your definition of scratch cooking

[bluebelle]

DH and I were chatting and somehow the topic of scratch cooking came up.....he says it's not scratch cooking if you use a can of tomato paste and a can of canned tomatoes.  He has a point, those products weren't available in my  grandmother's day.  My definition is much looser,   that if you're cooking with ingredients that are considered pantry staples, you're still scratch cooking. 

What's your definition of scratch cooking?

And if it differs from my definition, what do you call a cook that makes all meals, but uses store bought broths, juices and basic marinate ingredients (soy, hoisin, worcestershire sauces, ketchup - I'm not using pre-bottled marinades).

help settle a friendly debate, do we have to make our own tomato paste to be a scratch cooks?    :-)

[Sugaree]

DH and I were chatting and somehow the topic of scratch cooking came up.....he says it's not scratch cooking if you use a can of tomato paste and a can of canned tomatoes.  He has a point, those products weren't available in my  grandmother's day.  My definition is much looser,   that if you're cooking with ingredients that are considered pantry staples, you're still scratch cooking. 

What's your definition of scratch cooking?

And if it differs from my definition, what do you call a cook that makes all meals, but uses store bought broths, juices and basic marinate ingredients (soy, hoisin, worcestershire sauces, ketchup - I'm not using pre-bottled marinades).

help settle a friendly debate, do we have to make our own tomato paste to be a scratch cooks?    :-)

I would argue that they were available, but your grandmother probably had to make and can them herself.  Or know someone who would do it for her.

I'd call it cooking from scratch.  It's not open-and-dump cooking or frozen meals.

[Metalcat]

DH and I were chatting and somehow the topic of scratch cooking came up.....he says it's not scratch cooking if you use a can of tomato paste and a can of canned tomatoes.  He has a point, those products weren't available in my  grandmother's day.  My definition is much looser,   that if you're cooking with ingredients that are considered pantry staples, you're still scratch cooking. 

What's your definition of scratch cooking?

And if it differs from my definition, what do you call a cook that makes all meals, but uses store bought broths, juices and basic marinate ingredients (soy, hoisin, worcestershire sauces, ketchup - I'm not using pre-bottled marinades).

help settle a friendly debate, do we have to make our own tomato paste to be a scratch cooks?    :-)

M'eh, there's cooking and then there's preserving, canning etc.

Your DH can define scratch cooking however he wants to, but few people will feel obliged to agree with him if they don't preserve their own tomatoes, make their own yogurt, or tap their own maple trees.

I'm not sure where the line is though.
Are tacos made from scratch if made we pre-cut and seasoned meat, a jar of salsa, and pre-shredded cheese?

[Dicey]

Yesterday, I made waffles. On this very forum, I referred to them as made from scratch. Later, I questioned myself. You see, I had about a cup of Krusteaz mix left over from an event, so I dumped it in the bowl of raw ingredients.to use it up. Does this mean that they technically weren't "scratch"? I vote no.

My sister used to grind her own wheat to make bread. Is that more virtuous, er, "scratch" than someone who uses flour from a bag? Hell, no!

We live in a modern society. There are economies of scale, especially in sauces and seasonings. It would be rather unreasonable to make your own Tabasco Sauce, for example.

I say unless your husband is the one doing the procuring of ingredients and all the preparation of same, he has no dog in this fight and needs to Let It Go.

[OtherJen]

DH and I were chatting and somehow the topic of scratch cooking came up.....he says it's not scratch cooking if you use a can of tomato paste and a can of canned tomatoes.  He has a point, those products weren't available in my  grandmother's day.  My definition is much looser,   that if you're cooking with ingredients that are considered pantry staples, you're still scratch cooking. 

What's your definition of scratch cooking?

And if it differs from my definition, what do you call a cook that makes all meals, but uses store bought broths, juices and basic marinate ingredients (soy, hoisin, worcestershire sauces, ketchup - I'm not using pre-bottled marinades).

help settle a friendly debate, do we have to make our own tomato paste to be a scratch cooks?    :-)

M'eh, there's cooking and then there's preserving, canning etc.

Your DH can define scratch cooking however he wants to, but few people will feel obliged to agree with him if they don't preserve their own tomatoes, make their own yogurt, or tap their own maple trees.

I'm not sure where the line is though.
Are tacos made from scratch if made we pre-cut and seasoned meat, a jar of salsa, and pre-shredded cheese?

I would call the latter “assembly” rather than cooking, with absolutely no judgement. The person who makes such a meal still has far more control over the cost and contents than someone who orders tacos via GrubHub. (And I buy jarred salsa and rarely make my own tortillas.)

I agree with everything else. It’s a romantic ideal to grow, process, and can all your own tomatoes or grind your own flour, but not always realistic for modern urban lifestyles (including those of many posters on this forum, including me). Sure, the Frugalwoods do it, but they didn’t when they still worked full-time in the middle of Boston.

[nereo]

I'm not sure where the line is though.
Are tacos made from scratch if made we pre-cut and seasoned meat, a jar of salsa, and pre-shredded cheese?

I agree there's no agreed upon term, and what one person might consider "cooking from scratch" another would say was loaded with shortcuts. 

FWIW, I've been dreaming of making my own BLT from scratch one day, and writing about my experience.  And "by scratch" I'm challenging myself to take every component to the absolute most indivisible step possible.  I wrote everything down in a notebook and determined that making a BLT would require something like 22 separate components.  Not just put bacon, lettuce and tomato on bread with some mayo, but grow the lettuce and tomatoes from seed. Not just make the mayo from scratch but raise chickens for the eggs, press oil from plants I grow. Precipritate salt from sea water. Harvest some wheat and then mill it into flour for bread.  Use my own wild-yeast starter. and of course the biggest - raise a pig to slaughter, then butcher, cure and smoke the belly into bacon, with my own recipe for the brine from plants I've harvested myself.

Funny thing is I've done many of those steps in isolation, save the actual pig raising/slaughtering. 
Can I then say I've made the sandwich from scratch... even though I'll probably "cheat" and buy my hens after they've hatched and are a few weeks old?  I doubt I'll grow my wheat on my own property but buy it un-milled from a local farm.  Is that ok?  And the oil... I don't really want to use corn oil (which is probably the easiest in our climate)... but olive trees are out of the question.  If I augments my crappy clay soil with a few bags from the co-op is that ok? My own composting is insufficient for all the things I grow.

It's a rabbit hole... :-)

[Sugaree]

I'm not sure where the line is though.
Are tacos made from scratch if made we pre-cut and seasoned meat, a jar of salsa, and pre-shredded cheese?

I agree there's no agreed upon term, and what one person might consider "cooking from scratch" another would say was loaded with shortcuts. 

FWIW, I've been dreaming of making my own BLT from scratch one day, and writing about my experience.  And "by scratch" I'm challenging myself to take every component to the absolute most indivisible step possible.  I wrote everything down in a notebook and determined that making a BLT would require something like 22 separate components.  Not just put bacon, lettuce and tomato on bread with some mayo, but grow the lettuce and tomatoes from seed. Not just make the mayo from scratch but raise chickens for the eggs, press oil from plants I grow. Precipritate salt from sea water. Harvest some wheat and then mill it into flour for bread.  Use my own wild-yeast starter. and of course the biggest - raise a pig to slaughter, then butcher, cure and smoke the belly into bacon, with my own recipe for the brine from plants I've harvested myself.

Funny thing is I've done many of those steps in isolation, save the actual pig raising/slaughtering. 
Can I then say I've made the sandwich from scratch... even though I'll probably "cheat" and buy my hens after they've hatched and are a few weeks old?  I doubt I'll grow my wheat on my own property but buy it un-milled from a local farm.  Is that ok?  And the oil... I don't really want to use corn oil (which is probably the easiest in our climate)... but olive trees are out of the question.  If I augments my crappy clay soil with a few bags from the co-op is that ok? My own composting is insufficient for all the things I grow.

It's a rabbit hole... :-)

I like the way you think.  I'm actually planning to grow cucumbers to make pickles this year.  I investigated growing dill alongside it, but determined that I need a year to grow and dry the seeds to use for pickles.  Maybe next year. 

[PoutineLover]

I consider using basic single ingredients as cooking from scratch, even if they come from a can. My tomato sauce is made with cans of tomatoes and tomato paste, but also includes vegetables and spices, which is what makes it homemade. If I'm making hummus, I don't see any difference between using a can of chickpeas vs soaking dry ones, other than cost. To me the line is when the ingredients are already at least partially combined, like a pancake mix or a can of soup isn't from scratch. But if the soup is an ingredient in something else, like a casserole, the casserole is still from scratch with premade soup as a component.

[mistymoney]

DH and I were chatting and somehow the topic of scratch cooking came up.....he says it's not scratch cooking if you use a can of tomato paste and a can of canned tomatoes.  He has a point, those products weren't available in my  grandmother's day.  My definition is much looser,   that if you're cooking with ingredients that are considered pantry staples, you're still scratch cooking. 

What's your definition of scratch cooking?

And if it differs from my definition, what do you call a cook that makes all meals, but uses store bought broths, juices and basic marinate ingredients (soy, hoisin, worcestershire sauces, ketchup - I'm not using pre-bottled marinades).

help settle a friendly debate, do we have to make our own tomato paste to be a scratch cooks?    :-)

what a mansplainer.

Personally - I especially wouldn't consider using soy sauce, etc. to be not from scratch. With tomatoes - you can use fresh and cook down in the moment if need be - soy sauce is cultured and needs to ferment.

[mistymoney]

I consider using basic single ingredients as cooking from scratch, even if they come from a can. My tomato sauce is made with cans of tomatoes and tomato paste, but also includes vegetables and spices, which is what makes it homemade. If I'm making hummus, I don't see any difference between using a can of chickpeas vs soaking dry ones, other than cost. To me the line is when the ingredients are already at least partially combined, like a pancake mix or a can of soup isn't from scratch. But if the soup is an ingredient in something else, like a casserole, the casserole is still from scratch with premade soup as a component.

When looking for recipes on the internet - anything that calls for opening a can of beans is dismissed from my inquiry. I'm sure many use those recipes, but for me, making the beans is a key part of the process and with hummus I also try to make my own tahini. Mostly because I'm so tired of buying a jar of tahini and it's so bitter that you can't put enough in without the hummus taking on that bitterness. Tahini is more difficult than the chickpea cooking- imo.

If anyone has a tahini brand to recommend - I'm open!!

[nereo]

OP - regarding the canned tomatoes... even fine dining establishments use canned tomatoes for the basis of their sauces; tomatoes are so fragile when ripe that commercial farms can everything that a backyard gardner would consider "ripe." The tomatoes that make it to your supermarket or restaurant supply vendor were all picked early ("breaker" stage - when they just start developing a pinkish hue).

It's almost a waste to make a sauce from very fresh, ripe tomatoes.  Those are for eating raw in salads, etc.

[Cranky]

How old is your grandmother? Because I'm pretty old, and my grandma was familiar with canned tomatoes.

Now, my grandmother on the other side, not so much, because they were pretty poor and store bought tomatoes were for rich people.

Meanwhile, I think "scratch cooking" doesn't use mixes, but doesn't require you to grind your own wheat, either.

[TheFrenchCat]

I haven't thought too deeply about it before, but I generally consider there to be different levels of scratch cooking.  There's the "taking the completely unprocessed ingredients and turning it into a meal" level, which I generally only do by sauteing meat and vegetables.  Then there's the "using pantry staples" level, which I'd include condiments and canned tomatoes in, but not soups or the like.  Then there's "combining different slightly pre-packaged foods,"  which I mostly don't consider fully cooking from scratch, but still better than fully pre-packaged.  I don't consider raising or growing the ingredients as part of scratch cooking.  I know people who do those parts, and I've seen it as kind of a slightly separate (awesome) activity. 

But for the most part I don't really care, as long as I'm cooking for myself fairly healthily.  I enjoy "scratch" cooking, like baking bread, and it makes me feel more self sufficient.  But in the end, I think it's just semantics.

[mrmoonymartian]

"If you wish to make an apple pie from scratch, you must first invent the universe."

- Carl Sagan

[Metalcat]

I'm not sure where the line is though.
Are tacos made from scratch if made we pre-cut and seasoned meat, a jar of salsa, and pre-shredded cheese?

I agree there's no agreed upon term, and what one person might consider "cooking from scratch" another would say was loaded with shortcuts. 

FWIW, I've been dreaming of making my own BLT from scratch one day, and writing about my experience.  And "by scratch" I'm challenging myself to take every component to the absolute most indivisible step possible.  I wrote everything down in a notebook and determined that making a BLT would require something like 22 separate components.  Not just put bacon, lettuce and tomato on bread with some mayo, but grow the lettuce and tomatoes from seed. Not just make the mayo from scratch but raise chickens for the eggs, press oil from plants I grow. Precipritate salt from sea water. Harvest some wheat and then mill it into flour for bread.  Use my own wild-yeast starter. and of course the biggest - raise a pig to slaughter, then butcher, cure and smoke the belly into bacon, with my own recipe for the brine from plants I've harvested myself.

Funny thing is I've done many of those steps in isolation, save the actual pig raising/slaughtering. 
Can I then say I've made the sandwich from scratch... even though I'll probably "cheat" and buy my hens after they've hatched and are a few weeks old?  I doubt I'll grow my wheat on my own property but buy it un-milled from a local farm.  Is that ok?  And the oil... I don't really want to use corn oil (which is probably the easiest in our climate)... but olive trees are out of the question.  If I augments my crappy clay soil with a few bags from the co-op is that ok? My own composting is insufficient for all the things I grow.

It's a rabbit hole... :-)

Wasn't there a guy who did that and wrote all about it??

[Metalcat]

I consider using basic single ingredients as cooking from scratch, even if they come from a can. My tomato sauce is made with cans of tomatoes and tomato paste, but also includes vegetables and spices, which is what makes it homemade. If I'm making hummus, I don't see any difference between using a can of chickpeas vs soaking dry ones, other than cost. To me the line is when the ingredients are already at least partially combined, like a pancake mix or a can of soup isn't from scratch. But if the soup is an ingredient in something else, like a casserole, the casserole is still from scratch with premade soup as a component.

When looking for recipes on the internet - anything that calls for opening a can of beans is dismissed from my inquiry. I'm sure many use those recipes, but for me, making the beans is a key part of the process and with hummus I also try to make my own tahini. Mostly because I'm so tired of buying a jar of tahini and it's so bitter that you can't put enough in without the hummus taking on that bitterness. Tahini is more difficult than the chickpea cooking- imo.

If anyone has a tahini brand to recommend - I'm open!!

You dismiss the recipes? Why not just substitute soaked/cooked beans. Most recipes call for canned, my repertoire of hundreds of recipes would be decimated if I excluded the ones that call for canned.

Also, I use Al Kanater tahini, it's great.

[nereo]

I'm not sure where the line is though.
Are tacos made from scratch if made we pre-cut and seasoned meat, a jar of salsa, and pre-shredded cheese?

I agree there's no agreed upon term, and what one person might consider "cooking from scratch" another would say was loaded with shortcuts. 

FWIW, I've been dreaming of making my own BLT from scratch one day, and writing about my experience.  And "by scratch" I'm challenging myself to take every component to the absolute most indivisible step possible.  I wrote everything down in a notebook and determined that making a BLT would require something like 22 separate components.  Not just put bacon, lettuce and tomato on bread with some mayo, but grow the lettuce and tomatoes from seed. Not just make the mayo from scratch but raise chickens for the eggs, press oil from plants I grow. Precipritate salt from sea water. Harvest some wheat and then mill it into flour for bread.  Use my own wild-yeast starter. and of course the biggest - raise a pig to slaughter, then butcher, cure and smoke the belly into bacon, with my own recipe for the brine from plants I've harvested myself.

Funny thing is I've done many of those steps in isolation, save the actual pig raising/slaughtering. 
Can I then say I've made the sandwich from scratch... even though I'll probably "cheat" and buy my hens after they've hatched and are a few weeks old?  I doubt I'll grow my wheat on my own property but buy it un-milled from a local farm.  Is that ok?  And the oil... I don't really want to use corn oil (which is probably the easiest in our climate)... but olive trees are out of the question.  If I augments my crappy clay soil with a few bags from the co-op is that ok? My own composting is insufficient for all the things I grow.

It's a rabbit hole... :-)

Wasn't there a guy who did that and wrote all about it??

If there is I haven't seen it.  I've brought up my idea a few times on this forum (mostly in my journal) - so possibly you are thinking of that...?

There are a few books about people who have gone to absurd lengths to grow their own tomatoes (e.g. The $64 tomato by William Alexander; Ripe by Arthur Allen).   There's also been quite a few books about working professionals who have switched to farming - that's an entire section onto itself now.

I wouldn't be surprised if someone has done it though... no ideas seem to be new ideas anymore.

[mistymoney]

I consider using basic single ingredients as cooking from scratch, even if they come from a can. My tomato sauce is made with cans of tomatoes and tomato paste, but also includes vegetables and spices, which is what makes it homemade. If I'm making hummus, I don't see any difference between using a can of chickpeas vs soaking dry ones, other than cost. To me the line is when the ingredients are already at least partially combined, like a pancake mix or a can of soup isn't from scratch. But if the soup is an ingredient in something else, like a casserole, the casserole is still from scratch with premade soup as a component.

When looking for recipes on the internet - anything that calls for opening a can of beans is dismissed from my inquiry. I'm sure many use those recipes, but for me, making the beans is a key part of the process and with hummus I also try to make my own tahini. Mostly because I'm so tired of buying a jar of tahini and it's so bitter that you can't put enough in without the hummus taking on that bitterness. Tahini is more difficult than the chickpea cooking- imo.

If anyone has a tahini brand to recommend - I'm open!!

You dismiss the recipes? Why not just substitute soaked/cooked beans. Most recipes call for canned, my repertoire of hundreds of recipes would be decimated if I excluded the ones that call for canned.

Also, I use Al Kanater tahini, it's great.

I do! Just - not my kind of recipe? My head is just "who uses canned beans?!?!" so I move on.

Will check out the tahini recommendation - thx!

[bluebelle]

Yesterday, I made waffles. On this very forum, I referred to them as made from scratch. Later, I questioned myself. You see, I had about a cup of Krusteaz mix left over from an event, so I dumped it in the bowl of raw ingredients.to use it up. Does this mean that they technically weren't "scratch"? I vote no.

My sister used to grind her own wheat to make bread. Is that more virtuous, er, "scratch" than someone who uses flour from a bag? Hell, no!

We live in a modern society. There are economies of scale, especially in sauces and seasonings. It would be rather unreasonable to make your own Tabasco Sauce, for example.

I say unless your husband is the one doing the procuring of ingredients and all the preparation of same, he has no dog in this fight and needs to Let It Go.

thanks Dicey, it was a very light hearted debate, nothing to let go....the discussion was happening while we were both cleaning, dicing, marinating a whole wack of chicken for the freezer, to be become an easy chicken fried rice at some later date.

The home we're moving to this summer has a large root cellar, we may get in to canning some of our own vegetables.....and I'd like him to experiment with making his own hot sauces (he likes stupid hot).   Although, as you said, it won't be cheaper to make it ourselves, but we both like to tinker.   He has been known to start his tomato sauce from frozen tomatoes (out of his mother's garden).   Making a pie from scratch costs more than what I can buy one for, but my home made tastes better (even if my pastry has a "rustic" look to it, we've labeled it "small batch, artisanal baking")

He does some of the cooking, and is often "in charge" of how the protein is prepared (almost everything needs to be marinated in his world).   But he does have the luxury of presuming ingredients just magically appear in our house. 

[OtherJen]

I consider using basic single ingredients as cooking from scratch, even if they come from a can. My tomato sauce is made with cans of tomatoes and tomato paste, but also includes vegetables and spices, which is what makes it homemade. If I'm making hummus, I don't see any difference between using a can of chickpeas vs soaking dry ones, other than cost. To me the line is when the ingredients are already at least partially combined, like a pancake mix or a can of soup isn't from scratch. But if the soup is an ingredient in something else, like a casserole, the casserole is still from scratch with premade soup as a component.

When looking for recipes on the internet - anything that calls for opening a can of beans is dismissed from my inquiry. I'm sure many use those recipes, but for me, making the beans is a key part of the process and with hummus I also try to make my own tahini. Mostly because I'm so tired of buying a jar of tahini and it's so bitter that you can't put enough in without the hummus taking on that bitterness. Tahini is more difficult than the chickpea cooking- imo.

If anyone has a tahini brand to recommend - I'm open!!

You dismiss the recipes? Why not just substitute soaked/cooked beans. Most recipes call for canned, my repertoire of hundreds of recipes would be decimated if I excluded the ones that call for canned.

Also, I use Al Kanater tahini, it's great.

I do! Just - not my kind of recipe? My head is just "who uses canned beans?!?!" so I move on.

Will check out the tahini recommendation - thx!

I think the point was that you could just cook the beans yourself and use them in the same recipes in place of the canned beans, rather than dismissing what may be an otherwise good recipe because of one ingredient that is easily substituted. As someone who's used both interchangeably for decades, I promise that both types work in the same recipes. I prefer to cook my own, but I don't consider it more virtuous to do so.

[bluebelle]

How old is your grandmother? Because I'm pretty old, and my grandma was familiar with canned tomatoes.

Now, my grandmother on the other side, not so much, because they were pretty poor and store bought tomatoes were for rich people.

Meanwhile, I think "scratch cooking" doesn't use mixes, but doesn't require you to grind your own wheat, either.

my grandmother would be 135 if she were still alive.   My mother is 98.   My mother canned all her own tomatoes.  I didn't see a can of tomatoes until I started doing my own grocery shopping.   (both my grandmother and mother had children in their late 30s to early 40s, so there are a few extra generations in there).  My mother worked full time from the time I was 10, I have no idea how she found the time to can tomatoes, peaches, beets, make her own pickles and freeze strawberries.   I am still amazed by what my mother did, in her very very very tiny kitchen.

[Metalcat]

I consider using basic single ingredients as cooking from scratch, even if they come from a can. My tomato sauce is made with cans of tomatoes and tomato paste, but also includes vegetables and spices, which is what makes it homemade. If I'm making hummus, I don't see any difference between using a can of chickpeas vs soaking dry ones, other than cost. To me the line is when the ingredients are already at least partially combined, like a pancake mix or a can of soup isn't from scratch. But if the soup is an ingredient in something else, like a casserole, the casserole is still from scratch with premade soup as a component.

When looking for recipes on the internet - anything that calls for opening a can of beans is dismissed from my inquiry. I'm sure many use those recipes, but for me, making the beans is a key part of the process and with hummus I also try to make my own tahini. Mostly because I'm so tired of buying a jar of tahini and it's so bitter that you can't put enough in without the hummus taking on that bitterness. Tahini is more difficult than the chickpea cooking- imo.

If anyone has a tahini brand to recommend - I'm open!!

You dismiss the recipes? Why not just substitute soaked/cooked beans. Most recipes call for canned, my repertoire of hundreds of recipes would be decimated if I excluded the ones that call for canned.

Also, I use Al Kanater tahini, it's great.

I do! Just - not my kind of recipe? My head is just "who uses canned beans?!?!" so I move on.

Will check out the tahini recommendation - thx!

My suspicion is that a lot of the people making these recipes convert to canned beans because they know most people won't cook their own.

I would strongly suggest giving those recipes a chance, you are missing out on a HUGE range of awesome recipes by disregarding them, and it's such an easy substitution.

That would be like someone who makes their own yogurt disregarding any recipe that doesn't specify making your own yogurt.

I look at the "1 can of chick peas" as a unit of measurement of chick peas, which is super convenient since it works out to essentially one cup of dried chick peas.

[Papa bear]

I'm not sure where the line is though.
Are tacos made from scratch if made we pre-cut and seasoned meat, a jar of salsa, and pre-shredded cheese?

I agree there's no agreed upon term, and what one person might consider "cooking from scratch" another would say was loaded with shortcuts. 

FWIW, I've been dreaming of making my own BLT from scratch one day, and writing about my experience.  And "by scratch" I'm challenging myself to take every component to the absolute most indivisible step possible.  I wrote everything down in a notebook and determined that making a BLT would require something like 22 separate components.  Not just put bacon, lettuce and tomato on bread with some mayo, but grow the lettuce and tomatoes from seed. Not just make the mayo from scratch but raise chickens for the eggs, press oil from plants I grow. Precipritate salt from sea water. Harvest some wheat and then mill it into flour for bread.  Use my own wild-yeast starter. and of course the biggest - raise a pig to slaughter, then butcher, cure and smoke the belly into bacon, with my own recipe for the brine from plants I've harvested myself.

