DIY foodstuffs

[FINate]

I enjoy making my own sourdough bread, smoked meat, growing veggies, and such. Doing these DIY saves money and is fun, but is somewhat involved and can be time consuming. These are more like hobbies than generally applicable ideas.

However, I'm noticing that there are simple little things we buy in the store that are unnecessary and don't really save time, and are often inferior to home made versions.

For example: Balsamic vinaigrette dressing. No need to buy from the store, super easy to make from already in the cupboard. Two parts olive oil, one part balsamic, salt, pepper. Shake in small mason jar. Done! Use a good oil and vinaigrette and you have way better than what you usually buy. Less stuff to buy and keep stocked.

Another example: Taco/fajita seasoning. We used to buy the seasoning packets, but they are full of a bunch of preservatives and anti caking stuff. Again, super easy to make with spices already on hand -- chili powder, cumin, onion powder, cayenne, salt, pepper. Tastes better. Healthier. One less thing to buy and stock in the house.

Final example: Pancake mix. We don't make pancakes very often because they're not very healthy. Our store bought pancake mix would often expire before using it all, and it took up space in the cupboard. Surprising how easy and quick it is to make it from scratch  from staples we already stock: butter, eggs, all purpose flour, milk, baking powder, salt. And tastes way better.

I think we were buying a lot of these things from the grocery store just because that's what we knew growing up. So I'm wondering now, what other things do people find are quick and easy to make from scratch from staple ingredients rather than buying special purpose?

[AMandM]

Seasonings, like your taco example: steak seasoning, Italian seasoning, pumpkin pie spice, pickling spice, gyros spice, mushroom spice, mulling spice, poultry spice .... Pretty much any spice blend, in fact, if you have a well-stocked spice rack.

Fresh salsa is quick to make in a food processor and tastes a thousand million times better than the stuff in jars on the shelf.

Muffins and biscuits and cornbread.  Cakes and pastries take more time.

[FiftyIsTheNewTwenty]

Though I haven't been baking bread lately, I do almost everything from scratch.  Usually it's a lot cheaper, but I've found exceptions:

• Some commercial spice mixes may not be as healthy or as good as mixing your own, but they can be serviceable and much cheaper.  Montreal Steak Mix comes to mind -- many restaurants use it to flavor everything but meats!
• Unless you're growing your own tomatoes, or can get deals on canning tomatoes by the bushel, commercial salsa is considerably cheaper.  I use Costco's, or Pace when it's on super-sale.

Otherwise, I'm with you!  Most people pay a lot more for a little convenience and kitchen knowledge.

[lthenderson]

When we grocery shop, we generally only go around the perimeter of the grocery store stocking up on fresh veggies, meats and dairy. About the only aisle we actually go down with some regularity is the bread/baking ingredients aisle.

[FINate]

Mulling spices is a good one to remember, also very simple. I need more practice/knowledge on the other savory spice combinations.

This summer made a lot of salsa in the food processor when we had a massive surplus of tomatoes - very tasty. Also made our own tomato sauce for homemade pizza, though this is fairly labor and time intensive.

Just remembered another: Hot chocolate. We used to buy a special mix/packet for this. Learned we can just heat a mixture of quality cocoa powder (already on hand for baking), sugar, and milk.

[Linea_Norway]

From my child days I have learned to make hot chocolate from milk, cacoa and sugar.

Spice or herb mixes we usually buy out of convenience. But I have been short or taco spices and have them made at home. Those blends have more taste than the commercial blends which are 50% salt or so.

I have for years made my own tomatoe sauce, instead of buying a glas. If you just buy a pack of chopped tomatoe and add some vinegar and let it become thicker, it comes close enough for my taste.

I don't want to eat onions because I have IBS and there is almost no commercial sauce on the market without onions. It is in pratically all prepared food. So I have also stopped buying indian sauces, like tikki massala. I rather try to make something similar at home from separate ingredient.

I also make lasagna with dried pasta sheets, homemade tomatoe sauce and white sauce. I do have a pasta machine as well, but making pasta on a (working) weekday is very time consuming.

I have made puree of wild garlic, that I found a bunch of this spring. I have also made mushroom extract from edible mushrooms. Both these products can he used to flavor many dishes.

In the past we have also made fresh crocets. Don't know what they are called inEnglish, but it is meat, spiced, put in a kitchen machine with some stock, then rolled, frozen, covered in breadcrum and egg and then deep fried. But we stopped eating deep fried food, as it is not very healthy.

[kaypinkHH]

Like FINate,  I also make homemade salad dressing!! It is so easy to mix it up with different flavours depending on what you have in the fridge, and you also don't clutter up the fridge with a bunch of different processed bottles.

Fav fake ceaser salad:
olive oil (basically put in the amount of dressing you want)
tsp of djion mustard
tsp worcestershire sauce
2-3 cloves of garlic
salt / pepper to taste
lemon juice
Parm cheese to taste AKA ALL OF IT

I also like a sweet dressing which is basically sugar (or maple syrup), oil and vinegar...great for salads with fruit in it.

Worst part of this is sometimes I make a delicious dressing with no recipe and I never remember exactly what I put in it...#struggles.

[FINate]

Ooh, that looks good. Will have to try it.

[AMandM]

In the past we have also made fresh crocets. Don't know what they are called inEnglish, but it is meat, spiced, put in a kitchen machine with some stock, then rolled, frozen, covered in breadcrum and egg and then deep fried. But we stopped eating deep fried food, as it is not very healthy.

In English they're called croquettes.