Our Changing Eating Habits

[Rob Lister]

I ran across an article on WSJ
https://www.wsj.com/articles/so-long-ha ... 1499363414
talking about the declining market for products such as Hamburger Helper and the like. Raising three boys, and being responsible for more than 50% of home cooking when I wasn't deployed elsewhere killing commies and mussel-men, I admit to serving my fair share of Hamburger Helper. It wasn't very good but it was particularly easy and the boys would [mostly] eat it without complaint.

I still do more than 50% of the cooking and I never serve prepared dinners anymore. In fact, I rarely even open a can of something more 'pre-prepared' than evaporated milk, beef or chicken stock, or some various cooking soup like tomato or cream of mushroom, etc.

I am cooking for fewer, sometimes, but I spend more time.

As a brag, yesterday, my day off, I made chicken and dumplings. The only 'prepared' product I used was a half package of frozen peas and the chicken was pre-plucked. Everything else, carrots, leeks, onions, potatoes, flour, salt, pepper, spices, etc, I grew myself at Harris Teeter.

[gnome]

Is it possible the proliferation of cooking shows has led more families to home cooking away from prepared meals?

Or, let me make a different suggestion: there has been a recession, which means more people home due to unemployment, and meals made from ingredients can be cheaper if you know how to shop.

Maybe a combination of both, and a realization that avoiding prepared meals isn't always as difficult or time consuming as expected.

[Rob Lister]

Is it possible the proliferation of cooking shows has led more families to home cooking away from prepared meals?

Or, let me make a different suggestion: there has been a recession, which means more people home due to unemployment, and meals made from ingredients can be cheaper if you know how to shop.

Maybe a combination of both, and a realization that avoiding prepared meals isn't always as difficult or time consuming as expected.

I don't know about the second part but the first part almost has to be true. Even I take recipe ideas from the likes of ... well most of them. So does my wife. Alton Brown has teached me what I was doing wrong and right. I'm not a big fan of crazy-lady Rachael Ray but I've stolen from her. I've never used a Giada De Laurentiis recipe but I did have an illicit affair with her and broke up her marriage. Or at least I masturbated to her cleavage as she stirred the pasta. They all taught me that cooking is fun if you understand even a little how things and tastes come together. Chemistry you can eat.

Also the internet in general. You can find a 100 recipes for anything in about a minute and ratings to boot. I use that religiously. So yea to the first and wtf are you talking about to the second.

[gnome]

I'm willing to back up my idea of the second--what part do you question?

[xouper]

I don't know how to cook.

I just make simple stuff like peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, salads, sliced and fileted apples, or store-bought twice-baked potato salad from the deli section.

The most complicated thing I make is cream of tomato soup from a can, with 2% milk, a slice of american cheese, and the little packet of flavor dust from a package of ramen noodles, spicy beef, usually. Simmer for 10 minutes. And then I boils the noodles (after smashing them in the package with a hammer to make them shorter) for 2.5 minutes, then discard the water and add the noodles to the soup.

[Rob Lister]

I'm willing to back up my idea of the second--what part do you question?

Your whole fucking world outlook. I can't be more specific. To you. Personally. I don't want to make Ugly Girls cry. Like Gram.

[Abdul Alhazred]

Hey!

Why not re-brand TV Dinners as Internet Dinners?

[Rob Lister]

Hey!

Why not re-brand TV Dinners as Internet Dinners?

Stouffer's is currently the best. But you're right. hIRE eD.

[xouper]

Stouffer's is currently the best.

My favorites: