Ready meals

[greencreeper]

This sort of follows on from the Roast thread, but also relates to the latest "River Cottage" series on C4 - where ready meal junkies are taught the alleged error of their ways.

The last programme I watched, Hugh cooked nearly £100 of lasagne - enough for a small army. It was pronounced as cheaper and tastier than the ready meal equivalent. It takes (IIRC) around 3hrs to bring to table.

Now, you can't dispute that homemade food tastes better, but the time and cost are the factors. With massive amounts of lasagne, you need massive quantities of ingredients - and with this, you have economies of scale. I somehow doubt that, had Hugh made lasagne for one, it would have been cheaper than the ready meal (£2 from M&S - the best lasagne). Then there's the time. I arrive home at around 18:30, sometimes nearer 19:00. I need to be eating by 20:00 - largely because I'm hungry, but also because I don't want to be sleeping with a full stomach. I can't be spending hours preparing a meal - just isn't the time. I put something in the oven as the meat - maybe a chicken kiev. Next is the staple - rice, pasta, noodles, mash, chips... I vary it. Also veg - might be broccoli or cauliflower, or just a tin of garden peas. Ready in around 30-40 minutes. At the weekend, I'm usually at my parents on Saturday, and on the evening I'll make a snack - Chinese chicken ready meal from Tesco, say. I've no inclination to be preparing food - I just want something quick, simple and not too filling. Sunday I may push the boat out and spend more time preparing food - because I have the time. But even then, the Yorkshires will be frozen ones - fresh are a chore. Sometimes (maybe once or twice a month) I may prepare a stir-fry, but I usually use pre-cooked chicken pieces and the pre-cooked Uncle Ben's rice (orange packet). So I just have mushrooms and onion to chop.

I guess I could spend the weekend cooking several dozens portions of food, and freezing them. But do you really want a freezer full of, say, beef stew. And know that, come what may, you're eating beef stew for the next month. I don't want to know in advance what I'll be eating - I prefer a bit of spontaneity.

I know the meals are not healthy, but until someone develops healthy ready meals, I don't see there's much choice - not with a modern, busy lifestyle.

[Damien]

Ready meals are cheaper for me than making most things alone, as you say economies of scale come into play (and M&S Lasagne rocks). Plus they are quicker and nicer than i could do.

[greencreeper]

Originally Posted by Damien

Ready meals are cheaper for me than making most things alone, as you say economies of scale come into play (and M&S Lasagne rocks). Plus they are quicker and nicer than i could do.

Much of their Italian range is to die for. Some of their desserts are heavenly too

You can detect my Yorkshires on radar, where you to throw them (not a bad idea) I do make some nice, fresh meals, but, as I've said, it's the time and costs - especially the time. I'm also not keen on raw meat - it doesn't bother me, but the place doesn't feel clean afterwards.

[Damien]

i have no problem with raw meat. I need to find a pplace that makes nice frozen pizzas. Never found a good one

[Angua]

Where cooking and freezing the extra is handy is things like Bolognaise sauce, Chili or Curry as I can knock one of these out in about 30 to 40 minutes. I rarely make lasagna cos as you say it takes soooo long to prepare.

At least these days ready meals are a little less salty than they were.

[Hugh]

Asda do a nice range of the "Go Cook" range of fresh ready prepared meals - all you do is cook it.
Quote "No Artificial Colours or Flavourings No Hydrogenated Fat"

The Sweet Chili Chicken with Noodles is yummy, but the portions are a bit big for one person (but not just enough for two).

[greencreeper]

Originally Posted by Damien

i have no problem with raw meat. I need to find a pplace that makes nice frozen pizzas. Never found a good one

Have you tried Sainsbury's? The garlic and mascarpone, and chicken and bacon pizzas are my recommendations. Oh and Tesco does a lovely "Finest" pizza - black and silver package. Expensive but yummy - thin base, with ham, mushroom, and mascarpone.

