To wonder how people find the time and money to cook from scratch

[Mummyof287]

We sometimes have a roast, cooked from scratch or Jacket potatoes with toppings and salad.Everything else tends to involve something from a box/packet/jar.
That's not to say every meal is total 'junk food' and the meals are always balanced (protein, carb, fibre) but usually include something processed.
Here are some examples of what we eat;

-Salmon/smoked basa, rice (microwave packet rice) veg
-Quiche (good quality boxed) new potatoes, veg
-Sausages (butchers or supermarket good quality butchers style)
-Old el Paso Fajita kit using quorn chicken

• Burgers (from butchers) in buns with salad

-Pizza with corn on cob/salad

• Breaded/battered fish portions, homemade chips/wedges and beans
• Lasagne (using jar sauces) & veg
• Tortellini (packet) and sauce (ready made in pot/packet)
• Stit fry using quorn chicken

I find cooking really stressful and am not very good at it 🙈 My DH likes cooking and used to do more recipies from scratch, but since having our two daughters time is stretched especially on the days we both work, and when he has done recipes they don't eat it as they are really picky eaters, so feels like a waste of effort, half of it goes in the bin.

I want to stop using so many processed foods as know its not ideal health wise, but time and especially money are fairly short, and most recipies seem to have so many ingredients, it all gets so expensive!

Any ideas of recipies that are very quick, cheap and easy please??

I have time to cook from scratch. I just CBA. (Most of the time.) I do it maybe 20% of the time. Life's too short to spend it in the kitchen! I would much rather be in the garden/out for a walk/swimming/at the beach/meeting friends.

Slowcooker is your friend here!

That’s so alien to me . To start with because the taste is always worse than home cooked and then it’s more expensive , it had more additives and salt etc . It’s fine consuming but not hugely , a basic dinner takes 15 to 20 minutes to prep the rest us cooking time then you can do other stuff while it cooks ?

Buy a rice cooker. This makes it very easy and it stays warm so you don't have to time it perfectly

Tomato sauces for cooking check the ingredients some have loads of crap in them some are just tomatoes, water and citric acid (lemon juice) and are fine

But to answer your question I have cooked almost every night for 17 years since leaving home from uni because my Dad always did and thats what I was use to

Where did you hear that? It does it fine. It takes longer, brown rice always does. And you need to run the microwave on a lower setting, once the water's boiling. I haven't done it often tbh because it's quicker to crack out the pressure cooker for brown rice, but when I've done it it's been fine. But a pressure cooker is a bigger investment.

(Btw I love my £7 microwave rice cooker which has been working brilliantly for years and also does other veg v well. Someone else linked a £25 one, I'm not sure what the extra cost adds.)

I always cook double quantities when I cook from scratch. Then there's something in the freezer for another time, which becomes an 'easy' meal but is still homemade. After a while, there's enough in rotation to do fewer cheat meals.

I sometimes also cook ahead after DC are in bed, or early in the morning before work. Or during my lunch break if I'm WFH.

I would love to cook and bake everything from scratch, but can't. Work, talking the dog, cleaning, chores, laundry, garden and life get in the way.

I do cook a lot, but I'd love to potter round the kitchen all the time with nothing else to do.

One tip I would give is to teach your DC and DH to cook so they can do it at least once a week, so it becomes less of a chore.

I cook my rice in the microwave and it's always perfect! (I really struggled in the pan).

OP, I think the key is menu planning and then getting into a habit of cooking. Having a list of recipes that you can cook in rotation. I've always cooked from scratch and don't think anything of it (I am not at all a natural or a willing cook really).

If I'm feeling lazy or pushed for time I find the Roasting Tin recipes very easy and stress free. Likewise Spag bol or chilli.

I find the time because I love cooking. I imagine if I didn’t enjoy it I would also struggle to find the time…much like I struggle to find the time to hoover 😂

It always takes much longer than a recipe says.
I cook on electric so there's heating up time, then I look my food more cooked than some other people. Then there's the shopping and washing up and cleaning the surfaces and whatever.

To cook basmati rice, measure out the rice into a pan, cover with water to a depth of the first joint on your finger, bring to the boil, then turn the heat down and simmer for exactly 9 mins. The whole process takes 12mins max. Tastes 10000 times better than microwave rice.

