View Full Version : #RANT#
Admiral Huddy
23-07-2008, 16:32
Despite the fact I've always been a keen and regular cook (when i get the time) I don't visit these pages much which is a shame. However, I have a a little rant... Actually it's a big ****ing rant!!!!
I'm speaking of all these bloody cooking programs on the TV at the moment. Years ago, it used to be a select few but now they're on evey bloody night.
I don't actually have a problem with them.. The F* word is pretty good.. The problem I have with these programs is that they have made cooking into a "Fasionable trend" so you can't tell me that this "Fashion" hasn't contributed to the rising cost of basic food stuffs in the super market. Notice I said "Contribute" as I'm pretty aware that there are over factors that decide the retail cost. However, It's like everything that becomes trendy has it's price.. and the retailers, the supermarkets in theis case, bloody know it.!!!!!
Gyms that were once "spit and saw dust sweat houses", visited by really only thoese wanting to get fit.. are now all poncy to make way for the iPod joggers in their masses and because they have become "fashionable" and we have to pay for this.
I see the same thing happening in the kitchen!!
#Rant over#
LeperousDust
23-07-2008, 17:17
I haven't personally noticed a price rise myself, but you do see loads of extra things appearing, quick sauces with chefs names on them etc... So you can cook exactly what they cook on the TV, but pay through the nose for it...
Admiral Huddy
23-07-2008, 17:27
You've not noticed rising prices in the supermarkets?? I'll bring a van up!
He's a student... he probably gets all the Tesco Value anyway ;)
BB x
9p noodles are no longer 9p though! Boooooooooooo!
*glad she isn't a student anymore*
LeperousDust
23-07-2008, 18:06
He's a student... he probably gets all the Tesco Value anyway ;)
BB x
Pretty much, if you want cheap, cheap is still cheap it seems!
My 5p curry sauce has went up to 9p which is quite a rise, but thats all i've noticed!
Also Lidl hasn't got any dearer that i've noticed... You can still get decent supplies in most cases cheap. Saying this i spent ~£70 at ASDA on "fundamentals" last time i was there :( I dont think i got much for my money then, but i wasn't buying my usual stuff...
The rise in costs of most everyday foodstuffs has far more to do with rising transportation costs and soaring overseas demand for raw materials like rice and wheat.
The 'cookery show' effect applies to the slightly more unusual or more specific. For example, all this publicity about battery chickens has undoubtedly pushed up the demand for free range - though whether it'll last as the times get tougher is another matter. Then there's the 'fads' for the more unusual ingredients and recipes that appear on the shows and cause everyone to run down the local supermarket and buy the latest must-have, only to use it once or twice and then forget about it.
So yes, to a point, but a relatively small point compared to the bigger picture.
For me alone I spend close to £50-60 a week. But then again I don't buy crap. I don;'t think the rising costs of food are necessarily to do with trendiness, I think there is a) more expense in production of food b) stem mileages are getting greater and more expensive c) overheads are increasing d) profit margins are decreasing so prices are trying to reflect a positive yield e) there will always be fashion fads, but overall food is more expensive if you buy good quality stuff. However even the "cheap" stuff isn't so cheap anymore.
It might of gone up but it really hasn't gone up much. Like a few £ a week max. Just have to start cooking sensibly. I've started buying much better and more expensive produce yet have slashed my food bills.
By cooking in "bulk" then freezing meals.
What annoys me is most cookery programs are rubbish. I wish there where more like river cottage, f-word, blumeanthal where they actually show you techniques, produce and other interesting stuff. Not just how to cook a normal meal in 20mins.
Admiral Huddy
23-07-2008, 22:06
^^ agreed entirely.
2nd..
3rd, on every point :D
It's not just food prices that have gone up but I agree food hasn't gone up a huge amount. It's not the family budget killer that the governmant are banging on about anyway.
What annoys me is most cookery programs are rubbish. I wish there where more like river cottage, f-word, blumeanthal where they actually show you techniques, produce and other interesting stuff. Not just how to cook a normal meal in 20mins.
4thd! I love f-word & River Cottage, although I'm a very new River Cottage convert so I'll have to see if I can get some DVDs of old series or something.
I've noticed the rise in food costs, but I'm sure it's nothing to do with cookery programmes and more the economic issues that Will & Mark mentioned. I also noticed that when we went out and bought Leon ready meals for the 9 days I was away, it cost a LOT more than our normal shop, so I can't complain too much really. I REFUSE to buy battery farmed chicken or eggs, even as the prices go up and I now buy boneless thighs from a local farm shop instead of chicken breasts because they're cheaper, more nutricious and much tastier. I'm already growing courgettes, tomatoes and salad leaves in the garden this year. Next year I'll be trying to grow a little more. It all helps with the food bills :)
LeperousDust
03-08-2008, 13:20
Talking about cheap and chicken, i was thinking (although i haven't really looked into it properly yet) is it cheaper if i buy a whole chicken and taken it apart myself? Becuase it should be and i like the idea of the left over bones and using the whole chicken, but i'm unsure if i can compete with mass production? If this is true though i might start buying well rearer/organic chickens as they're more expensive but save the money taking them apart myself, and i have use bones and left overs for broths and soups :)
In the supermarket it doesn't seem to make much difference. Whole free range chicken is about £5.60-£5.90 per kilo and leg quarters are about the same. Wings are about £3 per kilo. Breast (CORRRRRRRRR ;))is a bit more expensive at about £12 per kilo but I only like it as part of a roast so I don't tend to buy breast meat seperately. So it depends what bits you eat.
