Dear god!

[Crundy]

Just out of curiousity Crundy, whereabouts in the country are you?

Staffs at the moment, but moving back to Norfolk soon.

Funny how I wanted to do Home Ec as a GCSE, but the teacher turned down my application.....

Same. Teacher hated me because I liked to cook paella, lasagne etc rather than baking cakes.

[OverWyreGrower]

Same. Teacher hated me because I liked to cook paella, lasagne etc rather than baking cakes.

Ah, I love baking cakes too! However, even as someone with a sweet tooth, I appreciate that I have to make savoury stuff as well!

[zazen999]

Sure. And chips are veg

Out of interest, what does a chopped onion cost? An unchopped one is what, 5p ? I don't know many rich disabled people, but plenty of poor ones

I have to hate prepped veg on the environmental damage all that extra plastic causes: one chopped onion in a packet = 12 bags for 12 separate onions. Or, one could buy 12 unchopped onions in one bag

I don't know - and yes enviromentally of course it isn't ideal....but who are we to tell other people that buying chopped onions, for whatever reason, is wrong?

And I don't think 'chopped onion' is actually one onion chopped bagged up separately....it will be quite a few in there - whereas if you buy onions you could easily buy one or two at a time and bag them; thereby using MORE plastic....

When I WAS completely brassic; it was cheaper to buy frozen chips [not your oven types, just potatoes in a chip shape] than potatoes - so I would buy the chips and use them in normal cooking - such as curries etc. I had no garden and pound for pound it was cheaper than even potatoes on the market. Wrong, but budget wise - I had no option.

[jackie j]

I work in the supermarket enviroment and it amazes me how much junk people buy. I can and will neer understand the ones who come through with a large family and everything is precut / chopped, micro meals, ready made meals nothing fresh wek after week how do they afford it.
Precut / chopped is ok for some and not for others, each to their own and we all have reasons why and why not.
It will never change because people who buy food like this all the time dont want to be bothered to cook from fresh. The supermarkets home in on this.

[Glutton4...]

... When I WAS completely brassic; it was cheaper to buy frozen chips [not your oven types, just potatoes in a chip shape] than potatoes - so I would buy the chips and use them in normal cooking - such as curries etc. I had no garden and pound for pound it was cheaper than even potatoes on the market. Wrong, but budget wise - I had no option.

So why was that wrong? It was right for you, at that time. Which, surely, is the whole point!?

If these items were never bought, they would cease to be produced....

[Glutton4...]

... It will never change because people who buy food like this all the time dont want to be bothered to cook from fresh. The supermarkets home in on this.

So, are supermarkets the cause, or the solution?

[tiachica]

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

I am working full-time wife, mum to a 2 year old, with a house to run, a dissertation to write in my spare time and I try and cook from scratch every night. I got 30-40mins to prepare a meal for the 3 of us every night plus 3 lunches the next day. I try and avoid using pre-chopped veg, on cost grounds, but I can see their appeal. I do however buy frozen veg mixtures, which also contain chopped items.

I do use canned tomatoes, beans & other veg and tetra pack passata. As far as I know aluminium also has quite a high carbon footprint, even if you recycle it.

All of above convenience food allows me to spend more valuable time with my little boy, instead of being stuck in the kitchen for another 30mins trying to chop everything up, with my little one needing my attention or wanting to show me something.

[weekendwellies]

as this post has strayed from boil in the bag rice to pre cut veg I thought I would hijack it too. sorry if that upsets anyone.

I have seen an advert for soap dispensers that you don't have to touch to get the soap from, so you don't have to touch the 'germ ridden' dispenser.

OK, yes I know, disabled, elderly, arthritic, etc this is very useful.

Now, whether you are washing your hands prior to cooking or after you have handled something messy, what is the first thing you do when you have got the soap on your hands?. So even if you have picked up some extra germs from touching the dispenser or block of soap it really doesn't matter because you then wash your hands.

Personally, I don't use soap dispensers, I think they are not value for money. I would rather keep a block of soap at the sink.

[jackie j]

So, are supermarkets the cause, or the solution?

lol if people buy something the supermarket / shops will supply it, stop buying and the supermarket / shop stops selling it. If needs must then by all means buy already prepared things. My mum used to and she was a cook.

[Bramble_killer]

Personally, I don't use soap dispensers, I think they are not value for money. I would rather keep a block of soap at the sink.

Just to take the thread more off topic.

I work in a lab environment and I'm not sure I want to be touching a block of soap if that was all that was available. We have dispensing pumps because nothing is likely to catch on there that you can scrub on yourself.

I don't like blocks of soap, things can sit on there when it's wet and you have no idea what. there's always the last grimy bit that you have to throw out (unless you squeeze it into the new bit of soap). It never lathers up well enough for me. I'm a handwash kinda gal.

[Two_Sheds]

I'm not sure I want to be touching a block of soap ...things can sit on there when it's wet and you have no idea what.

Soap is anti-bacterial isn't it?

[Crundy]

Soap is anti-bacterial isn't it?

Only antibacterial soap. "Normal" soap is just lipids with the glycerine head removed to create molecules with a hydrophilic head and hydrophobic tail.

"To make soap, first we render fat. The best fat comes from humans"
"Wait, what is this place?"
"Liposuction clinic"

Sorry, had to sneak that one in.

[Two_Sheds]

"Normal" soap is just lipids

"Soap is itself an effective microbicide due to the fact that soap breaks down oils.
All bacterial cell walls are based on lipid chains, which are oil-based.
The simple act of applying soap to the hands and rubbing vigorously will cause the cell walls of any bacteria on the hands to be ripped apart by the soap, disintegrating and killing any bacteria present" (quote from an HBSc. in Microbiology and Immunology)

"Antibacterial soaps do not provide a benefit above and beyond plain soaps for generally healthy people living in the community," [says] researcher Allison Aiello, PhD http://www.webmd.com/cold-and-flu/ne...-antibacterial

[Crundy]

Soaps don't break down fats, they coat droplets of them creating a water soluble exterior in a mini vacuole.

I guess they would break down exposed phospholipid bilayers, but what about lipopolysaccharides in the outer membrane of gram negative bacteria? It would be interesting to know *goes to find out*

[Crundy]

Hmm, almost: Indications for alcohol or bland soap in removal o... [Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol. 1989] - PubMed result

At less than or equal to 2 log10 HCW acquisitions, soap eliminated all AGNB in three of 10; alcohol in eight of eight (p = 0.009). Contact with densely colonized patient skin may cause heavy AGNB contamination of HCWs' hands that generally necessitates alcohol for complete removal.

Looks like alcohol rub is a better bet to remove bacteria.