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Post by lillielangtry on Jan 25, 2024 6:05:06 GMT -5
Yes, I think that the cost/benefit ratio can be different for each person. Sometimes the cost is money, other times it's time, or energy, or health. Sometimes I swing by the supermarket on the way home, because they do a sort of 'takeaway' thing. There are sides, mains, and desserts that can be bought in a combo, so two people can eat for 10 quid. Just needs heating up at home, and often the choices they have are just as good as what would cost twice as much from the restaurant. THe only downside is that it's mostly either chicken or vegetarian--those are cheapest to make. I miss that kind of thing from the UK. German supermarkets have a much smaller range of ready meals and they are almost universally the really cheap, low end of the market. The kind where you can splash out a bit but still save on going to restaurant doesn't really exist, and I think there's definitely a place for it.
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Post by romily on Jan 25, 2024 6:46:09 GMT -5
Yes,where you live surely matters, if I had access to great Mexican food I would definitely take advantage!
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Post by Liiisa on Jan 25, 2024 7:02:13 GMT -5
Yeah, Mexican cuisine is one that when it's good, it's amazing, and otherwise is kind of sad. I'm leery of Mexican outside of Mexico and the US.
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Post by wombatrois on Jan 25, 2024 7:29:15 GMT -5
We're starting to get a few decent ones here, but I don't have a reference point having never eaten Mexican in either the US or Mexico!
I like to think they're reasonably authentic or at least they're really delicious and they seem to be authentic. Which works for me anyway - if I'm spending $s to eat out, it needs to be delicious.
We are booked into a fab little Thai for Saturday now ... whole fish with spicy sauce and herbs here we come!
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Post by sprite on Jan 25, 2024 7:32:07 GMT -5
I have learned through many disappointments that pizza isn't actually a great delivery item. Not helped by the drivers often having multiple stops, so the 10 minute drive from pizza to me takes 25...
Our favourite steak restaurant is run by a very tempermental guy. When he's in the mood, it's possible to pick up take out, but they refuse point blank to deal with any delivery companies.
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Post by psw on Jan 25, 2024 10:21:48 GMT -5
I have a walker with a tray which I use for carrying, especially food and food prep. Using a cane leaves me functionally one-handed, so the walker+tray can be loaded up with food, crockery, utensils, etc., and taken in one trip to the dining room where I can sit and assemble an actual dinner plate. I don't have a kitchen table.
My microwave is on the dining room teacart, which is very handy.
I do have a high kitchen chair with a two-step footrest/stepstool that can be pulled out. Sometimes I sit on the chair with the walker&trtay for a quick task in the kitchen or use the steps to put things away or get stuff down.
Sounds complicated, isn't really. I've had several years to figure this out.
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Post by sophie on Jan 25, 2024 11:59:47 GMT -5
I think our routines will be taking a hit when I have my knee done! We are already talking about which bed will be better for me to use and which bathroom will be ‘mine’…
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Post by romily on Jan 25, 2024 14:36:36 GMT -5
Before I had my foot surgery in 2019 I prepared like crazy - wheelchair, crutches, rolling office chair in kitchen was a life saver. And cooked up a storm so had over a months of dinners frozen...
It was still difficult doing it all alone (my first shower with special chair in shower and plastic covering over foot took at least 45 minutes) but after a bit I got in some routines, like how to best position the wheelchair to then stand on one leg, and turn over myself to get onto sofa, then lift up leg to elevated position on sofa table). Thankfully I was otherwise fit and mobile otherwise I would have been screwed.
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Post by vinnyd on Jan 25, 2024 15:47:16 GMT -5
My house cleaner comes every two weeks, around lunchtime, and it would be awkward to be occupying the kitchen and dining room while she was trying to clean. So I have a standing lunch date with a friend on alternate Tuesdays. Almost never eat out aside from that. I thunk I would get fat if I were eating out more often than that.
I am lucky enough to enjoy cooking, so time spent cooking is time off. I have never in my life ordered food to be delivered when it was my decision. I hardly ever take out from restaurants. I will sometimes pick up a rotisserie chicken from a supermarket and make rice or something to have with it.
