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homemade v store bought

tiredwithtwins
tiredwithtwins Posts: 475
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edited 26 April 2018 at 9:09AM in Old style MoneySaving
hi
just wondered what everyone thought about homemade foods vs store bought foods?
I mean along the lines of ketchup, mayonnaise, pastry, jam etc ..
ive had some success with making my own ketchup and mayo, but don't have much luck with making my own pastry.
Potato foods - things like mash, chips, roast potatoes .. I find it tends to be a bit hit and miss as to whether they come out nice or rubbish, so tend to stick to frozen which can be a bit more expensive than making from scratch.
Has anyone successfully made the swap to making their own and moving away from buying store bought, and what sort of things have you had success with?


S x

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  • VfM4meplse
    VfM4meplse Posts: 34,269
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    I'm impressed that you've had the time to make your own ketchup! I find it's much more cost-effective pulled off the shelf at Lidl :)

    I personally find potato products easy to make, with good results, but deep frying anything is a waste of oil (reusing it is not recommended, for health reasons) and the low fat air dryers requires an investment so it depends on how often chips are on the menu (in my case v rarely, even though I love them). Pastry: I've seen that TV chefs sometimes resort to this, but I've never really got on with ready made / frozen. Most of the ready made stuff in my freezer is YS fresh rather than planned freezer purchases, so do tend to be cost-effective food items rather than bulky bags of frozen food.

    Sometimes you have to decide that life is too short, just buy it.
    Value-for-money-for-me-puhleeze!

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  • I agree with VFM - you make your choices, and life is short. I've never tried ketchup but I reckon it would be a lot of work to produce a bottle and I suspect it wouldn't taste as good as the one produced by Mr Heinz!

    I wouldn't dream of buying mashed potato, but I do admit to having some hash browns in the freezer. Are you using the right sort of potato - some are better for mashing, others for roasting? Bought roasties don't cut it with me, they just don't taste the same.

    Cakes, biscuits and pastry I prefer to make myself but I don't eat them that often, and I work part-time so I've got time in my day, and I love baking so they turn out ok. I'm truthfully not sure how much I save as I like to use high quality ingredients but the taste is so much better. Basically if I enjoy the process and have time, I'll make it. If you work full time, have children, and other commitments - well, there's a reason they are called 'convenience' foods!
    Life is mainly froth and bubble: two things stand like stone. Kindness in another’s trouble, courage in your own.
  • Callie22
    Callie22 Posts: 3,444
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    edited 22 April 2018 at 2:42PM
    Pick your battles. Some things are cheaper and nicer home-made (mashed potato, shortcrust pastry and so on). Some things can be more expensive, at least initially if you have to invest in equipment and/or ingredients (home-made preserves, for example). Some things end up being more of a 'hobby' to do than entirely practical, but if you want to make home-made puff pastry or croissants then go ahead :) It's really going to be different for everyone - some people love cooking and will spend hours pottering, they've got ingredients and don't see the time spent as a 'chore', some people don't love cooking or have less time and a few short-cuts are a sensible option. Some people have more access to gluts of things, like eggs or vegetables, and so preservation makes sense. Other people don't.

    One example - I recently made some home-made lime pickle. What with the fermentation it's taken five weeks to do (minimal actual 'work' though), but it is really delicious. However, I had to buy mustard oil and some spices, so the initial outlay has made it probably the dearest jar of lime pickle in the country. However, I do now have enough oil and spices to make more, which I will, so the ongoing cost is less and I have a new easy recipe that's nicer than shop-bought.
  • When the weather warms up we make our own pizza, including base, from this recipe. Get better rise on the dough when it's warm, and you can make in advance and keep in fridge if needed. Then whack some pesto on (not homemade, unless we've got wild garlic), Aldi mozzarella, bit of onion....

    hx6yk4.jpg
  • Pollycat
    Pollycat Posts: 34,578
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    I would never buy mashed potato.
    I do a big pan-full and freeze it in portions.

    I'd never buy frozen chips or wedges. I make my own (usually wedges) using new potatoes and a bit of olive oil.

