Convenience Food Love and Marriage

[Carrot Top]

Boxes of cake mix, bags of potato chips. Cartons of frozen fried chicken, bagged saucer shapes of frozen pizza. The endless variety of convenience foods that are consumed by the general public is a neverending parade of ingredients with recipes created in food labs to be made in factories for mass consumption.

What do you think the attraction is, for those people who use convenience foods to the extent that they are the mainstay of their diets?

Is it lack of education in the ways of cookery or food? Is it lack of time? Lack of money or some sort of thinking process that has to do with money? An attraction to the way they taste? Lack of interest in food at all? Or some sort of more ethereal thing?

What do you think the main reason is. . among people who love and use convenience foods on a daily basis, for their doing so?

I am curious to see what everyone thinks. Can it be sorted out at all or is it just a hash of all-sorts-of-reasons. . .

[Chris Amirault]

For the many people that I know who use convenience foods regularly, it is both a lack of time and a lack of pleasure in cooking. Those who enjoy cooking and baking find the time to do so.

[ivan]

I think many people are enthusiastic eaters without having the slightest interest in learning how to cook. I think it's common, and I think they keep our economy healthy. If everyone had the time and inclination to cook from scratch, supermarkets would be one-third their present size, Kraft Foods would collapse, millions of fast-food workers would be layed off.... It's the same in many industries, like for instance the computer game industry. The vast majority of consumers are happy to use the commercial products as they are released. Only a tiny minority is inclined to figure out how to write their own.

[Kris]

Laziness

[TPO]

I think mass media spends a lot of time and money convincing people that they are too busy to cook and the food industry spends a lot of money finding out what tastes so good to us that we will be unable to consume enough of it.

[Megan Blocker]

Laziness

←

I disagree. I think some people just don't like to cook, kind of like how I just hate playing backgammon. To many people, it is a stimulating and entertaining activity, and to others it is dull as dirt.

Though it's hard for me (and most of us) to imagine such a thing, I would think that many people feel the same away about cooking.

[cindyr]

perhaps we should stop cutting courses like home ec. or offer one with a more appealing title like "boiling water 101"...sounds kind of like a food network program though.

[SuzySushi]

To what Chris said ("lack of time and a lack of pleasure in cooking") I'd add "average taste buds and a less-than-burning interest in food." There are, after all, a lot of people who think chain restaurants like the Olive Garden are the epitome of fine dining. Not everyone's a gourmet.

[cakewalk]

What do you think the attraction is, for those people who use convenience foods to the extent that they are the mainstay of their diets?

What do you think the main reason is. .  among people who love and use convenience foods on a daily basis, for their doing so?

←

You answered the question right there. I think most people who use convenience foods love them. And so, let them enjoy.

[Carrot Top]

In asking the question, I did not intend to cast any dispersions upon those who use convenience food, nor did I wish to seemingly bestow any benefits of any sort upon those who do not.

It is every bit as interesting to me to ask the question "what is the reason some people like to focus on using fresh foods each day for majority of their meals" but that is a question that, at least to my mind, is more easily sort-outable and more easily understood.

This subject seems to arouse some interesting thoughts, and in previous threads I have noticed that it also seems to arouse some strong feelings.

So, I am just trying to see what people say and think about it. . .maybe I'll learn something. Maybe it is finally unanswerable in terms of exact "reasons" but it is really fun to see what various people's "takes" on the subject are, and also to see if there is any trend or consistency in what their "takes" are.

I'm just feeling chatty, you know. I hope you'll indulge me by giving more and more good answers. . .

[tejon]

I think another thing to consider is the fact that fewer people know how to cook today than did in the past. Before the age of convenience foods if you were hungry, someone cooked the food, whether it was you or a spouse or parent or servant. Cooking was truly a survival skill for most people at that time, and it was a skill that was passed down through families. Today a person can get live without ever learning to do so much as butter toast, so mainly those who enjoy cooking or who focus on food tend to learn how to cook in the first place.

[viva]

I don't think it's a black/white "eat pre-packaged food"/"don't eat pre-packaged food" issue.

