The following has been advanced elsewhere in an attempt to explain the
ever-perplexing mystery of why anyone/everyone avoids/promotes
'cooking'.

I. GIVEN: the preparation of food, beyond the needs of existence, is
dependent upon taste-in-the-mouth as experienced by an individual.

THEREFORE, any commercially prepared food not experienced as unpleasant
by an individual's taste buds will not provide impetus to create the
item from scratch.

II. GIVEN: Individual taste buds' sensitivity ranges from complete
lack of discrimination to complete discrimination, with the greatest
segment's being comprised of those who appreciate excellent food but do
*not* experience as unpleasant _some-to-many_ commercial products.

THEREFORE, any individual will cook only in direct proportion to a)
desire for excellent taste in food plus b) how many commercial products
repel her/him. Thus one may see a post of a fine recipe coupled with an
admission on the poster's part as having a fondness for canned gravies
or Cool Whip or Kraft Singles.

CONCLUSION: The individual who eschews most/all commercially prepared
food products is merely responding to her/his taste buds' dictates in
much the same way that one born with a musical 'ear' eschews all but
fine music and is repelled by pop offerings. Statistically, the
majority falls closer to the center of the spectrum, but there is
nothing intrinsic to take credit for, nor will there ever be a
conversion on grounds of taste-in-the-mouth for those born without this
sensitivity.

[Specifically omitted are all issues of health maintenance and
children's
'diets' (purchased and introduced by their parents) as being more
suitable for separate threads, although there remains the esoteric
question of at what age do a human being's taste buds reach full
maturity.]

Wijnston

While frolicking around in rec.food.cooking, Wijnston of Cox
Communications said:

>CONCLUSION: The individual who eschews most/all commercially prepared
>food products is merely responding to her/his taste buds' dictates in
>much the same way that one born with a musical 'ear' eschews all but
>fine music and is repelled by pop offerings. Statistically, the
>majority falls closer to the center of the spectrum, but there is
>nothing intrinsic to take credit for, nor will there ever be a
>conversion on grounds of taste-in-the-mouth for those born without this
>sensitivity.
>
I don't think that you, from your premises, can conclude that this
sensitivity is something which statically either have or not, and that
you can't gain such a sensitivity. Your premises just shows that
people have different degrees of sensitivity, but nothing else, IMO.

I used to love canned food, frozen ready-made meals and that kind of
things, but after slowly learning to cook (which I still think I'm in
the process of), I wouldn't want to eat that kind of food again. My
motivation for beginning to learn how to cook was initially health and
money, but nothing else.
--
Nikitta a.a. #1759 Apatriot(No, not apricot)#18
ICQ# 251532856
Unreferenced footnotes: http://www.nut.house.cx/cgi-bin/nemwiki.pl?ISFN
"No. *Real* men eat whatever they like." Chwith (AFV)

>I don't think that you, from your premises, can conclude that

.. . . and the premises themselves don't stand up very well. This
one-dimensional, hedonistic interpretation of food doesn't show much experience
with other cuisine-related experiences or feelings, such as, for instance,
class-consciousness.

"Wijnston" > wrote in message
news:8S_Lb.429116$J77.143778@fed1read07...
> The following has been advanced elsewhere in an attempt to explain the
> ever-perplexing mystery of why anyone/everyone avoids/promotes
> 'cooking'.
>
You perhaps have too much time on your hands. Try making the perfect beef
Wellington.

Wijnston syllogized:

> THEREFORE, any individual will cook only in direct proportion to a)
> desire for excellent taste in food plus b) how many commercial products
> repel her/him. Thus one may see a post of a fine recipe coupled with an
> admission on the poster's part as having a fondness for canned gravies
> or Cool Whip or Kraft Singles.

Try this theory: "An individual might cook because his girlfriend shows her
love more ardently when he does."

Works that way for me, anyway...

Bob

On Sat, 10 Jan 2004 14:17:18 -0800, "Wijnston" >
wrote:

>The following has been advanced elsewhere in an attempt to explain the
>ever-perplexing mystery of why anyone/everyone avoids/promotes
>'cooking'.
>
>I. GIVEN: the preparation of food, beyond the needs of existence, is
>dependent upon taste-in-the-mouth as experienced by an individual.

Hmm. Economics should be in here somewhere. Also nutrition. And time.
And skill/experience.

<large snips>

>CONCLUSION: The individual who eschews most/all commercially prepared
>food products is merely responding to her/his taste buds' dictates in
>much the same way that one born with a musical 'ear' eschews all but
>fine music and is repelled by pop offerings.

The assumption that ALL "commercially prepared" foods are, as a class,
inferior in taste to self-prepared ones is false, IMHO. Tastes differ,
as the snipped portion notes. Also, "commercially prepared" ranges
from a 99-cent frozen dinner to a meal in a 4-star restaurant.

Just as "fine music" isn't a single class and does *not* exclude
popular music as an entirely separate class.

That one prefers Kraft singles and another Stilton *doesn't* mark
either as intrinsically superior.

The subject line is an interesting one. And the premises mentioned are
certainly part of the story. I agree that reproducing some delicious
taste experience is a motivator, and avoiding the reverse, also. Just
not the *only* reasons to cook.

in article , MEow at
wrote on 1/10/04 5:39 PM:

> I used to love canned food, frozen ready-made meals and that kind of
> things, but after slowly learning to cook (which I still think I'm in
> the process of), I wouldn't want to eat that kind of food again. My
> motivation for beginning to learn how to cook was initially health and
> money, but nothing else.
> --

Everyone is still learning. The day you stop learning...well...once you know
everything, why bother living? I mean, how boring! :-)

I love chef boyardee ravioli. I add some grated parmegiano reggiano to it
(Because that's what I keep in the house), sprinkle with a bit of italian
herbs, and bring it to work to nuke for myself for lunch. I am also fond of
hamburger helper type, one-pan casseroles, but I don't use the mixes I do
them on my own. These fill the belly inexpensively, make great leftovers,
which is a requirement for my "lifestyle", and to me, taste good.

But I also appreciate the finer things....what's better than a chateaubriand
roast, Beef Wellington style, with a mushroom/spinach pate between the beef
and the crust? My friends rave about my roasted turkey marinated in fruit
juices and herbs, they beg me for it. I can do trailer trash cuisine, and I
can do haute cuisine. I appreciate both, and there's a time and place for
both.

I work for Ebenezer Scrooge...everyone in my office is underpaid. You'd
think most people would bring their lunch from home, rather than ordering in
or going out. But they are not cooks and they weren't taught how to stretch
a food dollar. I don't know how people spend $5 or more a day on lunch, I
really don't! If i don't bring leftovers, I will buy cans of soup, such as
Progresso or Chunky, when they go on sale for a dollar or so, stock up on
them, and use that for lunch, with a piece of fruit. Or chef boyardee, when
it goes for about 75 cents a can. And it's not just lunch that they don't
bother with. they don't have leftovers, because they eat frozen dinners or
take out at home, too.

Last week, I made a beef stew that had too much liquid. I saved the excess
liquid and made a pot of barley mushroom soup, which I took for lunch 5 days
in a row. Barley costs 45 cents a pound. I used about 15 cents worth of
barley, a dollar's worth of mushrooms (from the "old and tired looking, but
still a good value" rack in the back of the produce department), and stock
that I recycled from a previous meal....the entire pot of soup cost me less
than $3 and I ate lunches from it for a week. Several weeks ago, I bought a
small roasting chicken for about $2. I roasted it with vegetables, and had
supper of roasted chicken 3 nights in a row. Then I put the remainder in a
pot of hot water and made stock, which I added noodles and veggies to and
had enough chicken noodle soup for lunches for almost a week. That's a lot
of mileage out of a 2 dollar chicken! And I guarantee you, even with the
occasional can of soup or ravioli transgression, I eat healthier than people
who live on frozen dinners and takeout food. And I spend a helluva lot less
on food than some of my coworkers.

