Suzy Homemakers?! Prepared Food Paulas?!

[stevedeshazer]

News Bites: Suzy Homemaker Still Alive and Well

In contrast to reports of Americans cooking less and eating out more often, a survey conducted by Canned Food Alliance found that the majority of American women (51 percent) between the ages of 25 and 39 still make almost every evening meal at home from scratch.

by Diane Toops
June 01, 1999 (OK, it's almost five years old-sd)

The majority of American women (51 percent) between the ages of 25 and 39 still make almost every evening meal at home from scratch, according to a survey conducted by the Canned Food Alliance.

"Despite all that we have heard about Americans cooking less and eating out more frequently," says cookbook author and Bon Appetit columnist Melanie Barnard, "we still place a high premium on the importance of preparing family meals and eating together every night."

On average, all respondents eat dinner at home nearly six nights per week. Ninety-one percent have children living at home, and 71 percent work outside the home at least part time. The majority describe themselves as "Suzy Homemakers," and 41 percent categorize themselves as "Prepared Foods Paulas," relying on prepared foods and leftovers to accommodate their families' busy schedules. More than four out of five (84 percent) also use takeout food as a fall-back on really busy nights, with pizza being the overwhelming takeout food of choice.

http://www.foodprocessing.com/Web_First/fp.nsf/ArticleID/LKIE-4LRQ73/
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Are you KIDDING me? Do you eat at home six nights a week? And does Suzy or Paula do the all the food preparation where YOU live? I'm a guy, I'm married, and I cook. I'm convinced my family would eventually starve if I didn't. But I don't make dinner "from scratch" six nights a week! How about you?

[mitchtv]

1. Mitzi's Cantina here

we make a lot of meals /hybrid sometimes prepared, some times not. Somtimes it takes half the day but then Marie Callender is always in the freezer waiting to help out. I love the mapleleaf farms chiken cordon bleu. since I gave up the farm I use Ragu a lot , whereas before I had tons of frozen tomatoes to use, I doctor most prepared food. Mexican is always from scratch, although taco shells have now gained a foothold.

[Bertha Venation]

2. from scratch -- always

Scratch up enough coin to pay the guy when he brings the carry-out to the door. ;)

When I cook, it's always from scratch, unless it's a frozen meal, mac & cheese, or pasta -- and when it's pasta, I always cook up at least some onions & garlic to add to the sauce, and most often also some mushrooms & ground turkey or beef. Last night we had a big salad which I prepared from romaine lettuce that I cut up myself (not bag 'o' salad!), and I cooked actual fresh chicken to go into it. But alas, I did not make my own dressing. That was from a bottle.

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

3. I cook and usually do so from scratch

very few boxes and cans in my house

[Xithras]

4. From scratch, 6-7 days a week

The food that most restaraunts serve just isn't healthy enough to be eating as your primary source of food, and prepared or frozen meals aren't any better. Even if health isn't your main concern, money should be. A steak dinner that will set you back $15-$20 in a restaraunt can typically be prepared at home for $5-$7. Plus, there are no lines, reservations, or rude waiters to deal with when dining at home. In total, we probably only eat "prepared" foods three times a month (we have a pizza night, a chinese night, and a mexican night). We don't eat boxed foods because the quality is so low (the best mac&cheese is made by boiling regular elbow noodles, and mixing them with Velveeta, a slice of real American cheese, and a little milk...that box stuff is just cr*p), and they tend to be very high in fats and preservatives.

My wife and I typically split the cooking duties. I cook on weekends and Wednesdays, and she cooks the rest of the time. She was taught to cook by her dad...a master chef...and I took culinary arts courses in college as electives (my parents were very good cooks as well) so dinnertime around my house is always a treat :)

Breakfast and lunch are much the same, only a bit less involved.

Of course, it isn't the quickest way to cook. We typically spend 60-90 minutes a night cooking dinner, and some meals take much longer (I have a sweet sausage lasagna recipe that takes 7 hours over two days to prepare...even the noodles are hand made).

[stevedeshazer]

6. That sounds about right

I'm just surprised, I thought more people went out to eat!

[Rabrrrrrr]

5. That's likely correct

Though I'm sure that in the phrase "from scratch" they also include using canned soups, boxed foods, etc., and likely not really from scratch.

But still, I grew up in a rural/farmer kind of family who rarely ate out and who still rarely eat out, and that's pretty true for most of the blue collar worker types of my home community, and I include pretty much the whole midwest in that category. I bet that there are enough people like them to bring down the average of the city slickers who eat out more often, and end up with a 6 day a week cook-at-home evening meal pattern on average for the country.