There's the time factor - during the week, I travel and am away from home - there's no food that I consume being prepared by me at all! (Although I feel I can give you a very fair assessment of almost every American restaurant chain!!) If I am working in my home town, I'm working 12-15 hour days. Sometimes there's no scenario in which preparing a dinner myself is possible, so yes - stopping at the grocery or the fast food establishment on the way home looks like a very attractive option in order to let my head hit the pillow as quickly as possible. Hell, sometimes I've eaten Lunchables out of the vending machine for dinner. I don't want the Lunchables. I don't like the Lunchables. But they were there and were pretty much the option. Now, on the weekend when my time is my own?? I cook up a storm. I even try to make enough so that, if I'm at home, there's leftovers during the week and I don't have to resort to the pre-prepared foods. But I don't always succeed.

Also about marginal value vs. additional effort... I pick up ham salad at my gourmet grocery - I'm sure I could make my own, but theirs is pretty tasty. The marginal value I would get out of making my own is pretty small. The marginal value is much bigger for me on other items.

There's also a matter of degree... while most who have posted here won't buy pre-made fried chicken, I'd bet that many will pick up a box of crackers rather than spending the whole day rolling out cracker dough and baking it.

Just some thoughts for those who might make a very large, very general, and fairly negative stereotype about "those people who eat pre-prepared foods."

[Daniel Rogov]

I cannot help but think that the reason is precisely in the name of these food items: "convenience".

Simply stated, nowhere is it written that all people in all place and in all situations will gain enormous amounts of pleasure in the well turned omelet. Most people eat not so much for pleasure as they do because they are hungry and if they judge the food as "good enough", that's fine with them. And I for one will be the last to find fault with these people.

[binkyboots]

I concur.

Though I cook a lot from scratch there are prepacked foods I use, I'm sure nobody here could claim otherwise! I enjoy the process of making fresh pasta, I do it when I feel like it, but on a busy day when the important thing is to get a meal on the table fast I use dried or prepacked fresh. I dont use tinned ready pasta sauces, it's cheaper and nicer to make our own., but I do buy prebagged salad fairly often.

It is true though that I no longer buy ready meals, premade pizzas, shepherds pie, etc, partly budget concerns, it's always cheaper to buy the bits and make them into food than to pay someone else to do it. Partly health, I know what's in my families meals. And finally, I get a great deal of satisfaction from cooking, strangely as I cant eat the things I make, but the sight of a loaf of bread cooling gives me a feeling which is like (sounds wierd) watching a cat curl up in a pool of sunlight. Warm and happy.

I know I'm lucky, I have the time to do this (just) by juggling my other responsibilities and getting up early.

But, when I got married I coudn't cook, our school never did any cooking with us, we lived on frozen meals or fast food. I'm so ashamed, lol, then one day I made a batch of cookies and that was that, I started reading cookbooks, experimenting and finally realised that not being able to cook was a state of mind. But yep, there was a time when bread was white sliced, pizzas and lasagnes came from the freezer and the biggest descision I had to make about dinner was whether to microwave it or put the oven on.

[jackal10]

There are many to whom food is just fuel. They have no interest in it or its preparation

Others are afraid of "bugs" or other nasties that they feel buying package food protects them.

All of us are time poor

[browniebaker]

I think I know good food from bad, and I much prefer made-from-scratch to convenience foods just for the superior taste alone.

However, I did grow up with certain convenience foods that now have a place in my heart just for the retro, nostalgic charm. I feel like a child again when I have Pillsbury crescent rolls rolled in chopped scallions like mom used to make, or iced fruit-filled turnovers that we used to bake up as a treat when we watched TV together as a family, or the boxed cold cereals we used to eat on rushed mornings before school such as Fruity Pebbles, Cheerios, and Corn Pops.

When I'm having convenience foods, I know I'm slumming it, but it's campy, retro fun.