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Post by tzarine on Jan 25, 2024 15:49:40 GMT -5
sometimes, its just convenience or something i dont make like ribs or roast duck @ home or i have a craving for something
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Post by psw on Jan 25, 2024 16:29:23 GMT -5
Like vinnyd, I often have rotisserie chicken available as a meal anchor. One of my regular markets sells rotisserie chicken quarters, which is perfect for me because I prefer dark meat. I'll lay in some leg quarters and build around a drumstick or thigh depending how hungry I am. They freeze up well and thaw in the microwave on low heat. When I eat out I order things that I don't make at home because they are either labor-intensive or very messy like lamb or duck.
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Post by rikita on Jan 25, 2024 17:37:30 GMT -5
theoretically once a week - on thursdays, after a's trumpet class we get home pretty late, so that's our eating out/take away day, and we take turns chosing what to get (today we went to an indian restaurant; a. often choses shawarma or occasionally rotisserie chicken or sushi) ... in practice, it is sometimes several times a week - like, yesterday after visiting my mom, we also got home pretty late, so got kebab and fries on the way home and monday a. had an additional trumpet class, so it was late, too, and we got shish tavuk and fries ... sometimes feel bad about not making healthy food at home more often, but i really don't enjoy cooking and am kind of disorganized about shopping and often just tired ...
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Post by wombatrois on Jan 25, 2024 18:13:04 GMT -5
Nothing wrong with shish tavuk!
I think I've mentioned it before, but rotisserie chicken has a great colloquial name here - the bachelor's handbag (supermarkets sell them in plastic bags with handles).
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Post by Liiisa on Jan 25, 2024 19:00:16 GMT -5
We never used to get carry-out -- and still don't, really -- with the exception of this one BBQ/soul food place in the neighborhood, which we really wanted to stay in business during the pandemic. So we got into the habit of doing that, getting carry-out from there once a month or so. We always order enough for 3 days, which is fun.
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Post by Liiisa on Jan 25, 2024 20:47:36 GMT -5
PS there's a bird that has a call that to me sounds like it's saying "shish tavuk! shish tavuk!" but I can't remember which bird it is
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Post by ozziegiraffe on Jan 25, 2024 20:50:15 GMT -5
I learnt to batch cook when I was in a remote country town with very limited takeaway options, and travelled long distances at least 3 days a week. I invested in a microwave and a small chest freezer. When I moved back to the same region over 30 years later, I discovered a service station in Cobar that made good prepared meals, mostly to cater for mine workers. I’d buy several on my way through, and most were 2 serves for me. A service station where I often stopped in Nyngan was run by Indians who made good curries, so I’d pick one up when I stopped for fuel.
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Post by whothingie on Jan 25, 2024 22:31:31 GMT -5
I have fits and starts re pre cooked food. Uber eats has just arrived here and when I had visitors ordered twice. One a disaster as cold on arrival and fish and chips re heated are horrible. The Thai was great and just needed a quick zap. A group of us dine out relatively often but as we have aged and became more decrepit that's slowed. It's either brunch or roast of the day in winter. While I was recovering recently I ordered two lots of pre frozen exceptionally good meals and really should order some more for emergencies...ie being lazy.
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Post by wombatrois on Jan 26, 2024 3:26:45 GMT -5
J never knew you could recycle fish and chips until he met me! The trick is to gently heat them in a frying pan so they are nice and crisp and hot again. Not quite the same, but close enough to be delicious.
This was occasionally our breakfast with leftovers when we were kids. Now there are never leftovers - I think we used to get bucketloads of chips with f&c back then, whereas it's now quite portion controlled.
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Post by romily on Jan 26, 2024 8:33:56 GMT -5
I think there is a big divide between living in big cities vs the countryside. If I eat out here it always works out way more expensive, and the portions are too big, and often the food isn't great (take out pizzas here are yuck!).
But if I would have great streetfood, or food trucks that make amazing food with affordable prices, and a much bigger choice of cuisines I might be tempted more often.
Local supermarket stopped selling rotisserie chicken which annoys me to no end, as I often used it and shredded the meat, and then made some shredded meat Mexican or asian food dish. Much nicer (and quicker) than cooking chicken breast as it includes all different types of meat.
I have to say I love my slow cooker - planning on making a goulash tomorrow that will easily make 5 portions, and on the day I then just have to cook some pasta with the defrostet goulash.
