convenience food that you've only recently discovered

[startingtolooklikemother]

I've only just discovered that you can buy frozen chopped onion, frozen mash and frozen roast potatoes. They honestly have (vaguely) changed my life! What else am I missing out on, what have you discovered.

recently in convenience foods which has (vaguely) changed your life?

You can get frozen garlic where have I been living under a rock

Rice? rice is the easiest thing on earth to cook. White basmati, large saucepan of boing water, stir rice once, boil for 11 minutes. We had some microwave rice last year when our kitchen was being done and I thought it was not nice.

"rice is the easiest thing on earth to cook."

It's not it's crunchy, crunchy, shit, it's moosh...

I can cook like everything else, rice just hates me.

I was going to get a rice cooker, but then I discovered frozen rice and I don't need one, lol

I buy the m&s ultimate mash for dd in the smaller portions and freeze them so she can have mash any night she wants. She absolutely loves it!!

I must look out for some of the other things mentioned on here now. I will check m&s for the frozen sofrito as that would be very handy. I use that a lot.

I often buy a ready cooked rotisserie chicken for a speedy dinner / lunch.

We usually have a pack of the v small part cooked dinner rolls in the cupboard for dd's lunches too.

Tesco frozen casserole veg is ace in soup, a bag costs about £1.30. Sweat it off with butter and olive oil, add whatever other veg you fancy and a pint of stock. Simmer for ages and then put leftover cooked meat in at the end. Yum.

tabulah - my rice used to be like that too, I feel your pain. I found out that the way I'd been taught to cook it (covering it with loads and loads of water) was WRONG and that there is a much better way of ensuring lovely, fluffy rice: www.deliaonline.com/how-to-cook/rice-and-pasta/how-to-cook-perfect-rice.html

it is still quicker in the microwave though

Glad it's not just me Shove . I'll look out for the fajita version.

Really quick meal - 10 mins. M&S mash, M&S veg in a micro tub and 2 smoked haddock fillets. Put fish in oven in foil with a bit of salt and pepper and butter for 10 mins (or slightly less). Tasty, not that unhealthy....

Not really what you're asking but I recently 'discovered' using my mandolin to finely julienne carrot, cabbage & other veg. We have that most nights now, more popular with the kids than boiled veg. Tasty & crunchy!

Frozen mango and avacado for smoothies.

Frozen part baked croissants.

Jus-rol bake yourself croissants and cinnamon buns. Discovered the croissants when the supermarket had run out of baked ones at Christmas. These were nicer.

Microwave rice tastes horrid to me - all slimy and plastic.

lljkk I buy grated mozzarella and threw a packet out this week that still had a week left on it's use by date, because it had green mould in it.

We buy frozen avocado for smoothies. I also buy the cheap frozen berry and summer fruit mixes for the same reason.

I wish we had a bigger freezer, as ours is mainly full of gluten free meals I've frozen for ds1 for when the family has meals he can't eat. I would love to be able to batch cook and freeze meals for the whole family. Unfortunately there is nowhere to put a second one and the kitchen is too small for a bigger one.

I've had both grated cheddar and mozzarella go mouldy, mozarella a lot faster than cheddar.

Yes to frozen berries, we get through at least a couple of bags a week, DS eats them straight from the freezer.

Waitrose frozen uncooked croissants are way better than Jus-rol, but I am partial to Jus-rol cinnamon buns.

I've nothing to add but have picked up LOADS of tips from this thread.

Can I ask: with jars of garlic and ginger, do they have added sugar or anything else that makes them taste different to fresh? I've always avoided them because I've got this vague feeling that they're going to taste syrupy or sticky.

Can I say on rice: the absorption method works a dream. One part rice to two parts water, in a pan with a well-fitting lid, on a very low heat. It never sticks!

Ready grated mozzarella goes mouldy very quickly.

Just chucked some lumps of frozen spinach into a curry, first time trying it.

Not a convenience food, but a ready meal: Glorious Mumbai spicy chick pea and lentil soup is the best mass produced soup I have ever tasted. I am a little bit obsessed with it. Had it for lunch again today.

Ainsley Harriot Lentil Dhal packet mix, chuck in left overs or frozen veg mix and you've got a cheap substantial meal, yum!

Mr Mash instant packet mix.

Re the Easy Ginger, it is bottled in a vinegary liquid so I wouldn't eat it raw, but I use it very often in curries and you don't taste the vinegar at all then, just the ginger.

We mandoline very thin apple slices and squeeze them with lemon or lime juice, kids love them.

Frozen pre cooked chicken chunks from Asda - big bags for about £4 . Just need defrosting , a bit of sauce and whatever extras and you have a great dinner.

I like to make a salad in a tub and plonk some lumps still frozen on top. Pop into the fridge at work until lunch time ,add some dressing and a you have a great,low carb cheap lunch that will keep you full.

Thanks, Unsound.

I keep vaguely thinking about chopping, mixing and freezing a big batch of ginger, chilli and garlic (I make a lot of curries) but never quite getting round to it. The idea of a jar is pretty tempting.

Ready made root vegetable mash is delicious! I was hugely surprised there - bought it thinking it would be healthy and I should try it and I love it now, with a bit of added black pepper and grated cheddar if I am feeling indulgent. It makes a perfect side instead of regular mash and tastes lush. It's in the chilled section.

Yes to frozen spinach - so handy.
Frozen sweet potato wedges or fries are great also.

As a result of this thread I have just been to Tesco and bought:
Frozen avocados ( for my Vitamix smoothie)
Butternut squash noodles
Courgette noodles
Celery, onion and carrot Soffrito mix
Frozen garlic cubes
Frozen ginger cubes
Frozen rice ( I avoid making rice as it turns out awful every time)
What else have I missed!

Just had a lovely dinner of falafel (pre-made), houmous from a tub, rocket leaves (bagged salad) and vegetable rice (frozen and microwaved).

I microwave regular rice - add hot water & stock cube to rice with olive oil and it takes between 15-20mins.... although brown rice takes absolutely ages.

Couscous is great for using up leftover pasta sauce (add leftover sauce & boiling water to couscous)

Frozen chicken breast, add garlic and sliced lemon & bung in oven makes great chicken for sandwiches & salads with minimum effort.

Frozen yorkshires are a big hit here!

Frozen sweet potato mash and ready chopped frozen squash are fab when trying to eat healthy / low carb.

Frozen cauliflower with a bit of cumin & olive oil on top, bake in oven - side dish with minimal effort! Also works for frozen broccoli.