Anyone convert an OH who is/was non OS ?

black-saturn

My boyfriend is a full time single parent to a daughter of 15. His idea of cooking is to bang a frozen shepherds pie in the microwave for 10 minutes, put some beans in a saucepan and open a packet of smash. Then at the end of the week he's got no money left at all. He laughs at me for spending so much time in the kitchen and having to do all that washing up. But he admits when he comes to mine the food I serve up is much nicer.

So has anyone got any ideas for EASY recipes I can show him how to make to get him started? He's mastered the spaghetti bolognase but have you got any other ideas? He thinks the phrase "potato peeling" is swearing.

bonvonnie

black-saturn wrote:

He's mastered the spaghetti bolognase but have you got any other ideas? He thinks the phrase "potato peeling" is swearing.

:rotfl:

get him a slow cooker and prepare the meals in the morning.

start him on simple dishes, where u just bung everything into a pot, like casseroles etc.

sorry cant give you anymore ideas, as i havent a clue what else to cook in my SC either :rolleyes:

Curry_Queen

Hmmmm tough one, and mainly depends on his disposable income! I find with most guys that they're happy to buy ready meals and take-aways if they can easily afford it (you know how lazy some guys can be ) so you have to hit him where it hurts ... his pocket!

You have to convince him how much cheaper, not mention healthier (but I don't reckon that would be a priority for him) it would be to cook meals from scratch!

Start with simple things that he would normally buy pre-made, such as shepherds pie, chilli, pizza, curry etc ... I'm only guessing here as I have no idea what he would normally buy

Have a look at the recipe index in the blue bar above for some ideas and great recipes, and if there's anything specific he eats that's not already listed then just ask as I'm sure there's plenty of us here that can advise you

Bossyboots

I have never understood why people eat shepherds pie with an additional serving of mash or even chips.

He would be better off at least learning to cook the mince base, even if he still wanted to put "Smash" on top. I vary my mince according to who is eating it, sometimes I add herbs and other times make it hot and spicy with chillies. My own favourite is simply with Oxo but thats not so popular with the rest of my family. This could be put in the slow cooker if necessary (I would do a load and freeze the rest) but it doesn't take long on the hob. If he can do spag bol, he can do shepherds pie.

A pressure cooker is also useful as you can make meals very quickly with one.

black-saturn

Oh yeh I forgot, theres another problem, he doesn't like meat. He will eat things like burgers and sausages but doesn't like the texture of meat off the bone if you know what I mean. He's sooooo difficult to feed.

Curry_Queen

black-saturn wrote:

Oh yeh I forgot, theres another problem, he doesn't like meat. He will eat things like burgers and sausages but doesn't like the texture of meat off the bone if you know what I mean. He's sooooo difficult to feed.

:rotfl:

You want my advice? ... get a new boyfriend


Only joking, it's just I can't imagine myself being with someone who doesn't share the same passion for good food and cooking that I do

But then again, they all have to learn somewhere

black-saturn

Believe me I've had some shocking boyfriends in my time :eek: and I will gladly put up with his finiky eating for him. He's literally saved my life.

I know what you mean though. I think I can convert him though. I'm searching through recipes as we speak.

Lillibet_2

Do it slowly and one step at a time. rather than full on cooking which can be a shock to the system, especially the washing up(!) if you aren't a natural chef. e.g instead of buying a pizza get him to buy a pizza base & a jar of topping & add some fresh veggies/ready sliced meat/cheese. Then next time get him to buy the base but make the topping completely from a can of tomatoes & some herbs. Making the base from scratch might take a while but I think you can buy packet mixes which you just add water too, this might ease the process?
Get him to cook a mince base for the shepherds pie but put smash on top for a while, work on the peeling potatoes in time. If you can get him to bung the beans in with the meat then he has a "meal in one", no need to cook seperates. Same with a fish pie, cook the fish (and veggies if you like, peas are good), shove a ready made or packet white sauce mix over & smash on top. Curry usually goes down well with men, a pack of ready diced chicken or turkey, get him to chop the onions & any other veg, throw over a jar of ready made curry sauce and slowly work on making the sauce from scratch.
If all else fails, for a while he could buy ready prepared veg & grated cheese & work on putting the ingredients together, not the cheapest option but it could be a stepping stone to doing it himself.

HTH & good luck;)

Helen_from_yorkshire

Would frozen mash be healthier and just as easy as Smash to put on the top of a shepherds pie.

lily_the_pink

Stir frys are really easy - as long as he has the basics in stock (straight to wok noodles, soy sauce, some chinese 5 spice) - the value stir fry in Tescos costs 64p if he can't be mithered preparing the veg.

Home-made burgers are really easy - and so much nicer. I gently fry an onion, make a few breadcrumbs and herbs and mix with the mince - then shape and hey presto. You can grill or fry.


Baked potatos with a variety of fillings - cheese, beans, tuna,

Roast chicken is really easy - lasts for 2 days plus he can make soup (that will last another 2 days - I always make a minestrone as this freezes well and is a meal in itself). If he cooked this on Sunday, ate cold on Monday evening with left over veg, prepared stock on Monday night and made soup on Tuesday. Probably a little over ambitious but men love doing roasts and barbecues (grand gestures that are actually quite simple).


Maybe you need to get him a cookbook for Christmas:) Jamie's Dinners has quite a lot of basic family meals in.

Helen_from_yorkshire

Would frozen mashed potato be healthier and just as easy as Smash to top a shepherds pie. I've never used it myself though so can't comment on its taste but friends swear by it.