Made from scratch or store bought??

[captndan]

What's with this 'historical age' crap? Continuing on; Most interesting replies to this post. Is this what you're talking about?

 

[1Cavman]

when you guys can make a foi gras terrine as good as gordon ramsey, fresh pasta as good as lydia shire, pastry as good as the modern, pizza as good as santarpios, or a steak as good as bobby flay, call me please.

What's your number:heh:

Mrs Cav and I both cook for a living. We still do our own thing at home not much for restaurants.
Although we've got a little pizza joint we're both partial to.

 

[deguerre]

I'm with you Tim. Best example for Redhot and me would be tacos. Yes, we can buy the steak, marinate it, cook it and spice it properly, make the pico, the guac and assorted garnishes, make our own corn tortillas etc, etc, and etc...


BUT - I can have fresh made, REAL MEXICAN tacos, in a variety of meats (Yea lengua!!!) for a buck eighty five each, less than half a mile from my house and ready for pick-up when I get there after calling the order in. Plus, it's also a panaderia so if I want some churros too...

 

[The_Kapn]

What's with this 'historical age' crap? Continuing on; Most interesting replies to this post. Is this what you're talking about?

Some really great things discussed.
"Historical" comes from here: :thumb:
http://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/showthread.php?t=145896&highlight=historical

One other thing that "ran it course with us" was homemade cased sausage. A couple of years ago I thought it would be interesting and fun, and it was! :clap2:
Had the grinder for my brisket and steak burgers, so bought a LEM stuffer and some supplies.
Made 2 or 3 good size batches and they were great!
However, Mrs Kapn only eats Andouille and that is only in a couple of her menus and only every month or two. Occasional Brat on the grill.
But, we can buy decent quality ones easily and cheaply when needed.
I found a source for quality venison sausage and pick up a few links when I think of it. About all i need.

Wound up not being something I wanted to do long term so I found a new loving home for the stuffer where it will be used by a fantastic cook!

They moved from the "homemade" to the "buy it" list for us.

TIM

 

[Robert Downer]

great comments so far...and i'm trying to understand...

so...if gas was a penny a gallon, and you had all the time you needed (read: retired)

you'd cook nothing because someone always cooks it better than you?!?

maybe i'm missing the point...

i get the fast food stuff (tacos)...and the labor intensive stuff (making sausage)...

but when i have time, my tacos rival any taqueria...

and my stuffed ravioli (with homemade pasta) covered in my wifes sicilian spicy sauce is a plate of heaven (i wont even mention the homemade pizza's..opps, i just did!):loco:

and our polish sausage...ok, not that great...yet! but our salcissa is almost as good as DiGregorio's

maybe its age/experience/stamina dependent...if you've been cooking all your life, you may be tired of the 'labor of love' required to learn and master a culinary uniqueness thats all yours...or if you've done it a thousand times...maybe the 'thrill is gone'...

or like Kapn said, he's only cooking for himself and Mrs Capn...so the choices are limited...

and one last thing...to the poster, boogiesnap, who mentioned something about a steak as good as bobby flay...really?:roll: here's hoping he's pulling or pork...

i have stopped ordering steaks at restaurants...especially high falutin' ones, and stick with something i can't whip up on the homefront...

because for the $45+ i spend on a 'bobby flay' steak, it better be near orgasmic, since i can spend that much and produce 10 perfect steaks over a stick fire while camping:wink:

 

[boogiesnap]

I don't even want goose guts. Have no craving for them. Bobby pretty much cooks a steak just like the rest of us- throws it over the coals for a couple minutes per side. He'll be the first to tell you that simpler is better and less is more with steaks and burgers. I agree. The more crap you put on/in a steak or burger, the worse it is. As for the pasta and pizza, never ate any of those you mention, but I made a pizza last night that was plenty good enough for me, and I'm not picky with pasta. It all tastes pretty much the same. I think a lot of this top chef stuff is in the mind more than the taste buds. Never saw a chef out there that I wouldn't just as soon have my grandma's cooking that I grew up on.

i've actually eaten his steak and it is damn good. not just S&P for sure, and if all pasta tastes the same to you, well....

 

[boogiesnap]

What's your number:heh:

Mrs Cav and I both cook for a living. We still do our own thing at home not much for restaurants.
Although we've got a little pizza joint we're both partial to.

yeah, mine was a chef at a 4 star restaurant, but there sure is something about those little pizza joints.

 

[The_Kapn]

There are a lot of factors we use to make the "cook it" or "buy it" decision.
I tried to lay them out in the opening post.

It is not laziness, but a lot of considerations that may, or may not be relevant to others. :lol:

Simply for discussion, not to tell anyone else what to do nor to put down their choices.

Another one I used to "buy", then "make", and then back to "buy" is beer.
Did the homebrew thing for a couple of years and just grew tired of it and lost interest. My supplies all went to a Brother here in about 2007.
I loved the product--far superior to super market beer. The hobby just ran it's course with me.

Some great thoughts above.