My sister uses a lot of frozen dinners, because she's lazy. Her son grew up
with that, but he also grew up with the meals my mom and I would make them.
The only home cooked meal he ever got growing up was Sunday supper at our
house. Now 26 years old, he came to visit me about 7 years ago....looked in
my fridge, freezer, pantry, whatever, and said "you have nothing to eat
here". Mind you, I had cans of tomatoes, broth, vegetables, loads of dried
pasta, rice, beans...packages of meat and chicken in the freezer, fresh
veggies in the fridge. I was fully stocked, but to him, there was nothing
to eat. Because it all required preparation, nothing "instant" (except for
mashed potatoes, i admit it, i grew up on them and love them. But as a
counterpoint, I also love real mashed potatoes, they are two entirely
different things!) I explained to him, I buy ingredients, and make the food.
He got it. Now, he does all the cooking and does not let his mom buy frozen
dinners. They both eat a lot better now that he does all the cooking. And I
started him on Penzey's this year...poor kid! he's now addicted to Sunny
Paris. It must be a family trait or something!

Anyway, frugal eating means making the most of everything you buy. Making
soup from what's left of that chicken...cooking from scratch wherever
possible.... Sure it takes time, but with modern conveniences like crock
pots, you can have dinner cooking while you're out running errands or at
work, so you can maximize your time. I think the most valuable skill anyone
can ever possess is the ability to cook for yourself, and frugally. No
matter where you go in life, you will always need to eat. And why spend
more on food than you have to? You can use your savings to buy other things
you really want, and will have forever.

On Sun, 11 Jan 2004 17:53:04 GMT, Sheryl Rosen
> wrote:

<huge snips>

>Anyway, frugal eating means making the most of everything you buy.

I just made 4 meal servings based on half a (largish) chicken breast.
1st three came from stir-frying chicken + celery, onion, green onion,
garlic, ginger, sambal, and bok choi (major expense ) to put over
rice. The 4th was an experiment in 'pecan crusted chicken fingers',
since I have a wealth of pecans at present. Searched for recipes and
found many with finely chopped pecans mixed with some sort of crumbs
for coating. Corn flakes were mentioned. Ah hah! Dug out a $1 box of
'Purity' brand corn flakes, and did the chicken thing. Not Bad at All.
Good breakfast. :-) Bonus: the 'flakes' turned out to be rather large
-- up to the size of small crackers -- and not only did fairly well in
the pecan coating, but also as snack food for someone (this one) who
loves chips.

As for "why do we cook?" economy is certainly one good reason. The
frequent local sale price of bone-in chicken breasts is 99-cents/lb;
boneless, 1.99. The boneless fillets that result cost approximately
the same per lb, but bone-in plus labor (which *is* a consideration)
gives one both the fillets *and* chicken stock.

OTOH, if I were rich beyond the dreams of avarice, I'd have someone
cook for me. :-) Still, knowing how to cook (a bit) means I can
satisfy a longing for cheese puffs at 10pm, which might be difficult
even with live-in help.

> (Naomi Darvell) wrote:
>
>Frogleg wrote:
>
>>That one prefers Kraft singles and another Stilton *doesn't* mark
>>either as intrinsically superior.
>>
>
>This is one place where i have to disagree!
>
>Kraft singles may be better for some things than Stilton, but they are still
>an inferior product.

That's like saying canned tuna is an inferiour product compared to fresh
trout... your logic doesn't compute.

Actually in its catagory (cheese food product) Kraft Singles (a real cheese) is
far superiour to its competition... and nutritionally Kraft Singles is on par
with any natural cheese and superiour to most. And if you check the labels
carefully you'll discover that most of the competion (individually wrapped
slices) contain no dairy whatsover, they're entirely made of vegetable oil
processed to look like cheese.

Btw, the primary reason canned tuna is so popular is because (obviously folks
like the flavor) it offers the best nutritional value to price (what else
supplies two servings of concentrated high quality animal protein for a buck).
And taste doesn't really enter into it, taste is subjective... and anyway most
folks have their taste buds in their ass... they wouldn't know Stilton from
Velveeta