Originally Posted by Angua

Where cooking and freezing the extra is handy is things like Bolognaise sauce, Chili or Curry as I can knock one of these out in about 30 to 40 minutes. I rarely make lasagna cos as you say it takes soooo long to prepare

Good point - freezing some of the constituent parts of a meal, that could be used with different dishes. As for the lasagne - Hugh even had them making the pasta!

Originally Posted by Angua

At least these days ready meals are a little less salty than they were.

Yes - slow move towards making the meals more healthy. I tend to buy only Tesco and M&S meals - better quality ingredients and more interest in producing healthier meals. The bulk manufacturers and supermarket own tend to be pretty disgusting.

[Taf]

"Serves 2" is usually wrong... just enough for me alone, and I'm no glutton...

I'm a home-cooker who precooks and freezes loads of meals, using seasonal (low price) ingredients, and bargain buys from the "cheap shelves" of the supermarkets. Loads of bolognese sauce in the freezer does not mean spag bol for days on end either... there is always choice in our house...

Get precooked pizza bases (dirt cheap) add a little homemade tomato sauce and bits of meat/veg.... a damned sight cheaper than the supermarket-packaged ones... and tastier

[greencreeper]

Originally Posted by Taf

"Serves 2" is usually wrong... just enough for me alone, and I'm no glutton...

That's a marketing thing. They know their target market is singletons who don't want to look like sad *******s when buying the weekly shopping

Originally Posted by Taf

Get precooked pizza bases (dirt cheap) add a little homemade tomato sauce and bits of meat/veg.... a damned sight cheaper than the supermarket-packaged ones...

I used to do that but they were never as nice as the pre-made ones - might have been me.

[Kliro]

You seem to be trying to justify eating rubbish tbh.

I'm at uni and have a fair few 9-5 days - where I might have planned to go out at 7/8/9. But I still manage to make decent meals from scratch.

Lasange only takes about 40 mins if that - then you can freeze portions which can then be heated back up in 5 mins if you're really in a hurry.

Actually for 'pizzas' I find that getting one of those part cooked baguettes & splitting it, before lathering in tomato sauce & anything else you like, cheese, ham, pineapple, etc, then cooking in the oven, is nice.

The pre-made pizza bases are usually more akin to biscuit, than bread, which is why I prefer the above

It is interesting reading the comments in this thread, especially as I work for a company that manufactures 'ready meals'.

The current trend is towards what the supermarkets are calling a 'clean declaration', i.e. where they can make the 'free from artificial colours, flavours & hydrogenated fats', type claims. This is more to to with competing in the market, than a desire to benefit the customer, but, in this case, the customer does gain a benefit, with less 'junk' in their food.

The information given on pack labels, these days, is pretty comprehensive & should enable customers to make reasonably healthy choices.

- however there is an aspect to 'ready meals' that many people underestimate, which is the, often, vast distances some of the ingredients may have travelled & the resources used to package, transport & store them. There is a new buzz phrase, that 'local is the new organic', and some people are starting to take note of this and source ingredients from farmers markets & local specialist shops, rather than supermarkets.

Overall, though, people still want the convenience of just bunging something in the microwave and having it ready in a few minutes ......

[Damien]

Never really thought that ready meals could be that bad for you :S.

[greencreeper]

Originally Posted by Kliro

You seem to be trying to justify eating rubbish tbh.

I'm just a little angry at the fresh fascists who label anyone who eats ready meals as some sort of lazy slob that doesn't care for their health, instead of recognising that some people work hard and pay taxes that support those with the free time to make lots of nice meals that take hours to prepare. And those hard workers might have neither the time or the energy on an evening to prepare something "healthy".

Originally Posted by Damien

Never really thought that ready meals could be that bad for you :S.

depends what they are, if you choose 3 products that individually provide 100% of your recommended daily salt and saturated fat intake, that wouldn't exactly be good for you

[Damien]

:S. I gonna check the meals for salt then :P I normally dont eat much salt apart from what comes naturally with it