Convenience Foods

[RPCookin]

The is another online resource available for spices, herbs, and blends. Savory Spice Shop in Colorado is excellent. I shopped there religiously until we moved down here, and I still head back there when I go home to visit. Walking into the store you are slapped in the nose with all of these wonderful aromas - it's something I really miss.

For most anything I want down here aside from the basics I have to bring it myself. Since anything like that is imported, it's also expensive for just ordinary seasonings. I've been carefully doling out the last of my supply, and I won't be able to get more before this summer.

 

[bakechef]

The is another online resource available for spices, herbs, and blends. Savory Spice Shop in Colorado is excellent. I shopped there religiously until we moved down here, and I still head back there when I go home to visit. Walking into the store you are slapped in the nose with all of these wonderful aromas - it's something I really miss.

For most anything I want down here aside from the basics I have to bring it myself. Since anything like that is imported, it's also expensive for just ordinary seasonings. I've been carefully doling out the last of my supply, and I won't be able to get more before this summer.

We have one of those locally too, really nice owners! Penzey's is on this side of town, so I go there more.

 

[kadesma]

I once went grocery shopping with a young woman who bought a bunch of frozen "TV dinners". She saw the look on my face an said, "It's cheaper than restaurant food, when I'm too tire to cook."

I'm sure that applies to a lot of that convenience chopped onions, etc. I wonder if people notice that stuff like that is usually coated in preservatives.

True chopped onions and such are more costly. But when you break an arm and it tskes months for the pein to leave you you do the thing that is easier I know I did and still do at times. there are many times after dialysis i'm so tired I have to sleep for several hours so things already cut up for me help so much I don't by tv dinners but I do use some convience foods. Which I rinse off before using
kades

 

[sparrowgrass]

I hope you are not rinsing your frozen pizzas, kadesma!

 

[kadesma]

I hope you are not rinsing your frozen pizzas, kadesma!

Not on your life. I don't buy or indulge that's the DH's job I make my own I can't handle those things. I don't have a problem with people who like them but I like starting from scratch and building Yummy.
kades

 

[pacanis]

I'd like to make pizzas from scratch more often, but making pizza dough is not in my cards, especially when I like thin crust. Any recipe I have tried has always produced too thick of a crust.

 

[GotGarlic]

I'm sure that applies to a lot of that convenience chopped onions, etc. I wonder if people notice that stuff like that is usually coated in preservatives.

This product does not contain preservatives. And preservatives aren't automatically a bad thing. They simply keep food fresher a little longer.

http://www.groceries-express.com/WebPages/1312000473 Ore-Ida.html

 

[RPCookin]

We have one of those locally too, really nice owners! Penzey's is on this side of town, so I go there more.

I wasn't aware that they had grown so much. The store in Littleton CO where we used to live was the 2nd one (met the owners there several times), and I thought that their brick and mortar stores were still just in Colorado. Seems like I learn something every time I visit this forum.

 

[taxlady]

This product does not contain preservatives. And preservatives aren't automatically a bad thing. They simply keep food fresher a little longer.

Groceries-Express.com Product Infomation for Ore-Ida Chopped Onions Fresh Frozen" 1312000473

That's great that at some of the convenience food doesn't have anything but food.

Uhm, not all preservatives are as benign as you seem to imply. I'm not saying that all of them are evil. I was mostly pointing out that the convenience may have a price, more than the extra $$.

 

[CWS4322]

A lot of the convenience food market is a well-crafted marketing campaign. This was how the food industry got people shifted in the late 1940s-1950s to feeding their pets commercially produced pet food. The first dry dog food was the sweepings from the floor of a company that produced cereal. When food coloring was added to cereal, it was also added to dog food to make it more visually appealing to those buying it. Other than service dogs, I've never bumped into a dog grocery shopping. The convenience food industry spends over 10 billion dollars/year marketing convenience foods to children and adolescents. Children don't grocery shop, but they sure influence what their parents buy. And, there are more and more studies linking obesity to convenience foods. Before 1990, obesity was considered to be because the person was lazy. Now obesity is recognized as a societal issue that does not stem from laziness. There seems to be a trend for shift-workers to be more prone to obesity (odd hours, eating from vending machines, etc). I stay away from convenience foods because I can control what goes into the bread I eat, the soups I make, etc. I can have something on the table with little effort in 30 minutes or less not relying on convenience/prepacked food. Yes, it takes planning and a good time to prep is on the weekend when one has more time.

 

[GotGarlic]

TL, I didn't say that all preservatives are benign - just that they're not all bad and they do serve a purpose.

CWS, I admire your self-sufficiency, but not everyone has the good health (including energy and stamina), cooking knowledge and skill, resources (large gardens, multiple freezers), and organization you do.

All things in moderation

 

[CWS4322]

TL, I didn't say that all preservatives are benign - just that they're not all bad and they do serve a purpose.

CWS, I admire your self-sufficiency, but not everyone has the good health (including energy and stamina), cooking knowledge and skill, resources (large gardens, multiple freezers), and organization you do.

All things in moderation

It is a lifestyle choice. Freezers are not hard to come by and being organized is not difficult.

 

[GotGarlic]

It is a lifestyle choice. Freezers are not hard to come by and being organized is not difficult.