It's getting cheaper though. Demand must be going up :)
LeperousDust
03-08-2008, 15:04
Well if i bought it i'd eat it all thats the point, it gets me using the whole bird which is nice, and also gets me not just being safe with breast/thighs. Whilst hopefully paying about the same price as the pre processed breasts and pre cut standard meat i already buy. I dunno i was just thinking about this yesterday myself, and found this (http://quamut.com/quamut/chicken/page/how_to_cut_a_whole_chicken_into_parts.html) too which seems good. I guess i'll have a look into this next time i'm around the shops :)
Agreed, something truly great about a roast chicken. It's delicious.
Good link. Keep the backbone and stick it in the freezer, then with the other bones when you have enough you can turn it into stock. I'd like to learn how to bone a chicken properly though, I'm always fumbling around with breasts not really knowing what to do.
Sorry, couldn't resist, all this talk about birds, breasts and boning is making me... hungry :p
a good friend of mine has built a small chicken coop in her back and keeps a few. she's loving it, gets some eggs now and again. she got a rooster a few weeks ago and it was making too much noise (stating the obvious love aye?) so it got snapped, plucked and roasted. even with all the costs of the coop and the food they're much cheaper keeping the hens and killing one when they fancy it than buyying from the supermaket.
i say when they fancy it, think it needs to hang a few days and stuff, not 100% but i know they ate it and it was tasty.
I wish I were more confident with food. I eat so much stuff that I really shouldn't. I'm getting a fair bit better with fruit and veg but have one hell of a long way to go even there. There is just no comparing supermarket food with homemade, no matter how healthy it is or claims to be. I'd love to be able to hand-prepare full meals. Trouble is I've yet to find a solution that copes with my lack of confidence, eyesight, and impatience. :(
It's possible this may be worthy of further discussion in a seperate thread. I don't know.
My Dad used to be able to make an impressive amount of meals for 3 people out of one chicken so if done correctly, it's certainly a cheap way of doing it :)
LeperousDust
03-08-2008, 19:07
I wish I were more confident with food. I eat so much stuff that I really shouldn't. I'm getting a fair bit better with fruit and veg but have one hell of a long way to go even there. There is just no comparing supermarket food with homemade, no matter how healthy it is or claims to be. I'd love to be able to hand-prepare full meals. Trouble is I've yet to find a solution that copes with my lack of confidence, eyesight, and impatience. :(
It's possible this may be worthy of further discussion in a seperate thread. I don't know.
Stew! Chops stuff up, throw stuff in, wait (get over your impatience, you'll nearly always have to wait with cooking) come back in a few hours, and tada! Yummy tasty you know whats in it, and its easy! Bag the rest up a freeze it and defrost in future as necessary :) (I haven't tried the freezing thing yet, but I've got into freezing everything recently, and I'm sure it'll work).
On the whole chicken front, M&S sometimes have cracking offers on their free rangers. I have one in the freezer at the moment which I got for about £4 and I'm going to be roasting it in a few weeks to christen my beautiful new kitchen :D
On the whole chicken front, M&S sometimes have cracking offers on their free rangers. I have one in the freezer at the moment which I got for about £4 and I'm going to be roasting it in a few weeks to christen my beautiful new kitchen :D
I forgot about that actually :o Saw some in M&S at the end of Sunday trading the other week for £2.50 :eek: Morrisons have had a few similar things on too near the end of the day.
Got to be careful with M&S because they market their Markham chickens very cleverly that make them look like they are free range when they aren't. It MUST say free range on it, not grade A or class A, otherwise it's a barn hen.
Tesco probably follow a close second in the misleading packaging stakes, I hate trying to buy the food I want in there.
I got brought up from a very young age to read all labels like a hawk, I'm better than my Mum at it now ;D
semi-pro waster
04-08-2008, 13:29
Stew! Chops stuff up, throw stuff in, wait (get over your impatience, you'll nearly always have to wait with cooking) come back in a few hours, and tada! Yummy tasty you know whats in it, and its easy! Bag the rest up a freeze it and defrost in future as necessary :) (I haven't tried the freezing thing yet, but I've got into freezing everything recently, and I'm sure it'll work).
Freezing works fine for any stew that I've tried, the only thing is that it tends to make the meal mushier when reheated or at least it does for the vegetables.
Something like a simple marrow provencal style dish with boiled new potatos is nice and pretty quick. Onion, tin of peeled plum tomatoes, pepper, marrow/courgette, mushrooms, tomato puree are the basic ingredients I use but you can add more depending on what you have or what is in season.
1. Chop up all the ingredients before you start
2. Fry the onions in a big saucepan with about two-three tablespoons of olive/sunflower oil until they start to go translucent
3. Add the chopped marrow and pepper, fry for another 5 minutes or so
4. Add the tomatoes (drained will produce a thicker sauce) and tomato puree then cook for another couple of minutes.
5. Add the chopped mushrooms and cook for another 5 minutes until all veg is softish but still al dente.
6. Serve, if you've started the potatoes boiling at the same time as you started cooking the onions then they should be done as well. The times might need a little bit of adjusting as I usually play about with them as I go but that is the rough gist of it.
Got to be careful with M&S because they market their Markham chickens very cleverly that make them look like they are free range when they aren't. It MUST say free range on it, not grade A or class A, otherwise it's a barn hen.
Tesco probably follow a close second in the misleading packaging stakes, I hate trying to buy the food I want in there.Yeah Tesco do that Willow Farm stuff that's ultimately from Barn Hens don't they? It's all in green organicy looking packaging to make you think it's free range.
Yup, with a picture of the farmer's face on it and his name and signature. What a joke.
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