[Rinsewind]

I prefer made from scratch (well, most of the time-- I do confess to the occasional weakness for Cap'n Crunch or Kraft Macaroni and cheese...). I love to cook. BUT I grew up with a mom who loathed cooking, so I pretty much grew up on convenience foods. Getting to know some good cooks and living in France while a college student opened my eyes to what good food really is. It took a while to train my tastebuds to prefer things with less salt, less sugar, fewer chemicals. Honestly, if that's what you grow up eating, fresh food tastes... weird. I work full time, and manage to get a dinner made without convenience foods on the table most nights, but I do admit to the occasional frozen lasagne or even doctored Hamburger Helper. It didn't kill me growing up, so I figure once in a while won't hurt. I am one example of the product of a household where there were no adults who liked to cook.

Don't discount the influence of advertising either. We are constantly bombarded with ads that tell us how much fast/easier/even *more* tasty (and inexpensive) prepackaged actually is. It took me a while to figure out that a cake, made from scratch, really doesn't take much longer than a mix, and generally tastes a whole lot better. Kids are particularly susceptible-- I've got a four year old and a one year old. The one year old cheerfully eats vegetables, fruits, all kinds of fresh food. The four year old, though he watches 30 minutes a day of television, still manages to see enough advertisement that he wants the food he sees advertised. He also gets a lot of industrial food at daycare, and now prefers it to my cooking. Why? It's *meant* for an unsophisticated palet-- sugary or salty, crunchy or bland, it's easier for him to like.

[TPO]

Don't discount the influence of advertising either. We are constantly bombarded with ads that tell us how much fast/easier/even *more* tasty (and inexpensive) prepackaged actually is. It took me a while to figure out that a cake, made from scratch, really doesn't take much longer than a mix, and generally tastes a whole lot better. Kids are particularly susceptible-- I've got a four year old and a one year old. The one year old cheerfully eats vegetables, fruits, all kinds of fresh food. The four year old, though he watches 30 minutes a day of television, still manages to see enough advertisement that he wants the food he sees advertised. He also gets a lot of industrial food at daycare, and now prefers it to my cooking. Why? It's *meant* for an unsophisticated palet-- sugary or salty, crunchy or bland, it's easier for him to like.

←

Advertising is a big part of it. It not only tells us what tastes good, but it also goes a long way in telling us we are too busy to make things. Look at the popularity of frozen peanut butter and jelly sandwiches -- an item that may take less time to make yourself than to thaw the frozen version. And takeout food -- if you don't live in an area where restaurants deliver, it can take a lot longer to go pick up a meal than to make something quick out of pantry staples.

For me, convenience foods like Supper Bakes and Rice-a-Roni are different from shortcut foods like pasta and crackers. Convenience foods are almost all made for you, you just throw in an ingredient or two and bake. And in exchange for the convenience, you get a lot of sodium and high fructose corn syrup which tastes good, but isn't necessarily good for you. Shortcut foods like pasta, crackers, frozen vegetables, and shredded cheese save time but, for the most part, don't come loaded with the stuff that isn't good for you and can be used to make a healthy meal.

I look at cooking healthy meals most nights as a good investment of my time. When I eat better I feel better and I get tired and sick less often. I don't make everything from scratch, but for the most part I use shortcut foods and then eat convenience foods and restauarant meals in moderation.

[KitchenMom]

I use convencience foods a lot more than I'd like to. I love good food. I love to cook. I don't especially love the taste of convience foods. So why do I do it? Simple - lack of time.

I work a pretty demanding job and I have two young children - 2 and 4. By the time I pick them up from daycare and get home, there is often an hour or less to get dinner together. I can either disappear into the kitchen or spend that hour with my kids, who are clamoring for my attention. Sometimes the older one helps in the kitchen (he loves to cook), but the little one is still to small to be anything but a major distraction.

I try not to use convenience food more than I have to. I don't use those things that are just as easy to make from scratch, but I do use pre-shredded cheese, bagged salads, pre-made sauces and sometimes salad dressing (though I really hate these and it is so easy to throw together a good vinaigrette). I feed my kids frozen fish sticks and chicken nuggets, though I buy the healthiest ones I can find, w/no trans-fats, etc. I occasionally make mac and cheese from a box, buy pre-grilled chicken strips from Trader Joe's, pre-made soup, etc.

Believe me, if I had time, I would do a lot more myself, and make much more interesting meals than I usually manage to pull together. I look forward to the day my kids are a little older and this will all be easier.

Oh-lest you ask why I don't do more prep the night before or something like that - my kids aren't great sleepers, and usually by the time they are in bed I'm so exhausted it's all I can do to sit at the computer for a little while before falling into bed.

[Carrot Top]

This has turned out to be even more fascinating than I imagined, with more answers given in differing categories than I would have supposed!

Nineteen answers so far, and here's how it breaks down:

Lack of time. . .2

Lack of pleasure in cooking. . .3

Laziness. . .1

Mass media brainwashing/advertising. . .3

Lack of interest in "being a gourmet". . .2

Love. . .1

Lack of cooking skills. . . 1

Convenience. . .2

Fear of "bugs". . .1

Retro fun. . .1

Familiarity. . .1

Ah, the human race. And the human race most particularly on eGullet!

The original post was meant to address people who ate only and solely convenience foods, but I did not phrase it well enough to make that clear. . but so what. That's a far reach, usually, to be form fitted into one type.

My own reason, the main one that stands out in memory in the times I've fallen deeply into the use of convenience foods, is. . .well this sounds extreme but it is true on a deeper level than the superficial. . .has been despair.

Food is always endowed with emotive qualities in my mind, so it is not that unusual, really. I use convenience food when I am too tired to think, too empty emotionally to give. So I will add Despair to the list of reasons.

Are there more answers out there? Will there be any sort of heavy weight given to any one answer over another? Tell us more. . .

[Smithy]

I think it's partly convenience and partly (as Tejon suggested) a general lack of cooking skills because they've been missing for a generation or two. For some of us, TV dinners, Chef Boy-ar-dee™ and Rice-a-Roni™ are examples of the "innovative" foods that came out when we were children, and that freed someone - usually our mothers - from the kitchens. Remember, in the early 1940's a lot of women went into the work force because the men were off to war. When the men came back, the women didn't necessarily want to stay home any more; they'd learned the satisfaction of working outside the home. In the 1950's and 1960's they were starting to work outside the home in grand scale. There's only so much time available, however, as a number of posters have already noted. So, what do you do? I remember my mother coming home from work, frazzled, and working to get dinner on the table. (As my sister and I got older, we helped some. I blush now that I didn't help more than I did.) Our meals were always standard middle-American square meals: meat, potatoes (or rice, if we were to have gravy), green vegetables, maybe yellow vegetables too, and fruit salad; dessert later. We didn't have enough money for things like Rice-a-Roni™ or Chef Boy-ar-dee™, although I clamored for them (advertising was potent back then too), but I remember clearly when Hamburger Helper™ hit the scene. What a revelation: it was within our budget, and all Mom had to do was mix in the burger, maybe some water, and the main dish was done!

In the 1950's, '60's and '70's the food available at the local market was much more dependent on the season and location than it is now, and there was far less variety. There weren't fruits and vegetables being shipped in from the southern hemisphere during the off-season. There was far less interest in what we call ethnic foods - that is, dishes from outside your own culture, whatever that might have been - and if you were interested, you'd have had the devil's own time finding the ingredients. Packaged foods changed that by adding variety and removing the need for local or seasonally-available ingredients.

The upshot of all this history lesson (I sound like such a geezer) is that many of us are the descendents of a trend toward spending less time in the kitchen because it was drudgery, with limited options. Convenience foods cut down on the time and opened up options as well, by offering "exotic" (yes, even Hamburger Helper™) dishes the home cook never would have dreamed up. I realize there were exceptions, but keep in mind that Julia Child was a revelation in the 1960's, and she only slowly began to help people realize that good food could be made at home, the ingredients were there to be had, and other cultures had something we could readily learn.

This clearly doesn't address why people live now entirely on convenience foods - I'd have to go with "convenience", "laziness", "lack of imagination" and MAYBE "indifference to food"* as the most likely reasons. But there is a historical element at play here, and some of us are old enough to remember the change.

Nancy "quick, where's my cane?" Smith

*Given the rampant obesity in the U.S.A. I'm not so sure that indifference to food is a widespread phenomenon. But that's a topic for another thread.

[LynDel]

Based on conversations I've had with my mother:

1. prefers convenience food because she says she's too lazy to cook

2. never enjoyed cooking

But now that she's almost 60 years old, her arthritis has become an issue. Where she used to clean and prep items for make a fresh salad, her hands are no longer comfortable to do so.

We grew up with DelMonte canned veggies but I've always tried picking up different fresh vegetables and learning how to cook them. In her opinion, she's amazed by that. I try to show her how easy it really is but she still isn't interested in cooking fresh. She's got a bit of a "I can't be bothered" attitude. She seems content with her frozen veggies (no more canned to avoid the sodium LOL)

Convenience foods for me:

Ice cream

Shake n' Bake mixes (pork and chicken) for a change of pace

Box mix to make pie dough or ready made frozen crust

instant pudding mix

jello

canned fruit in the winter. In the summer we can go to those u-pick farms

When it comes to pizza, I would rather go to a pizza place or make my own. I've never cared for the frozen pizza.

[lcdm]

Here are some things I use and why:

Box cake mix and pre-made pie crust (pilsbury rollout kind):

Don't make cakes and pies/tarts very often and to be honest theirs taste better than mine.

Salad bar salad items: I don't have to buy and store all the items (which usually go bad before I would end up using them), I don't have to wash and chop all the items. I just buy the stuff I know I will use and rinse before use.

Canned soup: Time and convinience, when there is nothing in the house or the kids are starving it is very easy to heat up a can of soup. If I have the time I will make my own and freeze some.

[BarbaraY]

I think of a young couple that I knew some years ago. They seemed to think birth control meant keeping baby inside till they got to the hospital so they had two toddlers and one on the way.

They lived on convenience foods. I pointed out to her that chickens were on a very good sale that week and they could be cut up and frozen, etc, etc. They had no interest because she didn't have a clue on cooking from scratch and didn't want to try.

As for my household, we occasioanlly use some convenience foods. Tonight we're having frozen ravioli with purchased sauce. I will make a fresh salad of greens, cucumber and tomato with home made vinaigrette.

Why frozen ravioli? I am elderly with a bad back and a bad shoulder, I've had a very busy day and want ravioli so this is how I get them. Do I know how to make ravioli from scratch? Of course I do. I learned when I was seventeen.

This is unusual for us, my disabled daughter and myself, but nice to have good quality frozen ravioli available instead of the nasty canned things that I grew up with.

[kdl1221]

My number one reason... I am going with money, at least for the under 30ish crowd. I have seen frozen lasagnas at the store for like 5.99 for a 9x13 I guess. You can get veggie, or sausage or beef. If I make it from scratch? Well, obviously mine is going to blow that prague out of the water... but, (and maybe it is just my recipe) it is going to cost WAY more than 5.99.

I ran to the store tonight to get more butter. As I turned away from the butter I noticed some frozen stir fry vegetables. It is a 2 lb bag (maybe?) with lo mein. Just add chicken and heat. I bought it just.. well, just because.. knowing I won't like it anyway, but it was $1.24! I spend more than that just buying peppers for my stir frys!! When I was a teenager, and my friends and I were were no longer dependant on our parents to feed us... what we ate came down to $$$. Factor that in with having fun was number one priority, and cuisine or sustinance was by far an afterthought. Taco Bell wouldn't survive otherwise(no offense intended to anyone, just a genralized observation.. why else are they open at 3am?!)

Also... you need to have some common sense when it comes to cooking. Nothing too complexed either. If you are trying to fry bacon and it burns really fast... what is the problem? My gas stove shows low,2-6,high. Where is medium? This is why, my mother in law still to this day, after 40 years of continuosly trying to cook simple things... burns them or under cooks. I love her, but no common sense.

Yes... I am suggesting a growing lack of common sense in our society. I can't tell you how many times I cringe upon hearing.... "my cookies are also hard and so much darker... why are yours so soft and light?" Just because the recipe may SAY 10 minutes, you don't just wait until 10 minutes, not look, and then just take them out!

Whew... sorry 'bout that