Is OS *REALLY* cheaper?

chawil

Say what you will about cheapness - so called OS is much better than frozen or cook/chilled foods because 1. nutritional content - most of which, except for calories, is completely destroyed in processed foods and 2. at least you know exactly what's in the food you're eating AND how it was prepared and stored. There was a very good documentary on cook/chill a few years ago and I haven't bought any at all since watching it!

daysieblue

I'm currently on my lunch break eating some HM soup which cost about as much to make as a cup-a-soup. It's about a million times more filling and delicious though.

DH is coming round to my way of thinking, but I think that we are going to have to strike a happy compromise between eating RM rubbish and me slaving away in the kitchen all the spare hours I have. (not that many, believe me!)

This weekend I will be making a risotto for dinner, hopefully having enough to freeze. Actually, have just remembered, we are all eating HM RMs tonight, the kiddies are having macaroni cheese, and DH and I are finishing off solo portions of Chilli and suasage casserole. So maybe I am winning!!!

db xx

pudding06

SkyBlue wrote: »

Hehehe Liz. When I was working I was very conscious of the time it took to cook a good family meal. I didnt begrudge it, but sometimes Sundays seemed like nothing more than Mum's roast dinner day...which was labour intensive and seemed to use up every pot and pan in the house. The kitchen was a mess to clean up...and it was usually done, or supervised by me.

I'd much rather have been sitting in the garden with a G&T on the go whilst reading the Sunday papers. (I tried to combine both but was interupted to baste meat, par-boil parsnips, get veg on, strain them, make gravy, carve etc...etc) It's NOT a restful time for the cook....no matter how organised.

Forgive me...but...and I do hope someone will agree with me....sometimes this site takes me back to pre-women's liberation days. It's almost like one or two need to score Brownie points for being the most devoted wives, mothers, cooks, housekeepers.

I say sod it ladies.

Yes...cook by all means, (it gives many of us including me, lots of pleasure) but don't forget that convenience foods (although pretty ghastly) were called just that, and sell successfully not because all the women (and men) who buy them are lazy slobs, or spend-thrifts, but because they ARE convenient to have in the freezer.

I think in this day and age a woman's time is precious, especially if she works and raises a family (as I did, single handedly) and many want to make their lives a little easier and less challenging.

We have to educate regarding nutrition and healthy eating, but the supermarkets are catching on. Price-wise, a ready meal is expensive, but we DO have to factor in our labour. For me, a quick meal is beans on toast...I don't want to be in the kitchen for too long after an exhausting day...and much as I like OS, I do think one or two take the kitchen moral high-ground.

There are one or two on this site who seem to be clones of 1950s woman...which is fine if you enjoy subservience and domestic bliss...but some of us.....the 'nurturing feminists', well...we like to say 'crack open the wine, get a takeaway and we'll clean up the kitchen mess in the morning!' every now and then. I get the feeling one or two would have the vapours reading that and immediately cast me out.....

I don't mean to offend anyone......but I do believe we have come on a long way in terms of appreciating the load women have historically carried in being wives, mothers and home-makers. To dismiss the cost of our labour (because 'it's something we do anyway') is a dangerous road to go down I believe.

Many of us will have helpful partners but we still need to be conscious of the demands made on our precious leisure time. Let's not smugly write-off the odd convenience meal that may be lurking in the freezer. They ain't wonderful, but we are entitled to have 'em!

Come on sisters.....we ain't galley slaves.

this is an intersting post!!!

I would count myself as a feminist, well and truly believing in equality for women and men, and can see what you are getting at,

however I have stayed at home to bring up my 4 kids because I knew deep down in my heart it was the right thing to do, and I did have to fight with my OH cos he wanted to stay at home with them lol

and I do o/s because I know, despite the extra work it causes, that its the best for me and my family.

I dont feel chained to the kitchen sink, and in the past when I've been really pushed at work ( eg report writing/late parents evenings etc etc etc)I've hated having to rely on ready meals of takeaways to see us through.

O/S is a lifestyle choice - you can choose it or not - but it doesnt make me less of a feminist becasue I'm not sipping a g+t on the lawn and choose to cook something instead.

