What food would you buy rather than make?

Morning Glory

Morning Glory

Obsessive cook
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Well I was thinking about this and couldn't come up with a definitive answer. There are foods I buy because they are convenient (like tinned beans). They are are cheap and easier than soaking and cooking your own, so I suppose that would be one.

Also foods that are childhood comfort food - Heinz tomato soup, for example. Of course I can make tomato soup perfectly well - but I rather like the Heinz version sometimes. But in terms of difficulty there aren't many things I'd rather buy than make - I prefer to make my own pastry for example.

Tofu is one thing I buy rather than make - although I have made it. There is a brand sold here (Tofoo) which is brilliant.

What about you - are there certain foods you buy rather than make from scratch?
 
Pasta machine.jpg

I have a pasta machine, but haven't used it yet.
 
Pasta, although I have made my own. Bread, although I do bake my own sometimes. Baked beans, custard, although I have made my own. Sponge fingers, marzipan, spices that are a combo of ingredients, harissa, etc. Tofu, paneer, yoghurt.
 
Pastries and pies - while I love to cook, baking is at the bottom of the list. I just don't have the knack for making crusts and doughs.
 
There aren't many things I always buy rather than make....puff pastry and tortilla wraps are about the only ones I can think of. Puff pastry because I don't have the time or patience and tortillas because unless you have a tortilla press they just don't come out right.

There are a lot of things that would come under the heading of things I usually buy, but I occasionally make my own. Baked beans is the obvious one - though if I make my own baked beans they tend to be a bit fancier than the tinned ones. Other things under this heading would be pasta, cheese, chicken goujons, skinny fries (for normal chips I usually make my own, but if we want the very thin ones frozen is better).

Bread is about 50/50....I mostly make my own bread, but for the sake of variety I also buy it regularly. Soup would probably be another 50/50 one.
 
Pasta for convenience, but we often do make our own because we want a filling that's not commercially made or we just want the texture of freshly made pasta.

We nearly always buy tortillas for convenience, but do make them on occasion, especially for a specialty burger we make that uses sage in the tortilla dough.

I never want to make filo/phyllo dough again in my life, so we'll be buying that from now on.

Puff pastry depends on what it's for. I'll make it if it's for something special.

We make our own spice combos and we both prefer the harissa I make. We will use purchased curry bases if we're out of the homemade, but much prefer the homemade.

We make our own soups that are just for eating, though do use canned as part of a few other dishes.

Baked beans start with basic plain canned, but get well doctored up.: We do that with black beans as well.
 
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Dang. You're making me want to make some pasta! I know it's a lot of work, but the difference between what I buy and what I make myself is no contest. I've gotten good at it over the years, so taking an evening to cover my kitchen in flour is a small price to pay.

On the other hand, I took the subject line to mean

What food would you buy at a store rather than make?

If that's the case, then I stand by my answer: even the "fresh" pastas at stores have preservatives, and they simply don't measure up. Boxed dry pasta is a completely different species, in my opinion. I have made it, and it can be good, but I really look at this as more of a "eat to stop from being hungry" thing. The only attraction is what you mix into the pasta, not the pasta itself. If you're talking about food I would buy at a restaurant...well, I do have to admit that I might just prefer going out to eat and letting the professionals do the work.

Now...independent of whether I'm eating at a restaurant or buying it somewhere and bringing it home, I am with @medtran49 when it comes to tortillas. I have made them, and I like doing it, but the vast majority of the time I will buy tortillas (and tortilla chips).

But, the one thing that I have to confess is that I would rather go out to eat for a high quality steak rather than making it myself. Yes, I've made steak on the grill, and it's been good (really good). But, to me, steak is something I want to sit back and enjoy. I want to take my time cutting off a little bit at a time and savoring every bite. After sweating over a hot grill, with a house full of people who I have to serve first, it's hard to do that. The joy of eating a big side of beef is diminished, which to me is borderline criminal. I never want to feel that way when I'm eating steak.
 
The Late Night Gourmet said:
I've gotten good at it over the years, so taking an evening to cover my kitchen in flour is a small price to pay.
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I remember your pasta from previous threads and you are much better at it than I am.

The Late Night Gourmet said:
If you're talking about food I would buy at a restaurant...well, I do have to admit that I might just prefer going out to eat and letting the professionals do the work.
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The question was meant as 'buying from a store' but I can see what you mean about eating in a restaurant. I love eating oysters in a restaurant. I can shuck an oyster like a pro but its lovely to sit back and have someone else do it!
 
Other than the everyday convenient staples, I would rather buy an obscenely decadent pastry from the bakery, I wouldn't normally attempt myself. I enjoy baking when I have the time, but would rather have something special, from a pro. Ice cream on occasion.
 
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The Late Night Gourmet said:
If that's the case, then I stand by my answer: even the "fresh" pastas at stores have preservatives, and they simply don't measure up.
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You make a good point about store-bought fresh pasta....its always somehow disappointing. I find it very difficult to cook it to a proper al dente and too often it just turns to mush. I always prefer a quality dried pasta rather than "fresh" from the chilled cabinet.

The Late Night Gourmet said:
Boxed dry pasta is a completely different species, in my opinion. I have made it, and it can be good, but I really look at this as more of a "eat to stop from being hungry" thing. The only attraction is what you mix into the pasta, not the pasta itself.
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I do disagree with you about dried pasta though...good quality dried pasta made from durum wheat tastes amazing and if you buy the ones extruded through a bronze die then you also get the perfect slightly rougher surface. My favourite dried pasta brand is De Cecco, but I'm also happy to use Barilla and Garofalo. I steer well clear of the cheaper brands though.....anything not made with 100% durum wheat just isn't worth it.
 
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