Is ALL packet food crap?

[gameboy]

Have been doing my Tesco shop and for some reason found myself looking at packet rice/ pasta. I've never tried this kind of stuff, and although I know in theory I can knock up mediterranean cous cous or something, the chances are, that the day I want to do it we won't have any tomatoes / herbs etc.

So I just wondered if any of these things are at all nice and not too unhealthy?

(Hazy memories of Vesta Rice from student days haunt me...)

I think they're ok every now and then and are very useful as a back-up. I'd check the ingredients though - things like that tend to have a lot of salt in them but if it is a one-off it doesn't matter all that much.

I don't like the flavoured couscous though. I'd rather have the plain stuff but that's probably just me. I have a soft spot for Boxed Mac&Cheese

Just read the ingredient lists, that'll tell you more than any posts on MN could tell you.

It varies, obviously, almost all food comes in a packet doesn't it?

superbunny I prefer plain couscous too, with a nice thick spicy tagine to go with it!

Yum!

i think they are a waste of money. we do have tinned custard though.

Crap. Full of crap.
What is the point, when plain so much nicer? If I didn't have the works to go with it, I'd rather have plain rice with sesame oil and soy than weird packets.

I'd prefer to have the plain stuff and flavour it up myself with whatever I had in the cupboard.
Besides I really dislike peppers and these things inevitably have peppers in!

My only exception is instant noodles of Korean/Japanese/Chinese ilk which I suppose are full of crapbut taste damned fine.

Oh no those packet pastas/cous cous are vile and full of chemicals. Definitely much nicer to have it plain or with just olive oil and tabasco if desperate!

I agree - they always seem to taste a bit strange.
Moondog - I am the same - instant noodles are my secret vice !

What is unforgivable is that a lot are endorsed by the very people who are telling you that proper cooking is easy.
Ainsley Harriott, Lloyd Grossman et al.
Whores.

i can never seem to find plain couscous..its always flavoured....can you get plain in tesco?

Yes it comes in a packet! we have it.

A free couscous came with sainsburys magazine this month. it was utterly revolting - dds reaction was 'no wonder its free'

lol @ whores

I agree re packet noodles - wonton flavour

they are sooooooooooooooooo good

I make plain couscous with marigold bouillon powder and then a bit of olive oil stirred in at the end for the dds

couldn't be easier and is very 'store cupboard ish'

they have it with sausages etc

We had wonton noodles for lunch today.

Tbh I can't get remotely excited about couscous.

DH and I always have some Uncle Bens Ready Rice in the cupboard -- I seem to remember the ingredient list was not as horrifying as I thought it would be. Ok, so it's pricey, but it takes literally two mins in the saucepan, can make a quite ordinary meal - like salad and cold meat - a bit special (both very handy when you come in exhausted from work) and proved a life saver when we had a vegan in the house for a few weeks...

I tried the free couscous from the Sainsbury's magazine, (normally a vehement rejecter of all things packeted, noodles excepted), because of this thread. I was actually pleasantly surprised. The ingredients list wasn't that bad either.

(Mind you, I did add butter and some hot pepper sauce!)

hot pepper sauce would have helped - fab accessory for camping.

I never usually make packet meals (smug) but when we were camping in the summer we tried the ainsley harriott couscous-es and I have to say they were really nice!