In today's Bite: When packaged food is a good thing

Quick salads get a drizzle of a ready-made dressing. Photo / Bite magazine

Find all your favourite bits from today's Bite magazine online. Follow the hyperlinks in Jo Elwin's editor's letter and lose yourself in bite.co.nz

Being a cook who very much likes to do everything from scratch, it has taken me a while to come around to packet mixes, rubs, sauces and dressings, but now, thanks to the incredible range of quality products we have available, my pantry and fridge are full of them.

href="http://www.wildfennel.co.nz/password" target="_blank">Wild Fennel Co gourmet seasonings have allowed me to quickly add flavour to a piece of meat as I am throwing it in the oven. Quick salads get a drizzle of Genevieve's fresh dressings and the convenience of Uncle Ben's pre-steamed rices have also been saving me time.

Try our Monday night Dijon chicken with Uncle Ben's brown & wild rice and spinach pesto, and you'll see what I mean.

If you do want to cook from scratch, Geoff Scott's salads: Green salad with pickled onions; potato and roast shallot salad; and green apple, fennel and witloof salad are inspiring and Warren Elwin's sticky sauce is a must-have in the fridge over summer for marinades, sauces, dressings and dips.

Mike Van de Elzen's tomato sauce will come in handy too and this variation is also sugar free - a subject that Mikki Williden is helping us understand better this week.

Making lunch from scratch (rather than buying it) saves money and you can ensure you are eating the right things. Ray McVinnine is full of bright ideas for no-heat lunchbox ideas that will also save you time, which should come in handy this back-to-school week.