepared stuff because we prefer things fresh but they have their place and are really useful for some people.

I feel the same astonishment at slow cooking. I've yet to find a recipe that's nice that doesn't require heaps of prep first. I find I'd be as well making something at the time if I'm going to spend 3/4 of an hour browning meat or softening veg etc. But others rave about it.

I love my slow cooker, been using one at least weekly since 1994 and I've never pre browned meat or pre fried onions. I come from the "chuck it in, switch it on" school of slow cookery!

I use the frozen jacket potatoes. It’s not about whether a fresh potato is almost as quick (microwave then oven to crisp) or whether you can buy a single potato.

It’s about not wanting to meal plan (I like to eat what I fancy that day) and knowing that I always have a potato available.

@MatildaTheCat

Ready made jacket potatoes? I’ve never bought one but why??

Because they are as convenient as microwaving a potato, but they've been baked then frozen so are much nicer - you don't have to put your oven on on a high setting for an hour or more for a couple of spuds.

@Hoppinggreen

Carrot batons Slimy and watery

Sounds like they were past their best.

Adding to the debate about pancake mix, what about Yorkshire pudding mix? It’s the same ingredients as pancake mix and why on earth would anyone need to buy a mix?

It’s years since I’ve had oven chips but now I’ve put it on my shopping list, thank you!

@Nannewnannew

Adding to the debate about pancake mix, what about Yorkshire pudding mix? It’s the same ingredients as pancake mix and why on earth would anyone need to buy a mix?

It’s years since I’ve had oven chips but now I’ve put it on my shopping list, thank you!

Maybe they're for the people without freezers unable to buy from the massive selection of ready made frozen ones. .

I don't know if our Morrisons is unusual, but every time I go in the freezer section, I'm always astonished about the vastness of the number of freezers dedicated to one single item, it's like there's an entire wall of them.

@Dollywilde

Not to be the loser who misses the point of the thread buuuut... please can we remember a lot of pre-chopped stuff is a lifeline for the disabled? My dad loves to cook but doesn’t have the dexterity to chop onions etc.

I was going to say the same thing. I personally don't like pre chopped fruit and veg but I know it helped my ed when she was at uni as she has chronic pain in her hands so chopping veg was very difficult. That said, I do use a lot of frozen veg but not frozen carrots, sprouts or cauliflower/broccoli as they do not freeze well.

I agree that frozen oven chips are pointless and rubbish. It takes very little time to chop potatoes up into chips or wedges, sprinkle on some oil, salt, pepper and anything else you want like paprika, and cook in the oven. They taste a million times nicer.

I despise frozen oven chips and hate when they're served up in a café. I do love MacDonald's fries and chippy chips however.

Baked potatoes. 3 years ago we hot a combination oven that we use as a microwave. The only thing we have found it successful fir is baked potatoes. 15 mins from scratch, 2 potatoes baked with crispy skins. Not quite as good as in an oven, but better than frozen.

@OldRailer

Oh mine isn't that far but it's over a "border."

It's all gone quite bonkers.

I went last week. I'm fairly sure it isn't technically allowed but I was able to stock up on loads of things.

@cookdabooks I agree that chips/wedges are easy to make and far nicer. (I hate oven chips - won’t touch them)

But I’ll make the sane point as I did got microwave spuds. For me it’s not the convenience at the making stage. It’s the convenience of not having to ensure that I have fresh potatoes in the house, and the convenience to indulge my preference not to meal plan. I serve my kids frozen chips about once every 6 weeks (really really not a fan!) but on the day where I think, “hmmm, I fancy xyz but the kids won’t - oh I know, I’ll do x + chips for them” - I know I can just do that.

I’m not going to argue that it isn’t easy to plan... I just like not doing so!

I bought some ready-sliced frozen peppers once and they were vile. So watery and tasteless.

Frozen mushrooms are like slimey rubber.

My kids were bought a packet mix to make some cupcakes. The first bag needed butter and egg adding to it - so it was flour and baking powder. The second bag needed butter adding - so it was icing sugar.
Mmmm - wasn't convinced by the convenience of that product!!!

[quote LolaNova]@BarbaraofSeville agreed!

And I’ve never weighed ingredients for pancakes (or Yorkshire puddings) in my life! Just keep adding flour/milk until the consistency looks ok![/quote]
I'm the same. Got a phone call once from one of my kids ask for measurements, I had to make a batch to work it out. The things we do for our kids.

I mean quantities not measurements, I never measure my pancakes.

Premixed cake mixes. Yuck.

Tbh I make most stuff from scratch, when you are used to that 95% of stuff sold in shops tastes crap/weird or overly salty/sweet

Apologies for bringing Costco up again, but they do some quite nice oven chips, which are called 'stealth chips' for reasons which I don't really understand.

Obviously not as nice as proper fried chips, but not bad at all. Not sure what the OP means by 'not precoated in oil' though. Are you sure you've bought oven chips and not the ones that are for frying?

@MatildaTheCat

Ready made jacket potatoes? I’ve never bought one but why??

Very good for ND person who likes things to be exactly the same every time tbf. 🙂

Frozen jacket spuds are brilliant! Quick lunch, microwave spud, open can of Stagg veggie chilli, done.

ready grated cheese has a weird texture.

It’s coated with starch < not envy

It’s to stop the pieces clumping together I guess.

Frozen Avocado is pretty grim. But then there's probably a place for it
They are good in smoothies, guacolmole and when they are baked.
I save the fresh ones for toast and salads.
Where can you buy frozen advocado
Iceland
Frozen veg is great for soup but I'd not use it for much else because it's too watery
Also stir frys and curries. I put in casseroles but reduce the amount of added water.