Things I won't buy in the store anymore

There are many food items that we purchase that can clearly be made at home. Bread immediately comes to mind. Although, even dedicated home bakers will stop in a local bakery for a fresh-baked loaf. Stocks also come to mind. Even if we can make our own rather easily, it never hurts to have a can or two in the pantry for an emergency.

There are other items which are available for purchase in stores which some of us won't ever purchase because of our ability to produce it ourselves quickly from some simple ingredients. I won't buy mixes like pancake mix, cake mix, biscuit mix, cookie dough, or brownie mix (they don't save any time and I always have the constituent ingredients).

One new thing I've learned that I'll never buy in a store again is hummous. I've always known how easy it was to make, but I've never really bothered. I liked the Sultan brand I bought at the market just fine.

Well, the other day I threw some canned chick peas, lemon juice, good olive oil, jarred tahini, garlic, and a little water into the food processor. Bingo. Half-price hummous that's better than the store bought brands. And it took about 5 minutes to make and clean up after. Hummous is now part of the pancake mix category: something I always have the ingredients for that I don't ever need to buy pre-made. (in a pinch, you can replace the tahini with some natural peanut butter).

I like it when a few pantry items can turn into something that I would normally buy. It makes the pantry more flexible, more useful.

So, LTHForum cooks, what pre-made store items did you used to buy that you've replaced with an easy prep of some simple ingredients?

So what is pancake mix, anyway?

I don't mean the kind you just add water to, I know that's full of milk and egg solids, etc. What is a Jewel box of pancake mix to which you must add egg, milk, and oil? Is it just a box of flour? Flour with a little baking powder? (Isn't that what cake flour is?)

Good topic, Michael.

Before I read through your post, I immediately thought of hummous. Since I learned the constituent ingredients and relatively simple cooking instructions, I have been making it every couple of weeks.

Ditto roasted red pepper spread. I am sure there are other, better recipes for both, but I use the ones from Cook's Illustrated and neither takes more than 10 minutes from start to clean-up.

After getting some experience with Bayless's Mexican Everyday, I no longer feel the need to buy salsa.

Another item I make a half-dozen times each year is granola. While this can take a few hours, I can control the ingredients (better oils and quality of dried fruit) and by doing large batches it lasts me a good 2-3 months.

What do all of these have in common? Tubbed/jarred/packaged foods that have significant mark-ups and often suspect ingredients.

Food producers would have me pay for watery salsas, stale granolas and dime a dozen hummous like I'm a baboon who doensn't know any better.

Well, this baboon has a Cuisinart and isn't afraid to use it.

Mike G wrote:So what is pancake mix, anyway?

I don't mean the kind you just add water to, I know that's full of milk and egg solids, etc. What is a Jewel box of pancake mix to which you must add egg, milk, and oil? Is it just a box of flour? Flour with a little baking powder? (Isn't that what cake flour is?)

Mark Bittman did a piece on this in the NYTimes a few weeks ago. He talked about how pancake mix grew out of the 1950's and the "spend less time in the kitchen" craze. It's a bit silly because the part of making pancakes that takes the longest is the actual cooking, not the mixing of a few dry ingredients.

Salsa, I still buy in the winter (usually Frontera) from time to time because of the lack of availability of good tomatoes or tomatillos, but I make it myself in the summer. What I really need to do is learn how to properly jar them in the summer so I can preserve my own.

Granola is a terrific example. Easy to make from pantry ingredients and totally customizable too. Although, to this day, I've been unable to reproduce the taste of Milk & Honey's granola.

Best,
Michael

Love this topic.

One of the things I never buy in the store anymore is bottled tomato/marinara sauce. All of my friends think I'm crazy until they see how incredibly easy and how much better it is to just buy canned tomatoes, slice up some garlic, tear some basil, pour a little wine, add a little seasoning and voila....excellent tomato sauce. In about 10 minutes. Add about 10 extra minutes if you want meat added. If you let it cook an extra 10-20 minutes it's even better.

