Why does anybody buy . . .

[Anna N]

I had no idea pre-cooked bacon even existed! The idea of it is confusing to me. Unless you want the bacon cold, you have to cook it anyway, yes?

. . .

←

Pre-cooked bacon takes a minute or less in the microwave/under the broiler/in a pan to re-heat and you can have almost instant:

BLT's

Bacon and cheese melts

Topping for a salad

Extra flavour component in a soup

Topping for baked potatoes, potato skins, etc.

I can't even begin to list the ways I use my own pre-cooked bacon!

[Domestic Goddess]

PLK, ditto on the peanut butter with jelly stripes. I for one only want the peanut butter, only hubby and youngest son likes PB&J sandwiches.

[prasantrin]

Kraft Dinner

Because I am lucky enough to have a young granddaughter who comes once a week for dinner and loves the stuff.

←

Does she love it even more than her grandmother's homemade mac&cheese?

Microwave popcorn is another one I don't understand. It takes so little time/energy to make it on the stovetop, and it tastes better, too! Plus you don't get that awful smell permeating your house or office. Sure it's convenient, but what else other than convenience does it have to offer?

Then again, burnt popcorn made on the stovetop doesn't smell very good, either!

[Anna N]

Kraft Dinner

Because I am lucky enough to have a young granddaughter who comes once a week for dinner and loves the stuff.

←

Does she love it even more than her grandmother's homemade mac&cheese?

←

I am afraid so - she also likes canned mushroom soup better than Nana's! In her defence she loves duck, lobster and crab but only the duck is likely to appear on her plate here!

[HungryChris]

Why do some fast food places have a small, medium and large soft drink with unlimited refills?

HC

[racheld]

fairy bread spread?

I know I'll need to explain this childhood treat. Basically, it is white bread spread with butter and then "hundreds and thousands" spread on top of that. You make a sandwich, cut it into triangles and have Fairy Bread. It is a staple at children's birthday parties, but I have noted that you can buy margarine with the hundreds and thousands in it.

←

I just re-read a dear old familiar Agatha Christie story in which the murder weapon was hundreds and thousands---I've always thought of them as "pink-fetti." Chris fondly remembers butter-and-sugar sandwiches from childhood, and the thought of that sandy crunch makes me cringe.

Already cubed cheese, several flavors, mounded on a plate and stuck full of toothpicks.

But I think Fairy Bread would be right at home at our house.

[Genny]

OMG, I think I get the Fairy Spread thing though! You know when you cream butter and sugar for cookies? And you just have to taste it? (C'mon, you know you do it!!) I have never thought to put that on Wonder Bread but it would be amazing and something kids would adore.

Why does the store cut regular size carrots and shove them in a cup of water and sell it for 3x the amount of baby carrots and 6x the cost of full size carrots. Who buys these??? They are inferior and less convenient to a bag of "baby" carrots. Or rings of red onion? 1 knife + 1 onion= rings. Its not magic! And when you do it yourself, they are not dried out or water clogged.

Haas avocados were on sale here this week so I bought 2 and one lime and smashed a quick guacamole up for my women's group. Someone asked incredulously, "You made this?!?" ummmmm, yep. How freakin hard is it to cut open an avocado, squeeze 1/2 lime and sprinkle some salt and fork it together?? Bagged guac is just gross.

In the season isle: mixed sugar and cinnamon. WTF?

Other items mentioned:

Water: nope, here in AZ, we keep a fridge stocked outside with both still and bubbly to grab-n-go.

Yeast packets: recipes often specify the number of packets rather than the weight or measure so I recently purchased these too!

Convenience microwave foods: get them for the MIL who lives on her own and can't really cook for herself too well anymore and doesn't want to eat much. They may be gross but if she's eating this over the stuff I prepare and freeze for her then at least she's eating something!

Whipped Cream: OK, I buy this when I'm going to someone's house with dessert. I admit it! And the can in the mouth thing never gets old, no matter how old I get. BUT, I do have the isi CO2 whip cannister and use it at home. Equally fun! I just don't want to leave it at someone's house.

[Margo]

Pre-skewered uncooked shrimp?

Pre-skewered uncooked kabobs? Beef, onion, and pepper pieces touching each other for who knows how long in the grocery "butcher" case just grosses me out.

"Stew meat" = unevenly-sized pieces of who knows what end of the cow. Cutting up a piece of chuck is usually less expensive and you know what you're getting.

[Chris Hennes]

I don't understand the knock against yeast packets. On average I probably make a dozen loaves of non-sourdough non-quick bread over a year - since yeast has a shelf life, it is cheaper to buy a few packets to have on hand for when the whim strikes me.

Kraft Mac n Cheese, scary-looking stuff that it is, is the stuff of my childhood. Every now and again I just *want* some. Yes, on some level my homemade is "better," but it doesn't always hit the right spot.

American cheese, on the other hand... doesn't your deli sell slices of real cheddar? You don't even get the convenience points here, they are the same! Repeat after me: "cheese is not orange!"

[SundaySous]

Neon green dill relish? It's an abomination I tell you.

[Fat Guy]

I don't understand the knock against yeast packets. On average I probably make a dozen loaves of non-sourdough non-quick bread over a year - since yeast has a shelf life, it is cheaper to buy a few packets to have on hand for when the whim strikes me.

←

But it's not cheaper. The standard supermarket price for a 3-pack of .25-ounce packets of Fleischmann's yeast is $3.45 (though I've seen it for less on occasion). But for $3.29 you can get an entire pound of Saf yeast and you can get actual Fleischmann's for $3.69 a pound. That's 23 cents an ounce versus $4.60 an ounce (search for "yeast" under "gourmet food" on Amazon.com for a quick price comparison of several products). So it's exactly 20 times cheaper per ounce to buy a pound, and the overall purchase price is roughly equivalent as between a pound and .75 ounces. If one truly only uses .75 ounces of yeast before all the yeast dies, then the full-pound purchase is wasteful, but that stuff lasts a good long time especially if you refrigerate it and even more so if you freeze it -- freezing has worked for me for well over a year.

[faine]

This is tangentially related, but has anyone seen the recent news articles reporting that, on average, it takes roughly the same time to warm up pre-packaged food as it does to cook? (Of course, I'm wondering what, exactly, these people were cooking...)

I've been known to eat a microwaveable meal or two. It's not the optimal situation, but if you're working, don't have any palatable left-overs in the house, and would like something more then a sandwich, they're an okay option. Heateatreview.com can generally point out the microwaveable delights actually worth purchasing.

Kraft Mac and Cheese is something I'd never eat in the privacy of my own home, but it's pretty awesome backpacking food. After logging a very long day on the trail, something about a big, gloppy pot of the Kraft stuff with lumps of government cheese, nutmeg, and onion powder is transformative.

[Anna N]

This is tangentially related, but has anyone seen the recent news articles reporting that, on average, it takes roughly the same time to warm up pre-packaged food as it does to cook? (Of course, I'm wondering what, exactly, these people were cooking...)

. . .

←

As you note, it depends on what you are re-heating but I think anyone who knows their way around a kitchen can get a very presentable meal on the table in 30 minutes. It won't be a stew from scratch or a whole chicken but fish, steaks, chicken pieces, pork tenderloin, chops, etc., together with a salad and some bread shouldn't take any more than half an hour start to finish. There are many, many pasta dishes that can make it to the table in even less time. So I guess it depends on comparing apples to apples and one would have to see what the news article was based on before coming to any conclusions.

[maggiethecat]

But it's not cheaper. The standard supermarket price for a 3-pack of .25-ounce packets of Fleischmann's yeast is $3.45 (though I've seen it for less on occasion). But for $3.29 you can get an entire pound of Saf yeast and you can get actual Fleischmann's for $3.69 a pound. That's 23 cents an ounce versus $4.60 an ounce (search for "yeast" under "gourmet food" on Amazon.com for a quick price comparison of several products). So it's exactly 20 times cheaper per ounce to buy a pound, and the overall purchase price is roughly equivalent as between a pound and .75 ounces. If one truly only uses .75 ounces of yeast before all the yeast dies, then the full-pound purchase is wasteful, but that stuff lasts a good long time especially if you refrigerate it and even more so if you freeze it -- freezing has worked for me for well over a year.

Absolute fact. We get a pound of yeast from King Arthur's, keep it in the freezer, (once for well over a year) with no loss of umph. We once worked out the savings over the .25 ounce packets and came up with the 20X cheaper formula too.

[moreace01]

I do not understand why people buy jarred salsa (Pace, etc). That's just gross. I can think of no applications where jarred salsa is preferable to fresh (well, perhaps that velveeta + salsa concoction on Super Bowl Sunday - but that's about it).

[Genny]

But it's not cheaper. The standard supermarket price for a 3-pack of .25-ounce packets of Fleischmann's yeast is $3.45 (though I've seen it for less on occasion). But for $3.29 you can get an entire pound of Saf yeast and you can get actual Fleischmann's for $3.69 a pound. That's 23 cents an ounce versus $4.60 an ounce (search for "yeast" under "gourmet food" on Amazon.com for a quick price comparison of several products). So it's exactly 20 times cheaper per ounce to buy a pound, and the overall purchase price is roughly equivalent as between a pound and .75 ounces. If one truly only uses .75 ounces of yeast before all the yeast dies, then the full-pound purchase is wasteful, but that stuff lasts a good long time especially if you refrigerate it and even more so if you freeze it -- freezing has worked for me for well over a year.

Absolute fact. We get a pound of yeast from King Arthur's, keep it in the freezer, (once for well over a year) with no loss of umph. We once worked out the savings over the .25 ounce packets and came up with the 20X cheaper formula too.

←

OK OK OK, I'll buy the bigger size and keep it in my freezer already! Maybe it will force me to bake more, um, then eat more of my baked goods and gain back some of that weight I've worked so hard to lose!

[Cleo]

But, canned mushrooms?

I have to admit that I like canned mushrooms. I mean, I wouldn't make them the main ingredient and focus of a dish that I was serving to anyone, but I do keep them in the cabinet.

I work full time and have 2 kids (ages 3 and 1), and I do cook many nights of the week. But on occasion, when it's late and I'm having a bowl of spaghetti with jarred marinara sauce (gasp! but it is Rao's sauce), canned mushrooms thrown in there aren't so bad. I also put capers in there too.

[Tangelo]

Why does anyone buy a can of whipped cream when you can get a pint of cream, whip it and it tastes a hell of a lot better?

←

At the risk of sharing too much, there is a level of erm...convenience and well, um...aim to be gotten from the can. Besides, bringing a whole mixing bowl and spoon in the bedroom is just so obvious, right?

[prasantrin]

But, canned mushrooms?

I have to admit that I like canned mushrooms. I mean, I wouldn't make them the main ingredient and focus of a dish that I was serving to anyone, but I do keep them in the cabinet.

←

I kind of like them, too, but mostly because they don't taste like button mushrooms. They're much less fungus-y tasting (I hate button mushrooms). But I still don't buy them.

[Peter the eater]

After some reflection, I believe canned veggies that I have tasted are not necessarily worse than pickled, frozen or fresh - just different. I love cans of corn, peas, asparagus, beans, etc. for the differences you can only get with the can. There is no shame in buying cans!

[Syrah]

But it's not cheaper. The standard supermarket price for a 3-pack of .25-ounce packets of Fleischmann's yeast is $3.45 (though I've seen it for less on occasion). But for $3.29 you can get an entire pound of Saf yeast and you can get actual Fleischmann's for $3.69 a pound. That's 23 cents an ounce versus $4.60 an ounce (search for "yeast" under "gourmet food" on Amazon.com for a quick price comparison of several products). So it's exactly 20 times cheaper per ounce to buy a pound, and the overall purchase price is roughly equivalent as between a pound and .75 ounces. If one truly only uses .75 ounces of yeast before all the yeast dies, then the full-pound purchase is wasteful, but that stuff lasts a good long time especially if you refrigerate it and even more so if you freeze it -- freezing has worked for me for well over a year.

Absolute fact. We get a pound of yeast from King Arthur's, keep it in the freezer, (once for well over a year) with no loss of umph. We once worked out the savings over the .25 ounce packets and came up with the 20X cheaper formula too.

←

The yeast I buy in a canister says right on the packet that you can put it in the fridge or freezer. It works just fine and I always have it.

[Syrah]

fairy bread spread?

I know I'll need to explain this childhood treat. Basically, it is white bread spread with butter and then "hundreds and thousands" spread on top of that. You make a sandwich, cut it into triangles and have Fairy Bread. It is a staple at children's birthday parties, but I have noted that you can buy margarine with the hundreds and thousands in it.

←

I just re-read a dear old familiar Agatha Christie story in which the murder weapon was hundreds and thousands---I've always thought of them as "pink-fetti." Chris fondly remembers butter-and-sugar sandwiches from childhood, and the thought of that sandy crunch makes me cringe.

Already cubed cheese, several flavors, mounded on a plate and stuck full of toothpicks.

But I think Fairy Bread would be right at home at our house.

←

Give it a go and let me know. Trust me, spreading the butter and then the hundreds and thousands is simple, but you have to use white bread.

The more modern version involves nutella, but we never had that growing up.

[John]

Light or "lite beer" Especially when there are so many quality beers available. I think light beer is for people who really don't like beer. If it's calories that you're concerned about, have one quality beer rather than 2 or 3 light beers. I hate that stuff so much that when I go to my inlaws who are Coors Light drinkers, I bring my own beer. They call me a beer snob, but as the renowned philosopher Yogi Berra once said, "life is too short to drink lousy beer."

Reduced fat hot dogs. Same principle applies.

Hot dogs containing poultry or veggie hot dogs. Just awful. Why bother? God intended hot dogs to be either all beef or a mixture of beef/pork or beef/pork/veal.

[Peter the eater]

Reduced fat hot dogs.

At a barbecue this summer, someone was dispatched to get more hot dogs, and came back with a low fat variety that was unlike anything I had ever seen. On the grill they developed pale blisters and then caught fire. Nobody ate them, and the label actually said "not recommended for barbecue". Imagine that.

[John]

I've heard that the same warning is on the packages of many brands of veggie and/or tofu dogs. Once I attempted to actually pick up a pack and read the label, but I couldn't do it. I broke out in a cold sweat and got the heebie jeebies.