Couscous can also be made in minutes just pour on boiling water from the kettle to just cover the cous cous. Cover and stand until the water is absorbed. Fluff up with a fork. Sometimes I just roast a load of veg at the start of the week then chuck it in various meals through the week (ie couscous).

Yes, I have the time, but I just hate cooking so much :(

I'm single so at least when I do cook, I can make a few portions in one. I can't imagine having to go to all that hassle just for one meal and then having to do that once or twice a day every day.

"That’s so alien to me . To start with because the taste is always worse than home cooked"

Ha ha ha ha ha. You've never eaten my cooking or my family's.

Batch cook everything from quiche, chilli to cup cakes and freeze.

You could make some easy changes that would be no more time and be much better for you

• cooking rice in a pan while your salmon cooks
• using black beans or lentils or tofu instead of quorn “chicken”
• ditch the fajita kit - I just use a little garlic powder, cumin, cinnamon, paprika. Much cheaper in the long run as these last forever! And no added salt, tastes the same
• Frozen veg in curries,stir fries, pasta, soup, stew … my big money saver
• prechopped frozen onion and garlic are my big time saver, and not really any more expensive for how much you get in a packet, lasts ages!

also good for you if you like it but shop bought quiche is my nemesis 🤢

I don't work so have lots of time to cook from scratch, try new recipes, take cookery courses etc. It works out cheaper in the long run but it takes time to build up your supplies and hone your technique so that the rewards of the meal in terms of pleasure and nutrition equal the effort, time and money spent.

One downside is that going out to a restaurant is now often disappointing as the food is nicer at home but still at least you don't have to do the washing up!

hi @Mummyof287 pretty much most of the things you have described is a lot cheaper made from scratch and not too difficult

rice - buy a 5kilo bag of tilda basmati. so much cheaper. wash it at least three times. soak in cold water for 10 mins and drain that water. pour in twice as much boiling water as rice I.e. 2 cups of water for 1 cup rice. boil at max heat until water is level with rice. DO NOT EVEN THINK ABOUT STIRRING. turn heat to minimum. cover with tight fitting lid. bonus if you put a dish cloth to cover the pan before putting on the lid. this traps steam. be careful and tuck edges of dishcloth over the lid (I can post a pic if you want). leave it to cook for 5 mins. switch off heat and leave for twenty minutes. perfect rice. every time. or save yourself the headache and buy a 20 quid rice cooker. also couscous is very nice with salmon/basa. I regularly have crispy pan fried salmon with steamed veggies and a herby couscous.

burger, just buy mince - shape into patties. nothing else needed. season as it cooks on oiled gridle pan. make sure to use high heat. rest for at least ten mins. that's it. buns also possible to make and not too hard if you have a stand mixer. but you can just buy freshly made bread.

lasagne is a pain yes. I precook the ragu as others have suggested. and you can use ricotta mixed with other cheeses instead of bechamel if you like. making bechamel not too bad.

quiche is a bit of faff. you could replace with a nice frittata which is very easy to make. lots of good recipes online.

pizza you can make the dough ahead, and then it's super simple. just put on whatever you want.

battered fish - I just bake home made breadcrumbed fish instead. not too time-consuming.

there are a lot of good recipes for busy working families. like the one tray dishes - you might want to take a look at those. it's definitely doable. just have to choose the right dishes and meal plan/organise over the weekend.

My suggestion would be to batch cook at weekends and get a good steamer,this way you can have a meat dish reheated/defrosted and accompanying veg.
I have a Morphy Richards intellisteam with 3 different cooking zones. You put in the times of each veg and it automatically cooks so everything is ready at the same time( starting at the correct time times) so no juggling about adding stuff,once it's cooked it goes into keep warm mode so no panicking if your main dish isn't ready. Once you've sussed out how long each veg takes its a doddle so just requires a bit of time getting used to it , this means even if you're having a processed meat dish you at least have fresh veg.
Also you could get a slow cooker , use it to cook stews etc whilst you're out and about or busy at weekends,a lot of dishes you just chuck stuff in.

Questions for the batch cookers

What do you store the food in in the freezer? Trays, lunchboxes??

I presume you take out the night before to defrost before re-heating/cooking?

