Rex Trulove
With the proliferation of fast food restaurants, there has been a decline in the number of people who eat or prepare homecooked meals. It isn’t so much the difficulty involved as much as it is the time required. This is so true that an entire generation has grown up without being taught how to make a homecooked meal and many people have never even tasted one.
For clarity, when we are talking about a homecooked meal, we aren’t referring to just something that is prepared at home. If it came mostly out of a can or a package, it isn’t a homecooked meal, it is a commercial meal prepared at home. A homecooked meal is one that is mostly or entirely made from scratch, within reason.
Homecooked meals were the sort that were most commonly eaten prior to WWII. Before that time, few people dined in restaurants of any sort very often, partly because they couldn’t afford to. Packaged, canned, and pre-made meals were uncommon, too, because most of the modern methods of making such a meal, from a commercial aspect, didn’t exist.
Today’s society is largely founded on the idea of instant gratification. If it only takes a half-hour to drive to a fast-food place, another 15 minutes to get a cheap burger and fries, and a half-hour to drive home, people somehow think that the lack of effort makes it all worth it. Never mind the fact that the food isn’t nearly as healthy and actually takes longer than many meals would take if they were cooked at home, so it really isn’t ‘fast’ food.
The sad fact is that if people are never taught how to make a homecooked meal, they are unlikely to take it upon themselves to learn how to do it. Worse still, many people who’ve never had a homecooked meal, made from scratch, might not have any desire to try it because they don’t know what they are missing. The same people will often claim that they aren’t good cooks when it is honestly a case of them having never learned to be a good cook.
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Question of
How often do you eat a homecooked meal, prepared mostly or completely from scratch?
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Almost always
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Over half the time
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Once in a while
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Rarely
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I’ve never had a homecooked meal
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Question of
How often do you prepare or make a homecooked meal, made from scratch?
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Nearly every day
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More often than not
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Once in a while
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Rarely
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Never/I don’t know how
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Question of
Do you want to learn how to make homecooked meals or how to make better homecooked meals?
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Yes
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No
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Maybe
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we use the crockpot all the time. The new item we’ve been using heavily is the Ninja Foodi!
If it helps you eat healthier, it is a good investment. We got a steamer last summer, second hand but like new for $10. We often steam vegetables now, especially broccoli and cauliflower.
We are loving the air fryer (Ninja foodi) Our favorite regional food is Crab Cakes. Deep fried they are delightful. But that is also many more health problems eating the fried version. The air fried version is just as good!
Our daughter bought an air fryer and we used it a few times when she was here, but when she moved, she took it with her. We honestly don’t have room to justify getting another right now. It was neat to have, when we had it, though. We also have a breadmaker that we’ve never used. I’m not sure why we still have it.
I go through phases with the bread maker. I use it h3eavily in the mid-winter time (makes the house smell good) but don’t use it in spring – fall.
In the Balkans, people are still cooking every day. There is, of course, fast food here too. Also, you can buy cooked food. Few people use this kind of food. Basically, those who are alone, are not married, have no children .. Domestic food is being prepared daily in our homes.
That is a good thing. Here in the US, the availability of the food for home cooking isn’t an issue. In places like Guatemala, though not all that far away, many canned foods aren’t available. Canned soups are rare, for instance. However, beans are common, canned or otherwise. It’s a cultural thing…they eat a lot of beans. The consequence is that people in Guatemala also tend to make homecooked meals.
I am living alone. My friend and her family live in the apartment below me. They provide me with food they get from a church pantry that provides for economically strapped families and they get lots of meat also. When that happens I fill up my freezer and then about once or twice a week I cook up a really big meal to share between them and me because they discovered they enjoy my cooking. When I am not cooking for the crowd I have no desire to cook for myself except for eggs. So I have chicken nuggets, some canned or frozen meal just to fill my tummy until when I cook up another for all of us.
Have you ever tried making your own chicken nuggets? It isn’t especially hard and if you know that you are going to be freezing most of them, you can make a big batch.
Haven’t tried making homemade chicken nuggets but perhaps I will try that and freeze them in batches.
There is an Amish store about 20 miles from here where they make and sell chicken nuggets and chicken patties, both cooked and uncooked. They also grow and make garlic powder and onion powder that they sell. We buy from them when we go that direction. The food is good and it is much less expensive than from supermarkets, including Walmarts. We pay about $4.60 for 5 pounds of nuggets and 39 cents for 6 oz of onion or garlic powder, and the seasoning is always fresh.
I love the arrangement you have with your friend and their family, by the way. Everyone benefits and that is wonderful.
I almost always cook every single day. If I have an appointment and am out at mealtime I will grab something but I try to go for the meat and three places to eat, homemade food when possible.
Do you cook much in a crockpot? That could be an option for days when you know you’ll be on the go.