---= BOYCOTT FRENCH--GERMAN (belgium) =---
---= Move UNITED NATIONS To Paris =---
Sheldon
````````````
"Life would be devoid of all meaning were it without tribulation."

"Wijnston" > wrote in message
news:8S_Lb.429116$J77.143778@fed1read07...
: The following has been advanced elsewhere in an attempt to explain the
: ever-perplexing mystery of why anyone/everyone avoids/promotes
: 'cooking'.
:
(snip)

:any commercially prepared food not experienced as unpleasant
: by an individual's taste buds will not provide impetus BY ITSELF
[emphasis added] to create the item from scratch.

As none of the reponses refuted the statement above, but merely listed
the many other exogenous reasons for cooking -- the 'maturing' of taste
buds, health, economics, class consciousness (in one's taste buds?),
cooking for an appreciative other, creative outlet, etc., -- a recipe
for individual beef Wellington is given to blur the edges of any
imagined controversy.

***Individual Beef Wellington***

4 1-1/2" to 2" thick slices of filet of beef
Butter (or margarine)
Salt and pepper
12 sheets of Athens® or Apollo® fillo dough
1/4 cup melted butter
1 egg beaten well
Duxelles (see ingredients below)
Bordelaise Sauce (see ingredients below)

Sauté filets in butter in very hot skillet, approximately 2-3 minutes on
each side. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside and let cool
completely. May be prepared in advance.

Now prepare **Duxelles**, which also can be prepared in advance.

1-1/2 pounds mushrooms
2 medium onions or 8 shallots
1/4 cup chopped parsley
Few drops of fresh squeezed lemon
Salt and pepper
2-3 tablespoons butter

Clean and trim stems of mushrooms. Chop very fine (or grate) mushrooms.
Wrap in towel and squeeze out excess moisture. Heat butter and lightly
brown chopped onions or shallots. Add mushrooms, salt and pepper and a
few drops of lemon juice and stir over high heat until all moisture has
completely evaporated. Stir in chopped parsley. Set aside and let cool
completely.

Place first sheet of fillo on damp cloth, brush with melted butter.
Place second sheet directly over first sheet and brush with melted
butter. Add the third sheet. Place one filet in the middle of the dough
and spread 1/4 of the Duxelles over the top of the filet. Fold in sides
of dough and wrap like a package, making sure that filet is completely
covered. Seal seams with cold water. Repeat for every piece of beef.
Place all on a tray or cookie sheet, seams down. Brush each filet with
well beaten egg and bake in preheated 375° F oven for approximately 15
to 20 minutes or until golden brown. Serve with Bordelaise sauce over
each portion. Serves 4

**Bordelaise Sauce**

3 lg Shallots, Minced
2/3 c Dry Red Wine
Salt And Freshly Ground Black Pepper, To Taste
1 ts Chopped Fresh Thyme
4 tb Butter
1 tb Unbleached Flour
1 c Brown Stock, Boiled Over High Heat Until Reduced To 2/3 Cup
2 tb Beef Marrow, Cubed, Poached 5 Minutes In Simmering Water To Cover,
And Drained
3 tb Chopped Fresh Parsley

Place the shallots, wine, salt and pepper, and thyme in a small saucepan
and bring to a boil. Continue to boil until the liquid is reduced by one
half. Remove from the heat and strain through a sieve. Melt 1 Tbls of
the butter in a heavy saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the flour, turn
down the heat to low, and cook until browned, about 2 minutes. Then pour
in the stock and continue to simmer over low heat for another 15 to 20
minutes, stirring from time to time. Stir in the reduced wine and marrow
and cook several minutes longer. Remove from the heat, beat in the
remaining butter and stir in the parsley. Check and correct the
seasonings, if necessary and serve very hot. Yield: About 1 cup/6
servings.

Wijnston

On 11 Jan 2004 19:28:18 GMT, (Naomi Darvell) wrote:

>Frogleg wrote:
>
>>That one prefers Kraft singles and another Stilton *doesn't* mark
>>either as intrinsically superior.
>
>This is one place where i have to disagree!
>
>Kraft singles may be better for some things than Stilton, but they are still an
>inferior product.

They are a cheaper, more readily available product. I don't have kids,
but I imagine a grilled Stilton sandwich might not go down well with
many. I have *never* bought ('though may have eaten) a slice of Kraft
'cheese product', and I adore Stilton. But I use Velveeta (as per the
authentic recipe from a favorite NM Mexican restaurant) in chile con
queso. Stilton isn't the desired taste, and aged cheddar don't melt so
good. The discussion of absolutes is full of potholes. *Why* is
assisted hamburge intrinsically awful? Aside form the salt, of course.
I've seen posts about "homemade" green bean, mushroom soup and fried
onion casserole. Why? It seems to me that making the effort to produce
a gourmet 'copycat' acknowledges the concoction is appealing. I
wouldn't want to dump *my* carefully prepared mushroom soup into a
casserole to impress anyone with a non-can prep.

I have a lot of problems deciding what is 'superior'. Stilton is
better than Velveeta. You betcha. But what would the judgement be if
if they were the same price and equally available? Much of 'haute' has
to do with exclusivity and price. Posh Romans were said to dine on
hummingbirds' tongues. Because bird tongues were tastier than, oh, a
lamb chop, or because they were expensive and difficult to obtain?
Who'd choose snails if they weren't expensive and exclusive?

While frolicking around in rec.food.cooking, Sheryl Rosen of Optimum
Online said:

>Everyone is still learning. The day you stop learning...well...once you know
>everything, why bother living? I mean, how boring! :-)
>
Funny you should say that, because I've said the self same thing many
times, myself; the day I no longer want to learn new things is the day
I'll no longer want to live :0)

>I love chef boyardee ravioli. I add some grated parmegiano reggiano to it
>(Because that's what I keep in the house), sprinkle with a bit of italian
>herbs, and bring it to work to nuke for myself for lunch. I am also fond of
>hamburger helper type, one-pan casseroles, but I don't use the mixes I do
>them on my own. These fill the belly inexpensively, make great leftovers,
>which is a requirement for my "lifestyle", and to me, taste good.
>
>But I also appreciate the finer things....what's better than a chateaubriand
>roast, Beef Wellington style, with a mushroom/spinach pate between the beef
>and the crust? My friends rave about my roasted turkey marinated in fruit
>juices and herbs, they beg me for it. I can do trailer trash cuisine, and I
>can do haute cuisine. I appreciate both, and there's a time and place for
>both.
>
I can make some pretty decent thrown together veggie-dishes in one
frying pan, or pot, and that kind of things; cheap and fairly good
food which I need, as I'm not a rich girl. I can't do much more
complicated things than that, though I can follow a recipe; but I want
to learn, and that's partly why I'm he I've come a long way since I
couldn't even boil potatoes, but I want to expand, as I otherwise risk
getting bored with my own cooking. I've found some soup recipes which
look interesting, and I plan to try two of them during the next week.
Now I'm on vacation, so I have more energy to cook, and do other
things. Another reason why I'm here is that I'm now eating fish, which
I didn't before, so cooking fish is new to me.

>I work for Ebenezer Scrooge...everyone in my office is underpaid. You'd
>think most people would bring their lunch from home, rather than ordering in
>or going out. But they are not cooks and they weren't taught how to stretch
>a food dollar. I don't know how people spend $5 or more a day on lunch, I
>really don't! If i don't bring leftovers, I will buy cans of soup, such as
>Progresso or Chunky, when they go on sale for a dollar or so, stock up on
>them, and use that for lunch, with a piece of fruit. Or chef boyardee, when
>it goes for about 75 cents a can. And it's not just lunch that they don't
>bother with. they don't have leftovers, because they eat frozen dinners or
>take out at home, too.
>
Currently I work (as a temp) helping disabled and old people, and
that's not something you get rich on, either. I tend to bring a box
with leftovers, if I remember. Otherwise I buy something in the
supermarket to keep me going until I can go home; a can of something
and bread, or the cheap vegetarian pea soup you can get. It will do.
Mostly my co-workers buy frozen meals.

[snip]

>My sister uses a lot of frozen dinners, because she's lazy. Her son grew up
>with that, but he also grew up with the meals my mom and I would make them.
>The only home cooked meal he ever got growing up was Sunday supper at our
>house. Now 26 years old, he came to visit me about 7 years ago....looked in
>my fridge, freezer, pantry, whatever, and said "you have nothing to eat
>here". Mind you, I had cans of tomatoes, broth, vegetables, loads of dried
>pasta, rice, beans...packages of meat and chicken in the freezer, fresh
>veggies in the fridge. I was fully stocked, but to him, there was nothing
>to eat. Because it all required preparation, nothing "instant" (except for
