There are so many things you can buy these days, and I guess it's finding the things that you think are reasonable and time-saving, but also nutritious and contain ingredients you like.
I like to batch cook and then freeze meals. But I also sometimes use a ready-made sauce or curry sauce for quickness. For example I tend to use hoisin sauce that is pre-made in a package, because it's quick and easy - but I suspect it contains quite a bit of sugar, so ideally if I could make my own hoisin sauce from a recipe, that would be probably a lot better for me.
I wasn't sure what question you were asking towards the end of your post, i.e. about the carrots for example - are you saying that you think they are selling them very close to their use by or sell by date?
Thank you for all your helpful cooking tips. I am wondering if you have a list of herbs and spices that work well with different vegetables--like what goes good on carrots or what goes good on broccoli, etc. If you do--thank you in advance.
Broccoli - or any Brassicas great with Chilli or Play around Curry Spices. Turmeric, Cumin, Cinnamon, Ground Coriander, Ginger.
Roots love Fenugreek Curry Spices.
Herbs all Meditterean types Oregano, Thyme, Rosemary.
Fruit Peaches great with Basil .
Pulses Beans Fennel Seeds used digestion.
Parsley, Bay Leaves,Basil soups.
Useful ones Chives potatoes with Parsley.
Sage powerful used a lot with beans spices use those mentioned, Paprika good.
Mustard useful strong greens a spicy addition.
My advice use a little bit careful can add but can not take away.
Use the following method measure chop dice fresh, wash under hot tap.
If using fresh herbs works to incenuate oil in herbs.
Add end of cooking always except those such as hardy Rosemary, Thyme, Sage remove after cooking, leaves flavour no need to eat the fresh herbs.
Small quanties all the time.
Rosemary in large quantities is toxic fresh tastes of soap.
Defence mechanism in the wild these grow dry arid regions, Meditterean.
Plant grow these easy have lots in my garden.
Spices measure out add to abowl touch of hot water mixed means when adding to a recipe spices do get burnt.
All spices have oils that is one way other dry pan.
Add spices warm through and add to recipe.
Or use blender tin tomatoes stock and add soices herbs dried or fresh can get blended together as no one wishes to be chomping on a herb or spice not used to.
You need to be aware too hot or added too much following methods.
Lemon juice used bottle or lime juice bottle if using Curry spices.
Sugar honey or use Potatoes absorb the heat reason why lots of Curries dishes I do Meditterean use Potatoes a lot helps reduce any spice heat if there is any.
Please also buy small amounts unless your doing a lot of cooking.
Small bottles jars or pastes fine, just remember three months maximum. Do lose flavour all the time.
Please ask me any questions just want to add go one further books and some magazines the Good Food ones BBC publications very informative then you can experiment what you like.
The supermarkets want us to use the veg quickly and throw away the rest. It is very wasteful.
I find my veg keep fairly well if bought in small amounts and kept in the salad drawer of the fridge I don't chill tomatoes, potatoes or onions, as they don't like to be kept cold, but leafy greens etc, work well. Carrots last quite well in the salad drawer, along with celery, cucumbers Courgettes and Aubergine.
I don't buy the plastic wrapped stuff, Loose is preferable.
Can you grow your own at all? It is far better than supermarket stuff. I like to get to a market stall when I can for fresh produce.
Next year I plan to be growing as much of my own produce as possible.
I just made a comment noticed seems our produce in this country dates seem to be shrinking bought bread two days before needs to go in to freezer.
I thought Onions be fine in fridge helps prevent crying tears when cutting as it reduces the acidic contents that cause the problems.
I cook all Potatoes useful for meals eggs and so on salads.
I buy frozen majority time good better than fresh I believe these are blanched cooked cooled and frozen straight a way half the price of fresh big bags.
Last night did Chicken with Aubergines, Courgettes, Red Peppers and Yellow Peppers with Cherry tomatoes.
All frozen vegetables.
The sauce made my self everything came from the freezer.
Could not tell the difference in fact the big error many make is adding frozen veggies.
At start of recipe should be end as water evaporated defrosted.
Make recipe watery.
Add to a bowl add veggies pour water over boiling hot and then drain add last.
You can put an onion in the fridge for about an hour, but if you leave it in there for days, it gets soft and mouldy very quickly and stinks up the fridge.
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