'convenience' food - what you recommend?

[liketocook Profile]

Frozen mash for me, I do make big batches of mash and freeze portions but the frozen bags are very handy. Great for a quick topping for a cottage pie or similar and perfectly fine with some added butter where just one dollop of mash is needed. It's also very good mixed with tinned fish/corned beef for speedy fish/hash cakes.
Another cupboard stand by for me is condensed tinned soup ideal for a quick lunch or sauce. When the boys were at home a favourite Monday night meal was cooked chicken, mushrooms and peas mixed with slightly diluted condensed mushroom soup, topped with a layer of mash and sprinkle of cheese then baked for half an hour or so.

[Earthmaiden Profile]

We used to have condensed soup as a sauce when I was a child (usually mushroom or chicken mixed with tuna and poured onto plain potatoes or tomato mixed in with pasta & served with grated cheese. I find it a bit overpowering nowadays - or runny if diluted!

Talking of mashed potato, I haven't any at the moment but find instant potato very useful. I like Smash, especially for thickening or adding (reconstituted) to things like potato waffles. I don't object to it as potato with certain meals either - will butter added. When I used to go to Slimming World, one of my quick mainstays was instant potato with a poached egg on top!

[karadekoolaid Profile]

KDKA - you surely must have frozen veg or fruit or meat etc?

Frozen veg consists of chips/french fries, "mixed veg" (carrots, beans, peas), manioc root, maybe some sweet corn, on a good day. Frozen fruit is usually strawberries or blackberries, and bags of fruit pulp. frozen pizza, chicken nuggets, that sort of thing.
Frozen meat and fish, yes, available. People seem to prefer hanging around the butcher´s/fishmonger´s station however, so they can supervise the preparation of the cut they want.
I would love to be able to pick up some chapatis, a packet of scampi, some tortellini, etc. but almost out of the question.

[northleedsbhoy Profile]

Suelle, have you a favoured ready made cheese sauce? I'm not great at white sauces and tend to avoid making them. Of course, if I made them more often, I'd probably get more proficient

I use the cheats version of white sauce by adding a bit of butter and cornflour slurry to milk just off the boil. It works every time and it’s ready in minutes. I use a strong red cheddar normally but even with a milder one I don’t find that there’s any ‘floury’ taste.

Cheers
NLB

[Amyw Profile]

M&S plant based Kiev's are lovely, you wouldn't be able to tell the difference between them and one's containing meat.

Always have a packet of fish fingers and also birds eye waffles in the freezer.

A packet of filled tortellini is a good standby supper.

[herbidacious Profile]

I like the Rana parmesan cream sauce. It's small and expensive but goes awfully well with mini souffles (which can also be purchased, from Waitrose) to mimic a La Fromagerie dish.

I use those dried breadcrumbs with added flavourings such as rosemary, lemon, chilli etc.

e.g. https://www.waitrose.com/ecom/products/ ... 4322-24323

Also various French tinned vegetables such as ratatouille, but we don't do anything as good in the UK. Good for a quick, cheats shakshuka if you add herbs and spices.

The Sauce Shop now do rather good bottled tomato 'cook in' sauces. e.g.

https://www.sauceshop.co/collections/ne ... k-in-sauce

Tinned pulses.... I rarely use dried. Stuffed pasta... I have probably made it myself twice at most.

I sometimes make a cheat's lasagne for one using one the aforementioned tins of med veg and creme fraiche in lieu of white sauce (sometimes with a dollop or two of cream cheese or fromage fouette.) Grated hard cheese just goes on the top.

[Stokey Sue Profile]

You have reminded me panko crumbs - not sure those are merely a convenience food, the good Korean ones are just better than anything else I can buy or create from scratch

Usuall caveat, some brands are very sugary, which is why I prefer the Korean ones if possible

[herbidacious Profile]

Panko and... Tenkasu!

Not in everyday use, exactly, in my kitchen, though

[Pampy Profile]

I had to look up tenkasu - sounds like scraps from a chippy!

[Amyw Profile]

Haha my mum calls them Gribbles

[herbidacious Profile]

Yip, but posh Japanese ones I bought some to put in okonomiyaki.

[Pampy Profile]

Just looked okonomiyaki up too! I think I'd like the pancakes but would have to find a different sauce as I really don't like tomato in any shape or form.

[MagicMarmite Profile]

That's the first I've heard of tenkasu too, they sound great.
I'll definitely look out for them when I can get back to the Chinese supermarket.
Another convenience food I love is noodles, particularly the ones from said Chinese Supermarket in all kinds of flavours, but daughter and I still get a laugh out of the, "seafood party", ones.
We're easily amused!

[herbidacious Profile]

Just looked okonomiyaki up too! I think I'd like the pancakes but would have to find a different sauce as I really don't like tomato in any shape or form.

The sauce is more like HP. Unless you have super refined tastebuds, you will not detect any tomato in it. (But if you can in HP barbecue sauce then you might be able to.) You can buy okonomiyaki sauce from Sainsburys etc. https://www.sainsburys.co.uk/gol-ui/pro ... sauce-500g I think if you omit it, it will detract from the whole. But HP might do.
Also, if you do have a go, I think seaweed stock is a must. It doesn't make them taste of seaweed but it definitely adds something. They are more than the sum of their parts. cf. the sauce.

I used a combination of these recipes: https://www.chopstickchronicles.com/osa ... ainer-7330

https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/jap ... konomiyaki


This is making me hungry...!

[Pampy Profile]

Thanks, Herbi! How's Basil now?

[herbidacious Profile]

The poor poppet is still clearly in pain when he tries to eat. He wacks either side of his face with his paw and even tries to pick at his teeth with his claws and makes a gagging sound. His nose sore looks horrid too and his eyes are running. I think I might ring the vet to see if their tooth cleaning device is mended yet. Clearly the painkiller isn't strong enough

Thanks for asking.

[Pampy Profile]

Poor chap - hope you can get him sorted out soon.

[slimpersoninside Profile]

Herbie, any chance you can get him seen at a different vets if the descaler machine is still broken?

[Stokey Sue Profile]

Oh poor Basil

[herbidacious Profile]

I rang the vets and they said they would see if any of the other branches can fit him in. As a result, we are now takiing him to Steratham for an 8.30am (ouch!) appointment on Monday. I need to ring to make sure that they know he has an issue as well as needing a general descale.

I am hoping the pain is just when he eats. He is otherwise still quite purry (he normally purrs if you talk to him or even just enter the room), although I know they do that to comfort themselves. I hope his nose clears up too. He's quite a pretty boy and it's sad to see him looking a bit disfigured. I imagine he keeps knocking the scab off. I can't think how he might have done it in the first place, locked inside all night.