>mashed potatoes, i admit it, i grew up on them and love them. But as a
>counterpoint, I also love real mashed potatoes, they are two entirely
>different things!) I explained to him, I buy ingredients, and make the food.
>He got it. Now, he does all the cooking and does not let his mom buy frozen
>dinners. They both eat a lot better now that he does all the cooking. And I
>started him on Penzey's this year...poor kid! he's now addicted to Sunny
>Paris. It must be a family trait or something!
>
Good going!

>Anyway, frugal eating means making the most of everything you buy. Making
>soup from what's left of that chicken...cooking from scratch wherever
>possible.... Sure it takes time, but with modern conveniences like crock
>pots, you can have dinner cooking while you're out running errands or at
>work, so you can maximize your time. I think the most valuable skill anyone
>can ever possess is the ability to cook for yourself, and frugally. No
>matter where you go in life, you will always need to eat. And why spend
>more on food than you have to? You can use your savings to buy other things
>you really want, and will have forever.

I agree. I sometimes have to stretch here and there to make ends meet,
but I can do that. We didn't have much when I grew up either, so I
don't have expensive habits, but that doesn't mean that I can't expand
on my cooking-skills. The plaice I made, after getting help here,
wasn't expensive, but they were still like luxury meals to me ;0)
Believe it or not, but I hadn't made sauce before that, so it was
completely new to me! :0)
--
Nikitta a.a. #1759 Apatriot(No, not apricot)#18
ICQ# 251532856
Unreferenced footnotes: http://www.nut.house.cx/cgi-bin/nemwiki.pl?ISFN
"There's nothin like swimmin with bow legged wimmin!" Dave W (a.a.)

>As none of the reponses refuted the statement above, but merely listed
>the many other exogenous reasons for cooking

You didn't say you wanted it refuted, so we merely commented on its inanity.

"Wijnston" > wrote in message
news:8S_Lb.429116$J77.143778@fed1read07...
> The following has been advanced elsewhere in an attempt to explain the
ever-perplexing mystery of why anyone/everyone avoids/promotes 'cooking'.
Wijnston <

This weekend I cooked my butt off. Soups (Bean w/bacon); chicken stock;
oatmeal cookies w/currents and mini choc chips; stuffed french toast w/cream
cheese and grand marnier; salmon salad just to name a few. I freeze the
soups to take to work all week. I gave most of the cookies away. I love to
bake but don't need a large quantity of food around the house, so I take
that to work too. I love to experiment w/different ideas and tastes and see
what happens when I mix A with B. Throw in some C and D. And I get either
a wonderful new dish, or something that I'll never make again. It's fun and
creative and even when it's something I'll never make again, I still have
enjoyed making it.

Suzan

"orion" > wrote in
news:ympMb.23581$7D3.17396@fed1read02:

>
> "Wijnston" > wrote in message
> news:8S_Lb.429116$J77.143778@fed1read07...
>> The following has been advanced elsewhere in an attempt to explain
>> the
> ever-perplexing mystery of why anyone/everyone avoids/promotes
> 'cooking'. Wijnston <
>
> This weekend I cooked my butt off. Soups (Bean w/bacon); chicken
> stock; oatmeal cookies w/currents and mini choc chips; stuffed french
> toast w/cream cheese and grand marnier; salmon salad just to name a
> few. I freeze the soups to take to work all week. I gave most of the
> cookies away. I love to bake but don't need a large quantity of food
> around the house, so I take that to work too. I love to experiment
> w/different ideas and tastes and see what happens when I mix A with B.
> Throw in some C and D. And I get either a wonderful new dish, or
> something that I'll never make again. It's fun and creative and even
> when it's something I'll never make again, I still have enjoyed making
> it.
>
> Suzan
>
>
>

Sounds like good eating, Suzan! If you've never tried the stuffed French
toast with orange marmalade swirled through the cream cheese, consider it
next time. The grand marnier would still be a good addition!

Wayne

> > This weekend I cooked my butt off. Soups (Bean w/bacon); chicken
> > stock; oatmeal cookies w/currents and mini choc chips; stuffed french
> > toast w/cream cheese and grand marnier; salmon salad just to name a
> > few. I freeze the soups to take to work all week. I gave most of the
> > cookies away. I love to bake but don't need a large quantity of food
> > around the house, so I take that to work too. I love to experiment
> > w/different ideas and tastes and see what happens when I mix A with B.
> > Throw in some C and D. And I get either a wonderful new dish, or
> > something that I'll never make again. It's fun and creative and even
> > when it's something I'll never make again, I still have enjoyed making
> > it.
> >
> > Suzan
> >

> Sounds like good eating, Suzan! If you've never tried the stuffed French
> toast with orange marmalade swirled through the cream cheese, consider it
> next time. The grand marnier would still be a good addition!
>
> Wayne

Hmmmmmmm, sounds like an idea for next weekend! I used some slightly old 3
raison bread for the french toast. It was very yummy. I also like using
the raison bread toasted for chicken salad sandwiches. Sounds wierd, but
tastes really good.

Cheers and good night.

Snoozan

"orion" > wrote in
news:eypMb.23582$7D3.21456@fed1read02:

>> > This weekend I cooked my butt off. Soups (Bean w/bacon); chicken
>> > stock; oatmeal cookies w/currents and mini choc chips; stuffed
>> > french toast w/cream cheese and grand marnier; salmon salad just to
>> > name a few. I freeze the soups to take to work all week. I gave
>> > most of the cookies away. I love to bake but don't need a large
>> > quantity of food around the house, so I take that to work too. I
>> > love to experiment w/different ideas and tastes and see what
>> > happens when I mix A with B.
>> > Throw in some C and D. And I get either a wonderful new dish, or
>> > something that I'll never make again. It's fun and creative and
>> > even when it's something I'll never make again, I still have
>> > enjoyed making it.
>> >
>> > Suzan
>> >
>
>> Sounds like good eating, Suzan! If you've never tried the stuffed
>> French toast with orange marmalade swirled through the cream cheese,
>> consider it next time. The grand marnier would still be a good
>> addition!
>>
>> Wayne
>
> Hmmmmmmm, sounds like an idea for next weekend! I used some slightly
> old 3 raison bread for the french toast. It was very yummy. I also
> like using the raison bread toasted for chicken salad sandwiches.
> Sounds wierd, but tastes really good.
>
> Cheers and good night.
>
> Snoozan

Not weird at all. I happen to like raisin bread toasted for tuna salad
sandwiches. It's really good! The first time I ever had it was in a NYC
restaurant.

Yes, have a good night!

Wayne

> I. GIVEN: the preparation of food, beyond the needs of existence, is
> dependent upon taste-in-the-mouth as experienced by an individual.
>
> THEREFORE, any commercially prepared food not experienced as unpleasant
> by an individual's taste buds will not provide impetus to create the
> item from scratch.

Also based on the individual's experience of various foods. If someone has
never experimented with anything more than a bland over processed diet, then
they are less likely to desire more flavourful foods. To a complete
beginner, cooking can seem a daunting and complicated process. Especially if
they grew up in a household where cooking from scratch was a rare occurance.
Exposure to a varied diet has the effect of making people more curious about
food. The UK diet in recent years being a case in point. Various immigrant
populations have brought their cuisines, which has led to a demand for
various ethnic ingredients, books on ethnic cooking and a more varied diet
for the indigenous population. Some of the favourite dishes in the country
are what would have once been considered foregin food. No criticism of
English food, as some of it is excellent. But like anything, it can be good
or bad depending on the cook.

Many people are "set in their ways" when it comes to food. It is a very
strong cultural aspect in most societies. So someone who has eaten only one
type of cuisine for most of their lives will need more gentle introduction
to something different. Many people I grew up with in Ireland, who didn't
have access to heavily spiced foods or ingredients which to them would be
exotic, would find my cooking very strange and often too spicy, yet having
been exposed to mostly scratch cooked Irish dishes with excellent quality
ingredients, would find processed ready meals and the like very
disappointing. The same is true of anybody who hasn't broadened their
horizons.

> II. GIVEN: Individual taste buds' sensitivity ranges from complete
> lack of discrimination to complete discrimination, with the greatest
> segment's being comprised of those who appreciate excellent food but do
> *not* experience as unpleasant _some-to-many_ commercial products.

