Pre-package, partialy packaged, preprepared or scratch made

I'm with ya on this. I laugh at people who are self proclaimed "great cooks" then bust out the guidry's chopped trinity.

It takes boiling a chicken all day to make a chicken stock. Or I can just buy a carton of it and skip the hassle.

I could spend two days boiling down fresh tomatoes to make a tomato sauce, or I could just buy it by the jar. It's a huge difference in time.

Also, there are a few gumbo bases on the market that really aren't bad at all.

Guidry cuts are just for the lazy.

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I tend to make 5 gallons of gumbo at a time. I sometimes use Guidry's when I do that and I don't care if someone laughs at me for doing it. The finished product is delicious and that's what matters. I also have arthritis in my dominant hand so if I'm having a flareup, I'm going to reserve the chopping for the sausage/andouille, chicken, green onions, parsley etc... Laugh away....

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I hear you

I don't mind buying pre chopped trinity for convenience. I take the time to make my own roux which is probably another overrated endeavor but it's the only way I know how to make it right.

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Just curious why people use prepared items when cooking besides convenience. I grew up in the kitchen and if I am cooking I want the dish to be mine not someone else’s. I do not mean spices, stocks or canned peas/ corn. Example, why purchase pre mixed or pre made roux, chili, whatever starter kits, etc. another 10-20 minutes is not going to kill you in the kitchen.

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You must not have kids nor you and your spouse work full time. FWIW, 99% of what i make is prepared by me. But i don't fault people for pulling out pre-made roux or chili or that other list you are scoffing at. Whenever you and your wife have a job, work 8-10 hours/day, pickup the kids from daycare, try to work out, feed the kids, bathe the kids, spend some QT with the kids, you don't have that extra 20 minutes that's just floating around.

Thanks Gris Gris and Jamboy, makes sense.

I think most of you are taking this out of context and attacking. I am not faulting anyone from doing this. I have a big family, round up to 10 and I do work. I cook all the time. I am not making all day meals during the week. I am not talking cutting vegi’s as chopped trinity is easy for large quantity or frozen vegi’s. I mentioned some of the examples of ideas of prepared items. During the week it’s easy and fast cooking like grilling. On Sunday I am making large batches and freezing items. Then pulling during the week to mix and cook.

Simply asking why use pre starter chili, mixes, roux, frozen burgers, pre cooked chicken, etc as examples versus doing it yourself. This is just a question not insulting how one cooks. Isn’t that what this board is for?

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NOLATiger71

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I think this part of your original OP

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why purchase pre mixed or pre made roux, chili, whatever starter kits, etc. another 10-20 minutes is not going to kill you in the kitchen.

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Immediately followed by the very next poster in this thread gives this thread a different tone. Just some constructive criticism.

Many folks don't love cooking perhaps as much as you do or may not be as good at it as you are. It's important to me that the end product be good, but I love cooking. I find it relaxing and enjoyable.

Some pre-cooked items can make a very tasty dish. Rotisserie or smoked chicken from a bbq joint can be timesavers and darn good. I can make a fine chicken salad from those, for example. I love gumbo made from Greenberg turkeys. I use those leftovers for gumbo when I have those turkeys around. Delicious. Even though I didn't smoke the turkey myself, it takes "cooking" to put it together for good gumbo. All of those items take more than an extra 20 minutes to prepare.

Most of the chili mixes are dry seasonings pre-measured. You can still make those your own by adding other flavors if you're so inclined.

Maybe I'm misunderstanding the question, but it doesn't bother me at all to cook a good meal using something I didn't cook myself. As long as the dish is good, I'm good, and I still got to cook it all together to make it good.

I understand wanting every single facet of your dish to have been your own. I'm not going to make my own hamburger buns, though. I hate baking.

Most of the time when I'm making a large quantity of stock (except for seafood stocks), I load my cheap $50 18 quart roaster and let it go overnight. Works well for me. Works well with a large crockpot for smaller stocks. Still have to strain etc... and reduce if freezing.

It depends......I only eat quality bread, not industrial stuff. So, I’m baking from scratch because it’s important to me, and there is a profound difference in quality between the two.

But pass me the jarred roux, I’m fine with that. It is browned flour and fat. A quality industrial product and mine are indistinguishable. Frankly, roux making is fetishized by a bunch of ppl as some indicator of culinary talent or “Louisiana”-ness. I don’t need to make every roux from scratch to prove how Cajun I am. I’ve got plenty of other traditional/folk skills, plus language, DNA, and locale to legitimize my identity, LOL.

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If it takes you all day to boil a chicken or two days to boil tomatos you need to stick to processed products.

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For real. I put my stock on right before I start chopping onions and make the roux. By the time I'm ready for the stock it's done.