Delias Cheaty Cheating Cheater Show..discuss

Oh, no, the little wieners in a can that you used to get in the states when you were a kid were vile. Trust me on that. They had a funky taste. These over here are much, much better (and actually hot-dog tasting, go figure).

Funny enough though on the taste buds, and god forgive me for saying it, but I ....[tiny voice]prefer the pizza here now[/tiny voice].....whew!

Do you mean actual hot dogs in a tin, or the (Hormel?) Vienna Sausages?  Vienna Sausages are VILE.    (Apologies to those on this site who like them...)

Nothing looked remotely appealing last night    And I liked the woman's shocked look when Delia said she was pushing the tinned meat!

Looks like the show was trying to be all "Nigella" and show us her homelife..... but I dont need to hear about her devout religion. I thought that inappropriate.

Nothing looked remotely appealing last night    And I liked the woman's shocked look when Delia said she was pushing the tinned meat!

Looks like the show was trying to be all "Nigella" and show us her homelife..... but I dont need to hear about her devout religion. I thought that inappropriate.

I agree, its a really terrible programme! Nothing looked tasty, nothing at all.

This show really got on my nerves. Now, I'm all for making things easier on yourself when cooking and using shortcuts, but I could never make an entire meal out of cans and jars. She was presenting this show as if these were all brand new ideas and the food was just fabulous. I could never eat meat that comes in a can (except fish, which I agree is just fine in a tin). This show made Sandra Lee (from the Food Network's Semi-Homemade) look like a gourmet cook.

I haven't watched it but I support the idea because I get irritated with food snobs.  Yes it isn't hard to cook from scratch but some people really can't be bothered, or hate cooking.  I really don't think cooking from scratch is less effort, not everyone wants to spend all bloody day boiling chicken bones to make stock.

Personally I quite like cooking but not everyone does so I don't see the big deal in having a show showing people how to do things differently.  It's just a different perspective, not like the woman doesn't know how to cook. 

To be fair, I have plenty of "cupboard" recipes.  But NONE of them involve tinned meat!

I could have done this show - and better, too!

I haven't watched it but I support the idea because I get irritated with food snobs.  Yes it isn't hard to cook from scratch but some people really can't be bothered, or hate cooking.  I really don't think cooking from scratch is less effort, not everyone wants to spend all bloody day boiling chicken bones to make stock.

Personally I quite like cooking but not everyone does so I don't see the big deal in having a show showing people how to do things differently.  It's just a different perspective, not like the woman doesn't know how to cook. 

It's about striking a balance.  Really, it takes no more time to brown mince than it does to open a tin and heat it through.  And at least you know exactly what's in it as far as spices, salt, *additives* and what have you.

Last night I cut up fresh potatoes, carrots & garlic, and used chicken thighs I bought fresh from the butcher on Saturday.  But I used stock from cubes because, no, I haven't had time to make it from scratch.  And quite frankly, it would end up being wasteful for me, because I wouldn't use it all up day after day, and if I froze it, I'd never remember to take it out!

Tonight, it will be "instant" mushroom pasta and tinned chickpeas - along with fresh garlic, spinach and bakery bread.

It's possible to work and cook.  I work in London and live in Kent and I still cook 4 out of 5 work nights.

To be fair, I have plenty of "cupboard" recipes.  But NONE of them involve tinned meat!

I could have done this show - and better, too!

It's about striking a balance.  Really, it takes no more time to brown mince than it does to open a tin and heat it through.  And at least you know exactly what's in it as far as spices, salt, *additives* and what have you.

Last night I cut up fresh potatoes, carrots & garlic, and used chicken thighs I bought fresh from the butcher on Saturday.  But I used stock from cubes because, no, I haven't had time to make it from scratch.  And quite frankly, it would end up being wasteful for me, because I wouldn't use it all up day after day, and if I froze it, I'd never remember to take it out!

Tonight, it will be "instant" mushroom pasta and tinned chickpeas - along with fresh garlic, spinach and bakery bread.

It's possible to work and cook.  I work in London and live in Kent and I still cook 4 out of 5 work nights.

