Dear god!

[Crundy]

I just saw an advert for Uncle Ben's boil in the bag rice. "All you do is pop it in boiling water for 10 minutes, et voila!". What the hell? Why not just boil some rice and strain it?

Seriously, has it got to the point now where we're so useless at cooking we have to have everything so pre-prepared that it's actually going backwards and cooking "convenience food" is just as complex as actually cooking a meal?

I've stopped watching Jamie's programmes, because I'm fed up with watching kids on a fish-and-chip-only diet show that they have no idea what a corguette is, and how they wouldn't even eat a (very nice looking) wrap for £100. No wonder this country is on the verge of an obesety epidemic.

*takes valium*

[Jardiniere]

my OH doesnt eat rice but i do from time to time....however i am utterly c**p at cooking it so although i can cook you a 5 course french gourmet meal starting with foie gras ...i do use bags of microwaved rice when i want some.....sorry!

[Glutton4...]

Also useful when Caravanning/Camping!

[Munch]

I have to say I am with both of you on the rice front... but Jardinere it gets worse.

You can buy fresh mash potato!

oh! and pre chopped onions, fresh! just pay 3 x's the amount!

[Polly Fouracre]

Bags of peeled and chopped veg. make me want to scream. How difficult is it even if you have been at work all day,to peel and chop a few carrots etc.!!

[Crundy]

Well, OK with the "I can't cook" and "useful for camping" arguments, but consider that in order to cook rice from scratch you give it a quick rinse (no need to rinse until the water goes clear, as they don't use talc as an anti-caking agent anymore), drop into boiling water for 8-15 mins (depending on rice type) and then drain. Why is that harder than boil in the bag?

[Crundy]

Oh, the most messed up is bags of chopped onions. Are you ***king serious?

[zazen999]

Oh, the most messed up is bags of chopped onions. Are you ***king serious?

Yes, if you are disabled and can't hold a knife......

[Crundy]

Then should you not have someone helping you with your food?

[zazen999]

Then should you not have someone helping you with your food?

It's cheaper to just buy chopped onions; than hire someone to chop them for you.

I'm not actually disabled - but I do know quite a few people who are and who take great pride in making food themselves - it's a big step for some people.

So in response to the 'are you ***king serious' comment, yes - they are!

[Crundy]

Well OK, I'll agree that prechopped veg is good for people who are unable to chop it themselves. But do you think that the majority of people who buy them are unable to chop veg, or just have never been taught to chop an onion?

I think my problem is that in home ec as a kid, we were taught to bake. We baked cakes. We baked muffins. We baked... umm, well that was it. Cakes. Why not teach kids the basics of general cooking, chopping, slicing, flavour combinations etc? According to my sister-in-law (a teacher) they apprently do now, including budgeting for family meals. I do wish my generation was taught the same rather than how to bake a fancy cake. I only learnt to cook properly after I left uni, which is a shame because I could have saved a fortune.

[zazen999]

I think the fact that alot of kids don't know what most veg looks like is more messed up than the veg being chopped.....but then that's a totally different thread

I suspect the people buying chopped onion are doing it for speed or convenience - probably not the same people who grow their own or who only eat ready meals; as why would they cook from scratch in the first place.

I'm much happier with chopped veg as at least it's veg. For example - a single mum of 5 might be a tad tired after a long hard day and popping some chopped onion in the pan to start off a pasta dish is a whole lot better than just flinging 6 ready meals in the microwave.

[Bramble_killer]

Well OK, I'll agree that prechopped veg is good for people who are unable to chop it themselves. But do you think that the majority of people who buy them are unable to chop veg, or just have never been taught to chop an onion?

Maybe they can afford to pay for the onion being chopped. More money than sense but that's why the supermarkets sell it.

There's a time and place for things like that. If only life was black and white, not shades of grey?

[Crundy]

tbh I was thinking similar; at least the people using prechopped veg are using "from scratch" ingredients. I'm just dismayed at the level of culinary awareness in the UK. I seem to remember a few scary stats, like 8% of British kids don't know how to eat an orange, and about a third of British mums think that fruit flavoured sweets count as one of their child's 5-a-day.

It's got to the point where people have a Chris Moyles attitude towards food. That is, "I love junk food, why bother with that fancy crap when I can have chips and a microwave burger?". They're actually proud of the ignorance. "Sushi? Ugh. Why would I eat raw fish" :facepalm:

[ginger ninger]

My Dad ,when he lived on his own before going into care used pre-packed fresh veg...as in carrots, sprouts, broccoli and onions.. He popped them in the microwave and had them with cooked meat/chicken portions and gravy granules. Because he couldn't grip properly a sharp knife was out of the question for him. But at least he had fresh veg everyday...so I don't knock anyone for buying ready chopped veg. It kept my Dad independent (he wouldn't let my sister and myself get his meals ready for him) and that to a lot of older people means far more than some ones opinion of how to cook rice. Sorry if that offends you but I think your talking out of your "Boil in the bag".