And so much much cheaper than your bottled sauce (and nary a preservative to be found!) I was shocked by how much sugar is in bottled tomato sauces....

shannon

Pita bread comes to mind, you don't need to have any dairy on hand, and I've found you can cheat on the waiting time a bit and go from prep to puffy pita in around an hour.

Beef jerky is another thing I don't need to pay a premium for either. I can make it for almost a third of the cost of the price per pound of a slim jim. And as an added plus, the dehydrator works like a meat-scented air freshener.

I haven't bought jarred pasta sauce in years, but I do buy lots of packaged pasta even though I make enough of my own.

There are a lot of items I'd like to add to this category, mainly beer.

Pasta sauce is a good one.

Salad dressing is another one like this. I haven't bought a bottle of salad dressing in a long time. With different oils, vinegars, mustards, spices, and dairy, I've got the potential for hundreds of different dressings with the whip of a whisk.

kiplog wrote:There are a lot of items I'd like to add to this category, mainly beer.

By "like to add to this category" are you saying that you'd prefer to only drink home-brewed beer? Beer seems like bread. The kinda thing that you can do at home, but even accomplished home-brewers will buy it from others.

Pork is one item I rarely buy in the store for personal consumption. Since I have recently been purchasing, butchering, and curing my own pork I have found that the commercial versions don't hold a candle. I do wish I could say the same for beef.

I rarely buy salsa and when I do I am always disappointed. I can do a decent job by either using roma tomatoes or a can of good stewed tomatoes, which I usually have on hand. Guacamole is so simple, and when I have the urge I usually have the ingredients on hand.

I'll say from experience that it takes a good while, and many batches of homebrew, before you're beating the store price, given your investment in equipment, having to buy a lot of some grain you only use a little of, etc.

And in terms of my own labor, given the number of sandwiches I make for my kids every week, making that much bread just for that purpose would be a pain (no French pun intended). It's satisfying to make a great loaf and know you didn't pay Whole Foods $4 for it, but not for PB&J sandwiches.

Anyway, monetary satisfaction should only be part of it for many of these things. I'm not convinced, for instance, that I make chicken stock cheaper than I can buy it, considering the hours of gas my stove consumes, the other veggies tossed in to the pot, etc.

Rotisserie chicken. Perhaps it is different in your area, but around here, the birds in the supermarkets, even the "better" markets and Costco, are cooked to the hard candy stage. Part of the reason may be for health reasons to avoid undercooked chicken, but it probably has something to with holding them too long at too high a temp. And the quality of the birds to start with isn't probably the best. Regardless, these chickens are insipid.

Bill/SFNM

For years, The Wife and I tried to find the perfect cocktail sauce. Then, in a moment of genius, I realized we could actually make the stuff, which we've been doing for some years now (heavy on fresh lemon and horseradish).

Bruce mentions gucamole and that is an example of a premade product I have never understood. Fresh, chunky guac is so good, and the stuff in the store-bought container so pablumized and undoubtedly loaded with preservatives to keep it from browning. I've tried the grocery store version and would never ever buy it.

With my reputed fondness for catsup, people are kind enough to regularly gift me with a few containers of the stuff -- just got some excellent homemade red pepper catsup from MAG. So that's another thing I'd never buy in a store...or make at home.

Hammond

HI,

When my nieces were still in grade school, they had breakfast with me every morning. We always had pancakes made from scratch every morning. The only modification I made was skipping the 2 tablespoons of melted butter because I noticed nobody noticed when I took it out by either taste or pancake composition. Occasionally I would go through periods of efficiency by pre-measuring the dry ingredients for pancakes into canning jars. All I needed later was the milk and eggs.

The only mix I buy is Jiffy cornbread mix because it reminds me of cafeteria school lunches. I also will add more milk to thin it out and make cornbread pancakes with it. If you let the dough rest a few minutes before making pancakes, the dough will actually thicken for a heartier pancake. Otherwise you have to be quick for a thinnish pancake.

I will only buy popcorn in the raw kernal form. I have a stir-crazy as well as an air popper and if pressed can do it on the stove. If I were in a cabin for the weekend, I might buy a Jiffy Pop PopCorn where you cook it on the stove and the foil container unwinds as it fills with popcorn. I don't even know if it is still available, but I find those to be very entertaining. Microwave popcorn does nothing for me.

