What do you eat when you can’t face cooking?

But sometimes (in our household’s experience) the kids have stuff on that means a very quick dinner needs rustling up (usual staples of chicken nuggets / Quorn pasties and frozen chips stuffed down their throats before dashing off to an activity) and I certainly wouldn’t want to eat that stuff so I always then cook something for my wife and I later (but I love cooking so any excuse to make something really nice is a win for me).

I think you’ve missed the point though.  I also love cooking so I see life through your sort of eyes, but the OP is time/enthusiasm poor and I think is looking for very quick with zero hassle.  Given some of the options here, the nuggets and chips sound nourishing and interesting.

If I need something quick that tastes good and is very simple then cous cous and a tin or mackerel in tomato sauce is pretty good.  Or an omelette only takes a few minutes to cook.  Nachos in the microwave (ideally with haggis and cheese but the “traditional” way works too).   If you have ingredients then a massive salad (chicken ceasar?) isn’t really cooking and leaves me feeling I’ve been healthier than sticking a pie and beans in the microwave.

Picard (you can get their stuff from Ocado, and elsewhere) do some high quality frozen stuff that easily cooks from frozen.

In particular, their paella is great. Just take the bag out the freezer, shake some into a pan, heat. Job done. If you want you can throw some other things in, but they’re pretty generous with the fish etc.

The second post had this nailed, pretty much every one since it has missed the point. The answer to “What do you eat when you don’t want to cook” is not “I’ll cook blah blah blah…”.

FWIW – cereal, usually a mix of granola and muesli with additional raisins and sultanas, sometimes a chopped up banana, lobbed in, in a portion commensurate with my hunger.

Think Cheesy Peas!

To clarify: Most nights I do end up cooking two proper meals, one for the kids (3 & 7) and one for me and the missus (who refuses to eat at 5 with the kids). Luckily I don’t have to make anything for the 6 month old yet.

It’s the nights where I’m broken that this doesn’t happen, so my limit for effort at this point is probably reached by putting something on a tray in the oven (certainly no marinading) or boiling a kettle. If I’ve got to stand about in the kitchen for more than a couple of minutes to get it finished that’s not what I’m after.

So far beige food from the freezer (probably with chili sauce) or a cold tin of rice pudding are probably taking the lead.

When it comes to beige food, what you need is the sort that can also give you third degree burns…

Seriously folks… go to Iceland and find all types of wondrous foodstuffs for your freezer that you never knew even existed. You can thank me later 😀

so my limit for effort at this point is probably reached by putting something on a tray in the oven (certainly no marinading) or boiling a kettle.

The other night I had a posh fish finger sandwich, fries and peas. Four fish fingers, one of those part baked baguettes and some oven fries, all into the oven at the same time on the same tray. Fifteen minutes later they all come out, baguette split, tommy K and tartare sauce applied, warm, crispy sarnie made. Peas were three minutes in the microwave. It was really quite excellent.

@integra Also a can of deluxe Ambrosia custard will suffice or a carton for the larger appetite.

Or Lobster thermidor aux crevettes with a mornay sauce garnished with truffle pâté, brandy and with a fried egg on top and spam chorizo 😋

I for one appreciated this reference.

@somafunk –
“homemade curry powder mix” – Do you have a recipe for this? It’s something I’ve been trying to perfect for years.

Noodle pots (NB. not Pot Noodles!) This one is my go to

Nong Shim Shin noodles are hands down the greatest noodles ever put on this earth if you like spicy food that’s actually spicy. They do a Supernoodle-a-like variant too.

Also, great for ordering via your voice assistant device if you want Alexa to purchase two goats and a MIG welder.

I always have chicken nuggets and hash browns in the freezer, whak it in the oven, and bang some chilli sauce (or whatever sauce you want) on it once cooked.
Also other frozen wonders, chilli cheese bites, breaded scampi etc, etc.

Pretty much zero effort, maximum nom.

In our house we usually have some sort of leftover bits floating around the fridge, failing that you can cook fried eggs on toast with baked beans in about 5 minutes, that’s what we do when it’s gotten late and we can’t be bothered to cook. You can even add cheese if you’re feeling crazy.

We also maintain a stock of pasties from the proper pasty co, and then calzones from the calzone kitchen in the freezer,these take a bit longer than the egg beans toast combo but it’s zero effort and they are a bit of a treat

Fry chorizo with any veg from the fridge. Boil macaroni (quickest cooking pasta) mix together with pesto sauce. Delicious just had it took 10 mins tops. Chorizo has all the flavours and oil needed for a quick snack.

As most things have been mentioned I’ll just add this. It’s my current favourite anytime of day.

https://www.tesco.com/groceries/en-GB/products/262580389

When I was single my really CBA meal was a big bag of Kettle salsa & mesquite crisps with a small tub of sour cream for dipping. This was the best thing ever (even more than cheesy hammy eggy) and was zero effort.

Don’t think they make that flavour any more though.

Boil macaroni (quickest cooking pasta)

It bloody isn’t. It might be small but i’s thick, it takes ages.

Actually, that’s a point.

Gnocchi. Works just like pasta, will keep in a sealed package for months, and cooks in about the same time it’s taken me to write this post.

Tin of smoked mussels/octopus/squid in either olive oil or salsa negra.
Bread, toms, olives.
Prep time 60 seconds.
Degree of difficulty – zero.
Add to shopping list; shelf life is…years.

Peak STW?

“What can I eat when I can’t face cooking?”

– “octopus or squid.”

Has anyone mentioned toast yet? Especially if it’s combined with bacon, eggs, and cheese. Or a packet of potato crisps – they cover the important food groups of vegetables, salt, and fat. If you want to be fancy, you can sprinkle them with grated cheese and grill them.

Greek yoghurt with honey on top. Nice and fatty to fill you up. With the bonus that you can pretend you’re in Greece on holiday, not knackered and sat in front of the TV.

Pipe of Pringles with a tub of hummus.

Cougar
Full Member
Peak STW?

“What can I eat when I can’t face cooking?”

– “octopus or squid.”

smoked octopus or squid

Most nights I do end up cooking two proper meals, one for the kids (3 & 7) and one for me and the missus

Crazy

Mr Coo – what’s the problem?

I just ate a tin of tuna…..less than 2 minutes from opening to washing the tin and lozing it in the recycling.

Wasn’t enough so had a slice of cheese on top of a half stale burger bun.

Feel like a tramp but it was ace.

Times like that require bacon.

BLT sarnie or my favourite which I always use as a go to if I just need to eat. Omelette on toast!
Has to be in toast as an omelette alone won’t fill me!

Good shout though someone, pasta takes minutes, spoon pesto through it. Chop some toms and whack parmesan on top, 15 mins tops and it’s carby so will properly fill you