MN time minimizing

[MrsDeaconClaybourne]

Honestly not a TAAT. Maybe more an "is it me?" than AIBU. Has anyone else noticed there is a real thread for minimizing how much time and effort is involved in things by some posters? A bit like the time equivalent of the mumsnet chicken. So people struggling to keep on top of laundry are told putting a wash on 'only takes 5 minutes' even including hanging out on the line. Changing beds? Ditto 5 minutes. Making a lasagne? It's no trouble - literally no time at all.

Am I just rubbish at household stuff is there some sort of competitive efficiency thing going on?

Ah - I’m afraid I can’t claim any high ground. I just genuinely can’t be arsed to chop onions. And they make me cry!

Yes this is the sort of thing I mean too! I often put a load of washing on before work and DH hangs it out because he's wfh. 5 min job for me - even less if I've done the sorting the night before. It's not a 5 min job in total though

Side track but I find that they're fine if you dry fry them for a bit from frozen before adding any oil etc. Don't think they'd work in a salad or anything though

No idea on the lasagne, as I don't like or cook the stuff. While I do believe there is some kind of competitiveness, I think mostly it's people having different standards or priorities.

Laundry for example, it does take me 5 minutes. I just pick up a load, any load and put it in the machine.(stupidly small flat , so that only takes a minute. Then hanging it out doesn't take that much longer either. So all in all it is a 5 minute job, but a good enough job rather than a good/perfect job.

I find making a Bolognese a hassle (I do make my own soffritto and I tend to slow cook for a very long time etc) so yes for me Lasagne is a massive effort as it's even longer.

Putting on the washing does take 5 minutes. Clearing the clothes horses to accommodate said washing takes a while as does hanging it all out.

**(I never, ever manage to get to the point of being able to fold all the clothes horses up - lots of messy kids and we can't outdoor dry on our terrace, no room for tumble drier)

I like the frozen 'chefs mate' packs of finely chopped onion, carrot, celery etc all mixed. It makes a great base for sauces and bolognaises, sweat down with butter and a bit of stock. It does reduce chopping time and clean up time.

But the sauce for lasagne needs to simmer for a decent amount of time, and is actually better the second day. So I prefer to cook it one evening and make up the lasagne the next day personally.

One of our favourite recipes is to use leftover chilli for lasagne, it's very good and does save lots of time

Quite the opposite. He lifts every lamp, stool, plant pot etc to vac and mop the floor.

He removes the side bars that hold the trays when cleaning the oven and even unscrew the internal glass to clean between the two glass sheets of the door.

He just commits to every task and does it quickly and properly. He’s not normal!

@Perisoire

Your lasagne sounds lovely!

I agree a vegetarian lasagne is more time-consuming for all the reasons you say - chopping & roasting veg, making a separate tomato sauce.

A meat-based lasagne is much easier. Quickly chop onion, celery & leek, grate in garlic, sauté for 8 mins on hob. Followed by pork / beef mince on high, till browned, then red wine, tinned tomatoes, purée & brown sugar, bay leaves, once bubbling, oven for 1 hour. (The chopping is about 4 mins, and the other steps can be done while doing other stuff)

Once in oven, stir once or twice.

Béchamel - melt butter, add flour to make roux, then milk gradually poured in & stirred to make sauce, add in some grated cheese & mustard. This does take a focused 8 - 10 min.

Assemble, 5 min, cook 50 min.

Genuinely neither time-consuming or faffy

No I think you're getting mixed up!

Some individuals find some tasks more challenging. For example, lasagne - fine for me. Stirfry, which others prob think easy, not so (the chopping & standing over it really puts me off)

It's about what our individual contexts make easy or otherwise.

I don't minimise that some tasks are hard for others, because I know there are plenty of '5 min jobs' I just can't do easily or that I procrastinate about. (Changing a lightbulb is one).

I often find it helpful when other MNers break down a task that I find difficult & it helps me address it.

But OP your starting point was:

Has anyone else noticed there is a real thread for minimizing how much time and effort is involved in things by some posters?

(I know 'thread' was a typo for 'trend'!)

The reality is that for some people due to the structure of their lives, certain tasks are not time-consuming or challenging (me with the lasagne, as described)

But other tasks may be - for me (like sheets, the actual task is 5 min but I'm desperate for leaving the bed & forgetting & the it's the worst task that seems to take me much longer!).

My point is that it's not minimising. It's that individuals have different challenges & contexts hence will legitimately view certain tasks as 'easy' / 'hard' / 'time-consuming' / 'quick'

Yes I think this is true.
It also makes me think about all the SAHM threads, where a SAHM lists all the things they do for their child. A poster will always come on and say "But don't you think I do all that too, on top of working full time?" No, you don't. You pay a nursery or a childminder to do it, but you can't possibly do it all yourself on top of working full time. The value of quality child care is completely minimised on here.

Laundry only really takes five minutes in this house. But that's because I don't have go around collecting it from multiple bedrooms - it just gets taken out of the basket, put in the washer/dryer and I press a button - 90 minutes later it's done and gets put on the bed. DH and I each put our own stuff away so that's not an extra task and we don't iron either.

But if someone needs to line dry or use an airer, or collect washing from five bedrooms first, then of course it's going to take longer.

The same with beds - we only have one to strip and change so it's a very easy job. If I had to change 3-4 beds a week it'd be much more work.

@Jntprcsbllyngcnt to be fair, a lot of the things listed are done by working parents too. Not the actual hours spent with the kids, but cooking, cleaning, making and going to appointments, food shops, playdates etc. are also always mentioned. No childminder or nursery will do that so the parents do it and work too. That is a fact , not diminishing good quality childcare or the value of women's work.

Ah - I’m afraid I can’t claim any high ground. I just genuinely can’t be arsed to chop onions. And they make me cry!

Yes, that's a rather important factor when it comes to chopping onions yourself, as opposed to chopping carrots or potatoes!

Colourfulponderings

Wow, does he wear a green shirt with a '1' on it and padded gloves - because he sounds like a keeper

@EarringsandLipstick please would you give your recipe and process for lasagne as I'd like to learn a quick way of doing it. Thanks :)

No I think you're getting mixed up!

I am really not, if you read my post.

Some individuals find some tasks more challenging. For example, lasagne - fine for me. Stirfry, which others prob think easy, not so (the chopping & standing over it really puts me off)

But people are not saying they find it challenging. They are saying its more time consuming, which if done from scratch, is more time consuming.

It's about what our individual contexts make easy or otherwise

But the OP was not talking about it being hard, its about time consuming.

I don't minimise that some tasks are hard for others, because I know there are plenty of '5 min jobs' I just can't do easily or that I procrastinate about. (Changing a lightbulb is one)

Yes, i know what you are saying but you keep talking about challenging tasks rather than time consuming, as the OP was talking about.

I often find it helpful when other MNers break down a task that I find difficult & it helps me address it

I think that is why people are asking for your quick lasagne from scratch recipe so they can maybe learn how you are doing one that's not time consuming.

Just a tip - Prep it all then it in fridge all day. The pasta will soften from the moisture in the sauce. Then at dinner time, put it in oven to warm up & melt the cheese. That way you still get bubbly cheese and it doesn't take long to cook as the pasta is already softened