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Post by sprite on Jan 26, 2024 12:49:36 GMT -5
We sometimes get partly prepped dishes from the butcher or fishmonger. tonight we're having Chicken Balmoral; a thigh stuffed with haggis, wrapped in bacon. I'll microwave some veggies and roast french fries in the oven under the chicken. yum.
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Post by HalcyonDaze on Jan 26, 2024 23:36:04 GMT -5
Takeaway. - it varies, but possibly averages to once a month? Might be less now with the excellent Mexican place having closed, along with our back up Japanese. place.
Eating out - over the holidays we have eaten out a lot, now it will settle down a bit more. I still often do the lunch out with Mum, or at last a takeaway when I do the GP and library with her about once a month.
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Post by lisamnz on Feb 1, 2024 16:40:57 GMT -5
I think there is a big divide between living in big cities vs the countryside. If I eat out here it always works out way more expensive, and the portions are too big, and often the food isn't great (take out pizzas here are yuck!). But if I would have great streetfood, or food trucks that make amazing food with affordable prices, and a much bigger choice of cuisines I might be tempted more often. Local supermarket stopped selling rotisserie chicken which annoys me to no end, as I often used it and shredded the meat, and then made some shredded meat Mexican or asian food dish. Much nicer (and quicker) than cooking chicken breast as it includes all different types of meat. I have to say I love my slow cooker - planning on making a goulash tomorrow that will easily make 5 portions, and on the day I then just have to cook some pasta with the defrostet goulash. We live rurally near a small town 15 minutes away. There are ample options for takeaways. Is this a british thing? WE have restaurants that do takeout, takeaway bars, and food trucks. Also, don't cook chicken breast. Cook chicken thighs instead. Can you not get them there? We can get boned or filleted, skin on or off. They are SO much nicer than chicken breast (which I find quite dry usually) and often cheaper.
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Post by Liiisa on Feb 1, 2024 17:25:39 GMT -5
Agree on the dark meat vs white meat thing
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Post by psw on Feb 1, 2024 17:31:28 GMT -5
I agree 100% on chicken thighs! One of the supermarkets near me has rotisserie chickens both whole and in quarters, so when possible I pick up a couple of packages of leg quarters. A two-pack makes three meals, one thigh each for two meals and the two drumsticks for a third.
For takeout so much depends on where you live and what the local possibilities are. I was once alone in a Chinese restaurant in Boston having something small. The guy at the next table had about a half a dozen dishes spread out. We got to talking and he said he lived in New Hampshire and didn't get to the big city very often, so on those rare occasions he stocked up with a week's worth of something unavailable close to home.
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Post by Liiisa on Feb 1, 2024 17:33:19 GMT -5
I get chicken thighs, slather them with olive oil, salt and pepper, and paprika or cumin or whatever, and bung them in the oven (the toaster oven!) for 25 minutes and they're gorgeous.
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Post by lisamnz on Feb 1, 2024 17:53:35 GMT -5
yum.
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Post by tzarine on Feb 1, 2024 17:55:47 GMT -5
I get chicken thighs, slather them with olive oil, salt and pepper, and paprika or cumin or whatever, and bung them in the oven (the toaster oven!) for 25 minutes and they're gorgeous. we had that w paprika for din last night tzar brought home sashimi for lunch
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Post by Liiisa on Feb 1, 2024 17:56:43 GMT -5
I made 'em last night with za'ataar
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Post by tzarine on Feb 1, 2024 18:04:46 GMT -5
I made 'em last night with za'ataar wow reminds me that i need to pick some up
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Post by romily on Feb 2, 2024 10:43:24 GMT -5
Well, we have restaurants and takeouts - but mostly it's fish and chips (no thanks), indian, pizza and chinese. Often very greasy and if good super pricey. Food vans only sell yucky sandwiches, or tuna baguettes, or in the morning bacon rolls. Not very exciting, and super greasy.
Chicken thighs - of course we can get them in the super market but I have this weird thing about texture - even with the deboned ones there often are grizzly sinewy bits in there and fatty bits that make me gag when I see them raw? Example - I love american streaky bacon. I can't cook it because raw the fatty bits freak me out. With british bacon I cut of all the fat when cooking it (to be fair when I eat out and have british bacon I also cut of the fatty bit as it's not crispy).
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