re: 62% of Americans now cook at home

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So which is it? You can make a smashburger better than any restaurant or going out is to get food better than you can make yourself at home?

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These can both be true...smash burgers are easy, cheap and delicious from home. Way cheaper than 5 Guys or another similar burger joint. 2 lbs ground chuck, couple packs of buns, and some potatoes for fries should be around $25 and would feed 8 people.

He can also go out to get a beef wellington, sushi, or something else thats hard to duplicate at home and much better in a restaurant.

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Gross

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There’s nothing gross about meatless meals.

Ratatouille with a good baguette is meatless. Marinara without meat is meatless.

My wife cooks every day. She is good at it and enjoys it, so I got her a Wolf induction 2 years ago when we remodeled.

I have never in my life used Grub Hub, Uber Eats or any of that nonsense. It's been about 20 years since I've had a pizza delivered.

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There’s nothing gross about meatless meals. Ratatouille with a good baguette is meatless. Marinara without meat is meatless.

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I said what I said and I stand by it.

I can tell you’re a woman by the fact that you describe marinara as a meal and not a side. And note I’m not saying this in a derogatory or denigrating way. Simply that my wife could eat pasta and sauce or protein less salad for a meal and be perfectly content. My body craves the protein and I just feel incomplete if I don’t have it during lunch or dinner.

I was in the US last month for a visit and holy shite prices in restaurants jumped. I cooked a lot in my house when I was home. I could afford it, the problem is I didn't want too. At a certain point outside of seafood or a special type of restaurant it is not worth it especially with a 20% tip. Most chain restaurants are the same overpriced food. Honestly though since the pandemic started my wife and I have been cooking a lot and we kept that trend up afterwards. It is something we enjoying doing together and we make pretty good meals. We don't eat out nearly as much as we did before 2020.

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A rotisserie chicken at Sam's is $5

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great deal

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and will feed a family of 5 easily

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Well, that's not true. But, still a good deal.

I remember a full grocery cart at A&P was $20

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I meal prep every week and eating healthy and lean foods is not cheap at all. Buying steaks, chicken, and sausage for the meat parts of my food pisses me off at what they cost, especially the steaks.

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Yall need to get the Flipp app and look for the sales. I can get boneless skinless thighs and Brest for 1.77/lb (Alberton's) and I just bought a whole USDA prime loin (from Rouses to dry age and cut for steaks) for 9.99/lb. Shop the sales, vacuum pack/freeze in bulk. Also get a grinder to snag lean cuts when on sale to do the same for your ground meat needs.

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38% don't cook at home, even breakfast? No wonder a significant percentage can't afford things they think are other necessities (like a savings account).

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I don’t “cook” breakfast technically unless pouring cereal counts as cooking

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A big reason that I end up eating out a lot these days is spending $40-60 just to get the ingredients for a good meal for me and and my girlfriend.

And that's just to make a good pasta, salad, bread and a vegetable side.

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Unless you’re buying super high quality meat, or you have to buy spices every time, I don’t see how this is possible.

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Pasta from decent wheat $4
Shrimp or quality tuna $10
Cream $4
olives $4
Onions $2
decent Tomatoes $3
decently nutritious greens $4
brussels sprouts or asparagus $5
some good fruit $4
loaf of good bread with some nutrients $5

That's $45 and doesn't count the basics like olive oil, spices, butter or some extra produce you have on hand and add to the salad.


I'm not saying this couldn't be cheaper but to make it cheaper I'd need to do some of these things:

1. substitute produce/bread/meat that's not nearly as nutritious

2. make some special longer trip to a discount supermarket that takes a lot more time and therefore also plan the meal way in advance and that would only save $10 or so at most.


Really this isn't trying to say what everyone should do but to merely say that if I'm personally going to all the effort to shop, cook and clean then I'm not going to make a crappy unhealthy meal and the cost to make a healthy one is closer to 75% of a quality take out meal instead of 20% if you have a lot of good restaurant options where you live.

It's simply why a lot of America doesn't necessarily find eating out that extravagant with grocery prices where they are.