Home cooked vs prepared

[Claire]

Anyone else have this problem? You work for hours to prepare a home cooked meal, only to discover that the people you're feeding would just as soon have had something from a jar or the freezer department of the grocery store. Thank heaven that isn't my husband isn't that way or I'd have quit cooking decades ago. My mother, an excellent cook, even uses instant mashed potatoes because she realized the kids (my nieces and nephews) actually couldn't taste the difference. Red tomato spaghetti sauce. I dislike from the jars because they taste so sweet (I llike the tart in a real tomato). I looked it up, and sure as heck, one big ingredient in most of them is corn syrup. Again, I'm lucky that my husband has the same tastes as me, Mom never put sugar in her red sauce and neither do I. But yes, she quit making it because everyone likes that sugary taste.

Now I will say most of my friends and my sisters prefer the way I fix something, which makes it worthwhile. But, seriously, do any of you every wonder why you bother? I know I wonder when it comes to young parents today. They both work all day, and when they have time to make a big family meal, they simply discover that their spouses and kids would have preferred it if they just opened stuff, nuked it, and splatted it on a paper plate.

 

[Wyogal]

Yes, my husband was raised by a working mom that didn't cook much. He likes prepared stuff. But, I don't cook for him, I cook for me. Over the years he has come to appreciate all that I do in the kitchen... wait, I hear him now, doing the dishes and cleaning up after I made breakfast (didn't have much available, so made ham and cheese crepes... crepes from scratch, fried smoked ham slices-as in sandwich stuff, and some american cheese slices melted in milk; crepe, ham slices, scrambled eggs, roll up, top with cheese sauce), he does love my cooking, and I've learned to compromise... no really chunky veggies in pasta sauce, no broccoli in family meals (although I might prepare some on the side), etc.
No, I don't get worked up over it.

 

[Mimizkitchen]

People often say to me, don't bother because my friends won't know the difference... But the difference is I notice, and like Wyogal, I cook for me, not for everyone else and I refuse to use things from a jar, or nuked... It's a personal preference, to each his own...

 

[Wyogal]

actually, I combine techniques and prepared food. I will use a jar or can or box of something. but, pick and choose which product I use.

 

[kadesma]

My mom and m-i-l both made pasta sauce from scratch. My dh's mom would have had a fit if her son got pasta sauce from a jar, Yikes I hate to think of the argument that would have come about if she saw a jar here. It takes time to do it her way but, I remember the wonderful smells that filled the house. Nothing like it.DH does not say a word when I dook things he loves or things that are new to him he always says thank you and is alwyys telling his buddies what we had for dinner. I think I'm lucky and love to cook for Ma's gang
kades

 

[Mimizkitchen]

My mom and m-i-l both made pasta sauce from scratch. My dh's mom would have had a fit if her son got pasta sauce from a jar, Yikes I hate to think of the argument that would have come about if she saw a jar here. It takes time to do it her way but, I remember the wonderful smells that filled the house. Nothing like it.DH does not say a word when I dook things he loves or things that are new to him he always says thank you and is alwyys telling his buddies what we had for dinner. I think I'm lucky and love to cook for Ma's gang
kades

I agree Kades there is nothing better than a big pot of sauce on the stove simmering, the smell of frying meatballs in the air, and the wonderful crusty bread everyone takes to dip and taste... YUM YUM YUM...

 

[MostlyWater]

Lately, yes, with my kids gone until all hours, and not much liking leftovers. It doesn't seem to pay. I'm either throwing food out, or sticking it in the freezer THEN throwing it out.

 

[Phil]

Box and canned cooking is here to stay because of "time". Two parents working to pay taxes and tend to kids. I was luckey enough to be home early and start dinner, back then. I started making scratch cakes when I read the ingredients on the box one day. If you never eat better food you'll likely never know the difference.

 

[buckytom]

i find the "i cook for me" answers interesting. i'm the exact opposite. if i cooked mostly with myself in mind, i wouldn't cook very often at all. rather, i'd eat out in a restaurant 5 or 6 times a week.

i only try to cook what i think dw and our son will eat. i only consider a dish successful if they (or other guests) enjoy it. my greatest joy is seeing them go for seconds, and conversely i'm deflated if they can barely choke some down.

on rare occasions, i'll make something unhealthy that i know dw won't eat, but it's only if i make something seperate for her as well, or she's already taken care of her meal for herself.

as far as prepared/packaged/processed food goes, it mostly falls into unhealthy categories, so they're an immediate no-no. i find far too much of those foods way too salty for my tastes anyway, so it's easy to avoid.

 

[Wyogal]

meaning it's a hobby for me... and yes, I enjoy cooking things that others enjoy. But, I'm the "foodie" in the house, and they would be satisfied with what I would consider lesser quality food.

 

[buckytom]

that was sort of my point. i truely derive almost no pleasure in cooking things that only i will enjoy. to me, it's about seeing my family and others dig in and fill their bellies with something i created from scratch with my own hands. even better if i grew or caught/slaughtered the ingredients. i guess it's along the same lines as a woodworker giving a gift of a beautifully turned bowl to a person who loves salad, or a painter giving a work to his muse of perfectly captured light as it filters around her figure.

lol, but mine is only food. nuttin' that special.

my son, only 6, would eat processed and/or packaged foods without a second thought if that's what we fed him. thankfully, he still prefers what we make and now wants to know if something is healthy or not. he loves burger king, but realizes from our teaching that it's a pleasure only to have once in a while. if given the choice, though, he'd rather have "daddy's special cheeseburgers", which are simply medium rare, freshly ground burgers topped with garlic and herb boursin.

