I’d say half and half. A crockpot is a marvelous device, as is an air fryer. But, as Mrs LS will tell you, cooking requires quite a bit of prep-—getting the main food, all the accompanying items, making sure you’re not out of spices, etc.
Then there is the timing IF you want everything warm. It is an art, not a science, and a lot of people simply can’t do it.
She majored in Home Ec at Miami U, and can tell you the proper cooking/baking time for almost anything.
But it takes 10 min to drive to Outback, 15 min wait for a table, and 30 min from being seated to food arriving, and THEN tack on 20% since waitressing isn't a free good.
You're a drummer and have toured. Would you agree that on the road isn't like food at home?
Last week we found a completely prepped pot roast at our local mega-mart for $12.00, complete with cleaned vegetables. We made egg noodles to accompany it and fed 3 people a hearty crock pot meal for under $15.00.
We had leftover meat which went into a scramble the next morning.
L
Since I went carnivore four years ago, the main food is my only food.
Tri-tip, beef shank, pork loin chops, whole chickens. Steaks when they are on sale.
The best thing I have found for cooking is an INstant Pot.
LOVE the thing.
Many poor would do well to eat as I often do - cook a quick omelet, or hamburger, or stir-fry some sliced meat. Make a ham sandwich, heavy on the ham and light on the bread. Heck, a person can eat pretty good for less than what a fast food meal costs.
My wife and I can fry salmon for less than a trip to McDonalds.
...It is an art, not a science, and a lot of people simply can’t do it....
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No disrespect intended, but the women I know with a Dietetics or Nutrition or Home EC degree do eat out more often than those of us who are simple homemakers.
Been cooking forever, making meals for others for 60 years. Timing is a science, the management of one’s time may be something of an art, IDK.
I always shop for specific menus chosen for compatible cook times/methods.
You usually have a few hours while the main course cooks. During that time you make cold sides first, then warm sides near the end. Many whole meat cuts require a standing time which is enough for heating warm sides. Something simple, like a steak, means cold sides made first, any warm sides made while coals are getting to the right stage and then 8 minutes for the meat at the end.
If you batch cook, it takes less time for the frozen extra meals to heat than you spend in a restaurant.
No way restaurant meals are cheaper. The time factor is bogus if you count travel & wait time. Cleanup is separate and something you pay for in a restaurant. Depends on number of guests. I always clean up the prep tools as I go, a holdover from the time when I learned and had no space and few pans/utensils. Has served me well now, in retirement, when I am back to limited space & have downsized my tools.
My BIL maintains he saves money by ordering a pre-cooked Thanksgiving dinner. Perhaps, but when I cook for Thanksgiving I can make sure everyone gets their favorite side and I have leftovers for days, if not months when I freeze them. If invited out for that sort of feast, I will still come home and make one anyway, just to have the leftovers. I usually make some requested sides in a double batch, one to bring along and one waiting for us at home or portioned for later & frozen. The turkey just cooks while I do whatever else I want and as a bonus, I have the pan juices/carcass for another 4 meals of great soup.
Prep takes time, but you pay for that in the salary of the sous chef.
Just my 2 cents. Everyone will decide for themselves at any given time. I do always order out or eat in a restaurant when I want fried chicken, as the clean up is beyond me these days. With frozen batches, I can get dinner on the table in 15 minutes, the time it takes to make a salad.
I do dread the day when I am no longer able to cook for myself & others. OTOH, I have less appetite and so less need to cook daily.