I know it's possible to work and cook, I do it every day because I like cooking but take someone like.. my husband for example.  I could show him every cooking technique in the book and he'd still make some instant noodles if it was left up to him.  Some people just hate cooking, or don't care, and will resort to whatever is in a packet.  Yes it's lazy but that's their perogative imo.  You can't make someone interested in cooking be interested in taking time to chop up fresh veg or making their own pasta sauce.  At least they might get some decent recipes out of that show.

EDIT -  I don't mean this to sound bitchy but it sounds like it does.  Like I said, I really like cooking but you can't make people who aren't want to do it, believe me i've tried!!   

I understand that those who don't like to cook can't be made to cook.  (And you certainly didn't sound bitchy!)

I guess I just don't understand who her intended market is, really.  I mean, we all have our own cheats.  If you like to cook, you experiment anyway.  And if you don't like to cook (or don't have the time), you certainly aren't going to sit down in front of the telly and watch this woman open tins for half an hour.

What next - she pops stuff in the microwave, then covers it in tomato sauce when it comes out and calls that a "recipe"?

Also it bugs me that these things are really brand specific and she can't show the brands on TV. Last night she had a fish soup concentrate, which looked VERY SPECIALISED and she couldn't show the brand, so unless you bought her book, you might not be able to find what she was using.

Everything she used was from either M&S or Waitrose, lots of people don't have either of these stores handy.

But, I did love seeing her eating dinner with Sister Wendy, but I was surprised about how much she made of her reglion, kind of out of place on a cooking programme one would think.

I understand that those who don't like to cook can't be made to cook.  (And you certainly didn't sound bitchy!)

I guess I just don't understand who her intended market is, really.  I mean, we all have our own cheats.  If you like to cook, you experiment anyway.  And if you don't like to cook (or don't have the time), you certainly aren't going to sit down in front of the telly and watch this woman open tins for half an hour.

What next - she pops stuff in the microwave, then covers it in tomato sauce when it comes out and calls that a "recipe"?

I think a big part of it is her trying to rebel against some of the "everything must be free range and organic!" messages that tv chefs are touting at the moment.  I can't really afford to eat free range/organic so I just choose to eat hardly any meat, some people aren't willing to do that though so Delia's maybe trying to appeal to people like that.

Personally I quite like cooking but not everyone does so I don't see the big deal in having a show showing people how to do things differently.  It's just a different perspective, not like the woman doesn't know how to cook. 

I agree a little bit with this. I wouldn't choose to cook this way, and it seems that most people who've posted on this thread feel the same way. But I don't think this programme is aimed at us. It's directed toward people who don't "cook" at all. People who get take-away from McDonald's for supper every night. If it gets them interested in spending time in the kitchen at least a tiny bit, then surely that's a good thing. From there, perhaps they'll become more adventurous and move on from tinned meat! 

I am like Peedal, in that I work, commute to work, but enjoy cooking so I make the time, but most people I know simply can't be arsed.  But if Delia is going for that market, it is still no going to work.  First of all, the ingredients take too much time to source.  Secondly, if she is sourcing most of her stuff from M&S and Waitrose, then it is hardly going to appeal to those on a budget!

People who can't be bothered or don't have the time to cook are not going to bother with all this.  They are going to stick to buying ready meals from Tesco, and that's fair enough.  The only people I can see following this trend will be those who slavishly do everything Delia says, and there are quite a few of them.  But my guess is that, while I will be making Nigella's pizzas and sponge cake for the rest of my life, people who have bough Delia's cheating cheaty cheater book will stick it at the back of a cupboard as soon as the novelty wears off, and they will get back to real cooking.

Vicky

To be fair, many of the products come from Sainbury's and Tesco as well.  We had the book here at work from the Bookman and I took a look through it.#

That said, many of the recipes had one product from Tesco, one from Sainsbury and one from where ever else.  Who would do that for a product made from packets? 

I guess I just don't understand who her intended market is, really. 

That's what I said last night! Who is her intended audience??? If it's for people who live off of ready meals and junk crap, then are they really the types to eat crab cakes and soupe de poisson with a tin of lobster thrown in?

I guess I just don't understand who her intended market is, really.