Are you a cheater?

Good Food Blog

What is RSS?

Posted at 10:40AM, 25 March 2011 by Sarah Sysum - Assistant editor, Easy Cook magazine

My name is Sarah, I work on a food magazine, and I suffer from ready-made guilt. I confess I no longer make pastry, I buy custard and a jar or two of mayo normally lands in my trolley.

Of course this has not always been the case. Feeling that as a 'foodie' I should make everything from scratch, I used to make my own pastry (very badly and to the point I still had to use a processor to get any sort of texture), whip up pesto and make my own ice cream.

Have you ever seen anyone on MasterChef turn up with ready-made mayo, add some garlic and pass it off as aïoli? Thought not.

So why did I put myself through it? Well party because I felt, due to the day job, it was expected of me, but more so because of the pressure TV cookery puts on you. Have you ever seen anyone on MasterChef turn up with ready-made mayo, add some garlic and pass it off as aïoli? Thought not. And what about Delia? When she suggested we use frozen mash and ready-made spice mixes for curry, the nation was aghast in horror.

But having been lucky enough to test some amazing ready-made items, I decided enough was enough. Pastry making was out and I started to buy all butter puff and baked pastry cases. The texture was better than mine and I have to confess made my pies taste far superior. As for mayo, I was pleasantly surprised to find plenty of lovely choices all made with just oil and free-range egg.

And there are plenty of other really good shop-bought alternatives, from Thai curry pastes to marinades. All made to pretty much the same specification you would at home (albeit without the mess and occasional strop when it all goes wrong).

I'm full of admiration for those with the talent and energy to cook completely for scratch. But surely I'm not the only one to cheat a little? Am I?

Comments

MZ

27 March 2011, 4:21PM
MZ

I love to cook and often have friends asking when my next event is, for these I always cook from scratch. but after a long day at work and sitting the traffic for ages I have to admit I do tend to cheat on the week days, and to be fair we're not talking microwave meals here, just helpful pre made ingredients that make life that little bit easier, the quality of such things is so high these days, it's almost crazy not to cheat every now and then.

Flag as inappropriate

Please let us know your name and the reason you find the above comment inappropriate.

Your name: Reason:
ukdining

28 March 2011, 4:28PM
ukdining

I'm with you on the pastry, but frozen mash would be a step too far!

Flag as inappropriate

Please let us know your name and the reason you find the above comment inappropriate.

Your name: Reason:
bluebell

28 March 2011, 5:10PM
bluebell

I am of the 'old fashioned' idea, that everything tastes better homemade and the benefit is that you know what is in it. Many dishes do no take any longer to make from scratch and I also believe that the increase in cancer is in part due to all of the chemical additives in food. A great boost to my cooking is the slow cooker, which has very few limitations and can, in many cases, be left on all day and be ready to eat when you arrive home. I have two and would hate to be without them. I do Christmas puddings, cakes as well as meat dishes, pastas etc in mine.

Flag as inappropriate

Please let us know your name and the reason you find the above comment inappropriate.

Your name: Reason:
StormyRaincloud

30 March 2011, 10:02AM
StormyRaincloud

I do a little cheaing, there is no shame in that. Time restrictions etc. I have limited feeling in my arms and hands, so pastry definitely,l but I also get frozen chopped onions and garlic. Definitely not as nice but has to be done sometimes. I do draw the line at ready meals though, and whatever cheating ingredients I buy I always check the salt content, sometimes the salt is ridiculously high. Most cheating ingredients I get are natural, ie onions with no other ingredients etc It has to be done :)

Flag as inappropriate

Please let us know your name and the reason you find the above comment inappropriate.

Your name: Reason:
Belinda

3 April 2011, 4:12PM
Belinda

Hey, what's wrong with knowing your strenghts and weaknesses??? Or recognising you are a working person with 24 hours in a day??? You're not a dab hand at making pastries but found a good quality alternative? Go for it! I'm hopeless when it comes to making my own pasta, so my trolley has Barilla or de Cecco pasta - and I'm not feeling guilty. When the tomatoes are in season, I prepare and stock up on passata but in winter I go for the Cirio branded bottle without guilt.

