How often do you eat takeaway and how many people in house?

craig_t

craig_t

craig_t

Associate
Joined
18 Mar 2015
Posts
1,101
As title, how often do you eat takeaways and how many people are in the house?

I've lived alone for around 3 year now and most nights I eat takeaways, I probably make a meal 10 times a year. I find it easier and believe it or not cheaper than me having to get shopping in and make meals.

People suggested making things like curry, chili etc and freezing them but it sounds a bit repetitive. Has anyone living alone got any ideas on meals for one? I want to improve my eating..
 
You make a meal 10 times a year?... you must spend a lot of money on food then! and it can't be healthy.

I get a take away maybe once a week if I fancy it, I prefer cooking my own meals to be honest, get a load of meat at the butchers and freeze it.
 
I don't live alone but I only really cook for myself. As far as junk food goes I only tend to get a piece of Fried chicken at least once a week but since losing a lot of weight I prefer to control the portion sizes of my junk food by cooking it myself and yeah I freeze my food so have a lot of stuff ready to go if I'm hungry plus it lasts for months so no need to eat the same thing over and over again.

My favourite meal is a simple roast chicken dinner which I'll make on a Sunday and then freeze the leftovers. Always have either a lasagne or Cottage pie in the freezer too and a chinese chicken curry with rice freezes incredibly well and is dirt cheap. There's no way a takeaway should be cheaper than a home cooked meal, that shouldn't be possible.
 
SonniLombardi said:
You make a meal 10 times a year?... you must spend a lot of money on food then! and it can't be healthy.

I get a take away maybe once a week if I fancy it, I prefer cooking my own meals to be honest, get a load of meat at the butchers and freeze it.
Click to expand...

Stovepipes said:
I don't live alone but I only really cook for myself. As far as junk food goes I only tend to get a piece of Fried chicken at least once a week but since losing a lot of weight I prefer to control the portion sizes of my junk food by cooking it myself and yeah I freeze my food so have a lot of stuff ready to go if I'm hungry plus it lasts for months so no need to eat the same thing over and over again.

My favourite meal is a simple roast chicken dinner which I'll make on a Sunday and then freeze the leftovers. Always have either a lasagne or Cottage pie in the freezer too and a chinese chicken curry with rice freezes incredibly well and is dirt cheap. There's no way a takeaway should be cheaper than a home cooked meal, that shouldn't be possible.
Click to expand...

A takeaway averages me around £5 per night.. It can very, Chicken wrap £4, Cheesy chips and bolognese £3.50, Special Fried rice £6, 12" Pizza £5, just as a few examples. When I get a takeaway I don't buy the shop, like some people :D

It generally costs me more because I don't know what I am buying, never know what to make and end up with a lot of waste.
 
craig_t said:
It generally costs me more because I don't know what I am buying, never know what to make and end up with a lot of waste.
Click to expand...
Yeah I sorta guessed that. If you plan everything and shop wisely home cooked food is in most cases many times cheaper than takeaways. I suppose though you need to decide what you want to eat first and how you'll store the leftovers of which there will probably be loads. If you don't have the freezer space or the desire to consume the same meal a few days later then yeah Takeaways or ready meals might be a more sensible choice.
 
I've got a massive fridge and freezer so storage won't be an issue. Ideas of what people make and freeze/fridge, how many portions it can make and how long it lasts would be a great help?
 
I probably average buying less than one takeaway a week ... but if I do buy one then I tend to eat it over two days (Chinese or Indian, two dishes half each day (fresh rice the second day)).

Other stuff gets made, (home made chilli from the freezer plus freshly cooked veg tonight) and frozen. At the moment there are several different curries, chilli and spicy tomato gloop (think chilli without meat) which can be had with other things. If I want something easy then I just pick one and pull it out.
 
feel your pain, we get a take away about once a week, rarely 0 and even more rarely twice. However we probably have a microwave meal in the week and so on and this is a family of 2 adults 1 10 year old child.

cooking is a pain and when you bin your uneaten food and often unopened adding up the values its eye opening.

my mrs is expecting twins and the waste and our eating habbits have never been so bad.

I know its not as healthy as making but have you look at microwave meals, specifically the finest range?
 