TIM

 

[landarc]

On the whole Asian food thing, there is a thing, almost every Asian cuisine has one or two ingredients that really define the taste of the food. You have to know that the ingredient exists and what it is used for. In particular, regional Indian, Thai and Malaysian food can be maddening, Chinese food is so vast, it is so specialized and Japanese, which I grew up with, these each have flavors and aromas you can't just detect unless you know to look for them.

I will buy prepared foods of certain types, simply because it is not worth it to me to keep specialized ingredients around to make them. Often, as a single person, making a pie is just reckless to my health. I don't make donuts at home, as I can buy one donut, but, if I make a dozen, well...

And again, I can cook a lot of things quite well, but, I have little desire to do some big complication in the kitchen, to get one meal out of it. I much prefer to go out. There is also the social factor, again, living alone, sometimes I want to interact with people, this means having them over (too much hassle) or going out.

 

[Lake Dogs]

While I'm not nearly as confused as Gore, I thought that making Pillsbury biscuits in the oven WAS homemade!


Ok, not really, but I agree, there are some things just so time consuming and messy that it's just so much earlier
to purchase pre-prepared...

But, I suffer from the same illness that my grandmother suffered, and that is not only do I enjoy cooking, particularly
for others, but it's a way that I show them that I love them. Really. To me it's never about showing off, but to
produce something heavenly for them to enjoy (and me too)...

I smiled but was also saddened yesterday. We walked bye one of the local BBQ restaurants in town and my wife
went on and on about how crappy their BBQ was (saying this to her mother). I corrected her, and it was then she
said "well, why would I pay them good money when theirs sucks compared to yours", which of course made me feel
good but now I've created another BBQ snob. :-(

Someday she'll be a Chicken Fricassee snob, I just know it!!!

 

[Gnaws on Pigs]

i've actually eaten his steak and it is damn good. not just S&P for sure, and if all pasta tastes the same to you, well....

Don't get me wrong, I respect Bobby and have learned a lot from watching his shows and reading his books. He's a good cook, and I like his style of food. But if he cooks on a higher erethral plane than everybody else, why does he lose most of his throwdowns where he challenges local amatuer or restaurant cooks? And as far as pasta goes, it's not really my thing anyway, I'm Appalachian, not Italian. Boiled flour. I'd just as soon have a chunk of meat anyday. But then, I made some fettucini with fresh basil pesto that was pretty durn good to me the other night. I wouldn't drive ten miles to eat the best pasta in the world if I can make acceptable pasta at home.

Point being, if I cook at home, I can make it how I like it, not how some chef likes it. I enjoy eating out, but I'm more apt to eat common stuff out and make the expensive stuff at home. One of the worst meals I've had in years came from supposedly one of the best restaurants in my area with a starred chef and cost me $100. I almost stopped at Wendy's for a cheeseburger on the way home.

Often, I eat out just to steal ideas of stuff to cook at home. :biggrin1:

 

[1buckie]

This is a great subject !!!

The wife's in the kitchen, RIGHT NOW, fixing up pizza the way she had it in Italy a few months ago....I don't know of any pizza place here that does what she's describing, so scratch it is....

We go out now and again 'cause we like certain things ( even stuff we COULD do a better job of) that are done a certain way, at a certain place.

#5 I think, was about experimenting, so that's me with all the different ways things can be done on the kettles......Plus (#1), I don't know of any 'raunts serving tandoori spiced 'turds?

She's a stupendous 'salt of the earth' type cook, but will almost always go by exact recipe.....from rock-bottom scratch, quite often.....She doesn't really like to create a mess, but will sometimes if, like you said, results warrant......

In the 'make a huge mess' dept. I get in trouble all the time & don't even have to try hard to get there.....:shock: :roll:

I'll use various bottled / canned / pre-packaged stuff, and fix it up somehow, almost always with raw ingredients, so on that count, it's kind of a draw......

The quick decisions are sometimes just hungry, lazy, or tired, or no particular reason......Up to even fast food sometimes....

But, on the other hand, you can't get fresh tomato, andouille, & cheese pie at Mickie D's !!!

Thanks for bringing these thoughts up !!!!

 

[Mo-Dave]

I recently decided I would start making biscuits from scratch and after about the 4th or 5th time I gave up due to inconsistent results, I have never been very good with baked goods, long story short I went back to boxed biscuits and am much happier.

My wife can't handle spice and does not care for a lot of the foods I like, me I eat about anything so when we go out and eat we usually find an all you can eat, that way we both can have somethings we never cook at home because of the others likes or dislikes and of course we always regret it later.

I seldom buy pre made or cooked at the store and do all the cooking at home which works out, I do the cooking she does the cleaning but I do help out if I make a really big mess.

Having worked in commercial kitchens a large part of my life I find I can not duplicate certain foods at home the way you get them in restaurants. Some reasons may be, you can't beat a large gas deep fryer manly because if its ability to maintain temp better than most home fryers or a well seasoned flat grill for all kinds of foods again maintains the heat better with lots of room, same for a good gas grill that has had thousands of quality steaks grilled just gives much more flavor most of the time. Also foods you get from a restaurant supplier tend to be of better quality and more consistent.