Funny thing is I've done many of those steps in isolation, save the actual pig raising/slaughtering. 
Can I then say I've made the sandwich from scratch... even though I'll probably "cheat" and buy my hens after they've hatched and are a few weeks old?  I doubt I'll grow my wheat on my own property but buy it un-milled from a local farm.  Is that ok?  And the oil... I don't really want to use corn oil (which is probably the easiest in our climate)... but olive trees are out of the question.  If I augments my crappy clay soil with a few bags from the co-op is that ok? My own composting is insufficient for all the things I grow.

It's a rabbit hole... :-)

Wasn't there a guy who did that and wrote all about it??

If there is I haven't seen it.  I've brought up my idea a few times on this forum (mostly in my journal) - so possibly you are thinking of that...?

There are a few books about people who have gone to absurd lengths to grow their own tomatoes (e.g. The $64 tomato by William Alexander; Ripe by Arthur Allen).   There's also been quite a few books about working professionals who have switched to farming - that's an entire section onto itself now.

I wouldn't be surprised if someone has done it though... no ideas seem to be new ideas anymore.

This is probably it. I saw it years ago.


https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2015/sep/23/1500-sandwich-from-scratch-andy-george-youtube-food-supply-chain


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Dicey]

"If you wish to make an apple pie from scratch, you must first invent the universe."

- Carl Sagan

Love this!

[mm1970]

I used to be a "dried beans only" person, then I had a second kid.

I still use them occasionally, but for the most part my schedule allows for canned beans only.  Even with the pressure cooker.

[bluebelle]

"If you wish to make an apple pie from scratch, you must first invent the universe."

- Carl Sagan

Love this!

me too!

[nereo]

I used to be a "dried beans only" person, then I had a second kid.

I still use them occasionally, but for the most part my schedule allows for canned beans only.  Even with the pressure cooker.

Funny how similar experiences can lead to divergent strategies.  I was thinking the exact opposite - used to use canned beans until we had a kid - now I dread having to haul ever heavier shopping bags home, so every-time I need to buy beans I just grab the much-lighter dried ones.  There's also been a severe down-tick of beer consumed, replaced somewhat by hard liquor.

Between all the milk and yogurt we are going through I just cringe everytime another heavy item hits the cart.

[Sugaree]

I used to be a "dried beans only" person, then I had a second kid.

I still use them occasionally, but for the most part my schedule allows for canned beans only.  Even with the pressure cooker.

I've gotten to the point (and my kid is older and needs less hands-on attention) that I can pressure can dried beans on Sunday mornings so I get the best of both worlds.

[ontheway2]

The conversation has kind of gotten off-topic, but I would consider use of canned tomatoes cooking from scratch and use of jarred sauce not cooking from scratch/using convenience foods. Buying precut/seasoned food is not cooking from scratch although it is still cooking at home and probably better than restaurants.

[Helvegen]

What is the problem with dried beans? Get an Instant Pot. Then there is no real difference within 30 minutes or so.

I like making lots of things from scratch, but I don't judge people who clearly don't have the time or energy for it. It is a labor of love for me a lot of the time.

Breads I love making from scratch. I even learned how to make my own malts because of it. I have a rye starter in the fridge I started in 2014. Honestly still fucking going today in 2020.

When the SHTF remember boyz, that you can just save a little bit of dough from each batch of bread and use it to start the next. No extra yeast required and I do this nearly everyday.

I  have a fermentation hobby and need help.

[bigblock440]

I'm not sure where the line is though.
Are tacos made from scratch if made we pre-cut and seasoned meat, a jar of salsa, and pre-shredded cheese?

I agree there's no agreed upon term, and what one person might consider "cooking from scratch" another would say was loaded with shortcuts. 

FWIW, I've been dreaming of making my own BLT from scratch one day, and writing about my experience.  And "by scratch" I'm challenging myself to take every component to the absolute most indivisible step possible.  I wrote everything down in a notebook and determined that making a BLT would require something like 22 separate components.  Not just put bacon, lettuce and tomato on bread with some mayo, but grow the lettuce and tomatoes from seed. Not just make the mayo from scratch but raise chickens for the eggs, press oil from plants I grow. Precipritate salt from sea water. Harvest some wheat and then mill it into flour for bread.  Use my own wild-yeast starter. and of course the biggest - raise a pig to slaughter, then butcher, cure and smoke the belly into bacon, with my own recipe for the brine from plants I've harvested myself.

Funny thing is I've done many of those steps in isolation, save the actual pig raising/slaughtering. 
Can I then say I've made the sandwich from scratch... even though I'll probably "cheat" and buy my hens after they've hatched and are a few weeks old?  I doubt I'll grow my wheat on my own property but buy it un-milled from a local farm.  Is that ok?  And the oil... I don't really want to use corn oil (which is probably the easiest in our climate)... but olive trees are out of the question.  If I augments my crappy clay soil with a few bags from the co-op is that ok? My own composting is insufficient for all the things I grow.

It's a rabbit hole... :-)

I like the way you think.  I'm actually planning to grow cucumbers to make pickles this year.  I investigated growing dill alongside it, but determined that I need a year to grow and dry the seeds to use for pickles.  Maybe next year.

Why would you need to use the dried seeds?  There's much more flavor in the leaves and stems.  It also grows quickly and can have an established bed that will come up year after year, though the next year that it comes up it might be a bit too old by the time the cucumbers are ready.  You can freeze it though, and use it for pickles when you need it.

[BlueHouse]

Anything that is "cooked" or "heated" in one of my own dishes/pots is considered scratch by me. 

If I'm not eating it directly out of the plastic it came in, then I feel as if I've been slaving over a hot stove all day. 

On holidays, I usually buy a side dish from Whole Foods, put it into one of my own dishes, and call it my own.  I know that's a cheat, but to each her own! 

[MyAlterEgoIsTaller]

My definition:  "from scratch" means from ingredients that have not already been combined with a particular end use in mind.
Example: Making corn muffins from corn muffin mix = not from scratch.
Making corn muffins from corn meal, sugar, salt, etc. = from scratch, regardless of whether I formulated my own baking powder, ground the corn, raised the chickens for the eggs, etc., because none of the ingredients were presented for sale for the express destiny of corn muffinry.

