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I actually had seafood as well tonight! I had Chilean Sea Bass with lobster mashed potatoes and sauteed asparagus. I was craving fish all day so I went to Mastro's Ocean Club a few miles from my house. Excellent meal.
Cost more than $5? Well yes, a good chunk more, but it was VERY good and I'm pretty sure it was also healthy.
I had Shrimp, Redbeans and Rice, and Boudin...
With Crem Brulee for desert.
At home... Cheap.
And I managed leftovers when I lived IN a dorm, with a dorm fridge. they hold more than one tray of ice and a TV dinner.
My original post was basically about comparing the cost of eating out versus cooking yourself.
And maybe the Olive Garden in your state isn't very good but the one in Scottsdale is quite good. It does vary from region to region, I've had some chains that are terrible in one region and quite good in the next.
And cooking an entire meal from scratch in less than 15 minutes? I hardly believe that. I'm a fairly good cook when I have the ambition to do so and when I make ANYTHING from scratch it takes quite a bit of time.
I don't mind cooking for a large group- maybe smoking a pork loin or baby-back ribs overnight. I can do that quite well but it's time consuming. Even making a meal such as alfredo takes well over 15 minutes to prepare once you cook the chicken, make the noodles, bake the bread, etc.
In post 74 you said that you can cook from scratch in under an hour and now you're saying it takes overnight. You're trying ti justify why you don't want to cook at home by saying it takes to long and that is not true.
You would much rather eat out and that's OK. I've made a lot of money from people who think the same way.
Olive Garden's food is not different in every State. I know the three guys who started and own the franchise and they cook everything in massive batches in a local warehouse and ship it out to all the franchises.
What you get in your state is the same everywhere.
They met while working in local restaurants years ago and decided to start a franchise restaurant business. Sold out to a major corporation and kept several local restaurants. They purchased it back after having a hard time getting consistent food supplies because the corporation that purchased it was cutting corners and the food suffered.
They turned it back around and the food is better but it is not all that great. It's really nothing more then cafeteria food cooked on a massive scale. And the reason you like there food is because it's loaded down with fat, cream, butter, and salt.
And to say meals can't be cooked in under 15 minutes just shows that you don't know a thing about the restaurant business or cooking.
And I forgot to ad that you're not even cooking from scratch. You're cooking from a jaw, how long does it take to open and heat it, 60 seconds?
Location: Montreal -> CT -> MA -> Montreal -> Ottawa
17,330 posts, read 33,029,371 times
Reputation: 28903
This thread really got me thinking about eating in vs. out and what I've come to realize is that -- for me -- it all boils down to having the ingredients on-hand.
I don't mind cooking at home. In fact, I'd prefer it. But I find that for any given recipe, I'm missing at least one of the required ingredients. It's typically not something that can be stored for a long time (such as for chicken marsala, I don't have mushrooms).
This doesn't cause me to go out for a meal -- it would be quicker to go to the grocery store than to eat in a restaurant -- but it does cause me to dread thinking of the next meal to make and, thus, it makes eating in a restaurant sound so much more appealing, instead of the quickie shortcut meal that I'll make because I'm lacking a key ingredient for the GOOD meal.
If the ingredients could magically appear in my kitchen, I know that the lure of a restaurant wouldn't be as strong.
In post 74 you said that you can cook from scratch in under an hour and now you're saying it takes overnight. You're trying ti justify why you don't want to cook at home by saying it takes to long and that is not true.
You would much rather eat out and that's OK. I've made a lot of money from people who think the same way.
Olive Garden's food is not different in every State. I know the three guys who started and own the franchise and they cook everything in massive batches in a local warehouse and ship it out to all the franchises.
What you get in your state is the same everywhere.
They met while working in local restaurants years ago and decided to start a franchise restaurant business. Sold out to a major corporation and kept several local restaurants. They purchased it back after having a hard time getting consistent food supplies because the corporation that purchased it was cutting corners and the food suffered.
They turned it back around and the food is better but it is not all that great. It's really nothing more then cafeteria food cooked on a massive scale. And the reason you like there food is because it's loaded down with fat, cream, butter, and salt.
And to say meals can't be cooked in under 15 minutes just shows that you don't know a thing about the restaurant business or cooking.
And I forgot to ad that you're not even cooking from scratch. You're cooking from a jaw, how long does it take to open and heat it, 60 seconds?
busta
In post 74, I mentioned the one hour point NOT as an exact measurement of time it takes to cook a meal from scratch but an abstract term that was meant to mean I don't have a massive quantity of time to devote to making things from scratch.
And I beg to differ that Olive Garden's food is the same everywhere. I've been to Olive Garden's in various states and the QUALITY of the food DOES vary. I've had good meals at some and bad meals at other so you can't tell me that "it's all the same".
I NEVER said meals can't be cooked under 15 minutes, I said meals cooked from SCRATCH can't be cooked under fifteen minutes. Making sauce from scratch, grilling/cutting up the chicken, baking bread, cooking the pasta, etc...it all takes time UNLESS one uses pre-made items.
I know how to cook, I'm actually a pretty good cook when I want to be.
For a single person, I just don't see how it's economical to make a big meal. I price things at the grocery store and once I get done buying the noodles, the pasta sauce, the chicken, the garlic bread, etc...I keep thinking it's probably cheaper if I just go out and eat. If I buy a steak, vegetables, potatoes, etc...I've spent damn near $15 already.