Somethings I hesitate to order out is, pasta of any kind, liver and onions which I love she hates, however my brother loves it so I will make it for him and myself when he comes over, that last thing is bbq, as much as I would love to try some I know I am most likely going to be disappointed and and if my wife is with me she will refuse to even let me go in, not sure who the snob is here.
Dave

 

[Just BS]

Why does an drawer draw? Or, why does the singer sing? It's what they do....

For me, my cooking is one of the ways I express myself. Lord knows I can't paint or hold a tune, but I can read a recipe and know what it will taste like. From there, I will change ingredients to make it taste (in my mind) better. Artistic freedom abounds and my dishes always look & taste great.

As Lake Dog said, it is also about showing appreciation and/or love. I am away from home a lot, but when I am home, Mama and our girls will text me wanting to know whats for dinner. They will rush thru the front door and say something like "that smells awesome" or "when's dinner! I'm hungry" and it gives me a little self satisfaction, knowing they like what I'm making.

BBQ'ing has become very similar. When I want to que up some meats, we invite friends and family over (they bring the sides) and boy do I hear about it when I don't invite them, because it is a great time with great food and company That is what life is all about! I am already planning on doing three turkeys three different ways for Thanksgiving.

It's hard for me to eat out. Yes, sometimes it's about fueling up or feeding the machine. Finding a place that serves up something better then I can make is hard. Ambiance is huge. As is service. Then there is the food. When it all comes together it is worth every penny. When it doesn't ~ I feel cheated...

 

[IDBBQ]

There are a handful of restaurants the wife and I go to that we found have good food and service. Usually but not always higher end and they make everything from scratch and fresh.

One pizza restaurant we have been going to for years with a wood fired oven was on the show dives diners and drive ins.

 

[Bluebird]

I simply like to cook, I think meals made from scratch taste much better to me. My wife eats out much more than I do, as I only buy a meal one to two times a month. She loves it when I cook and will eat almost anything I fix. In fact, she was the one who told me to go ahead and get my smoker. Her love of pulled pork I'm sure helped in her decision.

 

[Gnaws on Pigs]

Why does an drawer draw? Or, why does the singer sing? It's what they do....

For me, my cooking is one of the ways I express myself. Lord knows I can't paint or hold a tune, but I can read a recipe and know what it will taste like. From there, I will change ingredients to make it taste (in my mind) better. Artistic freedom abounds and my dishes always look & taste great.

As Lake Dog said, it is also about showing appreciation and/or love. I am away from home a lot, but when I am home, Mama and our girls will text me wanting to know whats for dinner. They will rush thru the front door and say something like "that smells awesome" or "when's dinner! I'm hungry" and it gives me a little self satisfaction, knowing they like what I'm making.

BBQ'ing has become very similar. When I want to que up some meats, we invite friends and family over (they bring the sides) and boy do I hear about it when I don't invite them, because it is a great time with great food and company That is what life is all about! I am already planning on doing three turkeys three different ways for Thanksgiving.

It's hard for me to eat out. Yes, sometimes it's about fueling up or feeding the machine. Finding a place that serves up something better then I can make is hard. Ambiance is huge. As is service. Then there is the food. When it all comes together it is worth every penny. When it doesn't ~ I feel cheated...

Good post!

 

[Pyrotech]

Eating out is for the times I don't want to cook, Kitchen is a mess, or its late and we have been running errnads, or getting home late. It is also for the special nights

The other big reason is Roadtrips, We like to go on weekend trips to get away for a while. this leads to eating out alot. Or when In Mexico trying the various places near our hotel or in town.

There are only a couple places that I like there versions of a dish better then mine. One was our local Mexican place I love there Fajhitas, there beef is super tender and amazing in flavor. But I have been working on trying to duplicate it. and I have come to what I find to be fairly close version at home.

BBQ in my area... mine is better. Main reason not because I cook better but I am a transplant. I like a slighty different style then what is cooked in Texas. I Prefer pork over Beef, I like a nice sweet sticky sauce with some spice to it, but have come to love a good Dry Rub. I prefer Hickory over Pecan or Mesquite.

Asian food, of all types I prefer to eat out, although I have done some stir fry at home with various sauces and ingredients. I have not doen enough to amke mine come even close to theres.

 

[tpope]

We make it from what we grow. Almost total control over our food.

 

[cowgirl]

I make from scratch most of the time. It's just part of country life I guess.... and the way I was raised.
I have meat on the hoof, a garden and the basic provisions in my pantry and cellar. Usually get at least 2 deer a year, birds, small game and fish.

There are things I make at home that stores do not carry. I would miss those if I quit making them.

Downside about raising and butchering your own pork and beef, there are only so many ribs on one hog or steer. I use what I have on hand before butchering again.
Upside... the butcher who processes my cattle also raises his own. I am very happy with his home grown meat too.

I do enjoy eating out once in a while but there aren't many options for me out here.