When There is No Time to Cook

I'm sure an Italian grandma would throw her hands up in horror...

And 20 minutes is to cook it. Eating time is extra - but if I 'saved time' on a takeaway I still have to take the time to eat it. If I'm on my own and don't have NT to wash up the pans as I serve, then there's five minutes to wash up a couple of pans and a wooden spoon and a fork...

Nigella Larson would be proud, I however, cook from scratch. Almost nothing I use comes from a can except for black beans, and that's only because when I'm using them it's to add them to something that's quick, like a burrito or quesadilla. "And 20 minutes is to cook it..." illustrates my original point; if I'm trying to save time on everything except the eating part, even the rice cooker doesn't help since it has to be monitored. It's not like I could set it, go run errands and come back later to find a complete meal waiting for me. As for the washing up, thank heaven for paper plates!
 
I tend to raid the freezer. I have lots of store brought stuff, but i also premake things like chicken cutlets that are family favourites.

That's great for when there's time to prepare something. The instance I referred to initially was a time when I needed to grab something that wasn't junk on the go and take a break from my chores and errands to eat and then get right back to work. It's really easy to sacrifice eating properly when you're busy and trying to get things done, but it's not the best thing for you.
 
My 11-year-old grand nephew will FIND something to cook!

He has learned to make do with whatever is in the fridge and pantry, and he has come up with some pretty amazing things!! :wink:

A growing boy needs his food, lol! Fortunately for him he doesn't have to worry about juggling a bunch of responsibilities and not having enough time to experiment and make those amazing things. I can cook up a storm when I have the time to do so, but many days I just need something quick that will allow me to keep going with the day and get things done.
 
Nigella Larson would be proud, I however, cook from scratch. Almost nothing I use comes from a can except for black beans, and that's only because when I'm using them it's to add them to something that's quick, like a burrito or quesadilla. "And 20 minutes is to cook it..." illustrates my original point; if I'm trying to save time on everything except the eating part, even the rice cooker doesn't help since it has to be monitored. It's not like I could set it, go run errands and come back later to find a complete meal waiting for me. As for the washing up, thank heaven for paper plates!

I don't know about your rice cooker, but ours, you put the rice and water in, switch it on and it turns off when it's done. No monitoring needed. And anyway, when I lived alone and didn't have a rice cooker, I just cooked it in a pan while I got on with a sauce or whatever. It doesn't need watching over every moment.

I'm sorry if canned tomatoes don't count as cooking from scratch to you, they do to me. Not that cooking with fresh ones would take much longer. Fresh ones are just more expensive.

Whatever your quibbles, the fact remains that I can have a wholesome home cooked meal ready in a lot less than the couple of hours mentioned originally, without resorting to takeaways and ready meals.

I've never used paper plates. Too much waste. Washing up a plate only takes a few seconds.
 
I don't know about your rice cooker, but ours, you put the rice and water in, switch it on and it turns off when it's done. No monitoring needed...

I'm sorry if canned tomatoes don't count as cooking from scratch to you, they do to me. Not that cooking with fresh ones would take much longer. Fresh ones are just more expensive.

I have the little cheap model rice cooker. You have to keep an eye on it because it "spits" water and I don't like when the rice gets all sticky on the bottom. I've made other things besides rice in it, though and it is convenient. I plan on upgrading to a better model soon.

Canning came about as a way to enjoy foods when they were not in season. In the modern world most of us don't have that problem. I can get farm fresh tomatoes at good prices pretty much year round, and my mother and I both garden so...

I've already commented on the time it takes to do things so I won't rehash that, but a few seconds? Come on! A few is like 5.
 
So you're saying you assemble seasoning, cook meat, boil pasta, make sauce, put together the dish, serve it, eat, and then clean up all in just a mere 20 minutes? My hat's off to you. You should start a blog and post you tube videos for the rest of us. It takes Ina Garten 45 minutes to create bolognese and she has her own tv show.
I can have a pasta bolognaise for 2 on the table, from scratch, in 20 mins.
No, she says 'on the table', not eaten and washed up and all the rest.
 
Nigella Larson would be proud, I however, cook from scratch. Almost nothing I use comes from a can except for black beans, and that's only because when I'm using them it's to add them to something that's quick, like a burrito or quesadilla. "And 20 minutes is to cook it..." illustrates my original point; if I'm trying to save time on everything except the eating part, even the rice cooker doesn't help since it has to be monitored. It's not like I could set it, go run errands and come back later to find a complete meal waiting for me. As for the washing up, thank heaven for paper plates!
Why on earth would you need to monitor your rice?
Shove it in a pan of boiling water and leave it alone until it's cooked. 10 minutes max.
 
Why on earth would you need to monitor your rice?
Shove it in a pan of boiling water and leave it alone until it's cooked. 10 minutes max.

Because I don't like when it gets sticky and burnt on the bottom of the rice cooker. Not only that, the one I have spurts water when it first starts cooking. Also, i don't make plain rice; I add edamame, onions and vegetables - most often carrots, at different stages when it's cooking,
 
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