Only 1 in 4 meals cooked from scratch....

wouldbeqaulitymoneysaver

I happily use Loyd Grossman sauces which fit my reliable good taste criteria along with consumate tomato sauce making skills.
I think there is a merit to using ready made ingredients like All butter Pastry etc so long as I learn to do it myself. Puff pastry maybe being the exception. ( I aint touching that horrible margarine made stuff ugh).

wouldbeqaulitymoneysaver

Good Ready meals I enjoy: Tesco Chicken and Ham Pie with veggies, Mr T Liver Bacon and Mash, Mr T Finest Macaroni Cheese (yummy!) Mr T used to make a lovely Chicken Casserole with Dumplings which I have yet to make a successful version of. Waitrose Bacon Leek and Cheese Quiche is the business, as is their Salad Bar, Waitrose Salads are the only Salad bar I use as Tescos is crap.
Our local Asda is awful and I am put off by reports of their online shopping experience.

kippers

I emailed Kenwood to establish what they class as cooking from scratch as a lot have people have rightly said on here this should be clarified for instance, as adding a tin of tomatoes may not be classed as cooking from scratch. This is the reply i received from Kenwood:

Hi - thanks for getting in touch.
We actually asked people how many dishes they cook from raw ingredients, on average, per week.
Please find below the full press release for you.

All the best,

Lucy

THE EIGHTIES: THE LAST DECADE FOR

REGULAR HOME COOKED FOOD

The 1980s may be regarded as the decade that taste forgot – but according to new research, it was the decade when Brits last enjoyed the taste of regular home cooking, as home cooked meals have dropped by 20 per cent in the last 30 years.

Gone are the days when kitchen cupboards would be stocked full of fresh ingredients ready to be whipped up into a delicious meal. According to the findings in a new study by Kenwood, only four out of the average household’s 21 meals a week are cooked from scratch, whilst consumption of ready meals or takeaways has significantly increased.

This decline in home cooking could, in part, be explained by the country’s lack of confidence in their cookery skill. The research revealed that one in seven Brits don’t feel able to cook a meal from scratch, with men far less confident in the kitchen than their female counterparts (16% vs 12%).

The study also showed that kitchen nerves are more prevalent amongst the under 35s, who find cooking more stressful than older generations. This could be attributed to the fact that they were less likely to recall seeing their parents cook from scratch whilst they were growing up, highlighting a generation that has had less exposure to home cooking and thus lost basic British cooking skills.

Mark Swift, Director of Marketing at Kenwood, comments, “It’s a great shame to discover the extent to which cooking from scratch is on the decline, and the impact that this is having on our cookery confidence and ability in the UK. Cooking from scratch is a great way to de-stress and it’s also an important way to teach children about correct nutrition, and pass on cooking knowledge so they know their way around the kitchen.

“Kenwood is committed to getting the nation cooking, whatever their level of skill and knowledge. We work with cookery schools throughout the UK to provide them with Kenwood products which facilitate food preparation and help people create great food.”


I think we are none the wiser now but it did say only four out of the average household’s 21 meals a week are cooked from scratch, whilst consumption of ready meals or takeaways has significantly increased.

Lizbetty

kippers wrote: »

I emailed Kenwood to establish what they class as cooking from scratch as a lot have people have rightly said on here this should be clarified for instance, as adding a tin of tomatoes may not be classed as cooking from scratch. This is the reply i received from Kenwood:

Hi - thanks for getting in touch.
We actually asked people how many dishes they cook from raw ingredients, on average, per week.
Please find below the full press release for you.

All the best,

Lucy

THE EIGHTIES: THE LAST DECADE FOR

REGULAR HOME COOKED FOOD

The 1980s may be regarded as the decade that taste forgot – but according to new research, it was the decade when Brits last enjoyed the taste of regular home cooking, as home cooked meals have dropped by 20 per cent in the last 30 years.

Gone are the days when kitchen cupboards would be stocked full of fresh ingredients ready to be whipped up into a delicious meal. According to the findings in a new study by Kenwood, only four out of the average household’s 21 meals a week are cooked from scratch, whilst consumption of ready meals or takeaways has significantly increased.

This decline in home cooking could, in part, be explained by the country’s lack of confidence in their cookery skill. The research revealed that one in seven Brits don’t feel able to cook a meal from scratch, with men far less confident in the kitchen than their female counterparts (16% vs 12%).

The study also showed that kitchen nerves are more prevalent amongst the under 35s, who find cooking more stressful than older generations. This could be attributed to the fact that they were less likely to recall seeing their parents cook from scratch whilst they were growing up, highlighting a generation that has had less exposure to home cooking and thus lost basic British cooking skills.

Mark Swift, Director of Marketing at Kenwood, comments, “It’s a great shame to discover the extent to which cooking from scratch is on the decline, and the impact that this is having on our cookery confidence and ability in the UK. Cooking from scratch is a great way to de-stress and it’s also an important way to teach children about correct nutrition, and pass on cooking knowledge so they know their way around the kitchen.

“Kenwood is committed to getting the nation cooking, whatever their level of skill and knowledge. We work with cookery schools throughout the UK to provide them with Kenwood products which facilitate food preparation and help people create great food.”


I think we are none the wiser now but it did say only four out of the average household’s 21 meals a week are cooked from scratch, whilst consumption of ready meals or takeaways has significantly increased.

Great idea to get in touch with them! Thanks for posting the info. :T

Does sound like they don't have a definition of 'cooking from scratch' either! :rotfl: Sigh. But yes, you could probably assume that they mean the boxed ready meals or takeaways from the last line you highlighted.

I suppose they are counting take away sandwiches at lunchtime in that, which could sway the numbers as a lot of people don't make their own pack up?

I was hoping that the survey would be tosh, but thinking about it, I also know a lot of people who seem quite proud that they can't cook a bean. Education is the only way forward. And plenty of public information films about the dangers of chicken nuggets and manky tinned hot dogs!

nobodyspecial

Thanks for that kippers

One thing it does say is someone can't count :rotfl: Unless my schooling was very remiss 4 meals out of 21 is only 1 in 5, not 1 in 4. But I digress. I note their provision of Kenwood products to cookery schools to facilitate food preparation ................... :idea: as you were, their main concern is a drop off in sales of gadgets. Why not say all you need is a couple of knives, saucepans and frying pan? Maybe it's this promotion of gadgets doesn't help. After all it does imply it takes too long to do these things by hand.

dogstarheaven

wouldbeqaulitymoneysaver wrote: »

I am an avid Cook as well.me too
I make a special point to buy Cookbooks like Jane Grigson's English Food, books by Elizabeth David, Nigel Slater etc from which I get reliable authoritative and trustworthy recipes, a lot of which might be classified as Peasant Food. (Posh Cookery books distinguish themselves with this fine characteristic).bet you have lots of years-old newspaper cuttings too
I also mine similar high quality recipe sites such as Good Food Magazine (watch out for the product placements), BBC Good Food, Chow and Epicurious. I also think 10l Cookbooks and David Lebowitz is good (Foodie Bloggers tend to be on the excellent side I find). blog sites are so additive, i tend to use them more than books

Good Food Magazine has ended up formulaic, predictable, commerically driven instead of being a magazine of the people. All the same I find it invaluble to be directed to good products that i know will be tasty.i don't buy them, i nick them from the doc's surgery if i see them, but usually it's whilst i'm waiting to be seen and i have to surreptitiously tear the page out w/o garnering too much attn. from the other patients! - ahem, i do give my old mags to them anyway on a monthly basis!
As over the years I have taught myself to cook who benefits from a family background of excellent cooks I take great pleasure in finding and mentally tasting recipes meaning Food goes in new directions. Homemade Wonton Wrappers are my next Project. I set myself new projects to explore new tastes, new adventures in cooking. Samosa Pastry is on the cards so at last I can make my own Samosas. i recmd bhajis next.. they're so yummy!
Where do I save money2 types of meat a week say Beef Mince and Chicken. Chicken gets multiple uses and carcass gets bunged in slow cooker (OS) that because I paid a little more (shock horror gasp!!) I can put in oven, place in microwave and then in Freezer!! (This multifunctionality is worth paying for IMHO though people might disagree).
With the Meat I buy dozen free range eggs Columbian Blacktails from Waitrose for preference. Eggs are cheap, make everything from Egg Salad to Scrambled eggs etc. Last but not least I have a box of Riverford organic Vegetables. This may appear to MSE to be a total extravagannce but after years of Mr T veg rotting as soon as I got home I decided 'enough was enough'. Riverford veg last longer, less is thrown away and I enjoy the taste.have you tried your local community VEG BOX SCHEME. they should be should cheaper than this Co. and it's also saving on the footprint too!
I also adore Waitrose fresh stocks (expects onslaught from MSE now hides behind Barrier) which mean I get get high quality stocks without having to buy bones etc and do it myself (OK this probably should go on New Projects List but still).
When I buy Hams I slice and freeze in mi rarely buy stocks and if so, it'll be because of the time-factor, but only if see them cheaply reducedy freezer, Leftover mince gets frozen into portions for future meals.tend not to bulk-freeze apart from my allotment gluts made into side dishes
Lentils Puy and Red especially Waitrose Puy gets made into fast Egg and Lentil combis. Good for you and tasty too.lentils and split yellow peas are soooo cheap
Taken all together I have all the makings of making good meals, except when I am too tired and just want to bung one of my reliable Ready made meal options in the oven or microwave.

