I've talked a bit here about our (selective) efforts to grow and make foodstuffs in the interests of steering as far as possible from processed items. In theory, that's all terrific, and we'd never go to the grocery store ever again. Or something. In reality, there simply isn't time to maintain a pantry entirely comprised of homemade goods. More importantly, some items are simply better (however you want to define that) in their store-bought forms. Here's what we've found...
- Mayo - We made a couple batches, and the second one languished in the fridge, takin' up tupperware. This, I think, is the ultimate death knell for a recipe's chance of attaining a spot in the kitchen rotation. There's a lot to be said for reducing the preservatives in one's diet, but a there's a lot to be said for creamy mayo, too.
- Bread - Delicious when made the (time-consuming and) traditional way. Not so good out of the convenient bread machine. Fresh baked whole wheat bread has become the stuff of long weekends and vacations.
- Yogurt - Homemade fail. I tried this three times. I'd been assured that milk + a bit of yogurt + heat would equal more yogurt, but all I got was warm milk with some yogurt at the bottom of the bowl. Ick.
- Cake - Surprising success! I had convinced myself that I was a box mix cake kind of girl, the thought of a recipe involving too much measuring and potential failure for me. But after making three birthday cakes from scratch in recent weeks and not ruining any of them, I think I've been converted.
- Salad dressing - Overwhelming success. I don't see us buying salad dressing ever again. Olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and brown mustard shaken up in a tightly sealed container, with either honey or garlic, does quite nicely, and we know exactly what we're ingesting.
So we're doing what makes sense for us. What I really need to do is find a suitable replacement for flavored coffee creamer. You ever read the ingredients list on one of those things? Scary.
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4 comments:
I agree that making yogurt is sorta overrated! But I now buy the big gallon tubs and make my smaller containers with homemade jam and take those to work. I figure I save a lot of plastic and money that way.
My fail was my big goal to make my own cheeses this year. Just never happened :)
But homemade flat bread, salad dressings, and mustard was a winner.
Mustard?! How'd you do that?
And flatbread -- sounds yummy, and reminds me that we also made spelt crackers (good, but too time consuming to make on a regular basis).
Don't disappoint me on the mayo! I was going to try making that!
I agree on the bread re: bread out of the bread machine. I either by "nice" bread from the store or make it by hand -- no bread machine here. But like you, it has gotten relegated to a weekend activity.
I don't care for yogurt, so I'll never make it at home.
And you are right on the salad dressing -- it's so much better and cheaper than a lot of what I buy in the store!
P.S. How's the new job? Drop me a line if you don't want to write a public post. :)
Oh, still try the mayo! It might turn out better for you (and you can tell me what you did). Ours was a bit greasy and thin.
Briefly, the new job is going well... but I'll email you with a more complete answer. :)
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