Anyone tried Simply Cook? (UK)

jamesnexusseven

I never really make my own food from scratch. I tend to use jars. I decided to try a simply cook trial and tried the Chicken Makhani.

Basically they supplied the curry paste, some spices and and Indian leaves and it came with the recipe card. I had to get the rest of the ingrediants. The curry was really nice and creamy.

Has anyone else tried them or a similar brand? I suppose everyone has to start somewhere. My family have never been very good at cooking so wasn't going to start in the home.

Plus, once I've got the basic ingredients such as spices, herbs ect then making my own food wouldn't be too expensive (on a strict budget).

kommodevaran

But you have cooked from scratch. What did it do for you, exactly? Couldn't you just have used any recipe?

jamesnexusseven

kommodevaran wrote: »

But you have cooked from scratch. What did it do for you, exactly? Couldn't you just have used any recipe?

I've never made my own sauce or marinated chicken ect. For instance, I'd normally fry chicken in a pan and then add a curry sauce from a jar, cook it a little and cook some easy cook long grain rice. Not a lot of effort for a yummy dinner.

With this, I could have used any recipe, but it gave me the kick up the *kitten* to actually try making it and the spices and curry paste which I probably would have struggled with finding in the shop.

I'm not a very good cook, but this tasted great. I've tried 1 or 2 recipes in the past (not curry) and they turned out really bad, inedible.

kimny72

jamesnexusseven wrote: »

I never really make my own food from scratch. I tend to use jars. I decided to try a simply cook trial and tried the Chicken Makhani.

Basically they supplied the curry paste, some spices and and Indian leaves and it came with the recipe card. I had to get the rest of the ingrediants. The curry was really nice and creamy.

Has anyone else tried them or a similar brand? I suppose everyone has to start somewhere. My family have never been very good at cooking so wasn't going to start in the home.

Plus, once I've got the basic ingredients such as spices, herbs ect then making my own food wouldn't be too expensive (on a strict budget).

I'm not in the UK, but I use jarred sauces and bottled dressing all the time. When I make something myself (even from a recipe) it always ends up tasting like nothing and I wind up wishing I hadn't bothered I figure cooking whole food with premade sauces still ends up being better for me and cheaper than just ordering a pizza or stopping at a drive thru window every night, so I don't sweat it.

kommodevaran

Practice makes perfect, and confidence is so important to be able to continue - and sometimes we just need a little push and a little luck to activate that confidence - I'm happy your meal was successful. I would say anything that involves you doing something and results in a yummy dinner, is "cooking", though.

kommodevaran

kimny72 wrote: »

jamesnexusseven wrote: »

I never really make my own food from scratch. I tend to use jars. I decided to try a simply cook trial and tried the Chicken Makhani.

Basically they supplied the curry paste, some spices and and Indian leaves and it came with the recipe card. I had to get the rest of the ingrediants. The curry was really nice and creamy.

Has anyone else tried them or a similar brand? I suppose everyone has to start somewhere. My family have never been very good at cooking so wasn't going to start in the home.

Plus, once I've got the basic ingredients such as spices, herbs ect then making my own food wouldn't be too expensive (on a strict budget).

I'm not in the UK, but I use jarred sauces and bottled dressing all the time. When I make something myself (even from a recipe) it always ends up tasting like nothing and I wind up wishing I hadn't bothered I figure cooking whole food with premade sauces still ends up being better for me and cheaper than just ordering a pizza or stopping at a drive thru window every night, so I don't sweat it.

I noticed this when I started making more food from scratch, but then I forgot! The thing is (I think) that the versions we make ourselves don't end up tasting like the store bought version - not wrong, not nothing, just different. It takes some time to adjust to the simpler and deeper and subdued flavors, and the colors too, many of the "mock" meals I make are much less brightly colored. But I like the idea - and I'm not a health nut (just an ordinary nut case) - that the colors and flavors are from naturally occurring compounds in the foods, not replaced and added.

ghudson92

When I lived with my parents they ordered the Hello Fresh boxes for about a year, they were nice and flavoursome and had some good ideas. However they are very good in the kitchen already and ended up cancelling the subscription as they wanted something a little more challenging. I would recommend it though if you aren't that creative in the kitchen, or if you want to take the guesswork out of cooking. My sister tried the Gousto service for a similar length of time and enjoyed it, she only cancelled because she had a change in circumstances and couldn't afford it any more.

Millicent3015

You can get a huge array of Asian spices in any Asian shop, they're dirt cheap (75p-£1.50 a packet) and last for ages. I'd start with the basics, a small packet each of garam masala, madras curry powder, chili powder, cumin seeds that you can toast lightly in a pan then grind up, a jar of minced ginger, a jar or tube of garlic puree, and a small jar of dried coriander, though most shops will sell it fresh. You can also get curry pastes and cooking sauces (which will have recipe/instructions on the label), lime pickle and mango chutney, and spice mixes for chickpea or lentil dhal. Patak's, Rajahs, Laziza and Sharwoods are the biggest and cheapest ranges. You can use the recipe card you have, or google curry recipes online.

kommodevaran

I see the word "guesswork" so often. What does it mean? A recipe is instructions for cooking the meal, it comes with an ingredients list which is telling you want you need - what else does one need?