as i am sometimes on my own - say about 50% of the time as my OH works away, i too feel that cooking can be a chore when it's for one person, so i occasionally have a ready-meal about once a week, or a t/a curry. and i don't feel any guilt at all, as i know that i do cook from scratch 99% of the time with no jars, pastes. and veg is from the lotti that's seasonal

Hermia

I am not sure whether what I eat counts as cooking from scratch or not! For example, I will often eat breaded chicken/fish, but cook veggies etc to go with it. If I make an Indian dish I will go down to the local Indian shops and buy freshly made naans and samosas as trying to make my own would be soooo time-consuming.

I wonder if these stats include the elderly? A lot of the elderly people I meet via work have wheels on meal style ready meals as they are not really up to cooking meals from scratch anymore.

adelight

Thanks for getting in touch with them kippers! So it's actually less than 1 in 5 cooked from scratch, but they mean raw ingredients which is quite difficult considering most meals require a component that most of us don't/can't get from scratch like tinned tomatoes.

Yesterday I noticed a shop has opened on my local high street(admittedly it's a very posh area full of city workers and gyms) which sells er... posh ready meals! Everything is organic, preservative free and cooked from scratch on site then frozen/refrigerated in portions and you can make requests and dinner party orders to cook/reheat at home. It is very expensive, but allegedly you get top restaurant quality. There's also an italian restaurant in town which sell their pasta dishes in cold portions to heat at home. Personally, whilst these are ready meals I don't consider them in the same league as ones which are full of junk. If it has the same ingredients as it would to make it yourself I don't think of it as a typical ready meal but it's still not from scratch

Out,_Vile_Jelly

I enjoy reading the OS board, but an awful lot of the meal tips here are completely irrelevant to my own lifestyle. I am single, vegetarian and live in a flat with a small kitchen with limited storage space. I don't drive so can only buy groceries that I can physically carry. Many people live in flat/houseshares where they may get half a shelf of freezer space and certainly won't have room for a well stocked store cupboard, spice rack, bread maker, slow cooker, food processor etc. Newbuild properties are notoriously tiny compared to older houses, and with the trend of open plan kitchen-diners the amount of work surfaces and storage space is greatly reduced. People who work full time and commute may simply not wish to spend their limited free time shopping, cooking and washing up (cookery shows never show how much washing up is generated by cake baking for example!).

Most of my meals are based around fresh veg (curries, chillis, stir frys, pastas etc) but I invariably use sauce out of a jar or packet. I'm fairly confident I won't be on my deathbed sighing and wishing I'd spent more of my youth making curry sauce.

LondonDreamer

kippers wrote: »

I think we are none the wiser now but it did say only four out of the average household’s 21 meals a week are cooked from scratch, whilst consumption of ready meals or takeaways has significantly increased.

Thanks for finding out more, but I now think this percentage is a bit irrelevant. As they've included all meals in that cooking figure, and how many average people have three cooked meals every day? I don't think the respondants would have considered a bowl of cereal as cooking from scratch. Possibly the same with having a sandwich for lunch, as there's usually no cooking involved. So some might have only been responding thinking about their dinner/main meal, which could make their percentage well over 50% (4 out of 7 dinners). Kenwood may have been better to only ask about main meals, but I'm guessing this wouldn't be as shocking a statistic.