I find that disabling, chronic diseases severely limit one's lifestyle choices.

 

[mmyap]

One of the things I enjoy most about this board is that we have different levels of culinary skills. I learn equally as much from both. As a working person I appreciate a meal you can prepare with some shredded rotisserie chicken or a good quality jar of sauce. God Bless whoever decided that selling whole pre-baked chicken might be a good idea!

Also. I stood in line behind a young woman at the grocery store just the other day. She was buying a pre-made wheat pizza crust, had a jar of pre-made pesto, some shredded italian mix cheese, tomato's and a bag of spinach. She shared with the cashier that she was making dinner for her boyfriend for the first time. Okay, it was all "convenience" foods but I thought, you go girl. She's learning, developing her taste's and being creative in the kitchen. She seemed very excited about the project. Good for her. Use all the convenience foods you want to. Play. EXPLORE.

 

[Dawgluver]

One of the things I enjoy most about this board is that we have different levels of culinary skills. I learn equally as much from both. As a working person I appreciate a meal you can prepare with some shredded rotisserie chicken or a good quality jar of sauce. God Bless whoever decided that selling whole pre-baked chicken might be a good idea!

Also. I stood in line behind a young woman at the grocery store just the other day. She was buying a pre-made wheat pizza crust, had a jar of pre-made pesto, some shredded italian mix cheese, tomato's and a bag of spinach. She shared with the cashier that she was making dinner for her boyfriend for the first time. Okay, it was all "convenience" foods but I thought, you go girl. She's learning, developing her taste's and being creative in the kitchen. She seemed very excited about the project. Good for her. Use all the convenience foods you want to. Play. EXPLORE.

Well said, mmyap!

 

[PrincessFiona60]

I make a pasta dish that will knock your socks off and you would think i spent all day in the kitchen preparing the sauce. Nope, it comes out of a jar. The company uses the exact same ingredients I would use, no preservatives, it's perfect and saves me a whole day. Darn right I'm going to use it, why should I break my back making something that tastes just as good as what I make? Took me years to find a brand that I liked and could trust and yes, I still check the label each time to make sure they haven't changed anything.

 

[Zhizara]

I make a pasta dish that will knock your socks off and you would think i spent all day in the kitchen preparing the sauce. Nope, it comes out of a jar. The company uses the exact same ingredients I would use, no preservatives, it's perfect and saves me a whole day. Darn right I'm going to use it, why should I break my back making something that tastes just as good as what I make? Took me years to find a brand that I liked and could trust and yes, I still check the label each time to make sure they haven't changed anything.

Not only is this a huge time saver, you don't end up with a gallon or more. I wouldn't have any place to keep that much.

 

[MrsLMB]

I make a pasta dish that will knock your socks off and you would think i spent all day in the kitchen preparing the sauce. Nope, it comes out of a jar. The company uses the exact same ingredients I would use, no preservatives, it's perfect and saves me a whole day. Darn right I'm going to use it, why should I break my back making something that tastes just as good as what I make? Took me years to find a brand that I liked and could trust and yes, I still check the label each time to make sure they haven't changed anything.

I love it when you find a timesaver like that ! Can you share what it is with us?

 

[PrincessFiona60]

Bertolli Marinara. Only one I buy!

And yes, Z! I end up with enough for our dinner and ONE lunch for me. That is plenty as I don't have the space to store more.

 

[Addie]

I make a pasta dish that will knock your socks off and you would think i spent all day in the kitchen preparing the sauce. Nope, it comes out of a jar. The company uses the exact same ingredients I would use, no preservatives, it's perfect and saves me a whole day. Darn right I'm going to use it, why should I break my back making something that tastes just as good as what I make? Took me years to find a brand that I liked and could trust and yes, I still check the label each time to make sure they haven't changed anything.

When I was raising my family, I had to pay for my utilities. The pressure cooker was my friend on many a day. It helped keep my gas bill down. Yankee Pot Roast, All day Italian Sunday Gravy, New England Boiled Dinner, etc, cut the cooking time in half. Not only did it help in controlling my utility bills, but when I went to work, I was still able to feed my family a full meal when I got home. But you can bet there were some nights when convenience foods came into play more and more. A package of Oreos helped keep the cookie jar filled for after school snacks. Weekend made meatballs went into a large jar of doctored pasta sauce to be heated up. What was left over made sandwiches for the next day's lunches. Most Saturday's I made my own Boston Baked Beans. Sometimes the kids got doctored up canned beans. The more convenience foods I used the lower my utility bills were. The one area I couldn't use convenience foods, were canned veggies. My kids would not eat them. So I resorted to frozen ones. Less waste, quicker cooking time, lower utility bills.

Convenience foods are not always a bad thing. Sure I can cook from scratch. But I now live alone. My eating habits are sporadic. Sometimes I just want something quick. A jar of sauce and some Angel Hair pasta fills the bill. I only need a couple of tablespoons of sauce. Not a whole five quart pan of it that has been cooking all day. And if I want to take a nap, I can without worrying about having to stir it every so often. I can nap for 20 minutes or a couple of hours without worry. I still cook from scratch. Tomorrow I will be making a large pan of mac and cheese for eating while we are watching DA. What doesn't get eaten, will go home with my kids. I don't need all those carbs hanging around the fridge.