rice in a bag

[LSP]

This afternoon we were at a supermarket (we try to go to one with lots of ethical/green credentials) and something caught my husband's eye: cooked Jasmine rice in a plastic container. Just prick holes and microwave.

We shook our heads in disbelief. What is so difficult about cooking rice?

What other stuff you see in shops (usually in lots of plastic packaging) are similarly pointless?

[Milims]

I think that the problem is that these days people simply don't know how to cook properly!! It seems that there are so many convenience foods readily available that even the simplest food - like rice - has been made "convenient". I confess that I'm no angel - if I see something convenient reduced to clear and I fancy it I'll nab it - but its usually as a special treat and more often than not I "doctor" it with real food!! Its come up in the Eco Parenting section that even in schools cookery lessons seem to be based on making use of convenience foods - so there's little hope of any real cookery there!! So I guess its up to us sensible people to spread the cookery word instead of the ready made sandwich filling!

[ina]

The most pointless of all, I think - ready to eat apples. Sliced, treated with goodness knows what to stay white, and bagged in plastic.

[red]

most prepared veg annoys me. chopped up so the vitamins are on their way out, super packaged.. with a plastic box...

[ina]

It does annoy me, too - but at least there is some sense in stuff that needs to be prepared before it can be eaten, say, a whole cauli or so... But what's about an apple that's not ready to eat as it is?

Remembered another thing that always sets my head off in shaking motion: pancake mix in a shaker bottle... Ever come across that? All ingredients for a pancake in a plastic bottle (only quarter full or so, of course). Add water to mark on bottle, shake. Make pancakes, throw bottle out. Pancakes was one of the first things I learnt to cook as a child. From scratch, needless to say. And the only "waste" at the end of it being the empty eggshell, which went on the compost heap.

[glenniedragon]

I saw frozen baked potatoes- with cheese! just sling in the microwave, Jacket potatoes can be such a drag.........

kind thoughts
Deb

[ina]

I saw frozen baked potatoes- with cheese!

Arghh!

We had pre-cooked "baked" potatoes at a bistro where I worked some years ago; they were used when we got into trouble with too many orders for baked tatties, or an order very early in the evening, before the ones in the oven were ready. Must admit they were quite handy - and we really only used them in emergencies. They weren't frozen, though; they were vacuum packed.

[Thomzo]

It was the pancake mix that made me laugh too. How difficult are pancakes? The same with batter etc.

I must admit to using frozen pastry though. I really can't make pastry, apparently my hands are too hot!

The other thing that annoys me is when you see meat in a plastic container with a cardboard label over. When you open the pack, there is no meat under the cardboard, it's just there to make the pack look bigger than it really is. I was at a local supermarket the other day and they had prawns packed like this. I took all the packs and shook the prawns down under the cardboard so that the packs looked empty. I wonder how many people were put off then?

Zoe

[Annpan]

I have always thought that the cake mixes weird, but the other day I saw a gingerbread mix already in a silicon-type loaf tin It makes me wonder if people palm them off as home-made to their family and friends?
I don't see how you can possibly get the same satisfaction as you do from baking your own.

On the other hand... I was encouraged when weaning my baby to give her home-made food. It took me an hour to prepare loads of fruit puree (peel it, steam it, puree it, freeze it) then I checked prices with mass produced organic baby food, the organic apples and pears I was buying were 1/3 more expensive. For a new mum, time and money are precious, so sometimes it can be better or cheaper to buy pre-prepared, plus you get a free tiny glass jar ...which remind me to start a new "101 uses for..." topic

[cheap as chips]

ready mashed potatoes - how lazy can some people be?

[Cassiepod]

Call me a complete sinner but it is useful every now and then to have these things like the rice. At my mums the other day we ahd prepared lunch but forgotten any 'filler' and she had a bag of rice, whizzed in the microwave and we managed a complete meal (and it was surprisingly nice although there was nothing nasty in the ingredients)

Don't get me wrong cooking from scatch is a bug bear of mine (opening a jar and cooking it does not count!) but every now and then convenience helps.

Prepared veg and salad wind me up as do bags around bananas, or other items that are already satisfactorily wrapped up by nature.

Also the blind belief that organic/wholegrain/low fat is better, if it's organic but packed full of additives it's still going to be bad, if the fat has been swapped for sugar you have another set of problems to contend with. Well balanced meals witha bit of thought behind them and as little nonsense and faffing around are the best .

[the.fee.fairy]

I'm reading Bad Food Britain by Joanna Blythamn at the moment and it ties in nicely with this topic.

I can't believe how much ready cooked food we eat as a nation! It is ridiculous.

Sadly, i blame it on the past - the recent past that is. Food like this has been marketed at parents for years as being easy to cook, quick to prepare. We have been led to believe that we have to work longer hours (well, not led to believe - forced to...), and that everything has to be quick and easy.

We also have no food enjoyment (i'm talking generally - i love all my food....every little bit!!) - we see food as fuel rather than a sensual pleasure. According to blythman, we're also the only nation in Europe to feed out children different food, and not find it important to sit around as a family for a meal. I found this one odd!! There is a high percentage of families that do not sit roudn the table for a meal more than once a week! When i was growing up, it was a mortal sin not to be home for dinner...

[ina]

According to blythman, we're also the only nation in Europe to feed out children different food, and not find it important to sit around as a family for a meal. I found this one odd!!

From what I've seen in various European countries and in Britain, she's right. Even some of my "food aware" friends will ask their child "what do you want to eat", and then they get something made specially... Dinner for the parents comes after. No wonder kids (in general) can't behave themselves in restaurants, and refuse to eat "healthy" options at school.

[Cassiepod]

Prepared food is more expensive, less healthy and less tasty I don't get why people would want it.

Rob's two girls live with their mums and visit every second weekend and although they say they're fussy, wolf down good quality home made meals

[Silver Ether]

According to blythman, we're also the only nation in Europe to feed out children different food, and not find it important to sit around as a family for a meal.

And thats why we have such faddy eaters ...grrrr I could scream at some of the parents I work for ... The kids I look after eat the same as we do ... and their parents cant believe the amount or the veriety of food they eat ...

I had one little girl ask me the other day how I make my gravy ... So was telling her... she says " her nans comes in a box and she adds water to it from the kettle.... " .. then grinned ... like yours better. Now theres a silly thing instant gravy...