Its not just the taste buds. A well cooked meal looks better, smells better,
and has a much more interesting texture than a frozen meal. Has a far
greater variety of permutations of ingredients for a given meal, and has the
option of individually incorporating/removing various ingredients based on
personal taste.

> THEREFORE, any individual will cook only in direct proportion to a)
> desire for excellent taste in food plus b) how many commercial products
> repel her/him. Thus one may see a post of a fine recipe coupled with an
> admission on the poster's part as having a fondness for canned gravies
> or Cool Whip or Kraft Singles.

And c) amount of income devoted to food. Home cooking is cheaper.

And d) the social group the person belongs to. Speaking as someone who moved
from an Irish country town to London, I went from a monocultural to a poly
cultural environment. I have friends of just about every ethnic group and
most if not all have different cooking styles, Different flavour and texture
combinations etc. It took a while to adjust to such a broad diet, but it was
time well spent.

The above statement

<Thus one may see a post of a fine recipe coupled with an
> admission on the poster's part as having a fondness for canned gravies
> or Cool Whip or Kraft Singles.>

contradicts the supposition that someone can not enjoy home cooked dishes
which are made from scratch and ready made foods. Many people combine the
two, or use ready made ingredients as a base or part of a more complex dish.
Enjoying food is to me about experiencing the largest amount of flavours and
textures possible. There is a difference between enjoying food and being a
food snob. One seeks quality, the other seeks exclucivity. Using a ready
made curry paste or a bottle of pasta sauce doesn't mean the dish is a
compromise, just that the person cooking it chooses a different approach.

> CONCLUSION: The individual who eschews most/all commercially prepared
> food products is merely responding to her/his taste buds' dictates in
> much the same way that one born with a musical 'ear' eschews all but
> fine music and is repelled by pop offerings. Statistically, the
> majority falls closer to the center of the spectrum, but there is
> nothing intrinsic to take credit for, nor will there ever be a
> conversion on grounds of taste-in-the-mouth for those born without this
> sensitivity.

Everyone has different tastes. But people will eventually go for quality if
it is available and will be aware of the difference. Given a choice between
a well cooked and appetising dish of their choice and a frozen dinner shoved
on a plate, most if not all people with the slightest desire to try
something new will go for the home cooked version. Personally I would
dislike a can if Irish stew and a home prepaired plate of Irish stew equally
because I dislike Irish stew.

Some children and adults who due to personal hang-ups about food will reject
almost any new dish are an exception and require more gentle and prolonged
exposure to new dishes. The embarrassment/exclusion factor of eating
socially and only ordering something that they feel safe with also helps to
broaden the horizons of the individual's tastes. Especially for children.

As to why people would choose to cook over the option of getting something
that they could just throw in the microwave for a few minutes, Do not
underestimate the social factor. Cooking is a creative and socially cohesive
activity. The days when women were the only ones who even ventured into the
kitchen are on their way out. In many families it is becoming a group
activity. Especially if the kitchen is large enough.
Having friends or family compliment you on what you have just fed them is a
big ego boost for most people. Not something possible with processed diets.
Statements like "Wow.. that was fantastic.. Microwaved to a tee.. and the pr
esentation in those little plastic containers was incredible" just isn't the
same.

John

Who uses bottled pasta sauces, and still cooks a mean veggie lasagna.

On Sun, 11 Jan 2004, Sheryl Rosen wrote:

> in article , MEow at
> wrote on 1/10/04 5:39 PM:
>
> > I used to love canned food, frozen ready-made meals and that kind of
> > things, but after slowly learning to cook (which I still think I'm in
> > the process of), I wouldn't want to eat that kind of food again. My
> > motivation for beginning to learn how to cook was initially health and
> > money, but nothing else.
> > --
>
> I love chef boyardee ravioli. I add some grated parmegiano reggiano to it
> (Because that's what I keep in the house), sprinkle with a bit of italian
> herbs, and bring it to work to nuke for myself for lunch. I am also fond of
> hamburger helper type, one-pan casseroles, but I don't use the mixes I do
> them on my own. These fill the belly inexpensively, make great leftovers,
> which is a requirement for my "lifestyle", and to me, taste good.

recipe?

> I can do trailer trash cuisine, and I
> can do haute cuisine. I appreciate both, and there's a time and place for
> both.

horay for people who aren't snooty!

> I work for Ebenezer Scrooge...everyone in my office is underpaid. You'd
> think most people would bring their lunch from home, rather than ordering in
> or going out. But they are not cooks and they weren't taught how to stretch
> a food dollar. I don't know how people spend $5 or more a day on lunch, I
> really don't!

Most people are morons, end of story. I probably make about half of what
you do (thank you uncle sam, for paying me less than minimum wage).

> If i don't bring leftovers, I will buy cans of soup, such as
> Progresso or Chunky, when they go on sale for a dollar or so, stock up on
> them, and use that for lunch, with a piece of fruit.

1.25 for lunch? Highway robbery. I take cereal, bought as on sale as I
can find it (full box for maybe... 1.5 or two dollars). Feeds me for
three days, no fuss, no muss.

> Or chef boyardee, when
> it goes for about 75 cents a can. And it's not just lunch that they don't
> bother with. they don't have leftovers, because they eat frozen dinners or
> take out at home, too.

Frozen dinners don't cost a lot, when you're wise about shopping. This
week is healthy choice week for me. I got about six entrees, plus six
cans of soup, and I was going to get some ice cream too. All bought at
significantly under half price, and all things that I normally wouldn't
make myself. And they are great convenience food.

> Last week, I made a beef stew that had too much liquid. I saved the excess
> liquid and made a pot of barley mushroom soup, which I took for lunch 5 days
> in a row. Barley costs 45 cents a pound.

where are you getting it so cheap? a box around me costs about three
dollars.

> I used about 15 cents worth of
> barley, a dollar's worth of mushrooms (from the "old and tired looking, but
> still a good value" rack in the back of the produce department), and stock
> that I recycled from a previous meal....the entire pot of soup cost me less
> than $3 and I ate lunches from it for a week.

that's how to cook! but do take into account how much the soup liquid
cost you...

> Several weeks ago, I bought a
> small roasting chicken for about $2.

how tiny was this? even when roasting chickens are on sale, they always
seem to cost $5 around here.

> And I guarantee you, even with the
> occasional can of soup or ravioli transgression, I eat healthier than people
> who live on frozen dinners and takeout food. And I spend a helluva lot less
> on food than some of my coworkers.

And I spend less than you do... by buying wisely, and not being fooled by
how prepared something is. Sometiems, it truly is cheaper to buy the
prepared stuff (on sale) than to make it yourself. Plus, it saves on time,
and even for a budget like mine, an hour still costs about five dollars.

lena

On Sun, 11 Jan 2004, PENMART01 wrote:

> > (Naomi Darvell) wrote:
> >
> >Frogleg wrote:
> >
> >>That one prefers Kraft singles and another Stilton *doesn't* mark
> >>either as intrinsically superior.
> >>
> >
> >This is one place where i have to disagree!
> >
> >Kraft singles may be better for some things than Stilton, but they are still
> >an inferior product.
>
> That's like saying canned tuna is an inferiour product compared to fresh
> trout... your logic doesn't compute.
>
> Actually in its catagory (cheese food product) Kraft Singles (a real cheese) is
> far superiour to its competition... and nutritionally Kraft Singles is on par
> with any natural cheese and superiour to most. And if you check the labels
> carefully you'll discover that most of the competion (individually wrapped
> slices) contain no dairy whatsover, they're entirely made of vegetable oil
> processed to look like cheese.
>
> Btw, the primary reason canned tuna is so popular is because (obviously folks
> like the flavor) it offers the best nutritional value to price (what else
> supplies two servings of concentrated high quality animal protein for a buck).
> And taste doesn't really enter into it, taste is subjective... and anyway most
> folks have their taste buds in their ass... they wouldn't know Stilton from
> Velveeta

sardines.

