What the Hell is With People and Conveniece Foods? page 3

[sbhikes]

Who cooks with a microwave?

I do. I cook potatoes, sweet potatoes and yams in them. I can't imagine wasting my time to bake them in the oven. I also make a little chocolate mug cake in the microwave as a treat: one banana, one egg, one heaping spoon of almond or coconut butter and one heaping spoon of cocoa powder. Best thing ever! I also like to reheat leftovers right on my plate so I don't have to wash a lot of pots and pans.

[counterpuncher]

I know that people are busy these days, but many are busy with bullshit that isn't nearly as important as taking the time to prepare a healthy meal so their families can eat right.
Sometimes priorities need to be set.

[RitaRose]

I also think it's a matter of not knowing how to cook. I am constantly heariing people "brag" about how they don't cook, but in reality, I think it's kind of like joking about being clumsy. It's not that you're really proud of it, but you know your failings and that's just how you are.

I remember my mom cooking pretty much every meal. We went to Arby's, Taco Bell or Pioneer Chicken maybe once a week, but it was definitely a treat. But she never really taught me anything. Maybe she figured I wasn't the "cooking type". By the time I moved out (age 24) I knew how to make chicken crepes and that's it. When I got married about 6 months later, we had my inlaws over for dinner and I somehow made a lamb stew. But I also attempted homemade biscuits, didn't have a biscuit cutter and didn't know you could just use a glass. All of the biscuits were in the shape of animals (cats, sheep, cows) because that's what I had on hand for cookie cutters.

Regular cooking is becoming a lost art. It seem people either know how to cook artsy designer food or nothing at all.

[bloodorchid]

ut I also attempted homemade biscuits, didn't have a biscuit cutter and didn't know you could just use a glass. All of the biscuits were in the shape of animals (cats, sheep, cows) because that's what I had on hand for cookie cutters.

i love that

[Owly]

I think the pre-chopped veggies (not the ones with the sauce) are one of the few that I think are a good idea. For some people, pre-chopped veg will make the difference between that or frozen french fries. The same goes for the trays of cut fruit or packages of meat sliced up for stirfry. If someone starts there and begins cooking with real food, that's a start.

[jfreaksho]

My mom tried to teach me how to cook, but didn't have much patience, and only taught me things like mac&cheese. She even tried to teach me the homemade kind, but for some reason thought I would just remember the recipe, and never actually showed me how to follow a recipe- which I can do pretty successfully now.

That's due to my wife, actually, who at about age 5 was responsible for taking lunch to the boys working out in the fields. Usually it was sandwiches and lemonade, but she would also cook breakfasts and dinners pretty regularly as well. I started helping her out, then when I was unemployed I started getting a bit more creative on my own.

[jacmac]

I do. I cook potatoes, sweet potatoes and yams in them. I can't imagine wasting my time to bake them in the oven. I also make a little chocolate mug cake in the microwave as a treat: one banana, one egg, one heaping spoon of almond or coconut butter and one heaping spoon of cocoa powder. Best thing ever! I also like to reheat leftovers right on my plate so I don't have to wash a lot of pots and pans.

Know what I am making tonight! mmm choc in a mug

[Noctiluca]

I think the pre-chopped veggies (not the ones with the sauce) are one of the few that I think are a good idea. For some people, pre-chopped veg will make the difference between that or frozen french fries. The same goes for the trays of cut fruit or packages of meat sliced up for stirfry. If someone starts there and begins cooking with real food, that's a start.

Thats it for me lately! Life has been crazy busy and if I can open my freezer, yank out a bag of cut up broccoli (that isn't half rotting from being left in the fridge too long!) and throw that in a pan with a handful of cheese (yes I do buy it in a block and grate it myself. I think pre-shredded cheese coated in crap is gross) or a chunk of meat (also yanked out of the freezer and force thawed in a sink of hot water!) then thats a win.

Other wise I might end up stopping at the store on the way home and deciding that a pint of ice cream and a frozen pizza count as dinner...

[solstice]

i grew up with a DAD that cooked---a lot! We loved my dad's homemade meals, not my mom's so much. We still visited McDonalds and had some frozen meals, but compared to a lot of people, we ate a majority of our meals as homemade from scratch! I credit my dad and my late grandmother with my love for being in the kitchen!

I have to admit though that once I was in college and off the meal plan, I called home regularly to figure out HOW my dad made some of his meals. They thought it was kind of funny because I didnt help much back then, but now I needed to know on my own! I really hope that my daily homemade meals and packed lunches will impact my young kids and they will embrace real food as they grow into adults. My two male cousins are excellent cooks, and their mom (my aunt) has always been amazing in the kitchen. Our children NEED us to teach them these life skills!

As for microwaves...we got rid of ours a few years back. I'm actually blogging about that tomorrow if you get a chance to stop by. And a baked potato vs. a microwaved potato is no contest in my book!

[RaeVynn]

I remember one time being amazed that my then SIL pulled out a package of frozen french toast for breakfast.

I know she knew how to cook, seriously. French toast? That's a piece of bread, an egg, and a splash of milk. I could cook it from scratch faster than her frozen stuff took to thaw/cook!

I consider tinned tomatoes to be convenience food, now.