What is your ultimate lazy food shortcut?

[HopelesslyHopeful87]

I have just discovered frozen mashed potato and it's revolutionary!

I was dubious and thought surely it's full of added crap but it's not. It comes out so creamy and fluffy and tastes lush. No more peeling potatoes for me! I bought a bag from Iceland for about 90p. There may be some fancier versions and mash made from actual potatoes may be more cost effective but I don't care!

What's your ultimate lazy food shortcut?

another yes yes yes to soffrito (as recommended to me on another thread). I keep a bag in the freezer now and also you can get passata with soffrito in it, so for bolognese/chilli all I have to do is add meat and herbs/spices.

@flimp where do you buy the passata from?

oh, also INSTANT POT! Electric pressure cooker. Super safe.

As easy to use as a slow cooker but it cooks fast as fuck. Lazy because you don't need to stand over it stirring or whatever. Dump and go.

So bolognese done with ready made soffrito can be on the table in 20-30 minutes but tastes like it's been cooking a couple of hours.

Powdered coconut milk/cream.

You either mix it with hot water to make milk (or less water for cream) or throw it straight into curries/ noodle soup.

No more wasting half tins, it's dirt cheap, keeps forever and no mess.

I usually just bung in a couple of scoops and a splash of water to whatever it is I'm adding it too rather than making it up in a jug.

It's like oxo but coconut

I live abroad and sadly many of the above are not available to me so reading with envy. I am happy that I can buy frozen mushrooms and green beans!

I can however answer the PP about the cheese - often commercially produced grated cheese has a coating of something (cornflour?) to stop it sticking together, which would probably account for the gritty texture. So Cathedral City would be superior in my view!

Microwave rice definitely. We never boil rice anymore.

the one i get is Ocado:

Passata with soffrito

Perfect cooker rice cooker. It's amazing. 1 cup rice to 2 water. Switch on perfect rice every time. We use daily as dd2 will only eat rice and miso for breakfast.

you can buy passata from anywhere
or make your own by stewing down bout 1kg of tomatos 6 garlic cloves,tbsp oil and tsp sugar til soft then boil for another 5 then strain.

That soffit to looks goog. Prices though because doing it yourself would cost well under a pound.

I'm lazy, but I'm tight. It's a difficult combination.

click top cash back.
click just eat.
click previous order.
click to reorder previous order.

I never make a roux as a base for cheese sauces, primarily because I don’t eat flour.
However butter, double cream and Parmesan makes an amazing sauce, technically more of an alfredo than standard cheese sauce but it’s bloody delicious.

Freezing half of what you have cooked for dinner to use another day. Half the work. Home cooked ready meals. Cheaper too.

@Bubblysqueak Where do you get your frozen butternut squash and sweet potato from?

I get it from Tesco. Around £1 ish

Squirt garlic in a tube,,and ginger puree too..

Stewing steak chopped mushrooms tin condensed mushroom soup and bit milk in slow cooker for 5 to 6 hours= cheats beef strogonoff

Sarah’ you could do the same except just add red wine instead and double cream before serving!

Garlic in a tube is actually nicer to me (I don't like a strong garlic flavour). I always buy an Italian brand so I can kid myself I'm doing what an Italian cook would do though!

I never knew you could get these. I will be keeping an eye out now.

chickenlessHead grated cheese is tossed in cornflour or starch to stop it clumping together. That's why it doesn't behave like real cheese.

Frozen mash is amazing; I usually tart it up with mustard or horseradish or cheese, depending what we are having it with. I only ever use frozen veg, as everyone likes different things I can’t stand waste. I always use microwave rice, as only DH likes rice so it saves gas. I buy cheapo cheese and grate the whole block in the food processor, then stick in a bag and put it in the freezer. Easy to take out a handful when I need it. I always use ready made puff pastry - life is far too short to make it, plus it’s only 85p. It would cost more to make it.

It’s funny, because I consider that I cook “from scratch” in that I don’t use jars or buy ready meals, but I think that frozen short cuts still count.

@Bubblysqueak Thanks!

My ultimate shortcut is to phone a takeaway.

I love to cook in advance and then just have to heat up.

Thanks magpiemischief