Convenience economy
As a curious follow up to my musings yesterday on home economics, today's Wall Street Journal "Health Journal" column discusses the myth of convenience foods. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB118644320548689855.html (subscribers only).
The article cites a UCLA study of family cooking habits that found meals with little or no convenience foods took 26 to 93 minutes from start to table, while meals that used a lot of convenience foods took 25 to 73 minutes. Besides nutritional differences, the main difference between the meals with and without convenience foods were "hands-on" prep time - about 10 minutes more for dealing with ingredients - and more courses served with convenience foods. (Giving grist to the American problem of oversize portions and obesity.)
Considering the often substantial difference in cost between ingredients and convenience foods, it is astonishing to find that the food doesn't get to the table any quicker.
The article cites a UCLA study of family cooking habits that found meals with little or no convenience foods took 26 to 93 minutes from start to table, while meals that used a lot of convenience foods took 25 to 73 minutes. Besides nutritional differences, the main difference between the meals with and without convenience foods were "hands-on" prep time - about 10 minutes more for dealing with ingredients - and more courses served with convenience foods. (Giving grist to the American problem of oversize portions and obesity.)
Considering the often substantial difference in cost between ingredients and convenience foods, it is astonishing to find that the food doesn't get to the table any quicker.