    Even chefs use ready-made puff pastry.
    I buy shortcrust pasty, but in a block, not ready-rolled.

    I'd never make my own ketchup, there's enough shops I visit (Tesco, Aldi, Home Bargains, B&M, various £1 shops) that have it on offer.
    Same for mayo.
    Same for jam - I can buy a jar of apricot conserve from Aldi for 79p. Personally I wouldn't want to bother buying the apricots and sugar, sterilising the jars etc.

    It's about what taste suits you and how much time and inclination you have.
  • elsien
    elsien Posts: 32,522
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    Jam - don't eat enough to make it worthwhile making my own.
    Pastry - I usually make it but due to a yellow sticker job lot at 10p a pack, I'm happy to go with the ready made for now. :)
    Ketchup - I like the bought stuff so I'm sticking with it.
    Other sauces - pasta, curry etc. Always made from scratch because they're just much nicer.
    Potatoes etc - would never buy shop bought. On the few occasions I want chips, there's a chippy just up the road.
    I planned to make and freeze a load of houmus, but again courtesy of yellow stickers I've got a freezer full of store bought at 10p a tub so it's not worth it at the moment.
    Just made and froze a load of veggie pasties. Only because I'd got all the ingredients which would otherwise have gone to waste, my frozen pastry and an hour to spare when I was bored. Normally I wouldn't make my own or buy them - bought ones tend to be vile.
    It's just swings and roundabouts, and whatever suits you
    All shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of things shall be well.

    Pedant alert - it's could have, not could of.
  • splishsplash
    splishsplash Posts: 3,055
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    edited 22 April 2018 at 7:52AM
    I don't mind making pastry (with a processor) but I buy frozen puff as it's far too time consuming to make my own.
    I make my own ketchup because shop bought is full of sugar, but mayo is far too time consuming to make and needs to be freshly made each time so I use shop bought.
    I make two-ingredient pizza base/garlic bread dough which takes seconds and is really nice. I buy dried pasta though.

    I place my time over expense so if I think it takes too long to do myself I'll just buy it. I will sometimes go the extra mile if I think there's a clear benefit to me.

    ETA: I'm Irish, so I'm not going to mess about with ready made spuds, am I?!
    I'm an adult and I can eat whatever I want whenever I want and I wish someone would take this power from me.
    -Mike Primavera
    .
  • bouicca21
    bouicca21 Posts: 6,506
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    Zillions of years ago I had a glut of tomatoes so made ketchup - absolutely delicious and, contrary to the above, way nicer than Mr Heinz. But it was a faff and I've never done it since.

    As someone else suggested, I suspect the problem with potato dishes is buying the wrong variety for the purpose.

    And yes, it horses for courses. I wouldn't dream of buying shortcrust pastry, but no way will I faff about trying to make puff pastry.
  • I
    I make two-ingredient pizza base/garlic bread dough which takes seconds and is really nice. I buy dried pasta though.

    Ooh, would you share the recipe for this please?
  • Ilona
    Ilona Posts: 2,449 Forumite
    I spend as little time in the kitchen as possible, can't be bothered with cooking fancy meals, but that doesn't mean I buy a lot of ready made junk, I just don't eat that kind of food anyway. I don't have ketchup, jam, make pastry, don't mash or roast potatoes or make chips. My potatoes are either steamed in one pan with the other vegetables, or microwaved.

    I don't use my oven, don't bake, don't eat pizzas. I sometimes buy a cake for a treat, don't buy biscuits. I do buy mayo occasionally, wouldn't make it. I do buy a cheese and onion quiche now and again, wouldn't make one.

    Most of my food is fresh, I like my meals to be straight from the fridge to the plate, can't be doing with faffing about. Hate washing up so I make a meal in one pan. I buy veggie burgers and sausages and grill them, don't make them.

    I add eggs and cheese to my vegetables, don't make gravy. Making a meal in 15 minutes or less is important to me, I don't want to be lingering in the kitchen.

    Ilona
    I love skip diving.
    :D
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