Flag as inappropriate

Please let us know your name and the reason you find the above comment inappropriate.

Your name: Reason:
katyd

4 April 2011, 12:37PM
katyd

i am just teaching myself to cook more as i have children and would like them to eat better but sometimes shortcuts need to be made i don't see anything wrong with some of the ready made procucts but agree ready meals are foul and are never eaten in my house as for mayo i wouldn't even know where to start with making that !

Flag as inappropriate

Please let us know your name and the reason you find the above comment inappropriate.

Your name: Reason:
chvallen

4 April 2011, 7:50PM
chvallen

I really think it depends on your circumstances. As a (somewhat lazy and perpetually hungry) student, I want to learn how to make things, so I try to have a go at things from scratch just to learn how they work, and to see the difference to ready made. When I start to work full time, I won't have this luxury. Another factor for me is health and weight loss; I recently lost around 2 stone, all through exercise and cooking my own healthy meals. When you know exactly what's going in your food (by making it from scratch) it makes it so much easier to keep your diet balanced and without excess fat. Each to their own, I say :)

Flag as inappropriate

Please let us know your name and the reason you find the above comment inappropriate.

Your name: Reason:
bexrecipes

5 April 2011, 11:16AM
bexrecipes

I'm all for the pastry cheat - especially puff. Buying 2 x 500g blocks (currently Â£1.30 in Tesco and two for one in Sainsbury) I put one in the freezer and keep one in the fridge. Always SO handy for a quick tart (especially if you've had a long day and need to cook) - slap a little pesto on a scored square of puff, add some mozzarella and tomatoes, serve with a bagged salad (another brilliant cheat). Serve with a glass of wine and job done.

Flag as inappropriate

Please let us know your name and the reason you find the above comment inappropriate.

Your name: Reason:
beautysb

5 April 2011, 11:39AM
beautysb

I've only been gettting into cooking over the past 12 months, mainly because of the Food channels on SKy. I must admit I do tend to cheat. Usually it's when I'm lacking confidence, for example, I never make my own pastry as I don't believe I can do it. The more experience I get maybe I'll give it a go. But in the meantime I really don't think it hurts to cheat. All my other efforts are usually recieve well :-)

Flag as inappropriate

Please let us know your name and the reason you find the above comment inappropriate.

Your name: Reason:
beautysb

5 April 2011, 11:42AM
beautysb

bexrecipes, what a great idea! Thanks for the heads up on the pastry offers in tesco at the moment. Loving the sound of your tart too. Sounds delicious.

Flag as inappropriate

Please let us know your name and the reason you find the above comment inappropriate.

Your name: Reason:
Pinkpaper

6 April 2011, 6:55PM
Pinkpaper

Considering three years ago me and my husband were living off jars and ready meals I think I can give myself a break now by buying pre-made pastry and mayo. My favorite cheat is pesto, I have made it myself and I know its easy but still.

Flag as inappropriate

Please let us know your name and the reason you find the above comment inappropriate.

Your name: Reason:
Bluebottle18

24 April 2011, 3:54PM
Bluebottle18

Nothing wrong with cheating from time to time. I have lost the recipe for "cheats chocolate ganache" which was in BBC good food magazine some time ago and is very popular in my household does anyone have this recipe?

Flag as inappropriate

Please let us know your name and the reason you find the above comment inappropriate.

Your name: Reason:
lynne

21 May 2011, 2:39PM
lynne

Hi everyone just new to the site. I'm a working mum of two and i've got to admit yes i've used a few shortcuts myself sometimes it just has to be done. My oldest boy of 8 is on a gluten free diet so i preffer to do most things from scratch as i then know exactaly what he's eating then.

Flag as inappropriate

Please let us know your name and the reason you find the above comment inappropriate.

Your name: Reason: