Welcome To McBritain

[minestrone]

Make meals (curries, chillies, etc) in bulk and freeze them if you're pushed for time. Better than fast food every time. Each to their own though.

Cook a chicken curry at home and you will spend as much and get similar/less quality to something cooked from a curry house.

Is there any point?

[expat]

My last job I left my house at 6:30 am and got back at 7:00 pm and I do not mind a bit of fast food a couple of night a week, last thing I want to do after coming home is spend more than 15 minutes on food.

I am a time served butcher as well, worked in a shop for 5 years, I spent 20 quid on 2 steaks on Saturday. 40 quid on a bottle of whisky, 40 quid on wine for dinner. There are times for good quality food where you spend money and time, then there are times you want to grab some food.

I work long hours too, to make up for my 6-hour weekly commute. I never get to eat as early as 7:00 pm. But I'd rather cook and eat decent food (no need for 3 courses) than grab junk, every time. Or eat out, every time.

There are times for good quality food where you spend money and time, then there are times you want to grab some food.

Nope. Sorry. There are no times when I want to grab junk food and stuff it in my mouth. Personal choices, of course. But life without fast food (when "fast"= junk food) ever, is quite possible.

How long does it take to make an omelette? That's fast food. Simple pasta, pref with salad? I really have a problem with shoving totally unidentified things in my mouth.

[expat]

Cook a chicken curry at home and you will spend as much and get similar/less quality to something cooked from a curry house.

Is there any point?

??? How, less quality? Is their chicken better than the organic free-range chicken that you buy? That's quality. Plastic supermarket value chicken is toxic waste, I hope you don't buy that; but the curry house might.

[minestrone]

??? How, less quality? Is their chicken better than the organic free-range chicken that you buy? That's quality. Plastic supermarket value chicken is toxic waste, I hope you don't buy that; but the curry house might.

You are assuming that what you buy to make you meals is better than what the fast food producer uses, they are just maximising profit.

But of course you will now tell me that what you are buying is good quality, the person that sells it to you has told you that.

[expat]

You are assuming that what you buy to make you meals is better than what the fast food producer uses, they are just maximising profit.

But of course you will now tell me that what you are buying is good quality, the person that sells it to you has told you that.

Yes, that is what I am telling you. I refer you to what I said about organic, free-range, vs "value". Yes, if the supermarket is lying about it being organic, then I am fooled; but they are breaking the law. OTOH I have seen a local fast-food vendor stocking up on Tesco Value Chicken, so I know what they use, and I do not want to eat that.

[minestrone]

Yes, that is what I am telling you. I refer you to what I said about organic, free-range, vs "value". Yes, if the supermarket is lying about it being organic, then I am fooled; but they are breaking the law. OTOH I have seen a local fast-food vendor stocking up on Tesco Value Chicken, so I know what they use, and I do not want to eat that.

But what does organic mean? What is the difference between organic eggs, free range eggs, battery eggs and just eggs?

[bogeyman]

Yes, that is what I am telling you. I refer you to what I said about organic, free-range, vs "value". Yes, if the supermarket is lying about it being organic, then I am fooled; but they are breaking the law. OTOH I have seen a local fast-food vendor stocking up on Tesco Value Chicken, so I know what they use, and I do not want to eat that.

Tesco Value Chicken is way too expensive for local curry houses - they use the absolute wholesale dregs - "barely legal chicken" as an acquaintance of mine who used to do health inspections for West Oxon district council used to call it.

That's why hot spicy food was invented in the first place - to conceal rank, rotten meat. I never eat curries out.

[Sysman]

But what does organic mean? What is the difference between organic eggs, free range eggs, battery eggs and just eggs?

I went into this about 20 years ago. For organic crops (grown on farmland as opposed to in a greenhouse environment), no pesticides/fertilisers belonging to the "nasty" list for x years. In other words, it can be a long term investment to do that x+1 years before you can sell stuff at the premium organic crops can command.

Free range chickens/eggs. A bit of a bastard really; 24 hour access to the outside for the hens was the rule, which was fine if you didn't mind losing 'em to foxes. An allowable alternative was to give the hen hut such a small door that only one bird can exit at a time and stuff the hut so full of birds that only a small percentage could actually get out at any one time.

Things may have improved since, but the best eggs I have tasted in the UK came from a flock which were rounded up every night and locked away for safety, thus by the letter of the law not free range.

[Scotchpie]

Cook a chicken curry at home and you will spend as much and get similar/less quality to something cooked from a curry house.

Is there any point?

Elf, you're talking rubbish, about as rubbish as the food you eat. I use to be a chef many moons ago so perhaps I have an advantage, but you cannot compare homemade cooking with some curry house. As for spending, don't forget a restaurant will times the price of ingredients by three (as a general rule of thumb). Buying your own ingredients is always cheaper and goes further.

And referring to another comment you've left here. I make dinner every week night for me and the Mrs, perhaps not three courses but I prepare and cook a main course with a side dish and a desert in half an hour. Tops would be forty five minutes.

[SantaClaus]

This morning I started a thread on cheap jobs in McBritain.

I really didnt expect anyone to read it. And now it's changed to a debate over organic food.

Can't anyone start a thread without it being hijacked and the subject changed