 

[justplainbill]

It's tough to beat 'fresh' ingredients. Stabilizers are not particularly nutritious.

 

[larry_stewart]

It is becauseof this that i usually serve 2,3 or even 4 things for dinner sometimes. Ill spend my day off preparing a great ( or at least i think it is ) home cooked meal, fresh ingredients from the garden... and the kids just want one of those ramen noodle soups. It baffles me and leaves me in disbelief, but i wont fight with them. I ll make a 3 cheese mad & cheese with white wine, mushrooms.... and the kids will cry unless they get the kraft mac & cheese ( sponge-bob shaped macaroni ) . I cant compete with spongebob. Fresh vegetable soup (%90 ingredients picked moments before cooking). MY daughter breaks open a can of campbell's condensed vegetable soup, straight from the can, not heated up, no additional water added . I just ask myself " why"

 

[Claire]

Oh, I don't mean that I never use convenience products, and now that I don't live near family the subject never or rarely comes up. I don't get upset about it, either. I married a man who loves my cooking, so that isn't an issue, and my parents and sisters love nothing more than Claire coming to town and cooking a big meal. It is my brothers-in-law and nieces and nephews who would just be as happy if you opened a jar. Since I no longer live near them it is no longer an issue, and sincerely it wasn't the half-dozen years I did. It would just strike me as funny because I cooked for my parents at least once a week, and whichever family members were around would be there. It just interested me that some would look at fresh-from-scratch stuff like it was from another planet and plainly not care for it. My sisters and parents still think heaven has arrived when I go to Florida and start in on Mom's kitchen. The children preferring prepared foods is actually a blessing, since Mom isn't as strong as she once was. I just find it interesting that there's a generation of kids who are growing up with sauce from a jar ... it is something I bought once, tasted, and I swear it tasted like something you'd eat for desert.

 

[Andy M.]

It is becauseof this that i usually serve 2,3 or even 4 things for dinner sometimes. Ill spend my day off preparing a great ( or at least i think it is ) home cooked meal, fresh ingredients from the garden... and the kids just want one of those ramen noodle soups. It baffles me and leaves me in disbelief, but i wont fight with them. I ll make a 3 cheese mad & cheese with white wine, mushrooms.... and the kids will cry unless they get the kraft mac & cheese ( sponge-bob shaped macaroni ) . I cant compete with spongebob. Fresh vegetable soup (%90 ingredients picked moments before cooking). MY daughter breaks open a can of campbell's condensed vegetable soup, straight from the can, not heated up, no additional water added . I just ask myself " why"

I feel your pain, Larry. I've been through that too. If you're lucky, they'll change with time.

 

[DMerry]

Cooking is my hobby too. When I was working full time, most of the time I'd come home from work and cook because I liked to, and because it relaxed me. 99.5% of the time I cook what I want to cook, but I rarely serve the same meal more than once every three weeks because my husband likes variety.

I don't make homemade noodles because after following the recipe and process exactly they ones I made tasted just like the ones from the package. Oh well.

 

[BigAL]

I cook for the family, not for me. When they are gone, it's ramen night for me. I guess I get very little satisfaction by please'n myself.(slow pitch for someone to knock that right outta the park)

Sometimes it's good to have the "crap", fast food, jar/can, etc cause kids(and adults) like it sometimes. But to really light up their faces I use fresh and they know the difference.

I can tell when they get bored w/what I make, ie made the same way. That is when it gets fun and challenging to come up w/another way to make them happy w/the same main ingredients. I don't come across the new "home runs" often, but that is what keeps ya go'n. make'n the same thing the same way is boring and no fun.

 

[mollyanne]

...Ill spend my day off preparing a great ( or at least i think it is ) home cooked meal, fresh ingredients from the garden... and the kids just want one of those ramen noodle soups. It baffles me and leaves me in disbelief...I just ask myself " why"

I took my 10 yr old daughter to an upscale restaurant, linen tablecloths, fresh flowers, and she wanted lobster tail like I had just ordered. I threw caution to the wind...or is that $$ to the wind...and ordered one for her too. When the waiter placed hers in front of her, she looked up and politely asked, "Do you have any Ketchup?"

Good grief.

.

 

[babetoo]

because i live alone, i am cooking for me. when i first was alone, i would just grab whatever. if it was premade, so what, just cooking for me. then i realized i enjoy cooking and started making good food for myself. it is hard to do sometimes and makes me a more creative cook. i enjoy cooking, from start to finish, thinking what to buy and buying it and preparing it. now i do love to cook for my family. i do pretty much from scratch when they are here to eat and when i take a dish to a family gathering. they are not however into some of the seasonings i use. daughter didn't like paprika in pasta salad. i felt bad. but they really do it healthy if bland in their own homes. so yes, i cook for myself.

 

[Dumpandstir]

I cook for a large family (9). I cook from scratch and my family likes it. I notice that people really like to eat bland or sweet food mainly because that is what they grew up on. In two income families home cooking is one of the casualties. Even at my own home my wife uses lots of boxed and prepared items because I work and can not always prepare the dinners for her before I get to work.