It must be hard when you hate it! It’s no hassle for me, I love getting out all the ingredients and cooking and just find it relaxing. I often stick my iPad up and watch something on Netflix or listen to my Audiobook. It’s like me time, nobody disturbs me whilst I’m cooking which may be why I do it so much!

I hear you. Batch cooking is your friend, if you have freezer space. Don't buy micro rice, it's so easy in the microwave. 1 measure of nice basmati rice, 1.5 to 2 measures of cold water. Microwave 10 mins in a vented tupperware, then leave stand for 10 mins, you can use stock or add tumeric/ herbs etc etc. Slow cooker is great. You aren't eating bad food, but it's v expensive the way you are doing it. Spice kits are expensive, once you have brought a few essential herbs & spices you can make your own, with no nasty additives. There are some great resources on the Internet.

I have an assortment of tupperware,sometimes I will freeze stuff in ceramic dishes that can go straight from freezer to oven. How I defrost depends on how organised I am. Usually I would take out night before and put in fridge, if not defrosted in time I will finish defrosting in oven or microwave. I only defrost on the kitchen worktop if it's something that's going to be cooked within a couple of hours or if it's winter I may get out on a morning and leave to thaw in a cold utility . Always ,always make sure dish is ultra hot right through, even if have to wait a couple of minutes before eating so you don't get scalded ,this is important in killing any bacteria that has formed between the initial cooking and cooling prior to freezing and any bacteria growing during defrost.
I am a tad anal about food hygiene ,being a drs daughter I was educated from early childhood in the many ways you could get food poisoning ( a wonder I've not got ocd) that said I've yet to give anyone food poisoning in the decades I've been cooking (55 years old).

I would say we cook from scratch mostly. It is how I was brought up but DH thinks it’s unnecessary.

But we do buy things like passata for sauces but always check they don’t have additives etc in as far as possible. Then add herbs. we also buy tinned kidney / butter beans etc for expediency.

we have a lot of meals out of the slow cooker. I often portion the uncooked food up in large freezer bags for the slow cooker and freeze them on shopping day for the next week eg chicken, with veg, herbs and spices etc. take it out the freezer the night before then in the morning add the bag contents and the passata / water in to the slow cooker.

we tend to have the same meal two nights in a row but make it slightly different.

we have a lot of things like chilli in the slow cooker that will do two nights so with jacket potatoes one night and rice another night or even in wraps if it lasts three nights.

we do similar with bolognaise, maybe one night the sauce is on top of spaghetti then the next night it is mixed with penne and some
cheese on top for a pasta bake.

we will also have tray bakes in the oven with the meat / fish and all the veg in one roasting tray. That can be chopped up the night before / in the morning and just put in the oven.

in terms of cooking rice. I do add some cold pressed oil to the water to help stop it sticking and I’ve found some brands cook easier than others.

we both work full time and have small children youngest is 15 months. We rarely if ever eat dinner before 7 which means the children go to bed a lot later than some would deem acceptable.

Read bits of this thread with interest. I find that when I'm in the zone I just batch cook with everything I have at the time. If you're chopping onions anyway then do a bolognese, a soup and a stew. I don't even wash the pan between dishes. Put the radio on, hang up the 'mummy's cooking sign' (metaphorical or real) and get chopping. Invest in a good heavy knife and keep it sharp. Re-use takeaway tubs. They're brilliant for batch booking, leftovers, anything when you've opened a packet and need to keep the rest airtight. Plus they stack up nicely in the freezer. Get a marker pen. Get into the habit of getting dinner out of the freezer in the morning. Then steam veg or cook pasta/rice and you're done.

It sounds similar to my weekly menu- but I do make a little more from scratch. Quiche is very simple to make and soooo much nicer if you do- plus it will be larger and last two meals.

I make my own tomato pasta sauce- takes 20 minutes!

Lasagne is no easier for using a jar of ready made sauce- passata and tinned tomatoes work better!

Why all the quorn if you aren't veggie? Real chicken is much healthier and unprocessed!

Other cheapish and easy from scratch meals I make are chilli, spag bol, chow mein, fried rice with veg and prawns/chicken, casseroles, irish stew, cottage pie, curry on a weekend, sometimes pizza using the bread maker for the dough.