Foods that aren't worth making from scratch

Jessi

Jessi

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What's on your list of foods that simply aren't worth making from scratch?

Maybe it's because it's so much cheaper to buy it at the store or maybe the effort and time involved isn't worth it.

For example, I don't bother making saltine crackers from scratch. They're super cheap to buy and I don't see enough of a quality difference from homemade ones to bother taking the time to make them.
 
I'd say bread, cheese, and any pickled product would be alright to just buy instead of making from scratch. Although, I'm sure even then, there is still some value to be found in being able to control the taste even just slightly in these ingredients, but I think in most cases these are forgivable as store-bought ingredients..
 
I just attempted a batch of pickled jalapenos the other day and I think I may end up throwing them out. The recipe was simple enough, just chop and measure some ingredients into a sauce pan, bring them to a boil then cool and jar them and put them in the fridge. When I tried them out the next day, they tasted fine, but honestly they tasted a little too much like the ones I just get from the store. I may as well have just bought them instead of going through the fuss. Plus the brine looked murky for some reason, and slightly cloudy, so it almost looked like they were really old even though they were only a day old. I wouldn't want to serve them to guests looking like that.
 
From a cost perspective You cant beat the price of a pre-baked pecan pie. The purchase of all the ingredients plus all the work makes it just not worth it. However for your pecan pie to be made right, you have to do it yourself. That you cant put a price on.
 
I would say cheese, unless you have access to fresh milk. Or else you're paying 4 dollars for whole milk at the store for a weeks worth of cheese. There isn't much of a difference, so I wouldn't bother. However, I think bread is worth it. I can spend $20 on ingredients and make almost 16 loaves of wheat honey bread whereas when you buy it you can get 6 or 7 loaves for the same price. I feel that butter is the same way with the cheese. If you don't have access to free fresh milk it isn't worth it.
 
Cheese and lunch meats just because I don't think anyone really has the time for any of that. The other item I almost never ever make from scratch it pie crust. To me it is so tedious and I can buy a crust that takes just as good as the one I make for no more than $5 and I save myself all of the time.
 
You can make homemade saltine crackers? Huh. Who knew!

For me, its probably bread products like pizza crust, biscuits, and croissants. Sure, homemade would probably be just as good but the Pillsbury brand is pretty good too. Its also possible to make them taste very good by customizing them to your liking. For example, I have a routine to the pizza dough that makes it taste just as good as homemade. I'd rather use my flour for baked goods like cookies that truly are so much better than the store bought variety.
 
I love to cook, but for me pasta is not worth cooking from scratch. It takes so much work. Of course, the result is delicious and way superior to the product you buy on the supermarket, but it takes a long time to make.
 
Ice cream.

It's just...I can pick up a tub for a pound or two. The base ingredients for homemade are going to cost me more than that for the same amount. Saying that, when my mum does make her homemade ice cream, it's delicious!
 
Bread. I've made bread from scratch before and yes it's delicious, but I honestly prefer just swinging by a bakery and picking some up.
 
dandeliion said:
Bread. I've made bread from scratch before and yes it's delicious, but I honestly prefer just swinging by a bakery and picking some up.
Click to expand...
Plus at a bakery you can pick up a french loaf!
 
In my opinion pie crusts just are not worth it. They save so much time. And I hardly ever make them anyway because I am trying to eat healthier. It just makes sense to me.
 
I agree with bread. I live by a farmers markets and other stores that have freshly baked loaves of bread daily. They're not costly, so I'd rather just buy it and be done with it.
 
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