I have never bought boxed macaroni and cheese. While my cost is greater, I am also making a larger volume made with better ingredients.

If you have a well stocked pantry and refrigerator. In the time it takes to go to the store to pick up a cookie-cake-pancake mix, you can have your dough prepared, in the oven and maybe finished. Once in the store, you likely do a lot of incidental buying as well so the cost is not confined to the mix.

I don't buy tomato sauces nor canned tomatoes because I make my own. While I buy bulk tomatoes from farmers for very good prices. I don't think I save money though I do have improved taste and personal pride. I do buy tomato paste in a squeeze tube, because I can conveniently store it between my occasional uses.

As you have illustrated before Michael, a well stocked pantry ultimately saves a lot of time and money.

Regards,

Mike G wrote:Anyway, monetary satisfaction should only be part of it for many of these things. I'm not convinced, for instance, that I make chicken stock cheaper than I can buy it, considering the hours of gas my stove consumes, the other veggies tossed in to the pot, etc.

Absolutely.

I spent this saturday making brown beef stock from scratch. Beef neck bones, boquet garni, onions, carrots, celery and 4+ hours of simmering.

The result is just under a half gallon of good beef stock that I'm using for bourguignon today (I'll freeze the rest). Taking the fuel into consideration, this probably cost 50% more than the canned stuff, but when it comes to beef stock the canned stuff tastes like s**t.

Best,
Michael

eatchicago wrote:The result is just under a half gallon of good beef stock that I'm using for bourguignon today (I'll freeze the rest). Taking the fuel into consideration, this probably cost 50% more than the canned stuff, but when it comes to beef stock the canned stuff tastes like s**t.

Even the canned chicken stock is way less satisfying than the real thing. The Wife does buy Costco bulk packs of the stuff, and when overcome with illness, and in need of warm liquid, I will just open a can, heat it up and drink it down with, fortunately, almost no sense of smell or taste.

I've found that with prices on chicken parts pretty low (3 lbs for a buck at nearby Billy's), the price for homemade stock vs. store bought may sometimes be pretty much the same.

I have to agree with Bill on rotisserie chickens. Other than the fact that I tend to set of the smoke alarm whenever I roast the chicken due to the high-heat Zuni Cafe (and others') technique of roasting, I find that home-roasted chicken is leaps and bounds better than the dried out, store-bought rotisserie and, at least for me, is cheaper than most store-bought versions. I then typically use the carcass, neck and giblets to make chicken stock, which I rarely purchase any more (although I do typically have a few cans or a carton on hand just in case).

One other thing I used to buy a lot was the Near East rice and couscous mixes. I never buy them now, but use bulk couscous or rice and whatever spices, legumes, vegetables, other grains, etc. I have on hand to make my own pilafs, other rice dishes, couscous dishes, etc.

Michael,

Interesting topic. Hummus, I agree, I just don't understand buying store bought hummus. It's easy to make, costs very little, basic ingredients are shelf stable and the store bought product typically has more in common with humus than hummus.

Funny story, yesterday morning I'm in Central Market, an upscale Houston grocery not unlike Whole Foods, shopping with my friends for New Years Eve dinner. We're already set on the main course, beef tenderloin with a light Mexican pepper rub accented with a bit of toasted ground cumin, and the suggestion is made that Chimichurri sauce might be a nice accompaniment

I say not a bad idea, I'll go get some parsley and......when interrupted by, here it is on the shelf. We decided to go with a sauteed mushroom mix accented by shallot, sliced baby fennel, garlic and deglazed with port.

Enjoy,
Gary

Guacamole and brownies are two things I'll never buy. Guac is so simple (avocado, lime, salt, cilantro and a source of heat such as hot sauce, chipotle paste or a hotter salsa in small quantity) it's truly stupid to buy.

I leaned brownies in 6th grade and have been using that recipe as a base (usually enhanced with one or more kind of chocolate, caramel, butterscotch, peanut butter or other morsels) ever since. It's no more effort than a mix: one bowl, one pan, one spoon. With microwave ovens, melting the chocolate is easier than how I learned it, so it's truly a snap.

