How far from scratch do you make your food?

[QuootieSpookypie]

Just wondering as there seems to be different levels IYSWIM - firstly take lasagne, you can buy ready made (yuk), buy mince, lasagne sheets and the 2 sauces, or buy mince, lasagne sheets and make the two sauces OR buy mince, make the sheets and two sauces. How far do you go? I am at that stage where I am worried because I don't make everything for the bare ingredients and presume/assume everyone else does! Plus I am just being nosey.

It varies, really. I don't make pasta but do make sauces (mince, tinnedtomatoes etc), ue a fair bit of frozen veg cos it's more econoical. DS ued tget the occasionl jar of Hpp Organic when traveling or when I didn't have tie to cook, nd we d ave fishfinger and sily faces sometimes.

Depends what mood dp I am in.

Usually use mince, veg, dried pasta, tinned toms & dried herbs. The white sauce is either made from a packet with added cheese or from scrath dependng on mood (about 50:50).

Having said that we do occasionally buy Tesco finest ready made or even more occasionally findus frozen...

I use frozen veg sometimes but only cos we shop fortnightly and everything seems to be past his best by the second week.

My kids like making pasta too. It's pretty easy with a Kenwood and then a pasta maker. It's not something I would choose to do on my own ona weekday night - but it's a good mother-daughter bonding exercise.

I love making pasta - especially the sheets, but it is a fag sometimes so buy the ready cooked ones for speed.

Other than pasta and the odd can of baked beans, I don't use any other ready made stuff though...proper lentil weaver me - I sometimes find ready made pizzas in the freezer but blame dp for that, bless him - he has a real penchant for cheap crap food . I do buy bread though (although I have a breadmaker which occasionally gets used) simply because it works out cheaper which still makes me

I can't stand the taste of any of the ready sauce things, I seem to be able to taste the preservatives or something...

I have a nice image now of pasta-making being an all too literal mother-daughter bonding exercise

Pizza, I usually make from scratch - almost. I make the dough, but use jarred sauce. Probably doesn't make much sense to do it this way. I find making the dough is a five minute job as long as you have the ingredients - we've got a Kenwood with a dough-hook so it's just a case of measuring out the ingredients.

Then everyone can have their own toppings. This is what I always do for parties and playdates.

I do a mixture.
Things like lasagne, chilli, curry are made from scratch.
But I do buy a couple of Packet mixes - e.g. Chicken Chasseur (sp?) - and fajita spices.

tigerschick get over here with your curry recipe please....

We make most things from scratch, but we both enjoy cooking and share the load, otherwise would probably use more convenience foods. Lasagne is a bit of a faff, but get round that one by making a vat of bolognese sauce and freezing in portions for spag bol/chilli/lasagne. So reduces effort in making lasagne. The only ready made things we have in are pizzas (like to make own, btu sometimes just not the time; have taken to buying margheritas and then adding own toppings and extra cheese); breaded fish; and curry sauces. We don't make own pasta tho. Thought about getting a pasta machine, but decided it would never get used. Always use tinned tomatoes. Rarely make own stock (really like Swiss Marigold Bouillon, use it for most things, add worcester sauce if using with red meat). Used to always make own pastry, still do sometimes, but can't make puff pastry as good as the shop bought stuff so don't even try. Would usually make shortcrust, but buy it in if entertaining a lot e.g.over Christmas. Use ready made pastry and sausages from butchers to make really good sausage rolls as a compromise. Soups usually homemade, apart from Heinz tomato, and do buy campbell's mushroom occasionally as a stand-by sauce. This is a really interesting thread, thanks for starting it QSP

everything from scratch except thai red curry which use a paste for.
lasagne from scratch, although often freeze a load of mince or quorn sauce so it's a quickie

most things from scratch but would not make own pasta (nor puff, shortcrust or filo pastry)

so for lasagne as per OP wouldn't make the pasta but do everything else from scratch .. I tend to cheat like use frozen spinach instead of the faff of washing, washing, wilting, chopping of fresh

only sauce I will ever buy is sacla pesto

Done that SMS

I make almost everything from scratch apart from I like Twig I buy dried pasta, puff pastry etc. I also use ready made pesto and, sometimes, curry pastes - I think those are about the only jar-sauces I use. But I also make fresh pesto and curries from spices when the mood strikes.

I used to make my own fresh pasta fairly regularly, like every couple of weeks, but sadly that's gone out of the window since having kids, along with painting my toenails and generally having a life.

I do buy oven curries for when I am in total slob mood! But I take them out of the plastic cartons to cook as I have a weird superstition about cooking plastic - it just seems WRONG. I know, I know it's irrational!

Please, please why are you 'TheYoungVisiter' and not 'TheYoungVisitor'

the young visiters (sic) is a fine book by Daisy Ashford

Yep - Daisy Ashford - The Young Visters - written by Daisy at the turn of the century when she was about 8. Fantastic book - well worth a read for an 8 year olds view of romance at that time.

www.amazon.co.uk/Young-Visiters-Daisy-Ashford/dp/0701127252

I do most stuff from scratch - so in your lasagne example, I would buy the mince and the dried pasta and do the rest myself. Same with spag bol, chilli, shepherds' pie etc.

Mostly make pizza from scratch using breadmaker to make the dough, though I do have pizzas in the freezer for emergencies that are shop bought.

I do yorkshire puds from scratch, puddings, cakes most of the time, although occasionally I will buy ready made, but not so much these days.

I don't buy jars of dolmio, chicken tonight, etc. Used to, but not in last 5 years or so since I learned to do it myself.

Just skimmed thread again - I do buy sacla pesto like Twig but we tend not to use it very often.

Do currys from scratch.

Sorry thinking again.
I do buy fajita spices - can someone tell me how not to?

I also make bread as I am trying to reduce pennies spent on crap.

Fajita spices are probably a mix of coriander, cumin, oregano, thyme, cayenne, paprika and salt.

I cook most things from scratch. I buy sun-dried tomato pesto and spinach and ricotta tortellini for dh as that is pretty much the only meal he can make if I am away.

ok so there's a reason behind it .. it's still spelt wrong though

.. oh I buy schwartz fajita spices .. but consider that similar to buying mixed herbs .. its quicker and less hassle

there are 2 things I have always wondered whehter I want / need

a breadmaker .. oh so tempting

and a magimix

(but would they go the way of the juicer?)