in thinking that cooking from scratch isn't that unusual and doesn't make you a pretentious?

[ScentedLovePuff]

I keep encountering more and more people who think its weird that I cook almost everything from scratch. I'm not some earth-mother or housewife with time on my hands, I'm a working single mum on a very tight budget. I get the impression that people think it makes me some kind of snob! Personally I find it cheaper!

I really enjoy cooking, I do it when my daughter is in bed and cook in batches so I can reheat it for her later (she is only 1 so I'm a bit careful about what she eats still) like a homemade ready meal. She does sometimes have fish fingers or fish cakes, I'm not a total food nazi!

Is it so strange? I've encountered people who are shocked and appauled that I do, and I dont just use frozen whatevers or tins.

Just putting this to the mumsnet panel, am I a freak?

I do Al!

me too. yes please.

OK. This feeds me, DH and 3 year old DS generously - increase/decrease as you need...

Preheat over to 200 degrees
Into an oven proof dish, throw 1 chopped red onion, 1 chopped red pepper, a punnet of cherry tomatoes, a glug of olive oil and a teaspoonful of chopped garlic (pre-chopped and out of a jar in our house )
Bake for 20 mins
Add 150g paella rice, 500ml hot chicken stock, 2 chicken thighs chopped into bite sized pieces, half a chorizo ring chopped into £1 coin thickness slices and a pinch of saffron.
Bake for another 20 mins
Add a mugfull of frozen peas and a pack of raw king prawns
Bake for a final 10 mins

Done and delicious in only 50 mins

Have often considered adding some squid rings at the prawns stage too...

YANBU

I cook 99% of what we eat from scratch. I love cooking, it isn't always cheaper than buying ready made but of course it depends what you buy. I prefer to eat real food rather than plastic rubbish, so much of it tastes the same no matter what it says on the label and when I don't know what an ingredient is, I certainly don't want to be feeding it to my children.

Ooh, forgot some chopped Rosemary and some black pepper at the rice adding stage.

And Paella rice should actually be risotto rice but I think they're pretty similar

I cook from scratch because I'm a good Kiwi girl. And like all of us post colonial girls, I was issued with the Edmonds Cookbook at puberty.

at 'go and mumsnet until burning smell'

Slug I've got Edmonds! (mum is a Kiwi)!!! Got given it when I got married. Love the Sultana loaf and their banana cake is all I would have as a birthday cake for many years!!!

at "mumsnet until burning smell" but kidney beans in lasagne is just wrong!

Thanks for the paella recipe, Al...

Yeah, Riven...not too sure about the kidney beans, either...

I couldn't make a lasagne in 30 minutes,and no food processor here. but I do make paella reguarly as an easy and quick meal.

I use this recipe,or a variation of it.

If I'm really in a hurry I use 2 bags of boil in the bag rice,which weigh 125 grams each,as I don't need to get the scales out, and there's no need to cook it first,just throw the rice in there.

I use whatever I have when making it e.g chicken,prawns,chorizo or a mixture. I throw in frozen peas too and usually a little paprika and sometimes a red chilli.

I just stir it twice or so.

Lasagne takes every pot in the house. I HATE making it and so rarely do. I cook mostly from scratch, well no I personally don't but DH does. Lots of simple but tasty pasta and rice meals, esp when DS is at home as he is a rower and he too enjoys cooking from scratch. Washing up is more of a problem to him thougth!!

I can make lasagne in half an hour but only cause whenever I make spag bol, I make twice the amount of sauce and freeze half. I just defrost it the night before and then layer it up.

SLUG me too!

I'm ready to skip home with my fragrant bunch of Basil!!!! (in screechy Prunella voice) and make pesto pronto - the office has been Basil!!! scented all arvo - lovely.

Paella is a piece of cake in my book - anything one pot, tasty and that isn't 'tomato pasta' rocks in my book !

Bolognese sauce is the base for so many things in our house. I too make a massive pot every month or so and then freeze into meal sized portions.

Bechamel slows it down here, but that is because I have been phaffing with a roux, will try you method Riven.

We often have "fridge" stew or quiche, this is where I take all the bits and pieces that are kicking around the fridge and either boil it up with onions and stock or mix with eggs and cheese and bake.

Is always a winner, and you never get the same combo twice!

I don't think it's the meat RIVEN. But when I make meat sauce (say for lasagne) I do reduce it lots - it needs a good long slow cook. It will be 'cooked' after 15-20 minutes, but for flavour etc it needs time to reduce nicely.

Then there is the cheese sauce.