I had my family over for a belated hanukkah celebration last Thurs, and served some of the leftover appetizers from our party (reported elsewhere). My mother said, "These are great! Did you get them from Costco?".

I replied, "You have insulted me and my wife, I demand satisfaction. I'll see you on the duelling field at dawn." Really, I did. It was just spinach/blue cheese calzones and the Morrocan Phyllo rolls from the Tribune sunday magazine. It's not a huge amount of effort.

I tried hummos once, and found it very grainy in texture. Perhaps I didn't whip it up long enough (I used a processor not a blender) or it needed more tahini or something. Whatever you do, do NOT buy canned hummos. Ack. Pthththb.

OK - for counterpoint:
Salsas I will buy mainly for their ability to sit on a shelf until company shows up. There's also so many varieties to try it can give me ideas for counterpoint.

G Wiv wrote:Michael,

Interesting topic. Hummus, I agree, I just don't understand buying store bought hummus. It's easy to make, costs very little, basic ingredients are shelf stable and the store bought product typically has more in common with humus than hummus.

Funny story, yesterday morning I'm in Central Market, an upscale Houston grocery not unlike Whole Foods, shopping with my friends for New Years Eve dinner. We're already set on the main course, beef tenderloin with a light Mexican pepper rub accented with a bit of toasted ground cumin, and the suggestion is made that Chimichurri sauce might be a nice accompaniment

I say not a bad idea, I'll go get some parsley and......when interrupted by, here it is on the shelf. We decided to go with a sauteed mushroom mix accented by shallot, sliced baby fennel, garlic and deglazed with port.

Enjoy,
Gary

Funny, I was just talking with my father, a resident of Houston, as he perused the aisles of his local Central Market. Though I understand the quality has gone down recently, I have fond memories of their plethora of cheeses, meats, and exotic fruit. ...much better, in my mind, than the
*also Texas-based chain* Whole Foods. I've mentioned before my childhood memories of being dragged through Whole Foods in it's nascent cramped, vitamin-reeking, hippy incarnation.

anyway, point being that I recently bought a Can O' Hummus (of Lebanese provenance...so it might actually be edible) at a downstate Big Lots

it has pride of place in my cupboard along with an empty spotted dick container and a cannister of coffee emblazoned with a lascivious queen of sheba

Steamed Chinese chicken buns; Our first foray into making them last night was a success - couldn't find any decent ones in all of Chicago anyways.

While I have made from scratch most of the things mentioned in this discussion (not the pork products, but the other things), and would add mayonnaise, which I love making from scratch, I do want to note that it is not necessarily "stupid" to simply pick some of this stuff up at the store. There are lots of reasons one might not be able to do this at home. For example, a friend calls at the last minute and you can't simply force those green avocados to get ripe in time. Or a friend calls you at work and invites you over, and you stop on the way there. Because I'm single and live alone, my married-with-children friends generally expect me to go to their places, which does make sense, but sometimes precludes being able to make stuff from scratch. I have found that Whole Foods and Trader Joe's both have reasonably good guacamole that I'm not embarrased to serve, even though I didn't make it. And a quart of hummus from Costco is only about $4.50 and makes people happy when you show up on their doorstep with it. Sure, about 80 percent of the time, I appear at people's homes with something I've made from scratch, but not always. (Though, to be perfectly honest, when I take a homemade offering to a friend's house, it's usually not the easy stuff -- it will be some new recipe I've tried or the latest experiment from the smoker.)

So there are good reasons to buy even the simplest of goods ready made, even if one prefers the homemade.

Funny, I was just talking with my father, a resident of Houston, as he perused the aisles of his local Central Market. Though I understand the quality has gone down recently, I have fond memories of their plethora of cheeses, meats, and exotic fruit. ...much better, in my mind, than the
*also Texas-based chain* Whole Foods.