"Wijnston" > wrote in message news:<8S_Lb.429116$J77.143778@fed1read07>...
> The following has been advanced elsewhere in an attempt to explain the
> ever-perplexing mystery of why anyone/everyone avoids/promotes
> 'cooking'.
>
> I. GIVEN: the preparation of food, beyond the needs of existence, is
> dependent upon taste-in-the-mouth as experienced by an individual.
>

For some people, the presentation and texture are also a significant
factors. You specifically omitted health/dietary reasons below, so
I'll avoid them here as well.

> THEREFORE, any commercially prepared food not experienced as unpleasant
> by an individual's taste buds will not provide impetus to create the
> item from scratch.

If you omit the "'s taste buds", then I'll agree, but as noted above
the taste is not the only factor. Note however that while this may not
provide the impetus, there are other things that can (economy,
artistic impulses, et al.)

>
> II. GIVEN: Individual taste buds' sensitivity ranges from complete
> lack of discrimination to complete discrimination, with the greatest
> segment's being comprised of those who appreciate excellent food but do
> *not* experience as unpleasant _some-to-many_ commercial products.

"some-to-many" is a bit vague. I think that many are unpleasant, and
many others are just boring. I certainly wouldn't serve even a simply
boring one if having guests over for dinner. My taste buds are not the
only factor here. Again, presentation and texture are factors, as well
as a certain percieved (why does "I don't know what" sound so much
better in French ?)

>
> THEREFORE, any individual will cook only in direct proportion to a)
> desire for excellent taste in food plus b) how many commercial products
> repel her/him. Thus one may see a post of a fine recipe coupled with an
> admission on the poster's part as having a fondness for canned gravies
> or Cool Whip or Kraft Singles.

"Therefore, (insertabsent any other factor except taste alone, ..."
But yes, one may see a post that references commercial products (and
even cheap ones judging by your examples) even though the poster
listed an interesting recipe. If that is all this is about, go a head
and post away. There are a few that will complain that you use canned
mushroom soup, but you can (gasp!) ignore them.


> CONCLUSION: The individual who eschews most/all commercially prepared
> food products is merely responding to her/his taste buds' dictates in
> much the same way that one born with a musical 'ear' eschews all but
> fine music and is repelled by pop offerings. Statistically, the
> majority falls closer to the center of the spectrum, but there is
> nothing intrinsic to take credit for, nor will there ever be a
> conversion on grounds of taste-in-the-mouth for those born without this
> sensitivity.

The problem is that most commercial products strive to be inoffensive
instead of good. They don't want to make a product that tastes bad to
25% of the potential clientele, so they end up making one that is
percieved as boring by 95%. Recipe for most commercial products: 10%
actual product, 45% patially hydrogenated <cheapest available> oil,
35% high fructose corn syrup, 10% salt and monosodium glutemate. No
wonder they are boring.

As a final note, you have posted this to rec.food.cooking, and people
here tend to cook as a recreational activity. This will skew the
responses just a bit if you ask me.


Dean G.

BEWARE the lollipop of mediocrity! Lick it once and you suck forever.

To cook or not to cook....that is the passion. Just think about it, the
pleasure aspect, a ballet in the kitchen, when you are tasting, you are
kissing the spoon ! When you are cooking you are exercising all of your
senses, exploring new and old territories, gratifying your loved ones,
tempting the hungry stranger, or simply enjoying yourself. It is more
than just stopping "to smell the roses or soaring with eagles." It is
taking the essence of living by the horns and giving your imagination a
place to rest upon. You are dwelling within your own ode, objectively
and subjectively. You are growing old along with your personal
accomplishments, leaving small blemishes on the margins of your mind;
sweet and savory remembrances...Your wooden spoon becomes your magic
wand, and the wizzardry is all yours! My compliments to the Chef!

Just a Jeanie

Frogleg wrote:

> I've seen posts about "homemade" green bean, mushroom soup and fried
> onion casserole. Why? It seems to me that making the effort to produce
> a gourmet 'copycat' acknowledges the concoction is appealing. I
> wouldn't want to dump *my* carefully prepared mushroom soup into a
> casserole to impress anyone with a non-can prep.

While the main point of your post stands, I must point out that canned
mushroom soup contains a whole bunch of hydrogenated fats. I refuse eat that
crap, so if I want the casserole in question, I *have* to make the soup from
scratch.

Bob

in article , Lena B
Katz at wrote on 1/12/04 12:35 PM:

>
>
> On Sun, 11 Jan 2004, Sheryl Rosen wrote:
>
>> in article , MEow at
>> wrote on 1/10/04 5:39 PM:
>>
>>> I used to love canned food, frozen ready-made meals and that kind of
>>> things, but after slowly learning to cook (which I still think I'm in
>>> the process of), I wouldn't want to eat that kind of food again. My
>>> motivation for beginning to learn how to cook was initially health and
>>> money, but nothing else.
>>> --
>>
>> I love chef boyardee ravioli. I add some grated parmegiano reggiano to it
>> (Because that's what I keep in the house), sprinkle with a bit of italian
>> herbs, and bring it to work to nuke for myself for lunch. I am also fond of
>> hamburger helper type, one-pan casseroles, but I don't use the mixes I do
>> them on my own. These fill the belly inexpensively, make great leftovers,
>> which is a requirement for my "lifestyle", and to me, taste good.
>
> recipe?

Not really. It's just something I watched Mom do. It's different everytime.
Follow the basic technique for Hamburger helper. Brown an onion, then some
ground beef, maybe a pound. Some peppers, celery...whatever you have that
adds flavor.
Add maybe 2-3 cups of water or stock, whatever seasonings please
you....onion soup mix, whatever flavor you are going for. Add some type of
cut pasta (ziti or elbows, maybe egg noodles, whatever you are in the mood
for) or rice. Cook until the pasta or rice is done and most of the liquid is
absorbed. that's the key....the only draining you need to do is to drain the
fat off the meat before you add the seasonings, water and pasta.. You can
add in veggies, if you want. I usually put mixed vegetables in. Cheese or
tomato sauce, maybe both....the cheese or sauce should go in after most of
the water is absorbed by the pasta or rice. It's a very free form thing.
Sort of like a blank canvas. It's never the same twice, but it's always
delicious and filling. Whatever your imagination and pantry can come up
with.

>
>> Last week, I made a beef stew that had too much liquid. I saved the excess
>> liquid and made a pot of barley mushroom soup, which I took for lunch 5 days
>> in a row. Barley costs 45 cents a pound.
>
> where are you getting it so cheap? a box around me costs about three
> dollars.

Barley doesn't come in a box. It comes in a bag. Near the dried beans.
There's some in the Latino grocery aisle, usually under the GOYA
brand...maybe another brand. There is also some in the "anglo" dried bean
section. Sometimes they are in different aisles, sometimes, in the same.
Depends on your market. I'm in Connecticut. It's always been like
that...although, when I was in college it was 20 cents a pound.

>
>> I used about 15 cents worth of
>> barley, a dollar's worth of mushrooms (from the "old and tired looking, but
>> still a good value" rack in the back of the produce department), and stock
>> that I recycled from a previous meal....the entire pot of soup cost me less
>> than $3 and I ate lunches from it for a week.
>
> that's how to cook! but do take into account how much the soup liquid
> cost you...

Ahhh, but that cost was calculated as part of the stew budget, not the soup
budget. I made the stew for company from ingredients that I had on hand.
Yes, I had to buy them at some point, but...the entire pot of stew didn't
even cost that much to make...hmm....about $4 worth of beef. a couple of
onions, which came out of a 3 lb bag for 99 cents....an envelope of onion
soup mix (generic, 45 cents, maybe?) a cup or so of wine from a magnum that
cost about $6...so what? maybe a dollar?) Some carrots and celery, which
had been brought to a party I had a couple nights before as part of a dip
and veggie platter...so I didn't buy those. Various herbs and spices, cost
of which can't be calculated. Oh, maybe $1 worth of potatoes (Half a bag,
costing $2). What does that total? Maybe $7? For a pot of stew that fed 3
one night, 2 another, and 2 more meals for myself. PLUS enough liquid to
start a pot of soup that lasted for 5 meals. So that's $10 for 12 meals.
PLUS I got to entertain two sets of friends. I can't complain about that.

>
>> Several weeks ago, I bought a
>> small roasting chicken for about $2.
