Since I wrote about a Wall Street Journal article pointing out the myth of convenience foods, I was surprised to see a post over at Food Fetish stating essentially that I might frown on her buying and using bagged salad as a time-saver, based on my recent post about convenience foods and the fact that they really don't save enough time to make them worth the extra fat and calories that they usually include. Her post made me think about what the definition of convenience foods should be and which ones I couldn't live without. 
When I started looking at it, almost everything we use today is a convenience food of sorts, if you define that as a food that is already premade or pre-prepared. Are all canned foods convenience foods? I certainly use
my share of canned tomatoes, canned beans, and even pasta sauce on occasion. While I love homemade bread, I don't bake for everyday use. So, if you consider processed foods as convenience foods, I don't use that many, but if you count pre-prepared foods, they are staples in my pantry and freezer, and they are the building blocks I use to play with food.
What convenience foods could you not live without? I think that you may find drawing that line a little more difficult than you imagined.
When I started looking at it, almost everything we use today is a convenience food of sorts, if you define that as a food that is already premade or pre-prepared. Are all canned foods convenience foods? I certainly use
my share of canned tomatoes, canned beans, and even pasta sauce on occasion. While I love homemade bread, I don't bake for everyday use. So, if you consider processed foods as convenience foods, I don't use that many, but if you count pre-prepared foods, they are staples in my pantry and freezer, and they are the building blocks I use to play with food.What convenience foods could you not live without? I think that you may find drawing that line a little more difficult than you imagined.
Comments
Refrigerated minced garlic, crushed ginger
Shredded or mini carrots
Canned beans, tomatoes, corn
Frozen berries, peas, broccoli
Long grain/wild rice mix
Breakfast cereal
Yogurt
Prepared stock (veggie/chicken)
And I'm sure there are others....
--Lisa
family blog: http://360.yahoo.com/listmikeplus3
food blog: http://takeitleaveit.blogspot.com
My well-stocked pantry shows my love of convenience foods: dried pasta, beans, tomato sauce, capers, stock and taco dinner kits.
Canned tomatos.
Canned corn.
Vegetable stock.
Bagged salads.
Frozen veggie burgers.
Shelley- Like you, I like the convenience of prewashed greens, but like to add my own dressing, etc.(besides, the "kits" are so much more expensive!)
Sara- I totally agree- beans are a great pantry staple, and canned beans are an essential convenience food for me!
C'tina- I interpreted it the same way, but you could draw the line more conservatively, and then it would be difficult to be a home cook without "convenience" foods.
greensgal
http://www.theomnivoressolution.com
Pre-shredded carrots
Shredded cabbage/cole slaw mix
Brocolli florets (like those Broccolli Wokley bags)
Fresh salsa--or worse, the salsa kits from Trader Joes!
Ground meat shaped into patties
Sliced fruit
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