[bluebelle]

My definition:  "from scratch" means from ingredients that have not already been combined with a particular end use in mind.
Example: Making corn muffins from corn muffin mix = not from scratch.
Making corn muffins from corn meal, sugar, salt, etc. = from scratch, regardless of whether I formulated my own baking powder, ground the corn, raised the chickens for the eggs, etc., because none of the ingredients were presented for sale for the express destiny of corn muffinry.

this is my definition as well....I like how you express it - if the ingredient added doesn't have a singular purpose, the meal is from scratch.   

[Laura33]

Wait -- why would canned (i.e., "preserved") tomatoes be not from scratch?  Do jam thumbprint cookies not count as "from scratch" if you don't make the jam yourself?  How about balsamic vinegar -- do I need a vat of wine to let ferment for a dozen years in my basement?  Man, the list is endless -- dried spices and fruit, pre-shelled nuts, pretty much every condiment ever invented, any kind of oil or butter or cheese or sausage, etc.

Even the Italians use canned tomatoes for pasta sauces, because really good tomatoes captured right at the peak of flavor and preserved are far better than the middling stuff that comes out of the local grocery store in February (or even September).*  I figure if it's good enough for the Italians, it's good enough for me.

My definition is pretty much like @MyAlterEgoIsTaller -- if it's a basic ingredient/staple that can be used in a bunch of different ways, then it's cooking from scratch, even if someone else preserved it or created it for me first.  That includes some multi-ingredient things (I'm sure as hell not going to make my own Worcestershire sauce or fish sauce!) and, yes, tomato paste.  Even though someone else did some of the work for me to get it in that state.

*I also know some Italians who grow their own tomatoes and then go into a frenzy of canning/preserving when they ripen so they have their own home-canned tomatoes all winter.  But not everyone can own a farm, ya know?

[bluebelle]

Wait -- why would canned (i.e., "preserved") tomatoes be not from scratch?  Do jam thumbprint cookies not count as "from scratch" if you don't make the jam yourself?  How about balsamic vinegar -- do I need a vat of wine to let ferment for a dozen years in my basement?  Man, the list is endless -- dried spices and fruit, pre-shelled nuts, pretty much every condiment ever invented, any kind of oil or butter or cheese or sausage, etc.

Even the Italians use canned tomatoes for pasta sauces, because really good tomatoes captured right at the peak of flavor and preserved are far better than the middling stuff that comes out of the local grocery store in February (or even September).*  I figure if it's good enough for the Italians, it's good enough for me.

My definition is pretty much like @MyAlterEgoIsTaller -- if it's a basic ingredient/staple that can be used in a bunch of different ways, then it's cooking from scratch, even if someone else preserved it or created it for me first.  That includes some multi-ingredient things (I'm sure as hell not going to make my own Worcestershire sauce or fish sauce!) and, yes, tomato paste.  Even though someone else did some of the work for me to get it in that state.

*I also know some Italians who grow their own tomatoes and then go into a frenzy of canning/preserving when they ripen so they have their own home-canned tomatoes all winter.  But not everyone can own a farm, ya know?

and there have been multiple studies that suggest that frozen vegetables retain more nutrients than "fresh" that have traveled many miles to get to the grocery store (and often picked green to survive the trip)  (I live in the great white north - not much "in season" right now)

[diapasoun]

I view "scratch" as a gradient, not a line.

Takeout is wholly not-from-scratch.

Making a meal entirely produced from ingredients that you sourced from the living earth and processed and cooked yourself -- that would be wholly from scratch.

Everything else is somewhere in between.

[mm1970]

What is the problem with dried beans? Get an Instant Pot. Then there is no real difference within 30 minutes or so.

I like making lots of things from scratch, but I don't judge people who clearly don't have the time or energy for it. It is a labor of love for me a lot of the time.

Breads I love making from scratch. I even learned how to make my own malts because of it. I have a rye starter in the fridge I started in 2014. Honestly still fucking going today in 2020.

When the SHTF remember boyz, that you can just save a little bit of dough from each batch of bread and use it to start the next. No extra yeast required and I do this nearly everyday.

I  have a fermentation hobby and need help.

I have an instant pot, and two other pressure cookers.  I use the instant pot a lot!

BUT that 30 minute difference is absolutely key on a mid-week meal when everyone gets home late from work (me especially), and husband does the cooking.  Canned beans are where it's at right now, and where it's going to stay unless I take over the cooking again.

[Sugaree]

I'm not sure where the line is though.
Are tacos made from scratch if made we pre-cut and seasoned meat, a jar of salsa, and pre-shredded cheese?

I agree there's no agreed upon term, and what one person might consider "cooking from scratch" another would say was loaded with shortcuts. 

FWIW, I've been dreaming of making my own BLT from scratch one day, and writing about my experience.  And "by scratch" I'm challenging myself to take every component to the absolute most indivisible step possible.  I wrote everything down in a notebook and determined that making a BLT would require something like 22 separate components.  Not just put bacon, lettuce and tomato on bread with some mayo, but grow the lettuce and tomatoes from seed. Not just make the mayo from scratch but raise chickens for the eggs, press oil from plants I grow. Precipritate salt from sea water. Harvest some wheat and then mill it into flour for bread.  Use my own wild-yeast starter. and of course the biggest - raise a pig to slaughter, then butcher, cure and smoke the belly into bacon, with my own recipe for the brine from plants I've harvested myself.

Funny thing is I've done many of those steps in isolation, save the actual pig raising/slaughtering. 
Can I then say I've made the sandwich from scratch... even though I'll probably "cheat" and buy my hens after they've hatched and are a few weeks old?  I doubt I'll grow my wheat on my own property but buy it un-milled from a local farm.  Is that ok?  And the oil... I don't really want to use corn oil (which is probably the easiest in our climate)... but olive trees are out of the question.  If I augments my crappy clay soil with a few bags from the co-op is that ok? My own composting is insufficient for all the things I grow.

It's a rabbit hole... :-)

I like the way you think.  I'm actually planning to grow cucumbers to make pickles this year.  I investigated growing dill alongside it, but determined that I need a year to grow and dry the seeds to use for pickles.  Maybe next year.

Why would you need to use the dried seeds?  There's much more flavor in the leaves and stems.  It also grows quickly and can have an established bed that will come up year after year, though the next year that it comes up it might be a bit too old by the time the cucumbers are ready.  You can freeze it though, and use it for pickles when you need it.

