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Grist:
Among all the responses to the new data showing we're getting sicker and fatter, I was most struck by Kerry Trueman's comment at Civil Eats that what we are really suffering from is "kitchen illiteracy."
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I cook nearly all my meals from raw components. The food is certainly healthier, cheaper, and infinitely customizable to suit my taste and or the taste of my meal guests. The difference in time, however can be significant when one includes the additional shopping time, and clean up. It always takes more vessels and utensils to cook from "scratch." The best equalizer is to make larger quantities, when possible, that can be frozen in meal sized portions or being able to eat gumbo four days in a row. Not everything is freezable though, and that fourth day of gumbo always tests my appetite. It's still worth the effort.
Kitchen illiteracy never fails to blow my mind. People my age (mid- to late 30's) who can't boil water without burning the pan are astounding! With the plethora of cookbooks, websites, food shows, etc. out there, you'd think people could figure it out. Cooking's pretty easy, doesn't have to be extravegant, and can mostly be done in one afternoon- thus taking care of most of the week's meals.
No, there's no such thing as "convenience" food. There's sure a heck of a lot of "lazy" food, though.
some things are usefull in a tin.
chickpeas as they need soaking and i tend to forgett, tomatoes, that's pritty much it.
pesto and such, but that's moe a condiment.
Tuna is useful to have in a tin and so is sodium free chicken broth or stewed tomatoes.
Mixed with whole wheat pasta and frozen vegetables, it is a tuna, pasta and veggies is a fairly healthy "convenience" meal.
There is something amiss with the deep need for "convenience" so many people are afflicted by. We live every more harried lives while telling ourselves we are doing what is convenient. Last time I check, there was nothing convenient about having heart bypass surgery.
The real problem is the focus on the Right Now instead of on the entire flow of a life.
But...but...but....everything that is important in life can be accomplished in 60 minutes or less on that universal American teaching tool: The TV.
So shouldn't life emulate "art"?
/EndSarcasm
Yes there is "convenience food." You may not like it, you may not find it healthful, you may disapprove, but you can't deny that it's there!
Personally, I find STAGG canned chili excellent. It is better than one can find in most restaurants no matter how fancy. Open can, heat, and crumble up some Fritos or other corn chips in the bowl and you have a gourmet treat fit for a king.
That's convenience!
Have you ever read the Consumer Reports reviews of Stagg Chili? They regularly find rodent hairs and feces in Stagg Chili.
that's for extra flavor
I think there is actually a USDA RDA classification for rat hairs and insect parts in processed food. I always check the label for at least 15% RDA per serving. It saves having to buy those rat hair supplements which are a total rip off.
Pfft. This study is flawed because it treats "commercial food," defined as "purchased as ready-to-eat or prepared by the home cook entirely according to package directions," as being separate from "convenience food," defined as "fully or partially prepared foods". In other words, if it drops out of a can, it's commercial; if someone hands it to you through a window, it's convenience. That's a false separation, and it even specifies that "'home-cooked' meals may include extensive use of commercial food." So they consider baking a frozen pizza to be "home cooking." What a joke.
"First of all, education will indeed be an important part of any food reform. Increasing people’s comfort and familiarity with food, bizarre as it is to consider, is absolutely necessary. "
The rest of the article sounded to me like the USDA's attempt to shake off a bit of the obvious past corruption of big Agriculture and the fast food industry.
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Posted: 07- 9-09 09:24 AM