TV Cookery Programmes.. are they out of touch with the real world?

meritaten

DominicJ wrote: »

Nigel Slaters Simple suppers is my favourite.
I nearly wet myself when he urged his viewers to save the parmesan rind, like everyone who watches doesnt buy is in a plastic tub....

er - I buy my parmegiano reggiano complete with rind - probably at half the price it comes in a plastic tub . I never realised you could use the rind before!
oh and I used to chuck out mushrooms if they got a bit sticky - Nigel informed me they were perfectly ok to use!

Kevie192

JackieO I don't mean to be rude but I don't think prepping a chicken at 8 an having it wait around for what, 8 hours? before it sees any heat is particularly safe at all. I would be very careful with that one :-/

o-betty-o

[FONT=&quot]I try hard to be OS, and spend between £35-£45 a week on food for 2 adults and 1 child. I know a lot of people here spend a lot less than that.

Just seen an episode of 30 minute meals and quickly priced up the ingredients (it's amazing the things you end up doing when you're supposed to be essay-writing!), anyway, the one meal of chicken skewers, noodle salad, salad and fruit salad for dessert came to £23.33. If I remember right Superscrimpers claimed the average weekly shop was £50 (correct me if I'm wrong as this seems low to me), so this one meal comes to almost half that figure.

What do we think of this?

I know we can say that a lot of cookery programmes these days are aspirational rather than realistic, but he seems to be putting the onus on accessibility here, with quick, easy, weekday meals, surely they shouldn't cost that much!?!

Anyway, must stop essay-avoiding :-)[/FONT]

VfM4meplse

You're right, there's nothing MSE about it. Entertaining, but not at all MSE.

Fosterdog

They use a lot of "store cupboard" items so don't include them in the cost of the meal, even though most people don't keep as many items as professional chefs in their store cupboard and they forget that even those items have to be bought at some stage.

I love watching these shows but always adapt the recipes to something more affordable

o-betty-o

It's not just that it's not MS that bothers me, I would be happy if it cost an "average" amount, or even slightly more than average but as it is it's ridiculous. Made worse by the fact it's pretending they're accessible, everyday meals.

o-betty-o

Fosterdog - when I added up the price I worked out the cost of the quantity of ingredients actually used, rather than whole jars etc

For example, I worked out the rough prices of tablespoons of ingredients and glugs of oil etc.

Do you think it's possible to cook healthy, quick and cheap meals or do we always have to compromise on something?

Absinthe_2

That's why I don't bother watching, as pricey ingredients, and could be simplified for the ordinary cook.

ecoelle

I don't think you always have to compromise but i think that sometimes it's easier to! I know i try hard to cook healthy, cheap food and i don't have a lot of time, most days i manage it, mainly by buying reduced items, but sometimes i don't have the time or energy and we end up with kids tea ie something with chips/potato wedges and baked beans:)

rachbc

goodnes me what was in the recipe? That seems a huge amount for 1 meal

I just found the recipe on line

4 chicken breasts £6
2 limes 90p
peanut butter 20p
coriander 87p
garlic 5p
ginger 10p
chilli 15p
little gem 88p
soy 10p
fish sauce 10p
noodles £1.40
sesame oil 10p
cashews 50p
honey 20p
strawberries £1
pineapple £1
yog 50p
mint 50p
sugar 20p

I make it closer to £16 -still a lot for one meal but i would sub chicken thigh, buy the herbs and nuts from the asian store and use tinned pineapple!