Is your family is snobby when it comes to homemade dishes

[Calgator]

My in laws are very snobby when it comes to homemade food.

When I say snobby they wouldn’t judge a single mum relying on something pre made for example but when it comes to the stuff they eat they massively favour homemade stuff. I just find it amusing tbh! They all get VERY excited when someone brings over homemade bread and desserts. Wanting to know what recipe/method you chose. All birthday cakes are homemade. I swear a cake from Tesco would sit completely unopened in the fridge.

There is one vegetarian family member and my sister in law is going to make an entire veggie wellington just for him. I suggested just getting something from M&S and she completely baulked at the very idea. Tbf everyone is a good cook.

It definitely stems from MIL. Who grows her own food, makes chutneys etc. They would never dream of shoving in an Indian selection from Waitrose as starters like my family doesx

I just find it fascinating tbh.

Anyone else have family like this? Even croissants are homemade!

I wouldn't find that snobby just more discriminating though it would be rude to scorn an offering brought to your home. I don't like shop cakes and desserts as they are way too sweet and often covered in a load of gank. If feeding a few people then ready meals are a crazy idea anyway as well the fact that they are not usually very nice and have weird ingredients.

I read this as inverted snobbery coming from you OP

Oh no, not all meals. I was talking about cakes, including shop bought cakes made on a small scale.

"If feeding a few people then ready meals are a crazy idea anyway"

The OP explained that the ready meal would have been for one person, a vegetarian having a different main course than the others. In this case, it makes sense.

A specialist patisserie shop which makes cakes on-site or at a small scale fresh would almost certainly be better than my cakes. But a lot more expensive! And such shops are rare in the uk outside London.

Renounce her beliefs? I solemnly swear to only ever eat ready made microwave food at my in laws 😂

Since when do vegetarians not have the option to eat home made meat free food? I'm sure such a food loving family will be more than able to cater to her meat free needs. It's not necessary to bring smelly processed ready-made food to make a sanctimonious point. And if the in laws don't cater for vegetarians, which I find doubtful, she could bring pre made home cooked food. If I were the in laws, I'd throw the microwave out and see what happens.

I think there is a big difference between a cake bought from a patisserie and one bought from Tesco

I would freely admit that Konditor and Cook do it better than me. But my home made cakes are way better than supermarkets.

I don't eat meat, when I cater for myself at the in laws, I usually just do a quick omelette which goes well with the sides for a roast

I once thought my inlaws were foodies but I've since realised they are just very particular. They won't eat food at other people's houses if that's bought or homemade. They are similar in restaurants and will only eat one meal. They also like their food very very plain. No herbs spices sauces. Everything is very dry. Yet they will buy lots of branded food and goodies so it's not about upf. Just their own preferences.

I once did a birthday party for my young child and they didn't eat a thing. On the flip side I come from a family who would judge you for making homemade. I made homemade cakes and got called a 1950s housewife 🙈

I just let everyone get on with whatever their preference is. I think either way can seem strange when it's not what you've grown up with.

Unfortunately for my waistline I eat absolutely everything 😂

It's not snobby not to want to eat shit.

Have you looked at the ingredients in a Tesco cake? It's like a bloody science experiment. A homemade one just contains natural ingredients, no additives.

To be honest you are the one who sounds insecure and threatened. Why do you prefer to eat stuff with additives?

"Since when do vegetarians not have the option to eat home made meat free food? I'm sure such a food loving family will be more than able to cater to her meat free needs."

Maybe she doesn't want to be a burden. I wouldn't want someone to cook an entire separate meal for me, which is what you'd have to do if your main course for Christmas in turkey.

"It's not necessary to bring smelly processed ready-made food to make a sanctimonious point."

And now we see the snobbery. Why would ready-made food be more smelly? In fact, it's usually less smelly to put something in the microwave for a few minutes than to be cooking it on the stove for hours.

"A homemade one just contains natural ingredients, no additives."

Not necessarily true. People often put 'ingredients' in their home made cakes that have a lot of ingredients in them already. An example is people using chocolate v just cocoa powder. Also, home made cakes will have a lot of sugar, which is not good for you even if natural!

That means you're using their stove while they're trying to cook dinner though, doesn't it? Something in the microwave would be less in the way I think.

"But my home made cakes are way better than supermarkets."

Yours may be, but not everybody's!

Obviously I would flex this depending on what they are doing but if they are doing a roast, no, they don't use the stove.

I am not eating a microwave meal either way. Gross.

They don't use the stove to make a roast dinner? Isn't the oven in the stove/cooker? Don't they boil some of the veg on the stove?

"I am not eating a microwave meal either way. Gross."

Have you tried microwave meals? They may not be very healthy, but they're not gross.

Ready-made meals are unappetising and smell worse because the cheap ingredients, low quality fats and additives, preservatives, stabilisers and the way microwaves heats things up = bad smells. I guess if you are used to food cooked form scratch anything that is prepared in a factory and packaged up to be microwaved would be unappealing. I'd personally rather have a toast and some cheese.

It’s not snobbish to notice or dislike bad smells or poor quality food it’s simply a personal preference, not a judgment about the people who eat it. I would find it odd and anti social though if someone brought their little processed food packet from the supermarket to a family dinner unless they have ARFID or a neuro diversity.

No. The oven is on the wall.

Ironically the microwave is the thing they would use for some of the veg - TBH it would annoy them a lot more if I got in the way of the blitzing of the frozen peas and sweetcorn in the microwave

"Ready-made meals are unappetising and smell worse because the cheap ingredients, low quality fats and additives, preservatives, stabilisers and the way microwaves heats things up = bad smells."

This is just not true! I suspect you're letting your prejudice take over because you don't eat ready meals.
If the microwave itself causes a bad smell, then you'd have that bad smell also on home made food re-heated in the microwave.

" would find it odd and anti social though if someone brought their little processed food packet from the supermarket to a family dinner"

It's not anti-social when they have dietary requirements and they're trying not to impose them on the whole group. Would you find it polite to criticise the person for bringing that food?

I tried a large variety when my kitchen was being remodelled.

I lost a lot of weight because I disliked them all..

Ok. Not sue I've ever seen an oven on the wall.

Microwave is a good and healthy way to cook some veg. It's not the devil people are making out on this thread.

@Calgator , this is not ‘snobbishness’! There are a few things I buy ready made, bread and croissants among them but I am extremely picky about the ingredients used. We very rarely eat either in our house but as we have a houseful of people over Christmas I will get some. I cook everything from scratch because I’m concerned about UPFs. Honestly I think your attitude to this is a bit odd. Are you worried they judge your lack of culinary effort? Are you subconsciously trying to make them out as the strange ones so that you can avoid looking at your attitude to cooking?
In any case each to his own in my opinion, you do you and let them enjoy their dedication to the foodie arts.

There are lots of snobs around then .I don' ever buy any ready made meals or desserts .I always make my own especially if I am having guests.I dont even like take aways .Home cooked food is just better

If someone brought Sainsbury’s desserts when that’s all they’d been asked to do - they weren’t being snobby. You were being lazy and rude! I would have preferred you hadn’t bothered.