>
> how tiny was this? even when roasting chickens are on sale, they always
> seem to cost $5 around here.

It was 39 cents a pound. So....I dunno...about 5 pounds?

>
>> And I guarantee you, even with the
>> occasional can of soup or ravioli transgression, I eat healthier than people
>> who live on frozen dinners and takeout food. And I spend a helluva lot less
>> on food than some of my coworkers.
>
> And I spend less than you do... by buying wisely, and not being fooled by
> how prepared something is. Sometiems, it truly is cheaper to buy the
> prepared stuff (on sale) than to make it yourself. Plus, it saves on time,
> and even for a budget like mine, an hour still costs about five dollars.
>
> lena

What is this, some kind of contest?
You buy what you like, I'll buy what I like. OK?

Sheryl Rosen > asked in message
Lena B:
[snip Frugality-R-Us text]
> What is this, some kind of contest?

I didn't read it as, "I'm a Better Buyer Than You" Contest. I gather Lena
was very curious how she could match your pricing so she could reduce her
food budget. <shrug>

Look at it as a compliment.

The Ranger

On Tue, 13 Jan 2004, Sheryl Rosen wrote:

> in article , Lena B
> Katz at wrote on 1/12/04 12:35 PM:
>
> >
> >
> > On Sun, 11 Jan 2004, Sheryl Rosen wrote:
> >
> >> in article , MEow at
> >> wrote on 1/10/04 5:39 PM:
> >>
> >>> I used to love canned food, frozen ready-made meals and that kind of
> >>> things, but after slowly learning to cook (which I still think I'm in
> >>> the process of), I wouldn't want to eat that kind of food again. My
> >>> motivation for beginning to learn how to cook was initially health and
> >>> money, but nothing else.
> >>> --
> >>
> >> I love chef boyardee ravioli. I add some grated parmegiano reggiano to it
> >> (Because that's what I keep in the house), sprinkle with a bit of italian
> >> herbs, and bring it to work to nuke for myself for lunch. I am also fond of
> >> hamburger helper type, one-pan casseroles, but I don't use the mixes I do
> >> them on my own. These fill the belly inexpensively, make great leftovers,
> >> which is a requirement for my "lifestyle", and to me, taste good.
> >
> > recipe?
>
> Not really. It's just something I watched Mom do. It's different everytime.
> Follow the basic technique for Hamburger helper. Brown an onion, then some
> ground beef, maybe a pound. Some peppers, celery...whatever you have that
> adds flavor.
> Add maybe 2-3 cups of water or stock, whatever seasonings please
> you....onion soup mix, whatever flavor you are going for. Add some type of
> cut pasta (ziti or elbows, maybe egg noodles, whatever you are in the mood
> for) or rice. Cook until the pasta or rice is done and most of the liquid is
> absorbed. that's the key....the only draining you need to do is to drain the
> fat off the meat before you add the seasonings, water and pasta.. You can
> add in veggies, if you want. I usually put mixed vegetables in. Cheese or
> tomato sauce, maybe both....the cheese or sauce should go in after most of
> the water is absorbed by the pasta or rice. It's a very free form thing.
> Sort of like a blank canvas. It's never the same twice, but it's always
> delicious and filling. Whatever your imagination and pantry can come up
> with.

the way my mother made meatloaf...

> >> Last week, I made a beef stew that had too much liquid. I saved the excess
> >> liquid and made a pot of barley mushroom soup, which I took for lunch 5 days
> >> in a row. Barley costs 45 cents a pound.
> >
> > where are you getting it so cheap? a box around me costs about three
> > dollars.
>
> Barley doesn't come in a box. It comes in a bag. Near the dried beans.
> There's some in the Latino grocery aisle, usually under the GOYA
> brand...maybe another brand. There is also some in the "anglo" dried bean
> section. Sometimes they are in different aisles, sometimes, in the same.
> Depends on your market. I'm in Connecticut. It's always been like
> that...although, when I was in college it was 20 cents a pound.

mrfl. will have to investigate. last time, i just asked the grocer, who
pointed me to a box.

> >> I used about 15 cents worth of
> >> barley, a dollar's worth of mushrooms (from the "old and tired looking, but
> >> still a good value" rack in the back of the produce department), and stock
> >> that I recycled from a previous meal....the entire pot of soup cost me less
> >> than $3 and I ate lunches from it for a week.
> >
> > that's how to cook! but do take into account how much the soup liquid
> > cost you...
>
> Ahhh, but that cost was calculated as part of the stew budget, not the soup
> budget. I made the stew for company from ingredients that I had on hand.
> Yes, I had to buy them at some point, but...the entire pot of stew didn't
> even cost that much to make...hmm....about $4 worth of beef. a couple of
> onions, which came out of a 3 lb bag for 99 cents....an envelope of onion
> soup mix (generic, 45 cents, maybe?) a cup or so of wine from a magnum that
> cost about $6...so what? maybe a dollar?) Some carrots and celery, which
> had been brought to a party I had a couple nights before as part of a dip
> and veggie platter...so I didn't buy those. Various herbs and spices, cost
> of which can't be calculated. Oh, maybe $1 worth of potatoes (Half a bag,
> costing $2). What does that total? Maybe $7? For a pot of stew that fed 3
> one night, 2 another, and 2 more meals for myself. PLUS enough liquid to
> start a pot of soup that lasted for 5 meals. So that's $10 for 12 meals.
> PLUS I got to entertain two sets of friends. I can't complain about that.

It's a nice total. I certainly wouldn't complain about that...

> >> Several weeks ago, I bought a
> >> small roasting chicken for about $2.
> >
> > how tiny was this? even when roasting chickens are on sale, they always
> > seem to cost $5 around here.
>
> It was 39 cents a pound. So....I dunno...about 5 pounds?

*blink* man... i'm jealous. why can't food cost like that around here?

> >> And I guarantee you, even with the
> >> occasional can of soup or ravioli transgression, I eat healthier than people
> >> who live on frozen dinners and takeout food. And I spend a helluva lot less
> >> on food than some of my coworkers.
> >
> > And I spend less than you do... by buying wisely, and not being fooled by
> > how prepared something is. Sometiems, it truly is cheaper to buy the
> > prepared stuff (on sale) than to make it yourself. Plus, it saves on time,
> > and even for a budget like mine, an hour still costs about five dollars.
> >
> > lena
>
> What is this, some kind of contest?

of course! now, if you aren't playing, I'll cross you off of the list...

Lena

On Mon, 12 Jan 2004, The Ranger wrote:

> Sheryl Rosen > asked in message
> Lena B:
> [snip Frugality-R-Us text]
> > What is this, some kind of contest?
>
> I didn't read it as, "I'm a Better Buyer Than You" Contest. I gather Lena
> was very curious how she could match your pricing so she could reduce her
> food budget. <shrug>
>
> Look at it as a compliment.

hai!

when i have made my entire life into one gigantic game, I will be one very
happy little girl.

Lena

in article , Lena
B Katz at wrote on 1/13/04 1:56 PM:

>>
>> It was 39 cents a pound. So....I dunno...about 5 pounds?
>
> *blink* man... i'm jealous. why can't food cost like that around here?
>
>>>> And I guarantee you, even with the
>>>> occasional can of soup or ravioli transgression, I eat healthier than
>>>> people
>>>> who live on frozen dinners and takeout food. And I spend a helluva lot
>>>> less
>>>> on food than some of my coworkers.
>>>
>>> And I spend less than you do... by buying wisely, and not being fooled by
>>> how prepared something is. Sometiems, it truly is cheaper to buy the
>>> prepared stuff (on sale) than to make it yourself. Plus, it saves on time,
>>> and even for a budget like mine, an hour still costs about five dollars.
>>>
>>> lena
>>
>> What is this, some kind of contest?
>
> of course! now, if you aren't playing, I'll cross you off of the list...
>
> Lena

the chicken was a one-shot special. They do loss leaders periodically. I get
all the circulars from all the stores, I check them out and if there's
enough in there at really good prices, I'll make special trip. And when it's
something great like a whole chicken for 39 cents a pound, I will buy as
many as they will let me and will fit in my freezer. They had a limit of 2.
I bought 2. Cooked one, one is in the freezer.

Oh, ok, as long as I know the rules, I'll play!!!!! :-)

Look for Goya barley. Cheap, good. what else do you want?

My next frugal meal will be mushroom ragout over creamy cheese polenta.
Recipe in the current issue of Martha Stewart Everyday Food.

Frogleg > wrote
<snip>

> Who'd choose snails if they weren't expensive and exclusive?

Me. They're neither of the above, since I can collect them free of charge
from my garden! I think most Europeans could, if they wanted to (not sure
about the US). They just need purging for a day or so, and there you have
it - fresh snail meat without spending a cent!

Jo



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Frogleg wrote:

> On 12 Jan 2004 20:03:28 -0600, "Bob" > wrote:
>
> >Frogleg wrote:
> >
> >> I've seen posts about "homemade" green bean, mushroom soup and fried
> >> onion casserole. Why? It seems to me that making the effort to produce
> >> a gourmet 'copycat' acknowledges the concoction is appealing. I
> >> wouldn't want to dump *my* carefully prepared mushroom soup into a
> >> casserole to impress anyone with a non-can prep.
> >
> >While the main point of your post stands, I must point out that canned
> >mushroom soup contains a whole bunch of hydrogenated fats. I refuse eat
that
> >crap, so if I want the casserole in question, I *have* to make the soup
from
> >scratch.
>
> You got me there. I was thinking more in the line of trying to be more
> more sophisticated with DIY rather than genuine objection to
> ingredients.


Mushroom soup is an absurdly easy thing to make, so far superior to any
canned version that there is no comparison (although if the stuff is on
sale, I'll buy it for my own use). As for DYI green bean casseroles, it's
nice to buy fresh green beans, use yer own mushroom soup, etc. (I still use
the canned fried onions, though). There is a big dif between the run o' the
mill grean bean casserole made from canned ingredients and one made from
fresh. The effort is certainly worth it - your guests will thank you ;-)

I use a lot of canned stuff, but when I make, say chili or baked beans for
company, I'll start by cooking dried beans, etc. If I'm making potato salad
or something else that requires mayonnaise, I make my own mayo. People
appreciate the difference....

Just for my workaday self, canned chili, soup, spaghetti sauce, beans,
mayo, box mac n' cheeze, etc.is fine. But it's for other people that I'll
go to the trouble to make something special.

--
Best
Greg

On Wed, 14 Jan 2004 03:21:49 GMT, Sheryl Rosen
> wrote:

>the chicken was a one-shot special. They do loss leaders periodically. I get
>all the circulars from all the stores, I check them out and if there's
>enough in there at really good prices, I'll make special trip.

I save all the circulars in case I happen to go to WalMart. They match
prices in other ads.

>My next frugal meal will be mushroom ragout over creamy cheese polenta.
>Recipe in the current issue of Martha Stewart Everyday Food.

What does Martha Stewart know about "everyday food"?!

On Wed, 14 Jan 2004 07:37:11 -0000, "Darkginger"
> wrote:

>Frogleg > wrote
><snip>
>
>> Who'd choose snails if they weren't expensive and exclusive?
>
>Me. They're neither of the above, since I can collect them free of charge
>from my garden! I think most Europeans could, if they wanted to (not sure
>about the US). They just need purging for a day or so, and there you have
>it - fresh snail meat without spending a cent!

The reason I won't even try them is because I *do* have them in my
garden. Oh, ick. I understand at least one type of garden snail was
deliberately imported for culinary purposes. Just not *my* culinary
purposes. :-)

Frogleg > wrote in message >. ..

> >My next frugal meal will be mushroom ragout over creamy cheese polenta.
> >Recipe in the current issue of Martha Stewart Everyday Food.
>
> What does Martha Stewart know about "everyday food"?!

Don't know. But it's a good magazine.
Pocket size, so you can tote it along with you.
Close to 100% recipes, and not fancy recipes, either, sort of an
upscale version of the Woman's Day recipes...the type of recipes you'd
expect would use shortcut food items, because they are homey,
family-friendly recipes, not fancy dishes, but the hook is, they
don't. A green bean casserole in this magazine would use fresh beans
and freshly made bechamel sauce, not canned beans and campbell's soup,
for example.

It's Martha's sensibilities (Only the freshest, highest quality
ingredients) applied to good, basic home cooking.

It's refreshing, because it's not "gourmet", it's just really for
people who appreciate good food.

On Wed, 14 Jan 2004, Sheryl Rosen wrote:

> in article , Lena
> B Katz at wrote on 1/13/04 1:56 PM:
>
> >>
> >> It was 39 cents a pound. So....I dunno...about 5 pounds?
> >
> > *blink* man... i'm jealous. why can't food cost like that around here?
> >
> >>>> And I guarantee you, even with the
> >>>> occasional can of soup or ravioli transgression, I eat healthier than
> >>>> people
> >>>> who live on frozen dinners and takeout food. And I spend a helluva lot
> >>>> less
> >>>> on food than some of my coworkers.
> >>>
> >>> And I spend less than you do... by buying wisely, and not being fooled by
> >>> how prepared something is. Sometiems, it truly is cheaper to buy the
> >>> prepared stuff (on sale) than to make it yourself. Plus, it saves on time,
> >>> and even for a budget like mine, an hour still costs about five dollars.
> >>>
> >>> lena
> >>
> >> What is this, some kind of contest?
> >
> > of course! now, if you aren't playing, I'll cross you off of the list...
> >
> > Lena
>
> the chicken was a one-shot special. They do loss leaders periodically.

meat's never ever a loss leader around here (at least not at those sweet!
prices).

> I get
> all the circulars from all the stores, I check them out and if there's
> enough in there at really good prices, I'll make special trip.

we only have three grocers around here, and one of them is on greenstamps
(so no good deals, ever). and the third is downright scary.

> And when it's
> something great like a whole chicken for 39 cents a pound, I will buy as
> many as they will let me and will fit in my freezer. They had a limit of 2.
> I bought 2. Cooked one, one is in the freezer.

Do check to see if that is per shopping trip or what... I've noticed that
many limits around here don't actually work on anything better than a "no
more than four per shopping trip" basis. I've certainly bought much more
flour than I was supposed to (now, i've got over a hundred pounds of
flour/sugar in the house, all bought at bargain prices...).

> Oh, ok, as long as I know the rules, I'll play!!!!! :-)

yay!

> Look for Goya barley. Cheap, good. what else do you want?

will do!

Lena

in article , Lena B
Katz at wrote on 1/14/04 2:13 PM:

> Do check to see if that is per shopping trip or what... I've noticed that
> many limits around here don't actually work on anything better than a "no
> more than four per shopping trip" basis. I've certainly bought much more
> flour than I was supposed to (now, i've got over a hundred pounds of
> flour/sugar in the house, all bought at bargain prices...).
>
>> Oh, ok, as long as I know the rules, I'll play!!!!! :-)
>
> yay!
>
>> Look for Goya barley. Cheap, good. what else do you want?
>
> will do!
>
> Lena

It's typically per trip, at least at the stores where I shop.
I could have bought more than one, but I don't have a large freezer and my
landlady isn't going to pony up for a bigger one. I used to stock up in
enormous quantities on things like that, but I find i get tired of
things...and food languishes in my freezer sometimes. The only thing I
really will go back frequently for is cat food when it goes 24 for
$3.99....I am happy to have 2-3 months worth of cat food in the pantry,
since it never goes bad and it's usually 3 times that price when it's not on
sale. I can always grab a bite out, get invited someplace...etc, if I don't
have food for me it's no tragedy. But pretty puss doesn't understand "Sorry,
we're eating hot dogs tonight". I recently bought 48 cans of food..but she
goes thru 7 cans a week, so it really isn't a lot. I may run out at
lunchtime, since it's the market near my office, and grab another 24
cans...while it's that great price.

On Wed, 14 Jan 2004 10:15:40 GMT, "Gregory Morrow"
> wrote:

>> >Frogleg wrote:
>> >
>> >> I've seen posts about "homemade" green bean, mushroom soup and fried
>> >> onion casserole. Why? It seems to me that making the effort to produce
>> >> a gourmet 'copycat' acknowledges the concoction is appealing. I
>> >> wouldn't want to dump *my* carefully prepared mushroom soup into a
>> >> casserole to impress anyone with a non-can prep.
>
>Mushroom soup is an absurdly easy thing to make, so far superior to any
>canned version that there is no comparison (although if the stuff is on
>sale, I'll buy it for my own use). As for DYI green bean casseroles, it's
>nice to buy fresh green beans, use yer own mushroom soup, etc. (I still use
>the canned fried onions, though). There is a big dif between the run o' the
>mill grean bean casserole made from canned ingredients and one made from
>fresh. The effort is certainly worth it - your guests will thank you ;-)

As in the msg you you quoted, I *do* make mushroom soup. I just don't
dump it into a casserole. :-) In fact, I think I've made the canned
casserole just once about 20 years ago. My original point was
theoretical: why bother to construct a copy-cat 'scratch' version of
something to make it enough like the original canned that you'd have
to *tell* your guests, "I made the mushroom soup and used fresh beans.
No cans for me!"? The intervening poster I snipped wrote that he
couldn't eat the canned version for health reasons, which I agreed was
a valid argument.