Really?  I've always just used the dried seeds.  I'll definitely look into this.  I noticed that the big box store that I had to go to last night has started to put out seedlings.  I need to grab some more herbs for the kitchen window planters.

[nereo]

I'm not sure where the line is though.
Are tacos made from scratch if made we pre-cut and seasoned meat, a jar of salsa, and pre-shredded cheese?

I agree there's no agreed upon term, and what one person might consider "cooking from scratch" another would say was loaded with shortcuts. 

FWIW, I've been dreaming of making my own BLT from scratch one day, and writing about my experience.  And "by scratch" I'm challenging myself to take every component to the absolute most indivisible step possible.  I wrote everything down in a notebook and determined that making a BLT would require something like 22 separate components.  Not just put bacon, lettuce and tomato on bread with some mayo, but grow the lettuce and tomatoes from seed. Not just make the mayo from scratch but raise chickens for the eggs, press oil from plants I grow. Precipritate salt from sea water. Harvest some wheat and then mill it into flour for bread.  Use my own wild-yeast starter. and of course the biggest - raise a pig to slaughter, then butcher, cure and smoke the belly into bacon, with my own recipe for the brine from plants I've harvested myself.

Funny thing is I've done many of those steps in isolation, save the actual pig raising/slaughtering. 
Can I then say I've made the sandwich from scratch... even though I'll probably "cheat" and buy my hens after they've hatched and are a few weeks old?  I doubt I'll grow my wheat on my own property but buy it un-milled from a local farm.  Is that ok?  And the oil... I don't really want to use corn oil (which is probably the easiest in our climate)... but olive trees are out of the question.  If I augments my crappy clay soil with a few bags from the co-op is that ok? My own composting is insufficient for all the things I grow.

It's a rabbit hole... :-)

I like the way you think.  I'm actually planning to grow cucumbers to make pickles this year.  I investigated growing dill alongside it, but determined that I need a year to grow and dry the seeds to use for pickles.  Maybe next year.

Why would you need to use the dried seeds?  There's much more flavor in the leaves and stems.  It also grows quickly and can have an established bed that will come up year after year, though the next year that it comes up it might be a bit too old by the time the cucumbers are ready.  You can freeze it though, and use it for pickles when you need it.

Really?  I've always just used the dried seeds.  I'll definitely look into this.  I noticed that the big box store that I had to go to last night has started to put out seedlings.  I need to grab some more herbs for the kitchen window planters.

I was wondering this as well.  I've made pickles with dill seeds and also from fresh dill.  They definitely have a similar but slightly different flavor.  Personally I prefer the 'brighter' taste of using fresh dill, but both are good and to each their own.

Basically, you just add large pieces of fresh dill to the brine when you put the cucumbers in.  I don't even take it out - I just leave the dill in the jar and can it that way, though if you want you can steep the dill for 20-30 minutes and then remove.

[Sugaree]

I'm not sure where the line is though.
Are tacos made from scratch if made we pre-cut and seasoned meat, a jar of salsa, and pre-shredded cheese?

I agree there's no agreed upon term, and what one person might consider "cooking from scratch" another would say was loaded with shortcuts. 

FWIW, I've been dreaming of making my own BLT from scratch one day, and writing about my experience.  And "by scratch" I'm challenging myself to take every component to the absolute most indivisible step possible.  I wrote everything down in a notebook and determined that making a BLT would require something like 22 separate components.  Not just put bacon, lettuce and tomato on bread with some mayo, but grow the lettuce and tomatoes from seed. Not just make the mayo from scratch but raise chickens for the eggs, press oil from plants I grow. Precipritate salt from sea water. Harvest some wheat and then mill it into flour for bread.  Use my own wild-yeast starter. and of course the biggest - raise a pig to slaughter, then butcher, cure and smoke the belly into bacon, with my own recipe for the brine from plants I've harvested myself.

Funny thing is I've done many of those steps in isolation, save the actual pig raising/slaughtering. 
Can I then say I've made the sandwich from scratch... even though I'll probably "cheat" and buy my hens after they've hatched and are a few weeks old?  I doubt I'll grow my wheat on my own property but buy it un-milled from a local farm.  Is that ok?  And the oil... I don't really want to use corn oil (which is probably the easiest in our climate)... but olive trees are out of the question.  If I augments my crappy clay soil with a few bags from the co-op is that ok? My own composting is insufficient for all the things I grow.

It's a rabbit hole... :-)

I like the way you think.  I'm actually planning to grow cucumbers to make pickles this year.  I investigated growing dill alongside it, but determined that I need a year to grow and dry the seeds to use for pickles.  Maybe next year.

Why would you need to use the dried seeds?  There's much more flavor in the leaves and stems.  It also grows quickly and can have an established bed that will come up year after year, though the next year that it comes up it might be a bit too old by the time the cucumbers are ready.  You can freeze it though, and use it for pickles when you need it.

Really?  I've always just used the dried seeds.  I'll definitely look into this.  I noticed that the big box store that I had to go to last night has started to put out seedlings.  I need to grab some more herbs for the kitchen window planters.

I was wondering this as well.  I've made pickles with dill seeds and also from fresh dill.  They definitely have a similar but slightly different flavor.  Personally I prefer the 'brighter' taste of using fresh dill, but both are good and to each their own.

Basically, you just add large pieces of fresh dill to the brine when you put the cucumbers in.  I don't even take it out - I just leave the dill in the jar and can it that way, though if you want you can steep the dill for 20-30 minutes and then remove.

I think I'll try the steeping method on some this year.  I used some dried dill weed on one jar last year (because I ran out of seeds for the last jar).  The taste was fine, but it wasn't very pretty, if that makes sense.

[Cranky]

What is the problem with dried beans? Get an Instant Pot. Then there is no real difference within 30 minutes or so.

I like making lots of things from scratch, but I don't judge people who clearly don't have the time or energy for it. It is a labor of love for me a lot of the time.

Breads I love making from scratch. I even learned how to make my own malts because of it. I have a rye starter in the fridge I started in 2014. Honestly still fucking going today in 2020.

When the SHTF remember boyz, that you can just save a little bit of dough from each batch of bread and use it to start the next. No extra yeast required and I do this nearly everyday.

I  have a fermentation hobby and need help.

I have an instant pot, and two other pressure cookers.  I use the instant pot a lot!

