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Convenience foods you love... mse of course!

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  • maman
    maman Posts: 28,589 Forumite
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    I use most of the things listed except pastry as we don't really eat much of that. Occasionally I'll buy a ready made pie from M&S as a bit of a treat.


    I think tinned carrots are a good stand by. They taste different to fresh carrots so it's almost like having an alternative vegetable. My (French) niece showed me a good way of using a can of peas and carrots: fry off a sliced onion then add the 'juice' the tin to the pan. After giving it a good stir to pick up any crunchy bits add the peas and carrots and warm through. It's a good stand by if you're running short of fresh veg in the week.


    Tinned potatoes are excellent for frying up with a cooked breakfast or adding to Spanish omelette.


    I buy frozen leeks from Farmfoods. They're often cheaper than fresh and does without all the faff and wastage of cleaning them. Great for adding a handful to soups and casseroles.


    I think it's a great shame that I can't get frozen aubergine slices any more. They used to sell them in Asda and Delia recommended them in one her books as a cheat for making moussaka.
  • melanzana
    melanzana Posts: 3,953 Forumite
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    maman wrote: »


    Tinned potatoes are excellent for frying up with a cooked breakfast or adding to Spanish omelette.


    Oh yes! Forgot about that usage for the tinned spuds. Absolutely great for frying up like you say, and sliced into a Spanish Tortilla. Yum, I'm getting hungry now!
  • Brambleberry
    Brambleberry Posts: 287 Forumite
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    Tinned butter bean mash is lovely!
    ***Mortgage Free Oct 2018 - Debt Free again (after detour) June 2022***
    Never underestimate the power of a beautiful spreadsheet
  • PenguinOfDeath
    PenguinOfDeath Posts: 1,863 Forumite
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    Frozen veg (sweetcorn, carrots, broccoli, peas)
    Frozen wedges / fries
    Ready made sausage rolls
    Lemongrass paste
    Bisto granules
    Microwave rice
    Straight to wok noodles
    Shop bought puddings & custard

    I use all of these pretty much every week instead of the usual or as a lazy standby.
  • samanthaneww2d
    samanthaneww2d Posts: 657 Forumite
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    I'm another one for tinned pots for casseroles and stews just lob them in at the end and I always buy tinned chickpeas ( better han faffing around) I did make a cake once from tinned carrots when i was really skint ( in the microwave as well of all things) it was passable. I regularly use tinned pots sliced in frittata.

    I think that tinned things are great to stock up on when on offer and when the weather was really bad the other year I made a lovely chilli all from tinned beans.
  • Minimalist
    Minimalist Posts: 76 Forumite
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    I'm not a big fan of tinned veg, but use frozen quite a bit. Frozen garlic is fantastic, really good when the fresh kind in the shops goes a bit musty at the end of its season.

    Not very Old Style, and I do treat it as an "emergency" supply, but a bag of frozen chopped onion is a lifesaver when you're already starting to cook a meal and find you've run out.

    Frozen chestnuts are really good, so much less hassle than preparing the fresh ones, and a lot nicer than the packet kind.
    Not buying it! 2015

    :) purely aspirational username - still wading through clutter and striving to cut back on unnecessary stuff...
  • kboss2010
    kboss2010 Posts: 1,466 Forumite
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    blueneleh wrote: »
    I buy the 'lazy garlic'. Very lazy i know but I can't stand my hands smelling for ages after i've chopped it myself and a jar lasts ages!

    I bought a bar of metal soap on ebay for 99p and it gets rid of the garlic smell :)

    http://www.lakeland.co.uk/13940/Lakeland-Steel-Soap

    My standard "cheats" are:

    Tins -
    Tomatoes
    Chickpeas
    Kidney beans

    Frozen -
    Peas
    Sweetcorn
    Garlic bread

    Packets -
    Pasta
    Custard (I can never get the powdered stuff to the right consistency and making it from scratch is too much effort!)

    I can make shortcrust pastry in less than 2 minutes for pennies so I only buy ready-made puff pastry.
    “I want to be a glow worm, A glow worm's never glum'Coz how can you be grumpy, when the sun shines out your bum?" ~ Dr A. TappingI'm finding my way back to sanity again... but I don't really know what I'm gonna do when I get there~ LifehouseWhat’s fur ye will make go by ye… but also what’s not fur ye, ye can jist scroll on by!
  • Gigervamp
    Gigervamp Posts: 6,583 Forumite
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    blueneleh wrote: »
    I buy the 'lazy garlic'. Very lazy i know but I can't stand my hands smelling for ages after i've chopped it myself and a jar lasts ages!

    Wet your hands then rub on a stainless steel sink or tap. It gets rid of the smell from onions and garlic.


    I always use tinned beans. I have bought dried beans in the past, but never got around to using them due to forgetting to soak overnight.

    Not keen on tinned veg other than tomatoes and sweetcorn as they taste different. I remember getting an Indian takeaway once and was disappointed when I could tell by the taste that the potatoes were tinned.

    Frozen veg is good though and handy for those veggies that only I eat.
  • Ches
    Ches Posts: 1,120 Forumite
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    kboss2010 wrote: »
    I bought a bar of metal soap on ebay for 99p and it gets rid of the garlic smell :)

    http://www.lakeland.co.uk/13940/Lakeland-Steel-Soap

    Or rubbing your hands on the stainless steel sink does the job
    Mortgage and Debt free but need to increase savings pot. :think:
  • kboss2010
    kboss2010 Posts: 1,466 Forumite
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    Ches wrote: »
    kboss2010 wrote: »
    I bought a bar of metal soap on ebay for 99p and it gets rid of the garlic smell :)

    http://www.lakeland.co.uk/13940/Lakeland-Steel-Soap

    Or rubbing your hands on the stainless steel sink does the job

    Thanks for the tip :)

    Unfortunately my sink and draining board are white plastic.
    “I want to be a glow worm, A glow worm's never glum'Coz how can you be grumpy, when the sun shines out your bum?" ~ Dr A. TappingI'm finding my way back to sanity again... but I don't really know what I'm gonna do when I get there~ LifehouseWhat’s fur ye will make go by ye… but also what’s not fur ye, ye can jist scroll on by!
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