What has happened to people cooking!

Mrs_Flittersnoop

I agree with balmaiden, my mum, who's 80, is not able to peel potatoes etc very easily as she has arthritic hands. Also, as she's on a strict budget, she tends not to have the hot water on for most of the day so the extra washing up that cooking from scratch creates is avoided if she buys ready prepared food.

I must admit I was amazed that mum, who always cooked from scratch, had resorted to such measures but I can see why she does. She does cook from time to time, she probably eats one ready meal every other day but I don't really blame her, to be honest. When I'm on my own, I find it hard to force myself to cook myself a decent meal, it's a lot easier to grab cheese and biscuits

Having said that, I do cook practically everything from scratch myself (can't wean OH off his frozen pizza though), I don't remember if I've ever bought ready prepared food, and I refuse to eat junk food. What I'll be like when I'm 80 though, I can't say :rotfl:

Oh and I have two sisters, we were all brought up together, but one lives on champagne and frozen vegetables and the other will only cook pasta :rolleyes: - they love coming to Chez Flittersnoop though for a good feed :rotfl:

calleyw

balmaiden wrote: »

I would imagine most people of the "ration" generation like my parents who are both 81 have health issues that may prevent cooking from scratch i.e arthritic hands or like my Mum osteoperosis which gives incredible pain at times and she just doesnt feel up to cooking or she has had a bad night and is feeling tired, then a frozen pie and veg can be a Godsend.

That is not to say that she doesnt still cook but some people of that generation just are not able to,they have not forgotten how and I am sure they are not being lazy.

I have to agree with this my mum was born at the end of war. And she has always cooked pretty much from scratch even have a huge veggie plot as well.

Aprrox two and half months ago my mother had Colles Fracture a broke wrist to the rest of us. which in the end had to be pinned for 8 weeks. And to make her life easier she started to use things like ready meals and ready made roasties ( I was shocked :eek: ). My father is a farmer and does not have time to help her out in the kitchen. On the odd occasion he would peel potatoes for her. But she had to carry and do a lot of housework and these few things made life easier for her. She will have to physio and still does not have full movement at the moment.

Also people like my huband who has had a stroke and still has very limited movement in his hand. Has the odd ready meal due to me not liking him using the gas cooker when I am not there. As he has concentration problems as well as memory lapses.

But some of the younger generation it is about can't cook don't want to.

Yours


Calley

mrs_mix

I noticed the same in Asda today and some of the people were saying how much more their shopping was costing these days
Having said that my elderly step-dad has meals on wheels delivered 5 days a week and then has ready meals on the other days but this is because after 3 strokes he hasn't got the motor movment in his hands to prepare the food himself plus by doing this I know he's eating better than just toast and jam which he was doing before I sorted it
so some of it I can understand but the rest I can't

pam xx

Hapless_2

I see some shopping trolleys and despair! I try to cook from scratch as much as possible I use ready meals for my self and hubby maybe once a week, otherwise one of us cooks. Sometimes cooking is difficult as I have fibromyalgia and suffer carpal tunnel syndrome. (which is why i tend to typo a lot) I try to cook as much as I can in advance and freeze it so I can just put it in the oven or micro as and when. I also use a solid fuel cooker (rayburn) so cooking has to be an art form with those.
But I do despair when some people of my age (I'm 34) don't know how to cook the most simple meals like mince and onions in gravy from scratch.

black-saturn

I occasionally have a ready meal on a sunday. I spend most of sunday on a train so I just can't be bothered to cook. I've got to say though some of those ready meals arn't too bad.

jembie

I would love someone to take me shopping and show me how I can cook from scratch on my budget.
I hate the fact that my freezer is full of ready made stuff but I just can't afford real meat cuts.

And, I buy jars and packets of sauces etc...as when I have made my own it is rally bland and like eating sand, at least i know it will taste good if I use packets/jars.

seraphina

TBH why is it any of our business what other people choose to spend their money on?

If people do want to cook these days there are a hundred and one resources/teach yourself how to cook books/ good sites like the OS board. You'd also have to be living under a rock to not notice the current vibe about organic/healthy eating in general, so if people want to buy ready meals, that's up to them.

The next comment is NOT aimed at the OP but is something I have found about OS board in general these days - it does occasionally become a bit holier-than-thou, with people preaching with the zeal of the converted about how they would never touch a ready meal/packet mix/prechopped veg. There's an air almost of pity on the poor people who don't know any better! I can think of many worse "crimes" to commit than ready made mash:rotfl:

Anyway, I did not mean to offend with the above comment.

jembie

Hapless wrote: »

But I do despair when some people of my age (I'm 34) don't know how to cook the most simple meals like mince and onions in gravy from scratch.

Oh I do make Mince and potatoes. I buy a huge bag of frozen mince so that I can use just as much as I need each time I put loads of veg in it and I do use a stock cube and I serve it up with Mashed potatoes and a little bit if cheese on top. I guess apart from my home made soups, it is the one other thing I can make confidently and we have it at least once a week.

MATH

I can well understand older people who have spent a life time scrimping and cooking from scratch for a brood of probably ungreatful and moaning family members, finally sticking two fingers up at the slo-cooker and reaching for a lean cuisine the first chance they get.

If I lived on my own I would never cook anything again:eek: There! I've said it! LOL I used to enjoy cooking and catered many an elaborate dinner party but 13 years of enforced kitchendom, churning out well balanced family meal after meal the shine has well and truely rubbed off. I happened to mention this to a friend of mine the other day who replied "OH but you are a fantastic cook" as if just because you are good at something you should enjoy doing it all the time LOL

I must admit that I used to look down my nose at other peoples lard laden trollies and preen as I deposited my healthy, noble choices onto the conveyer, until a friend who buys frozen roasties asked if I really would peel, par boil and roast ONE lone roastie for myself. I now keep my eyes and nose where they belong.

eidt: On re-read it sounds as tho famile MATH are moaners and ungreatful. They are not, human dustbins the lot of em LOL

meanmarie

I haven't yet found a ready meal which tasted like food...I have bought them just to try in case some of the people I know who eat nothing else could be right.

Many people young and old seem to consider cooking a waste of time and effort and therefore buy takeaway and ready foods...not sure why they think that way, it takes all sorts. Certainly looking at other trolleys in the supermarket queue is entertaining

Marie