I was in Whole Foods in Atlanta last weekend. I went in for gulf shrimp and as the guy was removing them from the case, I noticed a few tiger shrimps mixed in. Gack. I asked him to let me sort out the shrimp and found a fair amount of half bodies that were mushy. There was a striped bass with cloudy eyes and all of the snapper had sunken in, dried out eyes.

I hope this is not a sign of things to come.

Kit

Christopher Gordon wrote:Funny, I was just talking with my father, a resident of Houston, as he perused the aisles of his local Central Market. Though I understand the quality has gone down recently,

Christopher,

While I've been to Central Market any number of times over the years, I'm, obviously, not a regular, and it's possible they had their best foot forward for the holiday, but quality seemed quite good yesterday. I did note prices seemed a bit over the top.

Enjoy,
Gary

Having recently moved to Austin, I've been enjoying Central Market as a place that makes me feel happier that I didn't shop at Whole Foods. While CM is spendy, not as bad as WF. I also like their bread better, and they've got a far better selection of olives, pates, and other snacks. The labyrinthine layout is sometimes fun and leads to random discoveries, and other (hungover) times it's a tad tedious.

I just brought back some very nice salmon from there tonight.

-Nab

G Wiv wrote:While I've been to Central Market any number of times over the years, I'm, obviously, not a regular, and it's possible they had their best foot forward for the holiday, but quality seemed quite good yesterday. I did note prices seemed a bit over the top.

Enjoy,
Gary

Personally, I think that The Central market compares favorably with nearly any Chicago supermarket in terms of quality, presentation, and the like.

Having said that, HEB has a very significant market presence throughout Texas and the pricing reflects the market strength. Or as my wife puts it, "It is a great market to shop but geez, who could afford to shop here?"

jlawrence01 wrote:

G Wiv wrote:While I've been to Central Market any number of times over the years, I'm, obviously, not a regular, and it's possible they had their best foot forward for the holiday, but quality seemed quite good yesterday. I did note prices seemed a bit over the top.

Enjoy,
Gary

Personally, I think that The Central market compares favorably with nearly any Chicago supermarket in terms of quality, presentation, and the like.

Having said that, HEB has a very significant market presence throughout Texas and the pricing reflects the market strength. Or as my wife puts it, "It is a great market to shop but geez, who could afford to shop here?"

It's definitely expensive. One memorable episode years ago involved the s/o and I accidentally spending our general weekly grocery budget on a mere handful of items when we offered to take care of the appetizers for a family meal. Insult to injury we were already on a tight vacation budget...c'est la vie Central Market.

I think my dad took me to my first CM in Austin in the mid-90's iirc.

and I also enjoy the vast layout

By "like to add to this category" are you saying that you'd prefer to only drink home-brewed beer?

Oh no, I couldn't hope to attain the skill (or patience) necessary to make beer good enough to satisfy my tastes. I sure wish I could though. Joining an abbey would be the only way to achieve that wish.

I would like to think I could at least make a decent enough brew to keep the fridge full though.

I STARTED making hummos before you could buy it in the store, at least not in West Michigan grocery stores in my area. I had tasted it at veggie restauant and asked about the ingredients. We couldn't even find tahini, so I toasted and ground sesame seeds. I made some flamingly garlicy hummos. My sister and I would eat loads of it. Once my sister got the stomach flu soon after eating massive amounts of hummos. She couldn't eat it for ten years after that!

very easy to make fresh chili powder.

Haven't bought salad dressing in years always make my own. The latest craze in our house is homemade almond butter. Just almonds and a drop of oil. Would make peanut butter but its hard to find unsalted shelled peanuts.
Paulette

1. Salsa.
Jarred salsa is absolutely vile. And no, there are none that are even close to eating as a stand alone with chips or veggies. Give me a blender and 40 to 50 seconds. Probably the fastest and cheapest for work / payoff ratio. No reason for jarred salsa ever in my life.

2. Meat rubs.
Fresher spices, cheaper prices, and better salt control = more flavor for less $

3. Hot Chocolate Powder.
Seen the prices on the brands that use a decent chocolate? I can buy better cocoa powder, and then add powdered milk and sugar. Voila!
4lbs of Hot Cocoa powder.

4. Granola.