Last edited:
craig_t said:
I've got a massive fridge and freezer so storage won't be an issue. Ideas of what people make and freeze/fridge, how many portions it can make and how long it lasts would be a great help?
Click to expand...

First thing is go get yourself plastic containers cause you'll need more than you think.

Portion sizes varies so only you know how much you eat, I eat around a cup full of food so I have loads of stuff in my freezer.

I'd make a simple bolognese, get some mince and jar of sauce, no skill needed to make that at all. You can then make your own cheesy chips and bolognese. You can use freeze the remainder for more of the same or say make a small lasagne.

Pizza I just prefer to leave to the pros, A chicken wrap is pretty easy. I get battered chicken breasts from Farmfoods, cooks in 20 mins and cut that up throw it in a tortilla wrap with your choice of salad and sauce. Tortillas freeze really well too just store them flat or they crack when frozen.
 
craig_t said:
I've got a massive fridge and freezer so storage won't be an issue. Ideas of what people make and freeze/fridge, how many portions it can make and how long it lasts would be a great help?
Click to expand...

Most one pot braised meals can be frozen. Sauces like Ragus etc also, I swear they sometimes taste better frozen and reheated.

I always have Chicken/Lamb and Rice in the freezer. I don't even bother defrosting them just straight in the microwave at full.

I put them all in reused takeaway containers :D
 
One take away a week, 2 people in the house. More because we enjoy it rather than convenience issues or anything like that.
 
monkentage said:
Most one pot braised meals can be frozen. Sauces like Ragus etc also, I swear they sometimes taste better frozen and reheated.

I always have Chicken/Lamb and Rice in the freezer. I don't even bother defrosting them just straight in the microwave at full.

I put them all in reused takeaway containers :D
Click to expand...

Yeah no need to defrost that stuff just bung it in the microwave for few mins and it's great. I get my containers from the poundshop or wilkos. I probably have too many at this point though. :p
 
Define take away.

If you mean Fish and Chips, Chinese, Pizza, Indian then perhaps once a month.

If you mean lunch time getting soup from EAT then a couple of times a week.
 
WAY WAY WAY too many.

Delivery to house at least once a week lately. Eating out/picking up a mcdonalds etc is probably twice a week.

Need to stop it really.
 
spoffle said:
They're both examples of takeaways. :confused:
Click to expand...

So is a Sandwich from Sainsbury's ?

So I ask again? What defines a "take away".

Food that you can take away? Technically that means everything ever bought from a shop unless you grow it yourself.

Or does taking it home first breaks the chain of causation?

What difference is it from getting soup from EAT or me going downstairs to Sainsbury's at lunch time to get soup from the fridge and then warm it up in the microwave?

Honestly, I am not really cooking the latter. I can put the soup from EAT in the microwave too or I can eat the soup stone cold from Sainsbury's.
 
Last edited:
I'd say a Takeaway is any meal that's ready to eat from the shop but is taken away to be consumed elsewhere, although I don't think there's a strict definition of it.

I mean initially takeaway was meant to be food you took away from a restaurant so I sorta follow that definition.
 
Stovepipes said:
I'd say a Takeaway is any meal that's ready to eat from the shop but is taken away to be consumed elsewhere, although I don't think there's a strict definition of it.
Click to expand...

Like a packet of crisp?

An Apple? Banana?

How about a raw carrot?

Surely most people would say hot food from a place that don't normally have tables, in the evening meals like Chinese, indian or pizza.

Most people don't think getting the banana at sainsbury's on the way to work and eat at my desk a takeaway.
 
Raymond Lin said:
Like a packet of crisp?

An Apple? Banana?

How about a raw carrot?

Surely most people would say hot food from a place that don't normally have tables, in the evening meals like Chinese, indian or pizza.

Most people don't think getting the banana at sainsbury's on the way to work and eat at my desk a takeaway.
Click to expand...
None of those examples are prepared meals.
 
Stovepipes said:
None of those examples are prepared meals.
Click to expand...

Crisps is processed and a multi pack of walkers has more calorie than a Big Mac. That's a meal :p

So a sandwich counts?

or my morning muffin? Does it matter if I buy the muffin from Starbucks or not apply if I buy it the day before shopping and take it to work later?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom