Food Foolishness: Why Make it When You can Buy it?

[annabelle]

Mac and cheese.  It's fast, cheap and tasty.

[gfweb]

Define "convenience food" please

[David Hensley]

Define "convenience food" please

 

I agree with Gfweb...a bit more definition is in order, I think...

 

I'd be glad to share my opinions( as usual! ) but would like a bit more detail in the question...

[masseystudent01]

Convenience foods as in foods that are ready to eat foods that can be eaten straight from a packet. Or other examples include frozen TV dinners or canned soup that needs reheating. Hope that definition helps  

Also, I am referring to foods we buy and not make ourselves

[gfweb]

Snack foods like potato chips,salsa, tortilla chips.

 

Spaghetti sauce for whenever I don't feel like screwing around making it myself.

 

Caviar.

[gfweb]

Baked goods also fit your definition.

 

Esp TastyKakes.

[Tri2Cook]

Caviar.

I suppose that technically falls within the given definition... but I feel pretty confident that not even the most dedicated of caviar connoisseurs has a sturgeon tank in their backyard so they can make their own.  

 

[SylviaLovegren]

I still have a thing for many Campbell soups.  Don't use them in cooking, but like them for lunch every now and then, especially when feeling poorly.

 

Some frozen vegetables -- corn, peas, limas, okra.  And a few mixed vegetable medleys on hand. 

 

When we lived in the States, we had a lot of TJ prepared foods in the pantry and the freezer but haven't found a replacement so far in Canada. 

[Shel_B]

One convenience food that is almost always in the freezer is TJ's masala burgers.  I always buy a few at a time ...

 

http://forums.egullet.org/topic/144746-trader-joes-products-2012/page-6?hl=%2Bmasala+%2Bburger#entry1928679

[BeeZee]

packaged peeled "baby" carrots. Yes, I know they are larger carrots trimmed down and treated (ironically...my husband's friend worked on the original equipment design and didn't file a patent, so he lost out on a payday). It ensures that a healthy snack is easily available for my lazy husband (he dips in hummous).

[Chris Hennes]

Wasn't there a whole thread on this a month or so ago? Stuff we buy instead of make?

 

I believe you are thinking of "Heck, I can buy That, and then I'll have more time to do This!"

[Franci]

We moved to the US in September and I really miss some stuff from Picard http://www.picard.fr: loved their shelled fava beans and artichokes hearts. Here I get edemame that are hard to find in Europe. I also used to get their potatoes pure' (or chestnut) very convenient because they cut it in batonnes and it's just potatoes, I used in my croquettes all the times.

I buy canned sardines from Spain and sometimes pita bread or naan.

[David Hensley]

When fresh ones are out of season, I'll gladly use canned tomatoes. I've no problems with canned beans, either, if time is a factor. Aside from beans and tomatoes, I just won't use vegetables that have been "canned".

 

When dealing with frozen items, I like a lot of things that I probably shouldn't....Corn, Peas, Artichokes, some beans, like Limas.

 

Aside from that, though, I tend to not use too many "convenience" items.

[Simon Lewinson]

My latest find is a pre made sate sauce. This one us as good as I have eaten in Malaysia or Indonesia and takes seconds to make.

http://bali-goods.com/food-seasoning/se22.html

[lindag]

I have found that frozen corn is not what it used to be. Must be something to do with the recent drought. I'm having to used canned corn instead, and it is really quite good.

[Shel_B]

Trader Joe's Rice Medley: 

 

http://www.cooktj.com/node/4148

Edited April 11, 2014 by Shel_B (log)

[Beebs]

Kraft Dinner.

 

Also frozen dumplings (jiaozi) and frozen perogies.

[Plantes Vertes]

Puff pastry would happen rarely at my house without the Jus-Roll brand.

[Darienne]

And there would never be puff pastry in mine, nor phyllo, without commercially available brands.  And who could live without having Spanakopita?

[scubadoo97]

Sandwich Bread and tortillas

Edited April 12, 2014 by scubadoo97 (log)

[annabelle]

Definitely agree about the phyllo dough and puff pastry.