I never cook in bulk because I don't eat leftovers. When I was growing up, it seemed that every few nights my mom cleaned out the fridge and forced us kids to eat the leftovers from the past three nightly meals. Now that I'm in my 30's...I really don't like leftovers.
I frequent four particular restaurants in Scottsdale and I'm such a regular customer that the two waitresses who usually have the section I sit in, know me by name and know what I want to drink as soon as I enter. I usually order one of three things on the menu and they know not to even ask if I want a to-go box because honestly...it would just sit in my fridge and get moldy. I don't do leftovers, I just can't after going through what I went through as a kid.
I'm just curious to what everyone else does. Being single, I really don't see it being cheaper eating in versus eating out. I'm almost forced to eat out during lunch because my group of co-workers always try different eateries close to work. With tips included, I probably spend around $30-$40/ day for food. I never think this is unreasonable?
$80 a month?? Please explain this to me, I can't think of anyone who spends that little on food. Are you a vegetarian? I've seen the price of meat lately, you can't eat much of that for $80/ month!
I generally spend a little over $100 mo. on food, I'm single and don't eat out. Not a vegetarian or anything like that but I don't HAVE to have meat every single day either. I can't imagine spending $30-40 a DAY on food!
I like to cook and also do, what I call "planned overs", to put in the freezer for later meals. Sometimes I'm just too tired to cook, or get home late, so having those "TV dinners" in the freezer is a huge help. I guess I don't really look at them as "leftovers" and lord knows I ate plenty of them as a kid! Still do.
I NEVER said meals can't be cooked under 15 minutes, I said meals cooked from SCRATCH can't be cooked under fifteen minutes. Making sauce from scratch, grilling/cutting up the chicken, baking bread, cooking the pasta, etc...it all takes time UNLESS one uses pre-made items.
About 80% of my meals take 30 minutes to make, from scratch. I only use a couple of convenience items on a regular basis: crushed garlic in a jar or freezer pack, ginger juice or crushed garlic, mustard. Ok, I buy bread of course, yogurt, sausage, and pasta. But you'd be surprised, with a little practice and some improved technique, there are lots of things that are fast and easy to make from scratch.
I know I posted a while ago about using the same combos for different dishes. Here is an example:
Chicken, bell peppers, broccoli, onions can be used for:
1. Pasta sauce: add this to some crushed tomatoes, herbs, pasta and you have a nice sauce
2. Stir-fry: add soy sauce, ginger, garlic, honey or mirin and stirfry. Serve with rice
3. Thai-style curry: mix with prepared red or yellow curry paste (lasts for months in a jar), coconut milk (freeze the leftovers and use it for future currys or soups) and chicken broth (the cardboard pack will last for at least a month in the fridge when opened, ignore the package.) mixed with rice.
4. Pasta salad: use the leftover pasta from the first meal, add some of your favorite cheese or goat cheese, spinach, jarred artichoke hearts and some balsamic vinaigrette with the cooked chicken and veggies.
You could easily grill, sautee or steam the chicken ahead of time, and finish the veggies in the sauce. Or steam them lightly first. And mix up the rest of the stuff as needed all week.
4 different dishes with the same base ingredients.
This thread really got me thinking about eating in vs. out and what I've come to realize is that -- for me -- it all boils down to having the ingredients on-hand.
I don't mind cooking at home. In fact, I'd prefer it. But I find that for any given recipe, I'm missing at least one of the required ingredients. It's typically not something that can be stored for a long time (such as for chicken marsala, I don't have mushrooms).
This doesn't cause me to go out for a meal -- it would be quicker to go to the grocery store than to eat in a restaurant -- but it does cause me to dread thinking of the next meal to make and, thus, it makes eating in a restaurant sound so much more appealing, instead of the quickie shortcut meal that I'll make because I'm lacking a key ingredient for the GOOD meal.
If the ingredients could magically appear in my kitchen, I know that the lure of a restaurant wouldn't be as strong.
Plan out your meals. The Redbeans and rice I did a couple days ago I had known I was going to do shortly and got extra bell peppers etc... so I didn't haveta go shopping.
Location: Montreal -> CT -> MA -> Montreal -> Ottawa
17,330 posts, read 33,029,371 times
Reputation: 28903
Quote:
Originally Posted by Themanwithnoname
Plan out your meals. The Redbeans and rice I did a couple days ago I had known I was going to do shortly and got extra bell peppers etc... so I didn't haveta go shopping.
You're right -- I should.
I have a list in the kitchen of ingredients I need to get for three recipes.
But once those are made and eaten, I'm back to square one.
I'm a super-organized person EXCEPT when it comes to food ingredients. I don't know why that is.
I actually had seafood as well tonight! I had Chilean Sea Bass with lobster mashed potatoes and sauteed asparagus. I was craving fish all day so I went to Mastro's Ocean Club a few miles from my house. Excellent meal.
Cost more than $5? Well yes, a good chunk more, but it was VERY good and I'm pretty sure it was also healthy.
1. i bet it wasnt healthy.
2. how much did it cost?
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In post 74, I mentioned the one hour point NOT as an exact measurement of time it takes to cook a meal from scratch but an abstract term that was meant to mean I don't have a massive quantity of time to devote to making things from scratch.
I know how to cook, I'm actually a pretty good cook when I want to be. 
