Do you Cheat in the kitchen?

[YT2095]

in the kitchen.

I`m sure I`m not the only one that does things in the kitchen that I`m a little ashamed to admit.

Anyone here ever use Instant mash potato, the sort you just add boiling water to and stir?

Time to Confess!

(it can be Anything)

 

[Michelemarie]

Oh yeah! If there is an easy way to do something and it is good, I go for it. I used to make all my salad dressings from scratch- one night - in a pinch - I used a bottle of balsamic vinegarette - it tasted just like what I made. I haven't made mine since!

 

[Half Baked]

My food tastes 'off' if I cheat by using canned chicken broth. I hate it when I run out of the homemade.

 

[Uncle Bob]

If my daughter is here and we are having rice(she hates it) We have the "wall paper paste" potatoes for her..

 

[Veloce]

I have jars of both chicken and beef soup base in the fridge. They're life savers when I've used up all of the real thing.

 

[Andy M.]

YT...

Using prepared foods is considered cheating?

 

[YT2095]

it is when it comes down to instant Mash when you already have potatos in the house but just couldn`t be bothered. I personaly feel a little guilty when I do that

 

[Constance]

Who, me?

Actually, yes I do sometimes. I do like the real thing better, but I always make gravy and eat the potatoes mixed with a bite of vegetable or meat anyway, so the instant potatoes aren't half bad.

 

[YT2095]

Constance, I`m glad you mentioned gravy!

I know how to make all different sorts from scratch, but confess to having several (Chicken, beef, onion) gravy granule containers that I use just out of laziness more often than I should <hangs head in shame>.

 

[auntdot]

Love food and cooking but also have a life. Would love not to have to worry about making a few shekels every day and deal with all of the concerns we all live with. But that is the way of the world. And when I leave for work before 5 AM and don't get home for twelve hours or so, as I have for the last 3 weeks straight, am in no mood to prepare coq au vin.

So, when I don't have the time, or, particularly, the energy to make a sauce, peel and cook some spuds, put together a batch of stuffing, you name it, I open a can or box.

And do so unabashedly.

Julia championed the use of canned chicken broth and Andre Soltner in his Lutece cookbook mentions using canned broths at home.

I don't look upon opening a can or box as cheating. I look upon it as a choice.

I remember an article by Scott Joseph, restaurant critic, food writer, for the Orlando Sentinel in which he said he sometimes would just like to be able to stay at home and enjoy a bologna sandwich.

Sometimes I just want to relax and open a can of chili (maybe over some elbow maccaroni), fry up some canned spuds, or make some really quick egg drop soup with canned broth. I could go on.

Just my take on it. And am sorry I mentioned the coq au vin, am getting a longing for it and right now just have too much else to do.

 

[YT2095]

auntdot, I couldn`t agree more

the Though behind this thread is quite simple, I made a little too many bread crumbs for tonights dinner, and so i thought of making Fish Cakes for during the week and considered posting my recipe for them, but then thought it through and realised that I actualy use packet mash as the the potato part and figured "Naah, I can`t post that, they`ll think I`m cheating" and it would be looked upon dimly.

then I got to figuring, I wonder how many of these chefs and cooks actualy "Cheat" also? maybe it ISN`T just me...

the rest is history

 

[Nicholas Mosher]

I'm one to eat out if I don't have the time to cook (a good 50% of the time unfortunately).

Either that, or I eat simple stuff. I'll buy a baguette in the AM, and just eat hunks of it with some butter and jam. Sometimes I'll grab one of those rotisserie chickens and eat the legs/thighs. Usually the breast meat is way overcooked though so I just chuck that (or save it for soup if I know I'll have the time the next day).

Oh, definetly one area I cheat in 90%+ of the time is "Bag o' Lettuce". I buy tons of the stuff. My favorites are the Butter Lettuce mixes from Fresh Express. The "Riviera" mix is good too. I usually have to pick the hard ribs of romaine out of the latter though. I'll make a batch of vinaigrette early in the week and keep it in the 'fridge. A common meal for me is a pile of baby greens lightly dressed with a vinaigrette, a chicken leg/theigh, and a piece of baguette.

As far as fast-food goes, I'm a frequent customer for Subway's BLT without the T, and loaded with veggies. I'll pick up a footlong, eat half for lunch, and bring the other half into work at night. I normally order it "dry" and add my own oil & vinegar or dijon when I eat it.

And for the real dirt, every once in a while I get a craving for Manwich's and tatertots... my favorite processed meal growing up. I feel dirty having said that. Usually I feel sick after eating it though - especially the tatertots... I think theres something in'em that doesn't jive with me. Maybe some heavy metal that I overdosed on as a child and now my body flat out rejects it. Then theres the seizures... (j/k)

 

[Andy M.]

Read my signature and take it to heart. We all cheat.

I use canned broths and make my own. I buy puff pastry. never made it in my life and don't intend to.

There are very good prepared foods on the market and I use them. I see nothing wrong in that and also do not consider it cheating.

Instant mashed potatoes is not one of the prepared foods I buy but they are OK. When I first started cooking fo myself, I used them and enjoyed them.

 

[Shunka]

To me using some of these are not "cheating" (even if some don't admit to using them); I call it being practical when time and/or money won't allow you to make from scratch. I have seen many really good recipes on here that use many of these "convenience" items that turn out pretty darn good!!!! If you have children, are either the Mom or Dad that works outside the house (or even if you are stay-at-home); there are going to be many times that some of these are a life-saver when you have hungry people and not a lot of time!!!! So yeah, I am one that has done this when I needed to.

 

[amber]

I tend to use those boil in a bag rices rather than the rice that takes 45 minutes to cook. Sometimes use canned vegetables and gravy.

 

[YT2095]

well thnx each, ya know.... I don`t feel half so bad now sharing any recipes that might use pre-packaged Cheat-Mode stuff now

 

[Andy M.]

well thnx each, ya know.... I don`t feel half so bad now sharing any recipes that might use pre-packaged Cheat-Mode stuff now

Go ahead and share. We can't think less of you than we already do

 

[ironchef]

I guess canned/concentrated broths/demis would be my home cheat method. I don't think I've ever made broth or stock at home. Don't have the time.

 

[Dove]

Pre-packaged foods are a blessing for me..especially now.
Costco has good instant mashed potatoes.
I do add the packaged gravy mix to pan drippings ..

Post any and all of your recipes YT and please don't ever be embarrassed about the "quick" food items.

 

[SierraCook]

I use prepared foods when it is convenient and I don't have time to make my own like tortillas, chili, broth, potatoes, gravies, etc. The one thing that I cannot bring myself to use it instant rice. It is just not the same. I just cannot give up my jasmine long grain rice.