Can you only cook 4 dishes? Do you eat spag bol twice a week?

competitionscafe

"Comfort food: Britons stick to just four recipes at home
By Terri Judd
Published: 19 March 2007

Britain's growing reputation as a nation of culinary connoisseurs has been set back by research which shows that most people have a cooking repertoire of just 4.1 dishes.

An increasing number go in search of exotic flavours when eating out, but at home a combination of lack of time and bravado means Britons tend to stick to a familiar comfort zone.

One of the most popular dishes, the 1070s staple, spaghetti bolognese, is cooked at least twice a week by 6.1 million nationwide. The dish is served an estimated 670 million times a year across the UK."

Full article: http://enjoyment.independent.co.uk/food_and_drink/news/article2371576.ece

Three_Dancing_Dragons

Please, I aspire to having 4.1 recipes in my repertoire. If we are such "culinary connoisseurs" why do food companies get away with selling cheap and nasty versions in the UK but nicer recipes under the same brand and label in continental europe?

[Deleted User]

I have never cooked a stir-fry as I don't like it,or any chinese food I rarely cook spag-bol as it's not worth the effort for one person.I prefer the food I grew up with ,mainly casseroles,chops ,cottage pie ,fish and salads.I never buy those awful looking meals for one ,I'd rather do without I enjoy curries and chicken and chillies though .That is about as exotic as I get i'm afraid .Although last night I did have a spanish ommelette followed by cheese and crackers for my dinnner.I suppose it's different if you have a family to feed ,but living on my own I can please myself what I want to eat. I have a theory that an awful lot of single folk seem to exist on jacket spuds with various fillings .In a short survey from my widowed friends, and folk on their own it seems that is quite polular as there is little waste.I like a jacket occasionally as a quick meal but it's not my staple food.I often make double the amount if I can then freeze the left-over bits to save for another day.

spiddy100

Ooh, I do love spag bol. But twice a week? :eek: Using the law of averages that must mean some people eat it every day!

I have to say, filling in opinion surveys and reading the online comments of others who do so, has opened my eyes to what produces a lot of these results. If people thought there was more survey money to be earned by saying they ate lots of spag bol, that might explain it :laugh:

Lusignan

I suppose we're a bit more varied than that, but not by much; my basic repertoire is:

- Meat/roast, mash and veg
- Pasta and meat or veggie sauce
- Stir fry with rice or noodles
- Casserole
- Omelette
- Curry
- Chilli
- Shepherds pie
- Homemade pizza

If I'm doing a dinner party, I'll branch out and always try something new, but when it comes to the working week, inspiration fails me and I cook on auto-pilot.

alba37

spiddy100 wrote: »

Ooh, I do love spag bol. But twice a week? :eek: Using the law of averages that must mean some people eat it every day!

I have to say, filling in opinion surveys and reading the online comments of others who do so, has opened my eyes to what produces a lot of these results. If people thought there was more survey money to be earned by saying they ate lots of spag bol, that might explain it :laugh:

I have to agree! It's makes you wonder? We have it maybe 2-3 times a year.

I could never eat anything twice every week!

Lusignan wrote:

I suppose we're a bit more varied than that, but not by much; my basic repertoire is:

- Meat/roast, mash and veg
- Pasta and meat or veggie sauce
- Stir fry with rice or noodles
- Casserole
- Omelette
- Curry
- Chilli
- Shepherds pie
- Homemade pizza

Yes, but I bet you do variations of these dishes?

angelavdavis

I saw this article and was quite surprised by it.

I think we eat a very balanced diet and I don't like to buy instant meals as apart from cost, they contain too much sugar and salt. We sometimes (about once a month) have a takeaway.

Like JackieO, I wasn't so good at cooking for myself when I lived alone. I generally lived on jacket potatoes! I could always cook - just couldn't be bothered for one and never had a decent freezer in my flat!

I have quite a wide repertoire of meals, spag bol is one of them, but we generally will have this once every three weeks or slightly more often as its something I batch cook and so if we are short of time or my OH is cooking dinner, then getting a serving out of the freezer, reheating and making pasta is convenient.

Because I cook a monster batch of spag bol, I split it and create chilli con carne and lasagne from it as well and freeze in portions.

I also batch cook fish pies, shepherds pies (lamb), steak and kidney pies, beef stews, chicken casseroles, chicken/turkey curries, moussaka (lamb). I also preprepare my vegetables in a lot of cases so we always have a supply - split into portion sizes. We have a roast once a week.

I cook fresh meals using fish, seafood, pulses, chops, roast dinners, vegetables. Usually chinese stir fry, sweet and sour, paella, risottos, pizza, other pasta, etc. I also have a breadmaker and slow cooker and use both at least once a week to make rolls for lunches.

I suppose I am lucky because my mother always home cooked, so I was always encouraged to help. I work full time - staying overnight away from home 90% of the time, so don't understand people who say they don't have time to cook. OH eats the meals from the freezer when I am away.

Last Sunday was one of my typical cook-in days. I made bolognaise, chillli, lasagne, moussaka, shepherds pies, turkey curry and rolls for OH's lunch. All have been split into dinner sized portions and are now in the freezer. There is probably over two months worth of meals in the freezer now.

Craftyscholar

JackieO wrote: »

I prefer the food I grew up with ,mainly casseroles,chops ,cottage pie ,fish and salads.I never buy those awful looking meals for one ,I'd rather do without.

Casserole, cottage pie for one???
Recipe source please. That's why I buy meals for one. I am selective though. Will not pay silly prices but do like some of the M&S ones. Taste far better than any attempt I could make.

reverie

I love to cook and try new things. When I read things like this it always makes me wonder why some people enjoy cooking and some just don't 'get it'. It also makes me wonder why some people will try lots of new things and some are picky. I think my mum is responsible for my love of food, she spent a great deal of time with me in the kitchen being so patient, I am really grateful to her now for that time and thank her often (sometimes by cooking for her ).

I find it relaxing after a day at work, it's my outlet for stress. I find it even more relaxing when I have time to play in the kitchen and bake and experiment and really enjoy it.

I think such limited repertoires must be borne of a combination of apparent lack of time and also a lack of interest. I hope when I have children that I can instill in them the same enjoyment of being in the kitchen.

Lusignan

alba37 wrote: »

Yes, but I bet you do variations of these dishes?

Yes definitely - it's rarely the same twice. Basically I fry onions and mushrooms and peppers, and see where I end up. I cooked a lot more when I was single, and sometimes had egg on toast or cheese and crackers in the evening if I couldn't be bothered; now that I have to cook every day, it's a bit of a chore and I do what makes my life easiest.

Plum_Pie

I don't think of myself of having a 'repetoire'!

When cooking just for myself, I have a decent collection of herbs and spices and usually flavour up whatever pulses I'm boiling/meat I'm grilling. I choose a carb to match it and steam whatever green/orange veg are in season. Job done.

I do make an effort when cooking for friends.

I'm quite happy to eat the same thing twice a week (e.g.cottage pie/stew) but after then I probably won't cook it again for 2 or 3 weeks.