BUT that 30 minute difference is absolutely key on a mid-week meal when everyone gets home late from work (me especially), and husband does the cooking.  Canned beans are where it's at right now, and where it's going to stay unless I take over the cooking again.

Cook a bag of beans on the weekend. Divide into 2 cup portions. Stick into freezer.

I do keep canned beans on hand, but they are definitely more expensive than dried.

[Dicey]

Last night I made marinara sauce, using a #10 can size* of Muir Glen Organic Diced Tomatoes that I got for a screaming deal ($2, IIRC). When I put dinner on the table, I said "Another dinner from scratch", to which DH replied, "But you used canned tomatoes!" Funny guy actually remembered me telling him about this discussion.

*If you don't know what a #10 can is, you might not be a true mustachian, snirt. Think institutionsl size. B-I-G. The kind of can we made camp stoves with in my Girl Scout days.

[BrightFIRE]

My definition:  "from scratch" means from ingredients that have not already been combined with a particular end use in mind.
Example: Making corn muffins from corn muffin mix = not from scratch.
Making corn muffins from corn meal, sugar, salt, etc. = from scratch, regardless of whether I formulated my own baking powder, ground the corn, raised the chickens for the eggs, etc., because none of the ingredients were presented for sale for the express destiny of corn muffinry.

I like this definition, because it allows me to use oyster sauce and tahini. I do always cook my beans from dry, but I often used jarred salsa. I have fallen into the habit of making "pizza" from Aldi's naan instead of making my own dough, but I still saute fresh mushrooms to put on top. I make my own meatballs and sauce, but use canned tomatoes and dried pasta.

In the US, a brand of tahini that I see a lot in stores comes in a can. It's called Joyva https://www.amazon.com/Joyva-Tahini-15-Ounce/dp/B0002F46BC The other brand around here is Krinos https://www.amazon.com/Krinos-Tahini-Ground-Sesame-16-Ounce/dp/B00O865WIM

[mm1970]

Last night I made marinara sauce, using a #10 can size* of Muir Glen Organic Diced Tomatoes that I got for a screaming deal ($2, IIRC). When I put dinner on the table, I said "Another dinner from scratch", to which DH replied, "But you used canned tomatoes!" Funny guy actually remembered me telling him about this discussion.

*If you don't know what a #10 can is, you might not be a true mustachian, snirt. Think institutionsl size. B-I-G. The kind of can we made camp stoves with in my Girl Scout days.

Approximately 100-108 oz when talking tomatoes.  I was bummed when Costco stopped carrying them!

[Dicey]

Last night I made marinara sauce, using a #10 can size* of Muir Glen Organic Diced Tomatoes that I got for a screaming deal ($2, IIRC). When I put dinner on the table, I said "Another dinner from scratch", to which DH replied, "But you used canned tomatoes!" Funny guy actually remembered me telling him about this discussion.

*If you don't know what a #10 can is, you might not be a true mustachian, snirt. Think institutionsl size. B-I-G. The kind of can we made camp stoves with in my Girl Scout days.

Approximately 100-108 oz when talking tomatoes.  I was bummed when Costco stopped carrying them!

Watch for them. My Costco has them when tomatoes are in high season.

[jeninco]

Last night I made marinara sauce, using a #10 can size* of Muir Glen Organic Diced Tomatoes that I got for a screaming deal ($2, IIRC). When I put dinner on the table, I said "Another dinner from scratch", to which DH replied, "But you used canned tomatoes!" Funny guy actually remembered me telling him about this discussion.

*If you don't know what a #10 can is, you might not be a true mustachian, snirt. Think institutionsl size. B-I-G. The kind of can we made camp stoves with in my Girl Scout days.

Approximately 100-108 oz when talking tomatoes.  I was bummed when Costco stopped carrying them!

Our kroger affiliate sells Pozole (aka hominy) in these, for approximately the same prices as Whole Foods charges for a 10 oz can. I figure I'm paying for the can.

I generally use the term "fundamental components", but that includes flour (already milled), canned tomatoes, and, yes, condiments. Also pre-butchered meats.

I do make yogurt and granola from, er, "fundamental components", which in the case of granola includes already steamed and rolled oats.

[mm1970]

Last night I made marinara sauce, using a #10 can size* of Muir Glen Organic Diced Tomatoes that I got for a screaming deal ($2, IIRC). When I put dinner on the table, I said "Another dinner from scratch", to which DH replied, "But you used canned tomatoes!" Funny guy actually remembered me telling him about this discussion.

*If you don't know what a #10 can is, you might not be a true mustachian, snirt. Think institutionsl size. B-I-G. The kind of can we made camp stoves with in my Girl Scout days.

Approximately 100-108 oz when talking tomatoes.  I was bummed when Costco stopped carrying them!

Watch for them. My Costco has them when tomatoes are in high season.

Will do.  I still can get them from Smart and Final, but mostly I stick to 32 oz these days.  More expensive,  yes, but easier for me to deal with.

[Dicey]

I just used the last of the #10 can marinara sauce, along with two 32 oz. tubs of Polly-O ricotta that I paid $1.00 each for, plus some other stuff from my pantry to make three pans of stuffed Paccheri (also $1.00 for a pound, which was enough for three trays). I still had cheese mixture and sauce, so I whipped up two square pans of spinach lasagne. I did top them with freshly grated Parmesano-Reggiano from Costco, which is totally non-frugal, but delicious. DSS and grandbaby are visiting for a week, so now we have some easy meals ready to go.

[Ann]

I really like this discussion! It has provoked contemplation but no ire.

I guess I divide this in my brain as a gradient from “cooked/heated/made-at-home”, “home-made” and “made from scratch”.  It’s a little arbitrary but does have a loose logic.

So, I might make a bowl of cereal at home, but it’s not home-made. 

I make “home-made” tacos at home, but I don’t consider them “from scratch” because I buy pre-made corn tortillas.  I cook and season the meat, chop onions/tomatoes/cilantro and sometimes add cheese.  If I made my own tortillas I would consider them “from scratch”, even though I don’t butcher my own meat or grow my own vegetables.

I occasionally make cookies “from scratch” even though I am using pre-made chocolate chips (and butter).  If I use a tube of frozen dough I consider it “made at home”.

Yeah,  that’s what I come up with when I think about it.  I suppose if someone were to make the frozen cookie dough and say “I made it from scratch” I would think “no you didn’t” but not for anyone who uses basic canned ingredients.