Culinary standards

Clodfobble · 06-23-2004, 09:06 PM

So I was talking to my dad on the phone while cooking dinner for the kiddos tonight, and I mentioned that we were having Cheeseburger Macaroni (Hamburger Helper (TM)) for dinner.

He chastized me, saying first of course that box meals were "ugly," which is a sentiment I've always known he had--but here's the thing: he insisted that I should instead be making it "from scratch"--i.e. brown the meat, boil the macaroni, and mix in some Velveeta.

What? Don't you mean I should be cooking a healthy, tasty, seasoned and complete meal instead of the box crap? No, the meal was fine, I should just be using Velveeta instead. Apparently it's important to make my own crap from scratch instead of buying it together in one box.

So how often does your family eat the cheap fast box meals--not just Hamburger Helper, I mean any kind of quick cop-out meal?

elSicomoro · 06-23-2004, 09:10 PM

Not as much as we used to, but here and there. We have a Stouffer's Chicken Cordon Bleu pasta deal sitting in the fridge that I'll make over the weekend.

smoothmoniker · 06-23-2004, 09:20 PM

we either eat out or order in 9 nights out of 10.

And on the 10th night it's beer and nachos

-sm

Cyber Wolf · 06-23-2004, 09:27 PM

Packaged stuff works fine when you don't have timeto/don't feel like cooking stuff from scratch. On the whole it tastes fine anyway. And besides, Velveeta makes easy macaroni meals too!

richlevy · 06-23-2004, 09:28 PM

I actually ask my wife for Annie Chung's, which are lo mein meals in boxes. She adds chicken and vegetables and stir frys it. I have no complaints.

perth · 06-23-2004, 10:10 PM

These days about the only boxed meals I make are frozen lasagne and the occasional frozen pizza, and even those I prefer to make from scratch. I think for me it's more that I prefer to know exactly what's going into my food. That's not to say boxed meals are full of bad stuff, but that I don't know that they *aren't*.

jinx · 06-23-2004, 10:29 PM

The kids and I don't eat dairy, so most packaged meal things aren't an option (unless they are the way too expensive vegan whole foods mart variety). We do eat quick cop out meals a lot , more often than not I think. PB&J is big hit around here. And pasta. I do open a seperate jar of sauce though, it's not in the same box.

Beestie · 06-23-2004, 10:38 PM

I rarely make box stuff. Even when I make Mac 'n Cheese for the younguns, I use wheat pasta and use organic cheese.

I have slowly gravitated away from anything prepared to the point where I hardly ever use any anymore. I read all labels and have a lot of concerns about the stuff in them.

It took a while but I can make scratch in the same time it takes for most box stuff (b/w 10 and 25 minutes) so that stopped being a reason to use it.

The only box meal that I don't mind too much is Goya beans and rice mixes. There's a bunch of them and they all seem ok (the mix is mostly spice).

vsp · 06-24-2004, 05:58 AM

It's hard for me to imagine "put Velveeta in it" EVER being sound advice.

The Annie's line of mac-and-cheese products isn't bad at all.

My wife and I eat out more than we should (phrasing that carefully), probably a couple of nights a week. When she worked night shift, I cooked almost every night, as I had several hours to play with in the kitchen before she'd get home. Nowadays, we both get home about 5:30; I'll either stop on the way home and get something that's quick to make or say "screw it, let's go out."

elSicomoro · 06-24-2004, 08:23 PM

Tonight for dinner: Tower Isles Jamaican Beef Patties

wolf · 06-25-2004, 12:22 AM

Leftover cold pepperoni pizza that had been purchased for a training earlier today.

I reminisced about college. The only thing missing was the big pile of weed.

elSicomoro · 06-25-2004, 10:33 AM

I miss the college days.

jaguar · 06-25-2004, 11:40 AM

Tend to get takeaway/eat out most nights but it's usually fairly healthy stuff (freshly made noodle box, curry).

Left to my own devices i've been known to live on hummus, rice crackers, cereal and coffee for days or weeks.

jane_says · 07-06-2004, 04:05 PM

My husband, who normally knows better, absolutely loves Hamburger Helper. We call it White Trash Dinner Night at our house. We eat quite a bit of frozen stuff (I am partial to Boca frozen pizzas myself), but usually not many of the boxed dinners, unless you count the mac & cheese with the foil pouch of cheez goo.

As for Velveeta, IMO it's not "cheese" in the strictest sense of the word, but it's good for making my mom's famous puke dip:

1 pound Velveeta, cubed
1 can Rotel tomatoes with chilies
1 pound very lean ground beef, preferably sirloin
1 packet taco seasoning mix

Brown ground beef and add taco seasoning mix. If you got the right kind of ground beef, there won't be anything to drain. Dump all ingredients in a big microwavable bowl and zap until cheese is melted. Stir around until it looks like barf. Serve with tortilla chips, chopped green onion, and sour cream.

And hey, it's fat free!

SteveDallas · 07-06-2004, 04:59 PM

Puke dip... thanks for the image... I'm off to have dinner now!!!

06-23-2004, 09:06 PM	#1
Clodfobble UNDER CONDITIONAL MITIGATION Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Austin, TX Posts: 20,012	Culinary standards So I was talking to my dad on the phone while cooking dinner for the kiddos tonight, and I mentioned that we were having Cheeseburger Macaroni (Hamburger Helper (TM)) for dinner. He chastized me, saying first of course that box meals were "ugly," which is a sentiment I've always known he had--but here's the thing: he insisted that I should instead be making it "from scratch"--i.e. brown the meat, boil the macaroni, and mix in some Velveeta. What? Don't you mean I should be cooking a healthy, tasty, seasoned and complete meal instead of the box crap? No, the meal was fine, I should just be using Velveeta instead. Apparently it's important to make my own crap from scratch instead of buying it together in one box. So how often does your family eat the cheap fast box meals--not just Hamburger Helper, I mean any kind of quick cop-out meal?

06-23-2004, 09:27 PM	#4
Cyber Wolf As stable as a ring of PU-239 Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: On a huge rock covered in water, highly advanced moss and 7 billion parasites Posts: 1,264	Packaged stuff works fine when you don't have timeto/don't feel like cooking stuff from scratch. On the whole it tastes fine anyway. And besides, Velveeta makes easy macaroni meals too! __________________ "I don't see what's so triffic about creating people as people and then getting' upset 'cos they act like people." ~Adam Young, Good Omens "I don't see why it matters what is written. Not when it's about people. It can always be crossed out." ~Adam Young, Good Omens

06-23-2004, 09:28 PM	#5
richlevy King Of Wishful Thinking Join Date: Jan 2001 Location: Philadelphia Suburbs Posts: 6,669	I actually ask my wife for Annie Chung's, which are lo mein meals in boxes. She adds chicken and vegetables and stir frys it. I have no complaints. __________________ Exercise your rights and remember your obligations - VOTE! I have always believed that hope is that stubborn thing inside us that insists, despite all the evidence to the contrary, that something better awaits us so long as we have the courage to keep reaching, to keep working, to keep fighting. -- Barack Hussein Obama

06-23-2004, 10:29 PM	#7
jinx Come on, cat. Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: general vicinity of Philadelphia area Posts: 7,013	The kids and I don't eat dairy, so most packaged meal things aren't an option (unless they are the way too expensive vegan whole foods mart variety). We do eat quick cop out meals a lot , more often than not I think. PB&J is big hit around here. And pasta. I do open a seperate jar of sauce though, it's not in the same box. __________________ Crying won't help you, praying won't do you no good.

06-23-2004, 10:38 PM	#8
Beestie -◊\|≡·∙■·∙≡\|◊- Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Parts unknown. Posts: 4,081	I rarely make box stuff. Even when I make Mac 'n Cheese for the younguns, I use wheat pasta and use organic cheese. I have slowly gravitated away from anything prepared to the point where I hardly ever use any anymore. I read all labels and have a lot of concerns about the stuff in them. It took a while but I can make scratch in the same time it takes for most box stuff (b/w 10 and 25 minutes) so that stopped being a reason to use it. The only box meal that I don't mind too much is Goya beans and rice mixes. There's a bunch of them and they all seem ok (the mix is mostly spice). __________________ ♠ ♥ ♣ ♦

06-23-2004, 09:10 PM	#2
elSicomoro Person who doesn't update the user title Join Date: Jan 2001 Posts: 12,486	Not as much as we used to, but here and there. We have a Stouffer's Chicken Cordon Bleu pasta deal sitting in the fridge that I'll make over the weekend.

06-23-2004, 09:20 PM	#3
smoothmoniker to live and die in LA Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Los Angeles Posts: 2,090	we either eat out or order in 9 nights out of 10. And on the 10th night it's beer and nachos -sm

06-23-2004, 10:10 PM	#6
perth Strong Silent Type Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Fort Collins, CO Posts: 1,949	These days about the only boxed meals I make are frozen lasagne and the occasional frozen pizza, and even those I prefer to make from scratch. I think for me it's more that I prefer to know exactly what's going into my food. That's not to say boxed meals are full of bad stuff, but that I don't know that they aren't.

06-24-2004, 05:58 AM	#9
vsp Syndrome of a Down Join Date: Jun 2001 Location: West Chester Posts: 1,367	It's hard for me to imagine "put Velveeta in it" EVER being sound advice. The Annie's line of mac-and-cheese products isn't bad at all. My wife and I eat out more than we should (phrasing that carefully), probably a couple of nights a week. When she worked night shift, I cooked almost every night, as I had several hours to play with in the kitchen before she'd get home. Nowadays, we both get home about 5:30; I'll either stop on the way home and get something that's quick to make or say "screw it, let's go out." Last edited by vsp; 06-24-2004 at 09:06 AM.

06-24-2004, 08:23 PM	#10
elSicomoro Person who doesn't update the user title Join Date: Jan 2001 Posts: 12,486	Tonight for dinner: Tower Isles Jamaican Beef Patties

06-25-2004, 12:22 AM	#11
wolf lobber of scimitars Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: Phila Burbs Posts: 20,774	Leftover cold pepperoni pizza that had been purchased for a training earlier today. I reminisced about college. The only thing missing was the big pile of weed. __________________ wolf eht htiw og "Conspiracies are the norm, not the exception." --G. Edward Griffin The Creature from Jekyll Island High Priestess of the Church of the Whale Penis

06-25-2004, 10:33 AM	#12
elSicomoro Person who doesn't update the user title Join Date: Jan 2001 Posts: 12,486	I miss the college days.

06-25-2004, 11:40 AM	#13
jaguar whig Join Date: Apr 2001 Posts: 5,075	Tend to get takeaway/eat out most nights but it's usually fairly healthy stuff (freshly made noodle box, curry). Left to my own devices i've been known to live on hummus, rice crackers, cereal and coffee for days or weeks. __________________ Good friends, good books and a sleepy conscience: this is the ideal life. - Twain

07-06-2004, 04:05 PM	#14
jane_says Colonist Extraordinaire Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: SW VA Posts: 200	My husband, who normally knows better, absolutely loves Hamburger Helper. We call it White Trash Dinner Night at our house. We eat quite a bit of frozen stuff (I am partial to Boca frozen pizzas myself), but usually not many of the boxed dinners, unless you count the mac & cheese with the foil pouch of cheez goo. As for Velveeta, IMO it's not "cheese" in the strictest sense of the word, but it's good for making my mom's famous puke dip: 1 pound Velveeta, cubed 1 can Rotel tomatoes with chilies 1 pound very lean ground beef, preferably sirloin 1 packet taco seasoning mix Brown ground beef and add taco seasoning mix. If you got the right kind of ground beef, there won't be anything to drain. Dump all ingredients in a big microwavable bowl and zap until cheese is melted. Stir around until it looks like barf. Serve with tortilla chips, chopped green onion, and sour cream. And hey, it's fat free!

07-06-2004, 04:59 PM	#15
SteveDallas Your Bartender Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Philly Burbs, PA Posts: 7,651	Puke dip... thanks for the image... I'm off to have dinner now!!!

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