Convenience Foods
Convenience foods are defined as foods or ingredients that replace one or more cooking steps or two or more ingredients to speed up preparation. They can be as simple as a frozen peas and carrot combination or as complicated as a marinara sauce or marinated meat products. Don't be afraid to use convenience foods. There's nothing shameful about accepting help and using shortcuts in the kitchen.
Many convenience foods can be better for you than fresh foods. For instance, frozen vegetables are processed right in the field where they are grown or within a few hours of being harvested. That means they retain more vitamins than fresh vegetables that have to be shipped across the country to your supermarket.
If you're brand new to cooking, using recipes that are based on convenience foods can boost your confidence. These ingredients almost always ensure success. So enjoy not only the convenience of these products but the fact that they bring success within your range of ability.
Food companies introduce hundreds of new products every year. Not all of them stay on the shelves; there's at least an 80 percent failure rate in these products. Consumers are resistant to change, and finding a niche is difficult. Most companies introduce additions to established product lines rather than trying to put a brand-new product on the market.
Still, it's worth browsing through your supermarket every few months to see what's new. If nothing else, you may get ideas for new recipes from these products!