I hope this isnt antagonistic its just that I do feel strongly about this.

pudds

Queenie

Skyblue wrote:

…
sometimes this site takes me back to pre-women's liberation days.

Not quite, but yes, the description of Old Style does refer to war time Britain, one of the first times in history when women were working in jobs previously determined as “men’s” work.
A means of utilises old style wisdom to save money on the home front.

Skyblue wrote:

…
It's almost like one or two need to score Brownie points for being the most devoted wives, mothers, cooks, housekeepers.

Maybe, or equally likely that they are proud of their accomplishments? Wish to share their knowledge with others? Or perhaps, if they don't blow their own trumpet, they know that there is not other acknowledgement for their endeavours?

Skyblue wrote:

…There are one or two on this site who seem to be clones of 1950s woman...which is fine if you enjoy subservience and domestic bliss...

Subservient? You could be 1950’s in style of housewifery without necessarily being subservient, surely? In fact, to suggest that by being a housewife/SAHM would by definition mean they are “subservient” is a pre-liberation statement. One which comes across as a bit patronising and condescending to those who are performing a role you describe as a clone of ‘50’s woman. As I said in one of my previous posts: “ … There are a number of women who post on here who are really trying to learn/expand their knowledge of cooking/budgeting/meal planning and often come up against attitudes of “why bother” when you can buy x? Or, worse, feel undermined in their endeavours … women at home are often working very hard, with no recognition, not only to make the home run smoothly but with very little acknowledgement or indeed, representative monetary reward!”

Skyblue wrote:

Let's not smugly write-off the odd convenience meal that may be lurking in the freezer. They ain't wonderful, but we are entitled to have 'em!

I don’t think anyone was being smug or writing off the odd convenience meal. I thought the general conversation was based around living predominantly on RM’s vs home cooked meals?

If a person (we have men on here who have made the same choice) chooses to be a homemaker or stay at home parent, then that *is* their chosen “work”. The only difference being, they are not salaried.

Working women are still expected to juggle the role of mother, wife, employee plus the domestic chores too – I don’t call that particularly liberating! So, if they complain their partners don’t pull their weight – the thread becomes one of sexism. If, however, they have made a lifestyle choice to be at home (as their job) it becomes a feminist issue and another poster uses derogatory terminology such as “clone”, “subservient” to describe them.

Clearly, liberation for women hasn’t come so very far; damned if you do, damned if you don’t!

As tru has quite rightly expressed it, real liberation is about choice!

joedenise

jcr 16 - to avoid a soggy bottom to your quiche just blind-bake it: line it with a bit of greaseproof paper and add some died beans or just scrunch up some foil into it and then bake in the over for about 5 minutes or so. Remove the paper/foil, then fill the part baked pastry base and cook for 35-45 minutes.

Hope that helps.

**purpleprincess**

MSE and Old style are here to encourage people to make the best of what they’ve got, can afford, can do etc etc. There is no-one here saying not to eat ready meals, there is no-one here saying you must cook everything from scratch!! And I don’t think that there is anyone here that takes the moral high ground, a lot of people here are proud of what they have been able to achieve and like to share it in a place where they won’t be ridiculed. I for one was always chuffed when I managed something I never thought at all possible and nobody here would ever put me down, even if I got it wrong, which I frequently did!!! But that is really encouraging and supportive, especially if you’re starting afresh from what you have done previously. I for one used to buy seven ready meals a week for my tea!

And I definitely wouldn’t say no to cracking open a bottle of wine, getting a takeaway and leaving the mess til the morning!! Apart from the takeaway bit, which I do do, just saving my pennies at the moment, I do quite frequently crack open a bottle of wine, have dinner and leave the mess til the morning!!! Or even afternoon sometimes depending on how much wine has been consumed!!! :rotfl:

And I even admit to have frozen pizza in my freezer!! And why not buy a ready meal if it’s one of those ones that’s normally dead expensive but reduced to 50p! That’s being money saving is it not?!!

And as Tru has said, women’s lib is about us being able to make the decision and have the choice as to what we want to do, and everyone has their choice and is entitled to make it, even if it’s not what you would do.

I personally try and make most things myself as it is cheaper for me and I’m living on a pretty tight budget, but if there is something that will help me, like pizza bases! Then I’ll buy them! Haven’t quite become like Mario and Luigi in the kitchen with the ol’ pizza bases!! Just so long as it’s within my budget!

I started off with a point, but now I’ve waffled:rolleyes: , take from this what you will!!!

BUT there is no right way, and there is no wrong way!!! Just your way!

daysieblue

I'm a full-time wage slave, mum to two and a total O/S wanna be.

I enjoy cooking, I suppose it's almost my hobby, but I do sometimes feel guilty about the time it takes me away from my family. I do try to include them all when I cook, but sometimes it's not easy.

The reasons I want to be O/S are various:

• As a family we are DFW, and if being O/S can save us money, then great.
• I want my children to eat healthily, much more so than I did when I was a kid. O/S cooking lets me hide the vegetables they wouldn't eat if added to a plate with an RM
• I'm teaching my kids good lessons for when they're older. I don't want them to grow up not being able to maintain themselves in a healthy way.
• null

There are many things that conflict with this - time being the major factor. Time I spend cooking is time I'm not spending playing with the children, doing something else I like to do or spending time with DH, or other friends. I don't know if it's a symptom of our age - there always seems to be soooo much to do. Probably more so than the 1950's counterparts O/S'ers get compared to. I think that the problem today is that there is this inherent sexism in society that yes, women can work, but they have to remember that first and foremost they are mothers/wives/housekeepers. If you take the Iran hostages for example, how much fuss was made about the woman putting herself in danger like that, with young children? Was any mention made of the men, equally risking leaving their children with only one parent. Do we even know if any of the men are fathers?

I digress At the end of the day, be O/S if it fits in with your lifestyle, don't if it doesn't. Or try to find a happy medium.

MelvynG

I just made a cauliflower onion and watercress soup. It will serve 10 as a starter for lunch tomorrow with three large tubs for the children and mother in law to take home.
Cost under two pounds including gas, milk, olive oil and condiments. Portions equivalent to 20 cans of bought soup. Taste...no comparison.

churchmouse_3

I have to admit that cooking OS versus RM is 100 per cent the best option. I too keep to a low salt. low sat fat, diet and find the RM stuff gives me the runs so thats a waste of food , plus you can make great compost with the veg / fruit peels, theres less packaging to throw out and in the long run you remain healthier with a bit of extra cash to enjoy life with.... Whats to argue about ???

mioliere

Wow, what an interesting thread! I would have to agree that OS is definitely the best way. I find it a lot cheaper, definitely healthier, and gives you more variety than you'd ever find with a RM because you make the most of whatever's in season. I regularly make extra and freeze which gives us instant RMs anyway - just better for you. I worry about the quality of the food that goes into a supermarket RM as well as all the additives; after all, when you cook from scratch you don't add additives only real food! I see the results of my OS ways reflected in my two grown-up sons who now have homes and families of their own. They, and their wives - who also work - one full-time and the other, who has two children, part-time, cook meals from scratch and grow their own vegetables - his children, unlike a lot of others these days, actually know where food comes from and they know it doesn't come out of boxes for a quick whizz in a microwave. I used to work part-time (well, over 30 hours a week so more than part-time really - I do a bit of temping, these days ) and used to do all my food prepping before I left for work (I would rather my energy went on that first and I am always more efficient in the early hours!)
I think it's a matter of being organised but it soon becomes second nature. There are other advantages to OS like having very little rubbish to throwaway but brilliant compost, inventing meals - through necessity in the early days - that become firm favourites and, (one my DH has thought up all by himself): if push comes to shove and the supermarkets run short of food - which, if the fuel strike of 2000 had gone on for much longer, would have been the case because the supermarkets depend on the lorries delivering food day and night, if you're used to cooking from scratch, you will always be able to whip up a meal. Us OSers have well-stocked larders!
I have tried RM when I have had little choice - such as when the new kitchen was installed into my last house - and we couldn't wait to get back to real food. RMs always made our energy levels run down.

What I can't agree with is that it harks back to the days when women were subservient; my mum was a SAHM and tells me that they all used to love cooking and making the most of whatever they had. Due to their efforts then, the nation was healthier, slimmer and much more self-sufficient! It's great to have the choice these days but let's accept that most of us OSers choose this way because we feel it is right for us and our families!