Ready to Cook - the US is WAY behind on this one!

Written December 2010...
The best thing I've discovered so far is the 'ready to cook' aisle in the grocery stores here. In the US, there is prepared food - food that has been cooked and you simply reheat it. There is also frozen food - cooked, frozen, some good, most horrible. But the Brits have figured out the BEST in convenience dinners - every grocery store has a 'ready to cook' section here. Marks & Spencer has done it best. You can get fresh encrusted chicken prepared with a parmesan sauce and cherry tomatoes (not cooked), pop it in the oven for 30 minutes and it's as if you prepared it yourself. It's fresh, fully prepared with cooking instructions on the back. We have super tasty, balanced meals like herb encrusted turkey breast with mashed potatoes and perfectly cooked veggies in butter or beautiful steaks with a pepper and herb butter - all prepared by somebody else, but freshly made. Amazing!!

I'm not sure why the US hasn't figured this one out yet - maybe it's the large distribution network and longer distances, but I think the higher end grocery stores could figure out something like this as part of a more local network. It's fresh, tasty, and oh so easy. UK scores a point for the ready to cook concept!