What's the most overpriced food product that you could make yourself?

meester

MrsE wrote: »

With prep & all it would take AT LEAST an hour & a half from getting in to getting it on the table, I get in on dark evenings late & cook a meal from scratch & breasts are a quicker option.
Plus I don't really like the dark meat, even for curries.
I only really like the breast.

Would I be right in guessing you don't work or don't work full-time?
Because I wouldn't think many people cook a whole chicken in the evening after work mid week.

My wife does the cooking when I am at work in the week. When I got home earlier I'd do the cooking most nights

That said, my point was not really about cooking whole chickens, more that you can easily joint a chicken and then you have two wings, two legs, two breasts, and a carcass.

I personally find most chicken pretty tasteless, but breasts the least tasteless.

Chicken thighs are the best for most things - paella, curry, stew, etc., simply because they are nice and fatty. My wife (nor her countryfolk) would not be impressed at a curry made purely out of breastmeat.... Guinea fowl is a nice alternative though.

MrsE_2

meester wrote: »

My wife does the cooking when I am at work in the week. When I got home earlier I'd do the cooking most nights

That said, my point was not really about cooking whole chickens, more that you can easily joint a chicken and then you have two wings, two legs, two breasts, and a carcass.

I personally find most chicken pretty tasteless, but breasts the least tasteless.

Chicken thighs are the best for most things - paella, curry, stew, etc., simply because they are nice and fatty. My wife (nor her countryfolk) would not be impressed at a curry made purely out of breastmeat.... Guinea fowl is a nice alternative though.

I do see your point & it works for you.
I buy my chicken breasts in Waitrose, there are 8 in a bag, individually wrapped. I stick them in the freezer & take out three in the morning before I leave for work. Then when I get in (& even though DH gets up so early I'm usually first in - he works long hours) its ready to go & I can have dinner ready as he walks in, because he finds it very uncomfortable to eat & go to bed straight away:eek:
This works for us.

meester

Its NOT a waste me buying breasts, they are the part I like & I'm prepared to pay for the meat I like. I also buy them from Waitrose as I like my breasts happy:rotfl:

Just because it comes from Waitrose doesn't mean they are happy.

Waitrose sell non-free-range chicken same as any other shop (they only sell free-range eggs though). I bet you could get free-range chicken in a different shop for the same price.

I haven't actually found a chicken that's close to its natural form in this country, they all seem to have ridiculously unnaturally large breasts

But the rest of the chicken isn't wasted, its sold to others who want other bits. Its OK for someone to splash out a little on something that they like & I like to buy "happy" chicken breasts & I get my mince from M&S:D

Why don't you buy the mince in Waitrose as well?

My opinion is that Waitrose is horrifically overpriced, and their meat is not as good as the premium ranges in Sainsburys (Sainsburys sell poor-quality produce too, but the good stuff is fairly priced and much cheaper than Waitrose). They sell a lot of very expensive ready meals (as do M&S) and pretty much everything on sale is decent, but it's all far too expensive.

MrsE_2

meester wrote: »

Just because it comes from Waitrose doesn't mean they are happy.

Waitrose sell non-free-range chicken same as any other shop (they only sell free-range eggs though). I bet you could get free-range chicken in a different shop for the same price.

I haven't actually found a chicken that's close to its natural form in this country, they all seem to have ridiculously unnaturally large breasts

Why don't you buy the mince in Waitrose as well?

My opinion is that Waitrose is horrifically overpriced, and their meat is not as good as the premium ranges in Sainsburys (Sainsburys sell poor-quality produce too, but the good stuff is fairly priced and much cheaper than Waitrose). They sell a lot of very expensive ready meals (as do M&S) and pretty much everything on sale is decent, but it's all far too expensive.

I buy their happy chickens (Jamie & Hugh said these ones are happy), I like the bag of 8 individually wrapped breasts.

Waitrose don't sell ANY battery chickens, nor do M&S.

I like M&S mince.

They are IMHO the best places for my chicken breasts & my minced beef.

I don't buy ready meals.

clutterydrawer

mandragora wrote: »

to go back to the op - another one's just occured to me - dried pastry in packets. Why? I understand ready rolled pastry, and frozen pastry, as its actually the adding water and, to an extent, rolling that's the fag with homemade pastry, but if you buy it in a state where you still have to add the liquid, then you've still got the trickiest two bits of the operation ahead of you!!

Same with any ready, dried packet foods, come to think of it - cake mixes; yorkshire puds - going to all the hard work and risk of the mixing/baking, but replacing fresh ingredients with chemically processed ones... Mad!

cake mixes....insane. it's not that hard to make from scratch, people!

juno

MrsE wrote: »

When we have breasts we get it on the table for 7.30, if I was doing a whole chicken it would be nearer 8.30.

Bless her my poor sister often doesn't leave work till 9pm, she wouldn't be eating her whole chicken till 11pm:eek:

What I'm saying is the reason chicken breasts sell so well is for people who work & commute but still want to come in & cook a healthy home cooked meal.

I finished work at 9 today, then I had to walk home which takes just over half an hour.

I'm roasting a chicken tonight

It was reduced, so I'm having it in sandwiches tomorrow.

MrsE_2

juno wrote: »

I finished work at 9 today, then I had to walk home which takes just over half an hour.

I'm roasting a chicken tonight

It was reduced, so I'm having it in sandwiches tomorrow.

Good luck to you, but my DH needs to be in bed by 9 ish, so I don't have the time or the inclination to be roasting a chicken in a week day evening.

Especially as no one likes the leg meat anyway.

meester

MrsE wrote: »

I buy their happy chickens (Jamie & Hugh said these ones are happy), I like the bag of 8 individually wrapped breasts.

Waitrose don't sell ANY battery chickens, nor do M&S.

They sell 'barn' chickens, which are not free range.

The Waitrose Select Farm chickens are 30kg/m2. Free range is required to be less than this - no more than 27.5kg,

They are very hazy about what they are actually selling beyond this.

Tesco and Sainsburys give a bit less 'our chickens are really happy, man', and rather more hard facts.

http://www.channel4.com/food/on-tv/jamie-oliver/jamies-fowl-dinners/the-facts-about-the-shops-you-shop-in-08-01-11_p_4.html
http://www.channel4.com/food/on-tv/jamie-oliver/jamies-fowl-dinners/the-facts-about-the-shops-you-shop-in-08-01-11_p_3.html

For instance, a Tesco 'value' chicken, is EXACTLY the same as a standard one, and will live in max 38kg/m2, planned 34-36kg/m2, and will live 38-49 days.

The 'Willow Farm' brand, is 30kg/m2 same as Waitrose, and they use 'Aviagen 708' a modern 'high yield' chicken. http://www.aviagen.com/output.aspx?sec=2102&con=911&siteId=2 The cheaper chickens specify only 'Aviagen', perhaps the 308 http://www.aviagen.com/output.aspx?sec=2102&con=633&siteId=2 which yields slightly more meat. They live 40-44 days.

Tesco Willow Farm chickens are every bit as happy as Waitrose 'Select Farm' ones. Whether Waitrose use a better breed, I have no idea.

The Tesco free-range and finest free-range use the same Aviagen 708 birds. Finest seems to be the same as normal.... The organic says 'defined slow-growing bird'. No idea what that is.

Sainsburys seem to sell better-quality chicken: their basic (which again is identical to standard) chicken is Aviagen 308, packed to 38kg/m2, but 'West Country Corn Fed' (which is the same market sector as 'Waitrose Select Farm') is a 'slower-growing' Devonshire red, which like, Waitrose, is reared at 30kg/m2. I can't see how the Waitrose Select Farm chicken could be better than this. The Sainsburys organic and free range chickens are also Devonshire Red, but they live longer (56 days for free-range, 71 days for organic).

MrsE_2

Meester

I like the fact that they are individually wrapped & are ideal for freezing. Very MSE when they don't stick together & I have to take four out instead of the three I need.

Jamie & Hughs show on happy chickens said they were happy.

MrsE_2

meester wrote: »

The Waitrose Select Farm chickens are 30kg/m2. Free range is required to be less than this - no more than 27.5kg,

The above are happier than the below.

meester wrote: »

For instance, a Tesco 'value' chicken, is EXACTLY the same as a standard one, and will live in max 38kg/m2, planned 34-36kg/m2, and will live 38-49 days.