With lives seemingly getting busier and busier do you see the end of
"scratch" cooking in the future? Just looking backward, my Mother and
especially my Grandmothers cooked everything from scratch. Breads,
cakes, pies including the crusts, stews, soups, sauces etc...

Today is seems as though the number of people who routinely cook from
scratch is dwindling. People are migrating to canned stews, spaghetti
sauces, sauces in general, soups, etc. I know quite a few people who
don't cook, period. They either do take out, go out, TV-"dinners",
frozen stuff like pot-pies, and even premade and frozen PB&J sandwiches
for gawd sakes! Now I admit that I don't routinely make bread but I
pretty much make much everything else "the old fashioned way."

Anyone else noticing a decline in folks like us who enjoy cooking and
make the time necessary to indulge ourselves?

--
Steve

Every job is a self-portrait of the person who did it.
Autograph your work with excellence.

>They either do take out, go out, TV-"dinners",
>frozen stuff like pot-pies, and even premade and frozen PB&J
sandwiches
>for gawd sakes! Now I admit that I don't routinely make bread but I
>pretty much make much everything else "the old fashioned way."

>Anyone else noticing a decline in folks like us who enjoy cooking and
>make the time necessary to indulge ourselves?

If it wasn't for the freezer and microwave, many people would starve.
My sister hardly ever uses her cooktop or oven.

Rusty - Sacramento, CA

What you are saying about baking from scratch is so true.

I didn't realize it until (probably 25 years ago) I gave my classes a
writing assignment in which they were to write logical directions for how to
do something. It was just a short assignment.

I mentioned that they could choose to write the steps in making a cake if
they wished.

Without exception, the ones who chose the cake option began their
compositions with "Take a cake mix. . . ."

These girls were taking a home-making class at the time, and I mentioned it
to their home-making teacher. She said, "Oh yes, we bake all our cakes with
mixes!"

My home-making teacher would turn over in her grave. . . .
Donna



"Rusty" > wrote in message
oups.com...
> >They either do take out, go out, TV-"dinners",
>>frozen stuff like pot-pies, and even premade and frozen PB&J
> sandwiches
>>for gawd sakes! Now I admit that I don't routinely make bread but I
>>pretty much make much everything else "the old fashioned way."
>
>>Anyone else noticing a decline in folks like us who enjoy cooking and
>>make the time necessary to indulge ourselves?
>
> If it wasn't for the freezer and microwave, many people would starve.
> My sister hardly ever uses her cooktop or oven.
>
> Rusty - Sacramento, CA
>

Steve Calvin wrote:

> With lives seemingly getting busier and busier do you see the end of
> "scratch" cooking in the future? Just looking backward, my Mother and
> especially my Grandmothers cooked everything from scratch. Breads,
> cakes, pies including the crusts, stews, soups, sauces etc...
>
> Today is seems as though the number of people who routinely cook from
> scratch is dwindling. People are migrating to canned stews, spaghetti
> sauces, sauces in general, soups, etc. I know quite a few people who
> don't cook, period. They either do take out, go out, TV-"dinners",
> frozen stuff like pot-pies, and even premade and frozen PB&J sandwiches
> for gawd sakes! Now I admit that I don't routinely make bread but I
> pretty much make much everything else "the old fashioned way."
>
> Anyone else noticing a decline in folks like us who enjoy cooking and
> make the time necessary to indulge ourselves?

Judging by the quantity and variety of prepared foods I see on the shelves
and the things that people are loading up on in the grocery stores, that
seems to be the case. We don't eat a lot of soup in this household, so it
is not worth while to make a batch, so I buy a few cans of soup once in a
while. We don't eat much bread, and since we have a great Italian bakery in
town it is hardly worth it to bake my own bread. I do buy jars of pasta
sauce, an occasional bag of cookies. It is hard to turn down the goodies in
a good bakery. Other than that, just about everything we eat here is from
scratch. Cakes, cookies, pies, stews, puddings, meat pies. It's the same
with my family and my in laws.

"Rusty" > wrote:
> >They either do take out, go out, TV-"dinners",
>>frozen stuff like pot-pies, and even premade and frozen PB&J
> sandwiches
>>for gawd sakes! Now I admit that I don't routinely make bread but I
>>pretty much make much everything else "the old fashioned way."
>
>>Anyone else noticing a decline in folks like us who enjoy cooking and
>>make the time necessary to indulge ourselves?
>
> If it wasn't for the freezer and microwave, many people would starve.
> My sister hardly ever uses her cooktop or oven.

The new work triangle in the kitchen... the refrigerator, the microwave, the
trash can. Funny how the trend is towards larger and ever more elaborate
kitchens, with less and less actual cooking being done. Reheating is not
cooking.

It is also interesting how there's an obesity epidemic at the same time less
and less cooking is taking place. Rather than taking some satisfaction from
the preparation of meals, and slowly enjoying the fruits of our labors, we
are literally stuffing ourselves with junk.

The recent post on "Cooking for one" is kind of an indication of the
problem. I was going to suggest what must be one of the simplest of
recipes - Supremes de Volaille a Brun - from "Mastering the Art of French
Cooking" - a very short ingredients list, a very simple technique, wonderful
results... if you can get takeout or microwave something much faster, I'd be
surprised... but then I saw "I don't do chicken". Argh! Taking a box out of
the freezer and popping it in the microwave is easier.

"Steve Calvin" > wrote in message
...
> With lives seemingly getting busier and busier do you see the end of
> "scratch" cooking in the future? Just looking backward, my Mother and
> especially my Grandmothers cooked everything from scratch. Breads, cakes,
> pies including the crusts, stews, soups, sauces etc...
>
> Today is seems as though the number of people who routinely cook from
> scratch is dwindling. People are migrating to canned stews, spaghetti
> sauces, sauces in general, soups, etc. I know quite a few people who
> don't cook, period. They either do take out, go out, TV-"dinners", frozen
> stuff like pot-pies, and even premade and frozen PB&J sandwiches for gawd
> sakes! Now I admit that I don't routinely make bread but I pretty much
> make much everything else "the old fashioned way."
>
> Anyone else noticing a decline in folks like us who enjoy cooking and make
> the time necessary to indulge ourselves?
>
> --
> Steve
>
> Every job is a self-portrait of the person who did it.
> Autograph your work with excellence.
>
We went to look at ranges at a owner-operated appliance store--the kind
where they have stuff on the floor but also have books that you can order
from. I was asking about a range and the first thing the owner asked me was
"Do you cook?" I must have looked startled, because he explained that he
had different ranges that he recommended to people that really cooked things
instead of those people that used them for heating foods. I had never
considered that concept before.
Janet

Steve Calvin wrote:
> With lives seemingly getting busier and busier do you see the end of
> "scratch" cooking in the future? Just looking backward, my Mother
and
> especially my Grandmothers cooked everything from scratch. Breads,
> cakes, pies including the crusts, stews, soups, sauces etc...
>

I don't know why you are assuming that my mother's cooking was somehow
an improvement over a SPAM sandwich (sorry mom!).

Time one issue. Cost is another (cheap canned and frozen food). Skills
and traditions probably a third. A lot of the traditional recipes call
for hours of work. I enjoy spending 4 hours making a cassoulet as much
as the next guy but that can't happen on a Tuesday - I got to work.

It's just a change and not necessarily a bad one. There are tons of
high quality prepared foods and there are tons of people who while they
don't cook every day, enjoy cooking as a hobby.

Fundamentally, one of the bigger changes is probably the fact that
women don't stay home to cook all day and wait for hubby to come home -
they go out and have more succesful careers than hubby. No time for
cooking.

Rusty, I am so glad you mentioned this, because it gives me the opportunity
to put in my 2 cents. LOL.

What people don't realize is that with the prepared foods comes a lot of
junk. Chemicals they put in their bodies every day. And this has an
accumulative effect. How can they stay healthy that way?

I think that the only way to stay healthy is to cook from scratch. You know
exactly what you eat. It may take longer, but you can't beat the taste, and
the good feeling of keeping your loved ones healthy and well cared for.

I see people my age popping medicine every day for a variety of illnesses. A
lot of this can be prevented by knowing what you put in your body at every
meal. I am 64 (since yesterday) and I don't have any medicine in my house.
Just healthy food.

Elly


"Rusty" > wrote in message
oups.com...
> >They either do take out, go out, TV-"dinners",
> >frozen stuff like pot-pies, and even premade and frozen PB&J
> sandwiches
> >for gawd sakes! Now I admit that I don't routinely make bread but I
> >pretty much make much everything else "the old fashioned way."
>
> >Anyone else noticing a decline in folks like us who enjoy cooking and
> >make the time necessary to indulge ourselves?
>
> If it wasn't for the freezer and microwave, many people would starve.
> My sister hardly ever uses her cooktop or oven.
>
> Rusty - Sacramento, CA
>

On Tue 25 Jan 2005 11:18:48a, Steve Calvin tittered and giggled, and
giggled and tittered, and finally blurted out...

> With lives seemingly getting busier and busier do you see the end of
> "scratch" cooking in the future? Just looking backward, my Mother and
> especially my Grandmothers cooked everything from scratch. Breads,
> cakes, pies including the crusts, stews, soups, sauces etc...
>
> Today is seems as though the number of people who routinely cook from
> scratch is dwindling. People are migrating to canned stews, spaghetti
> sauces, sauces in general, soups, etc. I know quite a few people who
> don't cook, period. They either do take out, go out, TV-"dinners",
> frozen stuff like pot-pies, and even premade and frozen PB&J sandwiches
> for gawd sakes! Now I admit that I don't routinely make bread but I
> pretty much make much everything else "the old fashioned way."
>
> Anyone else noticing a decline in folks like us who enjoy cooking and
> make the time necessary to indulge ourselves?

It's a sad commentary on modern life when it becomes obvious that most the
people one encounters considers "cooking" to be the action of opening a
container of something and heating it up to serve. Our office periodically
has potluck lunches, however, where I usually see dishes that were clearly
made from scratch. I think there may be many who actually do cook for
special occasions, but rely on some form of pre-prepared food for day-to-
day eating. Life is hectic, time is short, and the answer obvious to a
great many people is buying heat-and-eat foods, or eating out at a vast
array of restaurants.

When I was growing up, eating out was usually reserved for special
occasions. I graduated highschool in 1963 and I know that food preparation
taught in home-ec at that time was "from scratch". I suspect that my
generation may have been nearing the end an era where most people were
scratch cooks. I have to admit to keeping certain canned soups on hand,
and I occasionally buy prepared sauces, and often buy good bakery bread for
lack of time. But most of what I prepare has its roots in basic recipes
made with fresh ingredients.

OTOH, from the plethora of the fresh meats, seafood, and produce on hand in
almost every supermarket, there must be a fair number of folks who
routinely turn out home-cooked meals on a regular basis. If this weren't
the case, there would clearly be less available in the stores.

Perhaps there's an underground of good cooks out there just waiting to be
met!

Must my 2¢...

Wayne

On Tue 25 Jan 2005 12:42:56p, George Beasley tittered and giggled, and
giggled and tittered, and finally blurted out...

> Rusty, I am so glad you mentioned this, because it gives me the
> opportunity to put in my 2 cents. LOL.
>
> What people don't realize is that with the prepared foods comes a lot of
> junk. Chemicals they put in their bodies every day. And this has an
> accumulative effect. How can they stay healthy that way?
>
> I think that the only way to stay healthy is to cook from scratch. You
> know exactly what you eat. It may take longer, but you can't beat the
> taste, and the good feeling of keeping your loved ones healthy and well
> cared for.
>
> I see people my age popping medicine every day for a variety of
> illnesses. A lot of this can be prevented by knowing what you put in
> your body at every meal. I am 64 (since yesterday) and I don't have any
> medicine in my house. Just healthy food.
>
> Elly

Elly, I hope your day was as special as mine was. Oh, and I couldn't agree
more about what you wrote healthy food.

Cheers,
Wayne

"George Beasley" > wrote in message
ink.net...
> Rusty, I am so glad you mentioned this, because it gives me the
> opportunity
> to put in my 2 cents. LOL.
>
> What people don't realize is that with the prepared foods comes a lot of
> junk. Chemicals they put in their bodies every day. And this has an
> accumulative effect. How can they stay healthy that way?
>
> I think that the only way to stay healthy is to cook from scratch. You
> know
> exactly what you eat. It may take longer, but you can't beat the taste,
> and
> the good feeling of keeping your loved ones healthy and well cared for.
>
> I see people my age popping medicine every day for a variety of illnesses.
> A
> lot of this can be prevented by knowing what you put in your body at every
> meal. I am 64 (since yesterday) and I don't have any medicine in my house.
> Just healthy food.
>
> Elly
>
========

Happy belated birthday Elly!
Cyndi

George Beasley wrote:
> Rusty, I am so glad you mentioned this, because it gives me the
opportunity
> to put in my 2 cents. LOL.
>
> What people don't realize is that with the prepared foods comes a lot
of
> junk. Chemicals they put in their bodies every day. And this has an
> accumulative effect. How can they stay healthy that way?
>
> I think that the only way to stay healthy is to cook from scratch.
You know
> exactly what you eat. It may take longer, but you can't beat the
taste, and
> the good feeling of keeping your loved ones healthy and well cared
for.
>

Which brings up the next question -SHOULD WE MAKE OUR OWN ALCHOHOL FROM
SCRATCH? It may take longer but at least you know exactly why you have
a hangover.

"Wayne Boatwright" > wrote in message
...
> On Tue 25 Jan 2005 12:42:56p, George Beasley tittered and giggled, and
> giggled and tittered, and finally blurted out...
>
> > Rusty, I am so glad you mentioned this, because it gives me the
> > opportunity to put in my 2 cents. LOL.
> >
> > What people don't realize is that with the prepared foods comes a lot of
> > junk. Chemicals they put in their bodies every day. And this has an
> > accumulative effect. How can they stay healthy that way?
> >
> > I think that the only way to stay healthy is to cook from scratch. You
> > know exactly what you eat. It may take longer, but you can't beat the
> > taste, and the good feeling of keeping your loved ones healthy and well
> > cared for.
> >
> > I see people my age popping medicine every day for a variety of
> > illnesses. A lot of this can be prevented by knowing what you put in
> > your body at every meal. I am 64 (since yesterday) and I don't have any
> > medicine in my house. Just healthy food.
> >
> > Elly
>
> Elly, I hope your day was as special as mine was. Oh, and I couldn't
agree
> more about what you wrote healthy food.
>
> Cheers,
> Wayne

Thanks Wayne, It was an awesome day!
I saw that our posts came in at the same time. I enjoyed the fact that you
also put your 2 cents in. LOL. People born on Jan. 24 think alike. :-)
Elly

"Rick & Cyndi" > wrote in message
news:grxJd.27817$Os6.22458@trnddc08...
>
> "George Beasley" > wrote in message
> ink.net...
> > Rusty, I am so glad you mentioned this, because it gives me the
> > opportunity
> > to put in my 2 cents. LOL.
> >
> > What people don't realize is that with the prepared foods comes a lot of
> > junk. Chemicals they put in their bodies every day. And this has an
> > accumulative effect. How can they stay healthy that way?
> >
> > I think that the only way to stay healthy is to cook from scratch. You
> > know
> > exactly what you eat. It may take longer, but you can't beat the taste,
> > and
> > the good feeling of keeping your loved ones healthy and well cared for.
> >
> > I see people my age popping medicine every day for a variety of
illnesses.
> > A
> > lot of this can be prevented by knowing what you put in your body at
every
> > meal. I am 64 (since yesterday) and I don't have any medicine in my
house.
> > Just healthy food.
> >
> > Elly
> >
> ========
>
> Happy belated birthday Elly!
> Cyndi
>
>

Thank you Cyndi!

Fifo wrote:
> George Beasley wrote:
>
>>Rusty, I am so glad you mentioned this, because it gives me the
>
> opportunity
>
>>to put in my 2 cents. LOL.
>>
>>What people don't realize is that with the prepared foods comes a lot
>
> of
>
>>junk. Chemicals they put in their bodies every day. And this has an
>>accumulative effect. How can they stay healthy that way?
>>
>>I think that the only way to stay healthy is to cook from scratch.
>
> You know
>
>>exactly what you eat. It may take longer, but you can't beat the
>
> taste, and
>
>>the good feeling of keeping your loved ones healthy and well cared
>
> for.
>
>
> Which brings up the next question -SHOULD WE MAKE OUR OWN ALCHOHOL FROM
> SCRATCH? It may take longer but at least you know exactly why you have
> a hangover.
>

Brewed beer for years. Like cooking, it's much better than anything you
can buy. At least in the U.S.A.

--
Steve

Ever wonder about those people who spend $2.00 apiece on those little
bottles of Evian water? Try spelling Evian backwards...

Many families now have no one at home to prepare meals, and those who do
have the time, often found to be without cooking skills or knowledge.
Finish-at-home gourmet meals are not uncommon, even simpler unexotic meals.
Everything prepped, pre-cut and in some cases parcooked, needing little more
than steaming or oven finishing. Very important to include safe handling
and finishing instructions (clearly marked warnings with exp date and
storage temp, etc.) If one can network a number of regular clients, like
fresh-veg drop-off services have found, there is a market in many
communities. There are many "foodies" very conscious of the superiority of
fresh whole foods, yet never find the time to prepare them.

"Steve Calvin" > wrote in message
...
> With lives seemingly getting busier and busier do you see the end of
> "scratch" cooking in the future? Just looking backward, my Mother and
> especially my Grandmothers cooked everything from scratch. Breads, cakes,
> pies including the crusts, stews, soups, sauces etc...
>
> Today is seems as though the number of people who routinely cook from
> scratch is dwindling. People are migrating to canned stews, spaghetti
> sauces, sauces in general, soups, etc. I know quite a few people who
> don't cook, period. They either do take out, go out, TV-"dinners", frozen
> stuff like pot-pies, and even premade and frozen PB&J sandwiches for gawd
> sakes! Now I admit that I don't routinely make bread but I pretty much
> make much everything else "the old fashioned way."

"Fifo" > wrote in message
oups.com...
> I don't know why you are assuming that my mother's cooking was somehow
> an improvement over a SPAM sandwich (sorry mom!).

I'd have to agree. What I think we're seeing is not really the complete
demise of "cooking from scratch," but rather the fact that such cooking
is no longer being done very much by people who really don't want to
do it in the first place. The flip side of this is that what "scratch
cooking"
IS being done is being done by people who are interested in it, for
whatever reason (enjoyment, a better-tasting, healthier end result,
whatever) and as a result are generally doing a better job of it.

Sure, 50 years ago (or maybe a bit longer), pretty much everything
people ate was scratch-built, home-cooked, etc.. But that was
because they HAD to - there was simply no alternative. And quite
frankly, a lot of that "home-cooked" food simply wasn't all that
great. It MAY have been healthier or tastier in some cases, just due
to the use of fresh ingredients and lack of added chemicals - but then
on the other hand a lot of that "Mom's home cooking" was nothing
but starch-and-fat-laden crud.

Today, those people who don't like to cook, don't have time to
cook, just plain prefer eating out, etc., have other alternatives. Many
of us might not find those alternatives personally attractive, for a
variety of reasons, but so what? As long as this doesn't impact
our ability to find good ingredients and the equipment needed to
cook them, I personally don't care. And my experience is that we
have in general a better selection of ingredients these days than
was the case 50 years ago, or even 20-30 years ago.

Bob M.

Fifo wrote:
> Steve Calvin wrote:
>
>>With lives seemingly getting busier and busier do you see the end of
>>"scratch" cooking in the future? Just looking backward, MY MOTHER
>
> and
>
>>especially MY GRANDMOTHERS cooked everything from scratch. Breads,
>>cakes, pies including the crusts, stews, soups, sauces etc...
>>
>
>
> I don't know why you are assuming that my mother's cooking was somehow
> an improvement over a SPAM sandwich (sorry mom!).
>
I don't believe that I insinuated one thing about your Mother, or anyone
elses for that matter other than mine! I've capitalized the pertinent
words above in the quoted section.

--
Steve

Ever wonder about those people who spend $2.00 apiece on those little
bottles of Evian water? Try spelling Evian backwards...

Steve Calvin wrote:
> Fifo wrote:
> > Steve Calvin wrote:
> >
> >>With lives seemingly getting busier and busier do you see the end
of
> >>"scratch" cooking in the future? Just looking backward, MY MOTHER
> >
> > and
> >
> >>especially MY GRANDMOTHERS cooked everything from scratch. Breads,
> >>cakes, pies including the crusts, stews, soups, sauces etc...
> >>
> >
> >
> > I don't know why you are assuming that my mother's cooking was
somehow
> > an improvement over a SPAM sandwich (sorry mom!).
> >
> I don't believe that I insinuated one thing about your Mother, or
anyone
> elses for that matter other than mine! I've capitalized the
pertinent
> words above in the quoted section.
>
> --
> Steve



Now if we could only somehow make a sens of humor from scratch that
would be something. Maybe we need a good starter?

Fifo wrote:
> Steve Calvin wrote:
>
>>Fifo wrote:
>>
>>>Steve Calvin wrote:
>>>
>>>
>>>>With lives seemingly getting busier and busier do you see the end
>
> of
>
>>>>"scratch" cooking in the future? Just looking backward, MY MOTHER
>>>
>>>and
>>>
>>>
>>>>especially MY GRANDMOTHERS cooked everything from scratch. Breads,
>>>>cakes, pies including the crusts, stews, soups, sauces etc...
>>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>I don't know why you are assuming that my mother's cooking was
>
> somehow
>
>>>an improvement over a SPAM sandwich (sorry mom!).
>>>
>>
>>I don't believe that I insinuated one thing about your Mother, or
>
> anyone
>
>>elses for that matter other than mine! I've capitalized the
>
> pertinent
>
>>words above in the quoted section.
>>
>>--
>>Steve
>
>
>
>
> Now if we could only somehow make a sens of humor from scratch that
> would be something. Maybe we need a good starter?
>

I saw nothing to indicate humor. That's why ASCII "smilies", lol, wag,
etc are around. Much is missing over the internet without the luxury of
the voice inflections.

--
Steve

Ever wonder about those people who spend $2.00 apiece on those little
bottles of Evian water? Try spelling Evian backwards...

zuuum wrote:

> Many families now have no one at home to prepare meals, and those who do
> have the time, often found to be without cooking skills or knowledge.

I am not terribly sympathetic to the lack of time argument. My wife was a
dedicated school teacher who spent a lot of time in the school after class and
had a lot of work to do at home. I had a 45 minute commute for a lot of the time
I was working. We had day care and kid activities to work around. We managed
to do home cooking. Other than canned soups and pasta sauce, there was never
much prepared food served here. I found time to do baking, made my own jam and
marmalade and lots of other things, and I still had time to get out and do
things.

In article >, Steve Calvin
> wrote:
> Anyone else noticing a decline in folks like us who enjoy cooking and
> make the time necessary to indulge ourselves?

Lord, yes!! And I wonder if our ancestors would have cooked if they'd
had the choices we have available to them. I'm scared for future
generations of people who are raised on pre-packaged, preservative- and
salt-laden foods. From the time they are infants and toddlers. I'm
talking about my granddaughter. Her dad's a junk food freak and her mom
doesn't like to spend much time cooking.
--
-Barb, <www.jamlady.eboard.com> 2005 Pirohy Marathon pics added 1-23-05.
"I read recipes the way I read science fiction: I get to the end and
say,'Well, that's not going to happen.'" - Comedian Rita Rudner,
performance at New York, New York, January 10, 2005.

Dave Smith wrote:
> zuuum wrote:
>
>
>>Many families now have no one at home to prepare meals, and those who do
>>have the time, often found to be without cooking skills or knowledge.
>
>
> I am not terribly sympathetic to the lack of time argument. My wife was a
> dedicated school teacher who spent a lot of time in the school after class and
> had a lot of work to do at home. I had a 45 minute commute for a lot of the time
> I was working. We had day care and kid activities to work around. We managed
> to do home cooking. Other than canned soups and pasta sauce, there was never
> much prepared food served here. I found time to do baking, made my own jam and
> marmalade and lots of other things, and I still had time to get out and do
> things.
>
>

I agree Dave. We're two person house now and we both work full time
jobs. I usually put in 60 hrs/wk on average. We do go out for dinner
with friends periodically but otherwise, meals are made here, by me.

Granted, some nights they are leftovers from weekend cooking that have
been frozen.

--
Steve

Ever wonder about those people who spend $2.00 apiece on those little
bottles of Evian water? Try spelling Evian backwards...

"Steve Calvin" > wrote in message
...
> With lives seemingly getting busier and busier do you see the end of
> "scratch" cooking in the future? Just looking backward, my Mother and
> especially my Grandmothers cooked everything from scratch. Breads, cakes,
> pies including the crusts, stews, soups, sauces etc...
>
> Today is seems as though the number of people who routinely cook from
> scratch is dwindling. People are migrating to canned stews, spaghetti
> sauces, sauces in general, soups, etc. I know quite a few people who
> don't cook, period. They either do take out, go out, TV-"dinners", frozen
> stuff like pot-pies, and even premade and frozen PB&J sandwiches for gawd
> sakes! Now I admit that I don't routinely make bread but I pretty much
> make much everything else "the old fashioned way."
>
> Anyone else noticing a decline in folks like us who enjoy cooking and make
> the time necessary to indulge ourselves?
>

I'm not sure your premise is correct to start with. Over the past decade or
so there seems to have been a real revival of interest in high quality
cooking at home. Witness the proliferation of cooking shows, unusual
ingredients available in average supermarkets, and so on. I think this
resurgence of interest is perhaps in reaction to a period a while back when
people were relying too much on canned and processed foods.


--
Peter Aitken

Remove the crap from my email address before using.

Bob Myers wrote:

> Sure, 50 years ago (or maybe a bit longer), pretty much everything
> people ate was scratch-built, home-cooked, etc.. But that was
> because they HAD to - there was simply no alternative. And quite
> frankly, a lot of that "home-cooked" food simply wasn't all that
> great. It MAY have been healthier or tastier in some cases, just due
> to the use of fresh ingredients and lack of added chemicals - but then
> on the other hand a lot of that "Mom's home cooking" was nothing
> but starch-and-fat-laden crud.

50 years ago a lot more people had maids and cooks. Even in houses where
food was made from scratch it was done by the cook.

> cook them, I personally don't care. And my experience is that we
> have in general a better selection of ingredients these days than
> was the case 50 years ago, or even 20-30 years ago.

That's for sure. When I was a kid the local grocery store had a tiny produce
section. There were no strawberries or strawberries except in June and
July. No blueberries at all. Pineapple came in a can. Oranges were a rare
treat. Kiwis did not exist. Nor did mangoes, papayas, nectarines. There were
no snow peas, okra, chili peppers. Fish came in frozen boxes. If we went
into the city to shop there was a larger supply of the same stuff, but
slightly cheaper, but not much greater variety.

Peter Aitken wrote:

> I'm not sure your premise is correct to start with. Over the past decade or
> so there seems to have been a real revival of interest in high quality
> cooking at home. Witness the proliferation of cooking shows, unusual
> ingredients available in average supermarkets, and so on. I think this
> resurgence of interest is perhaps in reaction to a period a while back when
> people were relying too much on canned and processed foods.

Along with that is an increased choice of fancier packaged dinners. We can have
a classier prepared pasta dish by adding water to get 3 cheese penne or pasta
Alfredo instead of plain old Kraft dinner. :-)

Peter Aitken wrote:

>
>
> I'm not sure your premise is correct to start with. Over the past decade or
> so there seems to have been a real revival of interest in high quality
> cooking at home. Witness the proliferation of cooking shows, unusual
> ingredients available in average supermarkets, and so on. I think this
> resurgence of interest is perhaps in reaction to a period a while back when
> people were relying too much on canned and processed foods.
>
>

You could very well be correct Peter. I was just asking based on a lot
of folks that I see and know.

--
Steve

Ever wonder about those people who spend $2.00 apiece on those little
bottles of Evian water? Try spelling Evian backwards...

"Dave Smith" wrote in message ...
> zuuum wrote:
>
>> Many families now have no one at home to prepare meals, and those who do
>> have the time, often found to be without cooking skills or knowledge.
>
> I am not terribly sympathetic to the lack of time argument.

I think it's not so much not having the time as it is not making the time. I
really enjoy cooking so for me spending a few hours making a meal is
something I consider fun. Most weekends I'll devote a good portion, if not
all, of a day to cooking. I guess I do this at the expense of using that
time to do something else, but I don't look at it that way since I'm doing
what I enjoy. Of course, we all have different priorities in our lives and
some of us put cooking a little higher on the list than others.

Some of my friends consider me a pretty good cook and will ask me how to
make something or give them advise on making a particular meal. I can't tell
you how many times I get a few steps into a description of what is involved
and I'm interrupted with, "that's too complicated". This is even for
something as simple as making chicken stock which doesn't require much
active time but from beginning to end can take a while. I got stopped with
the chicken stock instructions the other day after I said, "buy a whole
chicken". Oh well.

I keep almost no prepared food in my house. I just like making things from
scratch.

Interestingly, Whole Foods Market is closing the store in my neighborhood in
a couple of months. It's the smallest store in the chain and they've opened
a store on the other side of town so I figured this day would come. I'm very
disappointed. I've really enjoyed have good quality ingredients a block and
a half away from my house, even if it is on the expensive side. The funny
thing is that when I hear my neighbors talking about the closing they almost
always mention that they will miss the prepared foods. All this time I've
been wishing they'd take the space that they use for prepared foods and
expand the produce or meat departments.

-Mike

Mike Pearce wrote in message ...
>"Dave Smith" wrote in message ...
>> zuuum wrote:
>>
>>> Many families now have no one at home to prepare meals, and those who do
>>> have the time, often found to be without cooking skills or knowledge.
>>
>> I am not terribly sympathetic to the lack of time argument.
>
>I think it's not so much not having the time as it is not making the time.
I
>really enjoy cooking so for me spending a few hours making a meal is
>something I consider fun. Most weekends I'll devote a good portion, if not
>all, of a day to cooking. I guess I do this at the expense of using that
>time to do something else, but I don't look at it that way since I'm doing
>what I enjoy. Of course, we all have different priorities in our lives and
>some of us put cooking a little higher on the list than others.
>
>Some of my friends consider me a pretty good cook and will ask me how to
>make something or give them advise on making a particular meal. I can't
tell
>you how many times I get a few steps into a description of what is involved
>and I'm interrupted with, "that's too complicated". This is even for
>something as simple as making chicken stock which doesn't require much
>active time but from beginning to end can take a while. I got stopped with
>the chicken stock instructions the other day after I said, "buy a whole
>chicken". Oh well.
>
>I keep almost no prepared food in my house. I just like making things from
>scratch.
>
>Interestingly, Whole Foods Market is closing the store in my neighborhood
in
>a couple of months. It's the smallest store in the chain and they've opened
>a store on the other side of town so I figured this day would come. I'm
very
>disappointed. I've really enjoyed have good quality ingredients a block and
>a half away from my house, even if it is on the expensive side. The funny
>thing is that when I hear my neighbors talking about the closing they
almost
>always mention that they will miss the prepared foods. All this time I've
>been wishing they'd take the space that they use for prepared foods and
>expand the produce or meat departments.
>
>-Mike

aack! don't say that! i wouldn't have a job!

(newbie professional cook hehe)

--
saerah

TANSTAAFL

CrzyBitch (3:25:06 AM): I'm a secret agent, and a princess




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Steve Calvin wrote:
> With lives seemingly getting busier and busier do you see the end of
> "scratch" cooking in the future? Just looking backward, my Mother
and
> especially my Grandmothers cooked everything from scratch. Breads,
> cakes, pies including the crusts, stews, soups, sauces etc...
>
> Today is seems as though the number of people who routinely cook from

> scratch is dwindling. People are migrating to canned stews,
spaghetti
> sauces, sauces in general, soups, etc. I know quite a few people who

> don't cook, period. They either do take out, go out, TV-"dinners",
> frozen stuff like pot-pies, and even premade and frozen PB&J
sandwiches
> for gawd sakes! Now I admit that I don't routinely make bread but I
> pretty much make much everything else "the old fashioned way."
>
> Anyone else noticing a decline in folks like us who enjoy cooking and

> make the time necessary to indulge ourselves?
>
> --
> Steve
>
> Every job is a self-portrait of the person who did it.
> Autograph your work with excellence.


I think part of it is that people are staying single longer, and
frankly, while I love good food and cooking for/with others, I don't
enjoy cooking alone for myself. Thus, we develop the habit of getting
take out, microwave stuff, etc more.

My mother, widowed back in 2000, has a dramatic decline in her interest
in cooking. My visits to her give her a reason to cook, and that makes
a big difference.

But, on the other hand, the Food Network has tremendous popularity,
although there is a bias toward things like 30 Minute Meals, Good Food
Fast with Family Circle and Everyday Italian.

That, however, is not necessarily a bad thing. I love cooking with my
fiance, but if we can cook something from Rachael Ray quickly and it is
delicious and easy, why not???

Mike

Melba's Jammin' wrote in message ...
>In article >, Steve Calvin
> wrote:
>> Anyone else noticing a decline in folks like us who enjoy cooking and
>> make the time necessary to indulge ourselves?
>
>Lord, yes!! And I wonder if our ancestors would have cooked if they'd
>had the choices we have available to them. I'm scared for future
>generations of people who are raised on pre-packaged, preservative- and
>salt-laden foods. From the time they are infants and toddlers. I'm
>talking about my granddaughter. Her dad's a junk food freak and her mom
>doesn't like to spend much time cooking.
>--

yeah, i and i get lectures from my in-laws about how im "depriving" my
daughter because i make her homemade cookies and such instead of buying crap
pre-made. heh.
--
saerah

TANSTAAFL

CrzyBitch (3:25:06 AM): I'm a secret agent, and a princess
>-Barb, <www.jamlady.eboard.com> 2005 Pirohy Marathon pics added 1-23-05.
>"I read recipes the way I read science fiction: I get to the end and
>say,'Well, that's not going to happen.'" - Comedian Rita Rudner,
>performance at New York, New York, January 10, 2005.




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wrote:
> Steve Calvin wrote:
>> With lives seemingly getting busier and busier do you see the end of
>> "scratch" cooking in the future?
>> Steve
>>
> I think part of it is that people are staying single longer, and
> frankly, while I love good food and cooking for/with others, I don't
> enjoy cooking alone for myself. Thus, we develop the habit of getting
> take out, microwave stuff, etc more.
>
> My mother, widowed back in 2000, has a dramatic decline in her
> interest in cooking. My visits to her give her a reason to cook, and
> that makes a big difference.
>
> But, on the other hand, the Food Network has tremendous popularity,
> although there is a bias toward things like 30 Minute Meals, Good Food
> Fast with Family Circle and Everyday Italian.
>
> That, however, is not necessarily a bad thing. I love cooking with my
> fiance, but if we can cook something from Rachael Ray quickly and it
> is delicious and easy, why not???
>
> Mike

I don't think Steve was saying anything negative about not cooking "fast"
but more about "fast food" (or what you call "take out") and instant
prepackaged meals.

I can throw together a nice pasta dish in 30 minutes or grill or broil fish
or chicken and steam some veggies and be eating better than your "take out"
and usually for less money, too. I cook for one and have no problem with
using leftovers. I usually cook enough food Saturday or Sunday to last me a
week. What doesn't get eaten goes in the freezer for later consumption.

Jill

jmcquown wrote:

>
> I don't think Steve was saying anything negative about not cooking "fast"
> but more about "fast food" (or what you call "take out") and instant
> prepackaged meals.
>
> I can throw together a nice pasta dish in 30 minutes or grill or broil fish
> or chicken and steam some veggies and be eating better than your "take out"
> and usually for less money, too. I cook for one and have no problem with
> using leftovers. I usually cook enough food Saturday or Sunday to last me a
> week. What doesn't get eaten goes in the freezer for later consumption.
>
> Jill
>
>

Thanks Jill, maybe I didn't say it clear enough. Writing was never my
"strong suit".

--
Steve

Ever wonder about those people who spend $2.00 apiece on those little
bottles of Evian water? Try spelling Evian backwards...

Oh, I do understand he was not complaining about people cooking
quickly, rather, the apparent decline in cooking versus prepared foods.

But there is definitely something to this business that there is a
vastly greater variety of foods available today.

10-20 years, the ethnic section of the grocery store was a few jars of
spaghetti sauce and taco seasoning.(I know, I exaggerate to make the
point).

Today, you can find aisles and aisles of specialty ingredients for all
sorts of ethnic and gourmet cooking. And the availability of produce is
just phenonmenal.

I think the trend is starting to go back to cooking more and more,
although, as I said, people are getting more focussed on quick meals,
as noted by Jill and others.

Mike

Janet Bostwick wrote:
> "Steve Calvin" > wrote in message
> ...
> >
> > Today is seems as though the number of people who routinely cook
from
> > scratch is dwindling. People are migrating to canned stews,
spaghetti
> > sauces, sauces in general, soups, etc. I know quite a few people
who
> > don't cook, period. They either do take out, go out, TV-"dinners",
frozen
> > stuff like pot-pies, and even premade and frozen PB&J sandwiches
for gawd
> > sakes! Now I admit that I don't routinely make bread but I pretty
much
> > make much everything else "the old fashioned way."
> >
> > Anyone else noticing a decline in folks like us who enjoy cooking
and make
> > the time necessary to indulge ourselves?
> >

Many have noticed this - see Marion Cunningham's recent cookbook, Lost
Recipes - she talks about this in all her work, but that book is really
a polemic against this phenomenon.

> We went to look at ranges at a owner-operated appliance store--the
kind
> where they have stuff on the floor but also have books that you can
order
> from. I was asking about a range and the first thing the owner asked
me was
> "Do you cook?" I must have looked startled, because he explained
that he
> had different ranges that he recommended to people that really cooked
things
> instead of those people that used them for heating foods. I had
never
> considered that concept before.
> Janet

Another reference - the New Yorker magazine profiled the Viking stove
company last year, and one thing they noted was how many people putting
in $50,000 kitchens don't actually cook in them. Kitchen as trophy, I
guess.

I was reading a women's magazine in the doctor's office this morning
and saw yet another one of those "save money on your grocery bill using
coupons" articles. Of course I didn't read it. I save money on my
grocery bill by not buying sodas unless we're having a party; baking
the birthday cake from scratch; buying whole foods and cooking them
from scratch; making sandwiches for lunches instead of buying
"Lunchables"; and so forth. No I don't bake our bread regularly but
maybe after chemo is done I'll consider it. We keep plain rices and
pastas in the pantry, and can whip up interesting dishes with them in
no time - no need for boxed mixes with freeze dried herbs and weird
canned sauces.

In fact, our every day food is not all that fancy, but it's every bit
as tasty (ok, tastier) than the pre-cooked stuff in the supermarket
freezer or box.

Is it rocket science to people to figure out that eating this way is
not only cheaper, it's healthier? But it must be news to somebody,
because I keep seeing it everywhere. My kids' teachers at pre-school
and the babysitters think I'm pretty weird because I ask them to limit
sugary snacks and chips. I don't say they can't have any, I just say
they shouldn't have huge quantities. Weird, huh? And my kids don't know
about soft drinks. They just don't know about them. What a bunch of
pinko agitators we are.

Meanwhile -- My five year old Kenmore gas range with the self cleaning
oven, high BTU burner, and the low simmer burner is serving me quite
well, thank you. I'm not sorry I saved myself $1,000 over fancier
models when I bought it. If I won $50K in a contest to remodel my
kitchen, I don't think I'd upgrade much higher than what I've got
already, although six burners could be useful, and who wouldn't want a
griddle and a stovetop grill, etc. No, I would still probably use $15k
on the kitchen (cupboards, flooring and replacement appliances) and
spend the balance elsewhere in the house. I can cook just fine in the
kitchen as it is, thanks.

Leila

Steve Calvin wrote:
> jmcquown wrote:
>
>>
>> I don't think Steve was saying anything negative about not cooking
>> "fast" but more about "fast food" (or what you call "take out") and
>> instant prepackaged meals.
>>
>> I can throw together a nice pasta dish in 30 minutes or grill or
>> broil fish or chicken and steam some veggies and be eating better
>> than your "take out" and usually for less money, too. I cook for
>> one and have no problem with using leftovers. I usually cook enough
>> food Saturday or Sunday to last me a week. What doesn't get eaten
>> goes in the freezer for later consumption.
>>
>> Jill
>>
>>
>
> Thanks Jill, maybe I didn't say it clear enough. Writing was never my
> "strong suit".

I think you write very well, Steve. I sure understood your point

Jill

On 2005-01-25, Dave Smith > wrote:
> Bob Myers wrote:
>
>> Sure, 50 years ago (or maybe a bit longer), pretty much everything
>> people ate was scratch-built, home-cooked, etc.. But that was
>> because they HAD to - there was simply no alternative. And quite
>> frankly, a lot of that "home-cooked" food simply wasn't all that
>> great. It MAY have been healthier or tastier in some cases, just due
>> to the use of fresh ingredients and lack of added chemicals - but then
>> on the other hand a lot of that "Mom's home cooking" was nothing
>> but starch-and-fat-laden crud.
>
> 50 years ago a lot more people had maids and cooks. Even in houses where
> food was made from scratch it was done by the cook.

I remember that program, Frontier House, where the
one lady came home to civilization and hugged her washer/dryer. In the
cabin she was spending, literally, her whole waking day doing housework and
preparing food. How can one have a life with that kind of workload? The
only way a person could have a life/career was to have a maid and/or cook.

But, now we have prefab/pre-prepared food we can buy any time and heat up in
a jif and eat. I, for one, greatly appreciate this modern convenience. When
I have to work an unforeseen 14-18 hr overtime day, I'm darn sure in no mood
to drive an hour commute just to get home and make scratch pasta or soup.
It's time to pick up take-out or a frozen pizza. I'll leave that hand
pounded Thai curry or homemade ice cream for the weekend.

nb

Steve Calvin wrote:
>
> With lives seemingly getting busier and busier do you see the end of
> "scratch" cooking in the future? Just looking backward, my Mother and
> especially my Grandmothers cooked everything from scratch. Breads,
> cakes, pies including the crusts, stews, soups, sauces etc...

While my grandmother may have done that my mother often used (and still
uses mixes etc).

>
> Today is seems as though the number of people who routinely cook from
> scratch is dwindling.


Perhaps depends on whom one knows. The majority of my friends cook
'real' food several times a week.

People are migrating to canned stews, spaghetti
> sauces, sauces in general, soups, etc. I know quite a few people who
> don't cook, period. They either do take out, go out, TV-"dinners",
> frozen stuff like pot-pies, and even premade and frozen PB&J sandwiches
> for gawd sakes!

That happened in the 50s in the US too I'm told. Probably happens in
cycles.


>Now I admit that I don't routinely make bread but I
> pretty much make much everything else "the old fashioned way."

LOL bread is one of the quickest things to make from basic ingredients,
taking about five to ten minutes to mix and knead in a decent mixer. It
can rise and then bake while one is doing other things.

>
> Anyone else noticing a decline in folks like us who enjoy cooking and
> make the time necessary to indulge ourselves?

Not among the people I know. The vast majority of the things I cook
routinely take about 30 minutes from start to serve. The slower things
get done at the weekend.


>
> --
> Steve

> I'm not sure your premise is correct to start with. Over the past
decade or
> so there seems to have been a real revival of interest in high
quality
> cooking at home. Witness the proliferation of cooking shows, unusual
> ingredients available in average supermarkets, and so on. I think
this
> resurgence of interest is perhaps in reaction to a period a while
back when
> people were relying too much on canned and processed foods.

I'm skeptical that the current infatuation with the Food Network and
other cooking shows represents a revival of interest in cooking from
scratch at home. I wonder what percentage of the people who are hooked
on these shows actually try to replicate what they see. People watch
these programs just for the spectacle, and the Emerils and Mario
Batalis of the world are delivering showmanship rather than expert
instruction in how to prepare food. It's all too easy for the at home
audience to sit back passively and salivate over meals they know they
are never going to make themselves.

Jeff

"Dave Smith" > wrote in message
...
> 50 years ago a lot more people had maids and cooks. Even in houses where
> food was made from scratch it was done by the cook.

50 years ago, this was true? Where?

I don't think it has EVER been the case that the majority of
Americans, at least, had either a maid or a cook working
for them.

Bob M.