OT: cook at home food boxes

[ARW]

Probably not worth it as it was full off old stuff.

[tim...]

apart from fresh veg, fruit, eggs and cheese,

all my stuff comes out of the freezer on a day to day basis (butter about weekly)

Don't confuse that with, I only buy pre-frozen

I do buy some stuff frozen (breaded fish portions) but mostly I buy fresh, enough for several weeks at a time, separate into portions, and freeze it.

If I miscalculate the fruit/veg/eggs I sometimes have to throw a manky item away (the cheese always lasts more than long enough). Or if I under count I have to open some tinned veg, dried rice/pasta from my emergency cupboard.

all beats paying 4 times the price for someone to package it up in tiny portions for me

One example of what I do is where Morrison's fish counter (other supermarkets sometimes follow) sell half price complete salmons at Christmas.

I buy 2, slice into portions and freeze. It's normally about October before I finish them

tim

[alan_m]

Thinly chopped vegetables and butterflying a chicken are in the professional chef bullshit category. It's much like asking if you know how to butcher a whole cow or sheep and then concluding that you cannot cook if you don't know how to. Any questionnaire that mentions julienne vegetables or perhaps foreign words for gravy or boiled fruit have an agenda in proving a point. The point being that you are not a Guardian reader?

Peas and sweetcorn are much better frozen from a packet.

[Tim Lamb]

In message <roorbj$hpl$ [e-mail], Harry Bloomfield <?.?@harrym1byt.plus.com.invalid> writes

My fallback when the caterer is away:-) I'm OK with eggs but scrambled seems too much faff. Microwave 1 minute

50 seconds on simmer cooks an egg in a plastic container. I have a shelf of packet powdered soup which seems better than using half a tin. My mother taught domestic science so I never needed to cook anything other than breakfast when growing up.

[alan_m]

But a lot depends on who is doing the cooking rather than the name of the chain. Local Indian restaurants around my way can change overnight with a change in kitchen staff.

Furthermore some foods don't seem to travel well when cooked and then packed in take-away containers for 10 to 30 minutes.

[Andrew]

Pot Noodles, surely ?

[Owain Lastname]

Blimey, I wonder if I could get my old phones on onlyfans.

£5 donation and I'll let you see inside my bellset.

Owain

[tim...]

minimum order of 40 pounds is a bit of a deal breaker (to save people clicking that's not a free delivery price point, delivery is extra under 80 pounds.)

for a single person that's 4-6 meals, but with a shelf life of 3 days that's not going to work

though it does look better value than many of the others

[tim...]

no-one is doubting that

but when I cook for myself I am not in a restaurant, having to pay for the ambience and staff.

I'm providing those things myself.

so they should just sell the sauces then

and drop the 400% mark up on basic ingredients

>

[nightjar]

It is fairly simple to get it done to whatever level you want if you use the touch test:

Hold your hand out, palm up, open and relaxed. Press the fleshy bit between thumb and first finger to get the feel of raw meat or of blue steak. Touch thumb to tip of first finger. The fleshy bit now has the feel of rare steak. Touch thumb to tip of middle finger - that gives the feel of a medium steak. Thumb to ring finger gives the feel of a well done steak. Thumb to little finger and the steak is overcooked for anybody.

...

Home made toad in the hole allows you to use really nice sausages.

That depends on whether or not you take pride in the presentation.

It cooks faster and more evenly. That is an advantage with a meat that dries out easily.

I am with you there. There is much less waste with frozen ingredients. I also buy frozen puff pastry, as it is much better than my own.

[Dave Liquorice]

Call it 5 meals for £40 that's £8/meal <ouch!>.

I have to slightly over buy to get past £40 to side step the online supermarket additional delivery charge for the fortnightly order, which is mainly for stuff not available localy. The local shops get about another £30/week for fresh veg, milk, etc. So that's around £50/week for the two of us or £3.50/day each for *all* our food.

[Dave Liquorice]

And if she's working 12 hours a day plus say an hours travel before and after work, meaning she's only behind her front door for 10 hours a day every day. How does stuff get delivered? Does it sit in a box on her doorstep perhaps all day in sun until she gets home?

More to the point 14 hours out the door 7 days/week is too much. Having done it in the past, work sleep repeat is not good for you physically or mentally not matter how good the money is.

[ARW]

That's why I am not working[1] this weekend. Three weeks of 9 hour shifts with 3 hours travel per day caught up with me.

[1] Two small local jobs

[Dave Plowman (News]

Doesn't the EU working directive restrict maximum number of hours worked each week? Remember it coming in when I was still working. Although obviously wouldn't apply to those genuinely self employed.

[Dave Plowman (News]

When I was working, and we still had those ridiculously long days including travelling, two workmates died after falling asleep at the wheel. No alcohol etc involved.

[S Viemeister]

Currently, she's working from home. When she does go into the office, its only a few minutes away. She gets a text with details on delivery time.

I agree. She's finally beginning to delegate, but training new staff can often take longer than doing things yourself.

[tim...]

I don't get "really nice sausages"

they cost more than just buying an equivalent cut of meat

to whom

I'm cooking it, I'm eating it, what's to present?

I cut breasts in half down the middle to achieve that.

[RJH]

Too lazy, or time poor with a large disposable income?

[tim...]

it's something that you have to do to leverage your business.

there a finite limit to the amount of work (and hence income) that you can do yourself

>

[ARW]

Actually this one has been a physical job.

But yes it has been the driving that has taken it's toll not the work. Dark foggy/dark rainy motorway runs are no fun.

That is why I did not work this weekend. And I am not working next weekend.